Examples: southern France, northern Canada. Most of the north is sandy, and the northern coast is mountainous. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. That's when even the most exhaustive style . However, if youre referring to a specific region, such as the east coast of the United States, keep the words lowercase. 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. CMOS looks at what a large relevant tranche of people do; this ultimately defines what is acceptable. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (regardless of length). Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. You would capitalize "Southern" when referring to the people, or their culture, politics, or social activities, e.g., Southern hospitality, Southern cuisine, Southern accents. Some common examples of when you should capitalize north include: down North. AP Style holds to the general rule of lowercasing compass directions and capitalizing regions. 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. If it's a name, it's a proper noun. Just make sure you are consistent with the letter case. That means that official names of departments and units should be capitalized and not when referring to just a type of department or unit. Which sentence is capitalized correctly Carlotta? Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Capitalizing North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a specific geographical region or culture). As noted in the post, there's no need to capitalize generic directions (only when they're part of a proper noun). Are coca cola and pepsi owned by the same company? The AP Stylebook, which is the guiding stylebook for a number of news organizations, including The Daily Tar Heel, advises against using the Oxford comma in most basic series. I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). (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 When And When Not To. Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? The geographical areas "The North," "The East," "The South," and "The West" are treated like proper nouns. Usage guide. Otherwise, the word should be lowercased, as in "the god of war.". However, if instead you reference a general location, such as "the southern winds," then the word southern should be lowercase. Certain public figures get capitalized, but others dont. Here are a few sentences with the word "region" in them: If part of a title or headline, the word "region" can be capitalized to conform to title capitalization rules. Southern United States, for example, is appropriate because it is located in a specific region. 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. If it's a general noun such as a river, lake, ocean, etc., the region need not be capitalized. You don't even want to know what he calls pancakes. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Capitalize common nouns such as party, river and street when they are part of a proper name. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. You can even submit asample document for free to see how our services work. In some cases, like country and city names, this is clear. The word should only be capitalized if it appears in the body's name. Knowing whether to capitalize directional adjectives can be challenging. South-East Albania? Q. Hello! When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. Hope all that helps! 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. South-Eastern Albania? You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Does the word federal need to be capitalized? When dealing with geographic terms, capitalize nouns such as "river", "lake", etc. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic, as are those lacking any signs of reasonable research. 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. The Chicago Manual of Style. Rule 2. As explained in the post, some people do capitalize terms like "the North" when they refer to a well-established geographical area. Explanation: Because Pisces is a verb. For example, "Global is a proper noun." . 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. In terms of "human geography", the regions and their subregions are elucidated by the ethnography discipline. The Content Authority is where you will find great content, written by amazing writers, around topics like grammar, writing, publishing, and marketing. 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. 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. Related, but not duplicates (in my opinion): As definitive as it gets. For example, Southern France is capitalized because it is a proper noun and . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Hi, James. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved I work in marketing, and I'm wondering if lowercasing the words "off" and "under" in these headlines is correct: "50% off Body Wash" and "Gift Sets under $40.". 5 Should states and territories be Capitalised? The same rule applies for specific regions when you add -ern onto the end of a direction. When referring to regions, capitalize these words. 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). Capitalize proper nounsand adjectives derived from proper nouns. If youre referring to the Western States, for example, youre referring to a group of proper nouns. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. There is room for variation here: if you live in Coventry and youre writing for other Coventry residents, then perhaps writing South Coventry would make sense. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. For example: The words are also not capitalized if they only indicate locations or the climate or geography of a region. But you capitalize them when theyre specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. 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. Todays post explains when to capitalize geographic regions in the United States. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia? The correct sentence is Carlotta and I love Halloween. 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. Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. Coordinate conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet & so (FANBOYS). Before capitalizing words like east, west, north, and south, check whether you are using them as part of a proper noun or merely to refer to direction or location.Don't capitalize directions (we sailed due east) and locations (western India), but do capitalize compass points when they occur in proper nouns (North Korea, South Sudan, East Dunbartonshire, the Great Western Plains). AP Style states that when referring to the names of a nation, directions should . Along with the proper nouns listed in the table above, you should also always capitalize: the first word after a colon when what follows the colon is an independent clause, most nouns when they are followed by numerals or letters (e.g., Table 1, Figure 2, Panel A; see section 4.17), and. The first letter of someone's first, middle, and last name is always capitalized, as in John William Smith . It might be amusing to look for instances of "southern Southern California" or "northern Southern California". When they indicate compass direction, lowercase north, south, northeast, and so on, but capitalize when it indicates a region: the West Coast. