Capitalization Unless the word is part of a formal name, do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, or other similar words. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Terms that denote regions of the world or of a particular country are often capitalized, as are a few of the adjectives and nouns derived from such terms. down South. Is Southern Capitalized? - Capitalize My Title Characteristics. For example, we capitalize north, south, east, and west when the terms refer to regions or cultures: Customs in the East differ from those in the West. Job seekers, Is Pepsi the owner of KFC? Regardless of what side of the debate table you are on, the different thoughts clearly illustrate how differing opinions could be on the matter, causing people to use capitalization rules the way they deem appropriate. How should "Northern Europe" be capitalized? When dealing with geographic terms, capitalize nouns such as "river", "lake", etc. More answers below When we write the days of the week, we always use a capital letter. During the Civil War, Northerners and Southerners battled in twenty-three states. If states is being referred to in a general manner, such as There are two senators for each state, then the word states would remain lower case. 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. When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names - Daily Writing Tips The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) suggests capitalizing terms like Midwesterner, Northerner, Southerner, and Westerner:5. North, South, East, West: Are Directions Capitalized? How do I connect these two faces together? (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 Capitalization Rules-A Quick Guide | Grammarly In other words, capitalize words such as Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis when they are used in place of the persons name. Circling back to the "title" rule, if the headline is in sentence case and the word "region" is not the starting word of the title, "region" should be written in lowercase. That's when even the most exhaustive style . Unless the direction is part of the country's actual name, it remains lowercased. However, if you are referring to a general region, such as the east coast of the United States then you should keep the words lowercase. If the writer is referring to the United States and calling it just the States, then states needs to be capitalized. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. Southern California; West Texas; the Lower East Side of New York; If in doubt, use lowercase. The North, The East, The South, and The West. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? The rules are fairly standard for title case: Capitalize the first and the last word. The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough: Capitalize the first word in a sentence. rev2023.3.3.43278. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. Have you ever visited the Western United States? When possessive pronouns like her, his, my, our, and your are used, do not capitalize them. In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. Names of people People's names are proper nouns, and therefore should be capitalized. The geographical areas "The North," "The East," "The South," and "The West" are treated like proper nouns. In short, it says to capitalize northern, southern, eastern, western and related words when they refer to the PEOPLE in a region or what they DO (i.e., their political, cultural or social activities) or are part of the place name. Western (and Northern) blots however, were not named after inventors but were given these names in honor of . Capitalize a persons title when it precedes the name. English Proofreading and Copyediting Prices, Spanish Proofreading and Copyediting Prices, northern New Jersey, western Massachusetts. Capitalize proper nounsand adjectives derived from proper nouns. Be consistent (e.g., dont use south England in one part of a document and South England in another if youre referring to the same place). Capitalizing the Word States If a writer refers to the United States and refers to it only as the States, states must be capitalized. It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. Which sentence is capitalized correctly Carlotta? When words like northern, southern, eastern, and western precede a place name, they are not ordinarily capitalized, because they merely indicate general location within a region. However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. Capitalize the traditional geographic regions in the United States: the Midwest, the North, the South, the West, and the combined regions (i.e., the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Southwest). Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. 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. However, some people also suggest capitalizing the names of: The uniting theme here is the idea of naming a well-known or well-defined region. Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. In June 1963, the Department provided an initial list of abbreviations, but many had only three or four letters, which were still too long. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. To Capitalise or Not To Capitalise: A Useful Guide - Proofed Thus people who live in southern California may prefer to write Southern California. The name of a theatrical play, but this is also a conventional geographical region that would be capitalized anyway. If the is used, use Prime Minister. When the name of a city and state are used together, the name of the state should be abbreviated (except for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah). "southern California" is not the same as "Southern California". when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Hi, Victoria. Hi, Mary. Some could argue the word "Southerner" in the sentence denotes someone who belongs to a specific region, and the letter "S" should therefore be capitalized. 