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But you capitalize them when theyre specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. Are Seasons Capitalized Or Not? | Thesaurus.com When referring to races, should 'black' and 'white' be capitalized? (MLA) However, the Associated Press Stylebook does not recommend capitals in that case. Some common examples of when you should capitalize south include: down South the Deep South Hi, Victoria. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. When words like northern, southern, eastern, or western precede a place name, they arent usually capitalized because they only indicate a general location within a region. It is also a great option for general business writing. However, if, like Northern Ireland and North Korea, the direction is part of the proper name, it should be capitalized. When to Capitalize Directions - Writing Explained On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. Popular usage sets the rules for standard practice especially in the case of region names. I often have to write north, west in reference to an entrance or exit, for example, the patron exited through the north turnstile. are not capitalized when they merely denote compass direction. When And When Not To. 2 Do you capitalize state when referring to a state? Drive south for five miles. the East, the North, the South, the West (of a country) northern, southern, eastern, western (parts of a country) @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. But when the words are used in specific contexts, denote people belonging to a particular region, or refer to their social, political, or cultural activities, they are capitalized. Actually, you should capitalize federal only when it is part of a proper noun, that is, the official name of a particular or unique person, place, or thing. Opportunities exist on the east and west sides of the city. For example, "western Massachusetts", "northern New Jersey". What states in the US are consider southern states? In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. Thor and Norway are capitalized because they are proper nouns. Each morning, the sun rises in the east . Lowercase to when it functions in an infinitive. North, east, south, and west are the four cardinal directions, often marked by the initials N, E, S, and W. East and west are at right angles to north and south. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Erin Wright with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. However, if youre referring to a specific region, such as the east coast of the United States, keep the words lowercase. Should southern hemisphere be capitalized? Explained by Sharing Culture AP style is primarily for journalists and writers who want to conform to traditional journalism styles. Youd also capitalize the first word and (according to most guides) the last word of a title, regardless of what part of speech they are. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. In other words, directions can be tricky! As a compass direction, south and southern are not capitalized: Capitalize each term when it is used as a proper name or as part of a proper name, and if the region . The state abbreviations are always the same: two letter abbreviations with uppercase letters and no periods or spaces between them. If you are referring to a group of proper nouns such as the Southern States. However, if youre referring to a general location, such as the southern winds then southern should be lowercase. "The State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. Example: "War-weary ministers in London asked themselves why they fought a costly war in the [north] when they had friends in the Carolinas and Georgia.". The question as to whether something should be considered a name or not is one of style, and as such you should adhere to the discipline of your editor, publication, or organization, or in the absence of a house style, you should adopt a suitable. - thanks! Is Southern capitalized in southern states? Are seasons capitalized or not? However, they should be capitalized only in such contexts; names of compass points in sentences such as "I drove southeast for several hours" or "Have you been to any of the southwestern states?" are not capitalized. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. (1) often capitalized: of or relating to any of various population groups having dark pigmentation of the skin (black Americans) (2) : of or relating to the African-American people or their culture (black literature) (a black college) (black pride) (black studies) From Merriam-Webster Dictionary Part of the definition for white Lorry Vs. Truck: Meaning And How To Use Each One, Turnip Vs. Radish: Meaning And Differences Of These Words. Rule 1. To summarize the advice above, we suggest: However, capitalization may depend on the style guide youre using. Use a hyphen to show a range of dates and do not repeat 20 (2012-13, not 2012-2013). Capitalization Rules-A Quick Guide | Grammarly In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. Should Southern colonies be capitalized? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 9 Should north southeast and West be capitalized? As a result, noun will always be the first capital letter. However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. Besides the global continents, there are also atmospheric and hydrospheric regions that encompass the oceans, discrete climates, or environments above the water and landmasses of earth. As noted in the post, there's no need to capitalize generic directions (only when they're part of a proper noun). For instance, the term "ecoregion" is used commonly in environmental geography, "bioregion" in biogeography, etc. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. When to Capitalize Directional Words - Ellii Blog However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. Capitalizing the Word States If a writer refers to the United States and refers to it only as the States, states must be capitalized. The word white is not usually capitalized in this situation; men would never be. Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? Once again, refer to your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. Capitalize common nouns such as party, river and street when they are part of a proper name. The pronoun "I" For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. Capitalization For WebCT Users in Writing Classes: The "caps" icon (usually immediately before a word) indicates either that the following word ought to be capitalized (for one of the reasons listed here) or, if it is already capitalized, that it shouldn't be. Capitalization I is always capitalized, along with all its contractions. Do you capitalize state when referring to a state? During the Civil War, Northerners and Southerners battled in twenty-three states. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. 1 The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. When using a U.S. geographic region as an adjective, the decision to capitalize or lowercase will depend on your style guide. Though a direction is a general noun, it could at times be not that straightforward to ascertain whether it's a common noun or a proper noun. However, if you use the word southern instead of a general location, such as the southern winds, the word should be lowercase. Is that an argument? When did states go to 2 letter abbreviations? Why distinguishes money from other assets in the economy. The administration's solution: Ease credit for riskier borrowers. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. But the AP Stylebook says to always capitalize "Southern" when referring to "the South" in the United States, regardless of whether you're discussing the Civil War. Southern belle - Wikipedia I tried to describe the difference in my answer below. The periods are omitted in headlines. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the southern winds, southern should be lowercase. When writing or proofreading manuscripts, names of regions and their capitalization rules could be tricky to discern or ascertain. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? Capitalization | CSU - California State University Do You Capitalize "Real Estate"? Currently, Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary capitalizes Midwesterner, Northerner, Southerner, and Westerner, while Websters New World College Dictionary and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language only capitalize Midwesterner and allow northerner, southerner, and westerner to be capitalized or lowercased.7. Is north capitalized there? Are coca cola and pepsi owned by the same company? Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. It might be amusing to look for instances of "southern Southern California" or "northern Southern California". Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. When to Capitalize North, South, East and West. For example, the "river" is a general noun and not capitalized. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' ), Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Time arrow with "current position" evolving with overlay number. If you are referring to a group of proper nouns such as the Western States. However, if youre referring to a general location, such as the western winds then western should be lowercase. So: North Carolina is north of South Carolina and east of West Virginia. Southern, on the other hand, is capitalized by convention when it refers to California: I live in Southern California. Knowing whether to capitalize directional adjectives can be challenging. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(42679, '499cbd76-cfa5-4fea-836f-ead06058d874', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); North, East, South or West - Capitalize or Not? Names of regions should be capitalized if those are proper nouns or denote a country, city, continent, etc. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. With the passage of time, some words originally derived from proper nouns have taken on a life, and authority, of their own and no longer require capitalization. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. Dont capitalize names of directions like north, south, east, and west when used to refer to direction and location, but do capitalize these words when they appear in the names of places and regions. Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the capital letter. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Capitalization in APA, Chicago, MLA, and AP - ProofreadingPal When combining with another common noun to form the name for a region . But, generally, you only need to capitalize a direction in a place name if the direction is a standard part of the places name. The Department decided on the current two-letter abbreviations in October 1963. When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names - Daily Writing Tips O needs to be capitalized since it is at the beginning of the sentence, I needs to be capital, Pisces is a specific constellation so it is a proper noun, and likewise North is proper noun. When the word "state" comes after a state's name, it should be capitalized. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. I don't think there's an established norm for identifying regions of Albania in English (although you might get a different answer if you asked an Albanian, I suppose), but looking at Google Ngrams, "southeastern Albania" seems to be the most common option: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=southeast+Albania%2Csoutheastern+Albania%2Csouth-east+Albania%2Csouth-eastern+Albania&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Csoutheast%20Albania%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csoutheastern%20Albania%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csouth%20-%20east%20Albania%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csouth%20-%20eastern%20Albania%3B%2Cc0 You should only capitalize directions, such as south, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the South." If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go south on I-90," then you should keep south lowercase. Despite that, knowing how to capitalize names of places, regions, geographical features, directions, etc. When to capitalize North East South West? . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Capitalize My Title makes title capitalization easy. Guidance to capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Check your style guide (if applicable) for advice on specific terms. Names of racial and ethnic groups are treated as proper nouns, which means they are capitalized (e.g., African American, Asian American, Black, European American, First Nations, Hispanic, Native American, Latinx, White). (Cap or no cap on east and west). Geographic Regions Used as Adjectives But the AP Stylebook says to always capitalize Southern when referring to the South in the United States, regardless of whether youre discussing the Civil War. Short story taking place on a toroidal planet or moon involving flying, Doubling the cube, field extensions and minimal polynoms. Avoiding Common Capitalization Errors | The Proofreading Pulse She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. There may be disagreement about where the border of Southern California begins, just as there was and is about the border of the Wild West, but the fact that the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange County, and San Diego are all located in Southern California is beyond debate. Note that exceptions based on specific regional, political, or historical contexts are inevitable and that an author's strong preference should usually be respected. It's all directional | Grammar Party Use the US Postal Services symbol system, which is a two-letter abbreviation that consists of a two-letter abbreviation in which both letters are capitalized and no periods are used when giving an address or in tables or other uses where space is limited. Capitalize these words when they designate regions. Of course, they should be capitalized at the start of sentences and in titles, as they are with other nouns. Q. Debating with an editor over capitalization of the word bicentennial. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Hi, Kelly. Should Pisces be capitalized? [Fact Checked!] This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation. In general, you should capitalize the names of countries and languages. Surely not one word Southeast? 1 Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? AP Style says it should be capitalized while the Chicago Style Manual says it should be lowercased. Topic Q&A List - The Chicago Manual of Style Online North, South, East and West as Proper Nouns You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Hi, Michael. But when the term is used in a formal name, it's capitalized, as in "the Hudson River". Use capital letters in the following ways: The first words of a sentence When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line. Job seekers, Is Pepsi the owner of KFC? North, East, South or West - Capitalize or Not? - ProofreadNOW.com Except for England, the other three countries have their own parliaments. Some authorities also capitalize titles if they immediately follow the name without the word "the.". So, option 2 is correct. In other words, directions can be tricky! Capital offenses - The Daily Californian The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. The pastor prayed that God should deliver us from our sins. When Should You Capitalize Geographic Regions in the United States? Capitalizing "North," "South," "East," and "West" when they're part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a specific geographical region or culture). When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? Characteristics. down South. At the most basic level, the standard advice is to lowercase north, south, east and west when used as compass directions and to capitalize them when they are used as part of a proper noun or adjective or refer to regions or geographic areas. University Editorial Style Guidelines - Santa Clara University When north, south, east, and west refer to generic directions (i.e., the points of the compass), they are not capitalized: The master bedroom is in the east wing of the mansion. Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. But southerner and northerner are capitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. However, widely known designations are capitalized: the Upper East Side, Southern California. Is it "southern California" or "Southern California?". Only capitalize state when it follows the states name, such as New York State is also known as the Empire State, or when it is part of a traditional state name, such as Empire State or Lone Star State, can be capitalized. State names had to be abbreviated to make room for the ZIP code. Should northern be capitalized - 650.org I still don't see any "descriptivist argument", much less a strong one. Certain public figures get capitalized, but others dont. For example, most people would capitalize South London because South London is a well-known part of a famous city. Common nouns are the names of things. North, South, West, East Capitalizing Can Be a Beast - ProofreadNOW.com These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. U.S. Should "west coast" be capitalized if it is referring to the western region of the U.S.? Each morning, the sun rises in the east . The key factor here is that were using these words descriptively (i.e., to specify the direction or location of something), not to name something. If you are referring to a group of proper nouns such as the Southern States. However, if instead you reference a general location, such as the southern winds, then the word southern should be lowercase. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. Here are the types of words that should be capitalized: Proper nouns. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. Capital Letters with North, East, South, and West - Grammar Monster Please note that my close-vote reason was 'lack of reasonable signs of research'; I believe that there are differences between the 'northern Europe' example and this one. Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? It's the inconsistency or the abrupt switching between capitalized letters and lowercase letters is what that puts readers off. rev2023.3.3.43278. However, in certain pairings, the common noun appears after a name or proper noun for instance, "the Highlands Region". In general, midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. For example, The hurricane move north towards the Gulf Coast. Other assets have a wide range of liquidity. The state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations in 1963. Should compass directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west) ever be capitalized? seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. Do You Capitalize the Word "Queen" in a Sentence? Which sentence is capitalized correctly I learned that Thor? However, the forms bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree and master's are acceptable as general terms. (There is a lot of leniency on whether to capitalize "The." Few would argue that the region is called "The North" as . In this particular sentence, I is capitalized because it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. When common nouns like party, river, and street are included in a proper name, capitalize them. The main style guides all agree on this, although . When to Capitalize North, South, East and West - Proofed Only when it's very apparent or writing the direction names in small letters looks completely off, capitalize them. The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. When referring to a specific region, you should capitalize the words East Coast such as Im traveling to the East Coast since East Coast is a proper noun in this case. The plant common name has to conform to the rules of English, however, so if there's a proper noun in the common name, it must be capitalized.