Sentence Fragments and Run-on sentences

[Clevernick]

This is not about sentence structure but a grammar question none the less.

When is master,mistress capitalized?
I've heard that it should be capital M when refering to a specific individual, such as "Please Master, not in the face."
But when talking about the position or relationship it should be a small m.
The mistresses gathered around the coral. It was always fun to watch a master break the ponies.


Mad Lews

Good questions, Mad! I looked around and found this handy rule set, in which I think it's safe to consider Master/Mistress a title:

Titles
A person's title is capitalized only when used before the name. When using a capitalized title immediately before the name, try to keep it short. Do not capitalize an occupational designation, only a true title. Department names are in lower case in a person's title.

Right: We met President Cohon.
Right: The president will speak at the dinner.
Right: Vice President for Enrollment William Elliott issued the memo.
Right: Our speaker will be artist William Cooper.

Titles following a person's name should appear in lower case. Use lower case when a title is used alone.

Right: The president of Carnegie Mellon will address the group.
Right: Jeff Bolton, vice president for business and planning and chief financial officer, will host the reception.

Chaired professorships appear in lower case, except for the proper name. University professorships also use lower case.

Right: Andres Cardenes, the Dorothy Richard Starling and Alexander C. Speyer Jr. professor of music, donated his Stradivarius violin to the School of Music in Carnegie Mellon's College of Fine Arts.
Right: Her years of hard work were acknowledged when she earned the rank of university professor.

found at http://www.cmu.edu/styleguide/capitalization.html

Is this the rule? It certainly makes a writers life a little harder. Maybe I should have taken up historic romance novels.

Then you'd still have to worry about capitalizing Squire, Sir, Baron, Duchess, etc... Too bad, hein?