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). Southern, according to a co-author, should not be capitalized because it is an adjective rather than a noun. For example: When words such as "northern", "southern", "western", and "eastern" precede a region or place's name, do not capitalize them as they are only indicating a general location in a region. When to capitalize North East South West? Rules for Capitalizing Academic Degrees in AP Style CMOS looks at what a large relevant tranche of people do; this ultimately defines what is acceptable. For example, NY for New York, use the US Postal Services symbol system. Should compass directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west) ever be capitalized? When did states go to 2 letter abbreviations? Dates. Is that an argument? She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. When writing or proofreading manuscripts, names of regions and their capitalization rules could be tricky to discern or ascertain. Similar is the case with the following set of words: Here are a couple of sentences for further clarity on the matter: When terms such as "southern district" and "western region" are used as names for specific units within an organization, capitalize them. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox. Southern belle - Wikipedia Also, if "region" is the first word in a sentence, it is capitalized. Should I capitalize "the north" and "the south" in my work on the southern campaign of the Revolutionary war? Is South capitalized when talking about the Civil War? Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? For example, Southern US is proper because it is a specific region. NOTE: When terms like western region and southern district are used to name organizational units within a company, capitalize them. In a June 11 statement, the National Association of Black Journalists issued a recommendation "that whenever a color is used to appropriately describe race then it should be capitalized . Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the Southern food in Tennessee. You should capitalize "North," "South," "East," and "West" when they're part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. In other words, directions can be tricky! In headlines, the periods are omitted. Each morning, the sun rises in the east . Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. any that aren't articles, conjunctions or prepositions) should be capitalised. Otherwise, not. It's the inconsistency or the abrupt switching between capitalized letters and lowercase letters is what that puts readers off. You should only capitalize "east" when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the East" or "in the Middle East". In your first paragraph after the caption you make a good comparison between Wild West and Southern California, but I'm still troubled by a couple of issues. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. When you're talking about America's West Coast or the Middle East, the directional word is also part of a proper name, and it gets a capital letter. . 3. How do I style geographic terms such as - MLA Style Center This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation. Less democratic. 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 Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago style) suggests lowercasing terms like midwesterner, northerner, southerner, and westerner, except when referencing the Civil War, in which case Northerner and Southerner should be capitalized:6. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' Should northern be capitalized - 650.org Some authorities also capitalize titles if they immediately follow the name without the word "the.". By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Unless you are referring to the Four Seasons, there is no reason for seasons to . The pronoun "I" When it's an adjective ("bicentennial year"), I agree that no cap is needed . When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? However, to, not a dash, should be used when from introduces a range of dates (from 2012 to 2013, not from 2012-13). What states in the US are consider southern states? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. For example, we capitalizenorth,south,east, andwest when the terms refer to regions or cultures: Customs in the East differ from those in the West. Copyright 2022 - TheContentAuthority.com, Reindeer Vs. Moose: Main Differences, How To Tell Them Apart. Southern belle (from French belle 'beautiful') is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South. In other words, directions can be tricky! Canada, Western European nations and developed parts of Asia; Global Southern countries are those that are less economically developed such as nations in Africa and some parts of Asia [29 . Unless they are actually part of the place name, directions dont need to be capitalized, but this depends on personal preference (e.g., if it might make this clearer to the reader) and whether its specified by a style guide. 2 Do you capitalize state when referring to a state? The other concern I have is that southern is a geographical term, that I feel shouldn't be usurped in this way. Some common examples of when you should capitalize south include: down South the Deep South Capitalize such words as northern, southern, eastern, and western when they refer to the people in a region or to their political, social, or cultural activities. Here are a few more examples: When the directional terms are not proper names and are affixed to proper nouns simply to denote direction, they are written in lowercase for example, "southern France", "northern New York", etc. When in doubt, lowercase. Is Grandma a well-behaved woman? Use lower case for generic or plural references. The following sentence is capitalized correctly : I learned that Thor is the god of thunder when I read a book about myths from Norway. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". 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. The direction word makes it a proper noun. When words like northern, southern, eastern, and western precede a place name, they are not ordinarily capitalized, because they merely indicate general location within a region. The sentence reads "I turned on north Bolton." The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. In 1963, the state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations. Topic Q&A List - The Chicago Manual of Style Online In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns.