When is correct to capitalise these words?
At the beginning of sentence is a given.
Here are some examples for each word. Should any be capitalised? If not, is there any situations where they should?
The word "government"
- The government raised taxes.
- Thatcher was in government for a long time.
- The UK is having problems with its coalition government?
The word "organisation"
- The organisation needs to make 10% savings.
- I would like to work for an organisation like Google.
Solution 1:
In most cases you would not capitalize either word on their own.
A possible exception might be if you were to use the word as a proper name, or as an abbreviated version of a proper name. For example, you would use capital letters to name the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; after spelling it out in full the first time, you might shorten the name to "Organisation" on subsequent mentions: "The Organisation is expected to release its study next month." (In this particular case, however, you'd be better off calling it the "OECD," which is its preferred English-language acronym; the same is likely true for many groups with organization/organisation in their names, like OPEC, the WTO, etc.)
For government specifically, in some cases it may be proper to capitalize it as part of a proper name; for example, I believe that Her Majesty's Government (of the UK) and the Government of Canada both like to be referred to as such. Even in those cases, I would probably lowercase the word government on subsequent occurrences when using the word by itself, unless I were dealing with a house style guide that required otherwise.