Is summer a good time? If you think southern California has properties which one ordinarily associates with countries or states, or at least you want to convey that this is so, then you should use the capitalization ordinarily used for names of countries or states. But southerner and northerner are capitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: If the writer is referring to the United States and calling it just the States, then states needs to be capitalized. However, it is accepted that these are capitalized when discussing the American Civil War, for example, and, as mentioned in this article in the final Summary section, some style guides prefer north and south to always be capitalized when referring generally to these areas of the United States. In some cases, like country and city names, this is clear. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. Is Grandma a well-behaved woman? editing, However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. A title like this would appear as: A Guide to English: Perfecting Grammar in an Academic Paper. 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. The Chicago Manual of Style. When dealing with geographic terms, capitalize nouns such as "river", "lake", etc. It was first put into effect for large businesses, but it was gradually adopted as a standardized format by everyone. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. For example, you would write "the Southern United States," but "the southern way of . When it's an adjective ("bicentennial year"), I agree that no cap is needed . Once again, refer to your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. Hi, Victoria. The state abbreviations are always the same: two letter abbreviations with uppercase letters and no periods or spaces between them. 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. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. You wouldnt normally unless north and south are part of a proper noun (e.g., South Africa). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Instead, I have compiled a partial list of things people shouldn't capitalize but commonly do anyway. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. As a result, noun will always be the first capital letter. In other words, directions can be tricky! Capitalize the first word of every sentence. The administration's solution: Ease credit for riskier borrowers. 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. She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. Q. Hello! Should I capitalize "the north" and "the south" in my work on the southern campaign of the Revolutionary war? Updated on December 22, 2018. However, if youre referring to a specific region, such as the east coast of the United States, keep the words lowercase. "I" is always capitalized, along with all its . If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. 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).1. September 18, 2013, at 9:56 pm. At 8.47 ("Popular place names or epithets"), CMOS notes that certain other regions and epithets receive initial caps as well. Lowercase with names of nations (southern France) unless they indicate a political division (South Korea). Do you know "what is the Western Hemisphere?" Capitalization Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, etc., unless the word is part of a formal name. You capitalize state only when it follows the name of the state, as in New York State is also called the Empire State, or when its part of a traditional name for a state, like Empire State or Lone Star State. When it precedes the name of the state, dont capitalize the word unless its part of a title of . Clearly, LA, OC, and SD are part of Southern California, but there are a lot of other places that are located in southern California that are not located in Southern California, such as Palm Springs, Salton Sea, Joshua Tree, Blythe, etc. (Cap or no cap on east and west). If as is used as a preposition, it is lowercase; if as is used as an adverb, conjunction or pronoun, it is uppercase. . Proper nouns are names of particular individuals, places, or things, such as Josephina, Michigan, Oreo, and United Auto Workers. Is that an argument? In "the eastern portion of Colorado", however, "eastern" is written in small letters since it doesn't denote people or specific culture or practice. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Yes, Southern is capitalized because it refers to the South (= the southern US). Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". You capitalize state only when it follows the name of the state, as in New York State is also called the Empire State, or when its part of a traditional name for a state, like Empire State or Lone Star State. When it precedes the name of the state, dont capitalize the word unless its part of a title of . Likewise, the rules for sentences apply: capitalize the common name at the . 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. Use capital letters in the following ways: The first words of a sentence When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line. Is Colorado in the west or the West? - thanks! 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. Best Book Writing Software and Book Writing Apps, Cursive Text Generator , Buscador de palabras y descifrador de palabras. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. Explanation: Because Pisces is a verb. Southern United States, for example, is appropriate because it is located in a specific region. Lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, and other lowercase letters are used when indicating compass direction. The direction word makes it a proper noun. Colorado is part of the Southwest. Which Is More Stable Thiophene Or Pyridine. When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? Hi, Michael. But you capitalize them when theyre specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. But things become tricky once we get down to the details. The West Coast has beautiful scenery. For example: I live in The North. The mines are in the plateaus western region. When proofreading or editing documents, we often find that writers are confused about when to capitalize these terms. only if it's a proper name. Don't capitalize these words when they refer to the general location, geography or climate of a region. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. The state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations in 1963. For example, Southern France is capitalized because it is a proper noun and . The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. When referring to regions, capitalize these words. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". 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. The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous Midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. Here are directions capitalized in sentences: Words such as "southerner" and "northerner" are usually not capitalized if they denote people. More answers below On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. the Southern States the Eastern Seaboard Northern Ireland the Western Hemisphere Most style guides say that compass points and the terms derived from them are lowercased if they just mean direction or location. the East, the North, the South, the West (of a country) northern, southern, eastern, western (parts of a country) 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. I tried to describe the difference in my answer below. Capitalize such words as Northerner, Southerner, and Midwesterner. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. However, when the terms southerner and northerner refer to people on either side of the United States civil war, the civil war was fought between Southerners and Northerners. Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name. The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. South Pacific. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, capitalization, Chicago style, dictionaries. Despite that, knowing how to capitalize names of places, regions, geographical features, directions, etc. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. Here is part of that discussion: 8.46 Regions of the world and national regions. States and territories Use initial capitals for words in the formal name. A diathermal wall between two thermodynamic systems in thermodynamics allows heat transfer but does not allow for the transfer of matter across it. The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese. If you are merely referring to a . I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube. Short story taking place on a toroidal planet or moon involving flying, Doubling the cube, field extensions and minimal polynoms. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. Less democratic. For example, the "river" is a general noun and not capitalized. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). The pastor prayed that God should deliver us from our sins. 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). (There is a lot of leniency on whether to capitalize "The." Few would argue that the region is called "The North" as . Hi, Chris. 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. Hope all that helps! 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. 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. So, noun will be always first capital letter. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. I often have to write north, west in reference to an entrance or exit, for example, the patron exited through the north turnstile. 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. (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 For example: But when the terms are used to indicate a region, they are capitalized for example, the "West Coast". To summarize the advice above, we suggest: However, capitalization may depend on the style guide youre using. Erin Wright, 20122023. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. 10 Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? You don't even want to know what he calls pancakes. CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. Do not drive, Five Below Job Opportunities Earning consideration for Five Below jobs begins with meeting the companys minimum employment age, which is 16 years old. The example you give is a generic direction used as an adjective (like the "east wing of the mansion" example in the post), so no capitalization is required. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. Capitalize directions that are names; North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. Similarly, the European Union is an assortment of multiple countries. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the western winds, western should be lowercase. Duck Vs. Loon: How Are These Words Connected? For example, "western Massachusetts", "northern New Jersey". I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. 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. Examples: southern France, northern Canada. 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. Capitalize regional terms when they refer to a commonly accepted proper name of an area. Posted by Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the capital letter. 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. ), Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. It is also a great option for general business writing. 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. Direction-denoting terms such as north, south, east, west, etc. Southern, according to a co-author, should not be capitalized because it is an adjective rather than a noun. So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. 5 Free French-to-English Translation Services, Broad geographical regions (e.g., the North or the Far East), People from a specific region (e.g., Northerners, Southerners), Cultures or movements related to a region (e.g., Western philosophy). I is always capitalized, along with all its contractions. However, to, not a dash, should be used when from introduces a range of dates (from 2012 to 2013, not from 2012-13). In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations. Should north southeast and West be capitalized? So you would only capitalize federal when you use it in the name of a federal agency, an act, or some other proper noun. So, if a person is from South Africa, south would be capitalized since it's the proper name of the country. The seasons are not proper nouns and are therefore not normally capitalized. Unless you are referring to the Four Seasons, there is no reason for seasons to . But when the term is used in a formal name, it's capitalized, as in "the Hudson River". Proper nouns include the specific names of people, places, and things. The correct answer is option C. In option A, the word Chemistry is only capitalized leaving the other proper noun in lower case. Time arrow with "current position" evolving with overlay number. References to God (s) The word "god" should be capitalized if it is being used as a proper name of a monotheistic god, as in God in Christianity and Judaism. Should southern be capitalized? Another example, "Eastern" in the phrase "Eastern bankers" is capitalized since the word denotes a certain group of people. Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. Is Southern capitalized in southern states? But when these terms are part of an actual place's name, capitalize them, as in "Western Australia", "Northern Ireland", etc. Sallie Ward, a Southern belle. It's not a continent, nor is it a country. [Relevant examples:] the South, southern, a southerner (of a country); the South, Southern, a Southerner (in American Civil War contexts); the Deep South; Southern California; the South of France (region); Southeast Asia; South Africa; South African (referring to the Republic of South Africa); southern Africa (referring to the southern part of the continent); south; southern; southward; to the south (directions). Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. The following sentence is capitalized correctly : I learned that Thor is the god of thunder when I read a book about myths from Norway. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. For example: The words are also not capitalized if they only indicate locations or the climate or geography of a region. 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. A recognized geographical region. southern Atlanta; But capitalize compass points when part of a proper name. And "north" in that sentence refers to a direction (i.e., where you turned), not the place (i.e., Bolton Avenue). When used as part of a short-form political affiliation, states should also be abbreviated. However, when giving an address, or in tables or other uses in which space is limited, use the US Postal Services symbol system, which consists of a two-letter abbreviation in which both letters are always capitalized and no periods are used (for example, NY for New York). Our primary dictionaries, Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, Websters New World College Dictionary, and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language all capitalize U.S. geographic regions when used as adjectives or indicate that these adjectives are typically capitalized.4, Like adjectives, the decision to capitalize or lowercase geographic populations in the United States will depend on your style guide. You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. The word states would remain lower case if states is referred to in a general way, such as There are two senators for each state.. Capitalize the Southern California region? In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. are not capitalized when they merely denote compass direction. So, should you capitalize regions when writing? Unless the direction is part of the country's actual name, it remains lowercased. Lowercase to when it functions in an infinitive. So the upshot of my answer is that you didn't miss the memo (or perhaps I should say The Memo) on this issue, but at the same time you didn't notice a larger phenomenon in accordance with which initial-capping Southern California is by no means a unique, inexplicable, or indefensible treatment of a regional name. I am living in Western Downtown. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? rev2023.3.3.43278. The Department decided on the current two-letter abbreviations in October 1963. The sentence reads "I turned on north Bolton." Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? Filed Under: To properly follow AP style guidelines, only use one space after a period, as opposed to the often used double-space. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Capitalize My Title makes title capitalization easy. To find out when to capitalize North, South, East, and West, read our guide to capitalizing directions below. It only loosely defines a region of California and its border is not officially defined either. NOTE: When terms like western region and southern district are used to name organizational units within a company, capitalize them.