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, capitalization, Chicago style, dictionaries. So, if a person is from South Africa, south would be capitalized since it's the proper name of the country. A region could also be a group of nations. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? 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. Capitalizing western and capitalizing west have the same rules. Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name. 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 is widely known: The Civil War pitted the South against the North. How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac), How to Insert Images into Shapes in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac), How to Align the Periods in Numbered Lists in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac), How to Password Protect Files in Microsoft Word, How to Password Protect PDFs in Adobe Acrobat (PC & Mac). West is directly opposite east. Capitalize directions that are names; North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions. 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. It is also a great option for general business writing. But it would be unusual to do this for a less well-known location, such as south Coventry.. Instead, I have compiled a partial list of things people shouldn't capitalize but commonly do anyway. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. 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. 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. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. Why distinguishes money from other assets in the economy. down South. seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. For example, most people would capitalize South London because South London is a well-known part of a famous city. English Proofreading and Copyediting Prices, Spanish Proofreading and Copyediting Prices, northern New Jersey, western Massachusetts. Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. doesn't shout the need for "capitalization", it's safe to write it in lowercase. Hi, Michael. How can I find out which sectors are used by files on NTFS? 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. Home-buyers pay a 1.75% fee up . 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. Is state capitalized when referring to a specific state? 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. These are not governed entities, but they are official designations. Unless you are referring to the Four Seasons, there is no reason for seasons to . (Most uses will be uppercase.) Are both letters capitalized in state abbreviations? Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? Is Southern capitalized in southern states? Yes, Southern is capitalized because it refers to the South (= the southern US). The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. Phil Jamieson Feb 16, 2010 5:00:00 AM. Most style guides recommend capitalizing "West Coast" when referring to the western seaboard of the U.S. hi, should i capitalize 'west' in 'west Africa' or 'north' in north Africa'? It does not store any personal data. @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. When the word "state" comes after a state's name, it should be capitalized. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? To find out when to capitalize North, South, East, and West, read our guide to capitalizing directions below. 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. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. 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. So, option 2 is correct. are not capitalized when they merely denote compass direction. My name is Erin. States should also be abbreviated when used as part of a short-form political affiliation. 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). TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. 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. How do I connect these two faces together? capitalization, maps, writing tips. Seasons. The word 'southern' shouldn't be capitalized in a sentence unless it is a proper noun. 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. 2023 Caniry - All Rights Reserved 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. 1 Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? 2 Do you capitalize state when referring to a state? Best Book Writing Software and Book Writing Apps, Cursive Text Generator , Buscador de palabras y descifrador de palabras. 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. For example, Silicon Valley isn't a proprietary name or legally defined area, but it receives initial caps anyway. 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. You should always capitalize Westerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. North Dakota; West Virginia; Also capitalize compass points when used in denoting widely known sections. 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. Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? 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. Direction-denoting terms such as north, south, east, west, etc. One reason partisans capitalize "White" or "Black" is to denote its importance in messages, even subliminally, magnified by lowercasing the "other." As always, we believe that labels can oversimplify, and that a specific description is better. Do you know "what is the Western Hemisphere?" 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. The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Is that an argument? Southern, according to a co-author, should not be capitalized because it is an adjective rather than a noun. The following formal names of specific degrees should always be capitalized in AP style: As you can see, master's degrees are capitalized when abbreviated. 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. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". In the case of prime minister, either both words begin with a capital letter or neither, except, obviously, when it starts a sentence. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. If the writer is referring to the United States and calling it just the States, then states needs to be capitalized. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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.
