Ramsey County Death Notices, Articles S

Should the word northwest be capitalized? Explained by Sharing Culture For example, "Global is a proper noun." . southern Atlanta; But capitalize compass points when part of a proper name. If you have a question about whether a specific word should be capitalized that doesn't fit under one of these rules, try checking a dictionary to see if the word is capitalized there. 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. Without capitalization, it could refer to anyone in the southern hemisphere, or perhaps southern England. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Do you capitalize north? Should north East south West be capitalized? The state abbreviations are always in the same format: two letter abbreviations where both letters are uppercase and no periods or spaces between each letter. That means that official names of departments and units should be capitalized and not when referring to just a type of department or unit. 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 . She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. Capitalize regional terms when they refer to a commonly accepted proper name of an area. English Capitalization Rules and Example Sentences - ThoughtCo 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. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, south, east, and west, when you are referring to the direction as a proper noun, such as in the South or up North. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as go south on I-90, then you should keep the direction lowercase. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. The capitalization of as depends upon its function. In other words, directions can be tricky! Did any DOS compatibility layers exist for any UNIX-like systems before DOS started to become outmoded? So capitalize The Pacific Northwest and Central Texas, but not We drove west for two hours., The States that make up The South are usually considered to be: Virginia Tennessee Arkansas Louisiana North Carolina South Carolina Mississippi Alabama Georgia Florida Texas. Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese. are widely recognized as popular names and are thus capitalized. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. North, East, South or West - Capitalize or Not? - ProofreadNOW.com Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. The following sentence is capitalized correctly : I learned that Thor is the god of thunder when I read a book about myths from Norway. Capitalization Rules | A Simple Guide For Better Grammar - Thesaurus.com Q. Debating with an editor over capitalization of the word bicentennial. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. A recognized geographical region. However, in certain pairings, the common noun appears after a name or proper noun for instance, "the Highlands Region". Binomial nomenclature is, of course, also used for animals, including the singularly curious one designated as Homo sapiens. The Content Authority is where you will find great content, written by amazing writers, around topics like grammar, writing, publishing, and marketing. As a result, noun will always be the first capital letter. The following examples illustrate not only the principles sketched in [an earlier section of CMOS] but also variations based on context and usage. If as is used as a preposition, it is lowercase; if as is used as an adverb, conjunction or pronoun, it is uppercase. 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 same rules apply to capitalizing western as capitalizing west. Do you know "what is the Western Hemisphere?" When words like northern, southern, eastern, or western precede a place name, they aren't usually capitalized because they only indicate a general location within a region. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. North, South, East, West: Are Directions Capitalized? In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. U.S. 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' He's one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. That's when even the most exhaustive style . Geographic Regions and States Editorial Style Guide Purchase College Capitalize these words when they designate regions. Should northern be capitalized - 650.org Most style guides say that compass points and the terms derived from them are lowercased if they just mean direction or location. 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. And if so, when? If youre referring to a specific location, such as the western winds, western should be lowercase. In case it's not obvious, I have a bachelor's in writing. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. In all cases, though, you should: And if you need help, our expert proofreaders are ready! It's the inconsistency or the abrupt switching between capitalized letters and lowercase letters is what that puts readers off. For example, Southern France is capitalized because it is a proper noun and . When it's an adjective ("bicentennial year"), I agree that no cap is needed . Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? In most forms of writings, not capitalizing direction names when they could have been capitalized doesn't bother the readers much. It only loosely defines a region of California and its border is not officially defined either. 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 word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. Should The South Be Capitalized? - FAQS Clear Use a hyphen to show a range of dates and do not repeat 20 (2012-13, not 2012-2013). The United Kingdom, for instance, is a region that comprises four countries: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. The same applies for related adjectives and other compass directions: We live in the eastern part of the country. Thus, we have rigid goldenrod but Missouri goldenrod, azure penstemon but Torrey's penstemon and California penstemon. 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 . 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 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. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: We also lowercase the terms when they refer to people: Butsouthernerandnorthernerarecapitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: The civil war was fought between Southerners and Northerners. 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). rev2023.3.3.43278. The word 'southern' shouldn't be capitalized in a sentence unless it is a proper noun. When people form a group and give it a name, it should be capitalized. However, if you use the word southern instead of a general location, such as the southern winds, the word should be lowercase. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Should I capitalize "the north" and "the south" in my work on the southern campaign of the Revolutionary war? Colorado is part of the Southwest. If these geographic areas are part of a name, however, such as "River Thames", capitalize the term. Guidance to capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. If a law is new but its interpretation is vague, can the courts directly ask the drafters the intent and official interpretation of their law? The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. Capitalize the first word of every sentence. Did the Allman Brothers Band play southern rock or Southern rock? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. Some authorities also capitalize titles if they immediately follow the name without the word "the.". You should capitalize the words East Coast when referring to a specific region, such as Im traveling to the East Coast, because East Coast is a proper noun in this case. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. Dates. What is thought to influence the overproduction and pruning of synapses in the brain quizlet? What about capitalizing western or Westerner? But, generally, you only need to capitalize a direction in a place name if the direction is a standard part of the places name. in the southwestern part an eastward direction These words usually do get capitalized when they describe a region of the world or of a country, but there are some exceptions. only if it's a proper name. Capitalize a persons title when it precedes the name. 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. When they indicate compass direction, lowercase north, south, northeast, and so on, but capitalize when it indicates a region: the West Coast. One exception to this rule: common objects with a country or nationality as part of the name ( french fries, scotch whiskey, venetian blinds, and so forth). The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. With names of states The same rule applies as with names of nations. 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 to Capitalize Directions - Writing Explained For example, NY for New York, use the US Postal Services symbol system. When did they standardize state abbreviations? The Chicago Manual of Style. (I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker. Capitalize proper nouns and most adjectives formed from proper nouns. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. 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. Certain regions of California (Bay Area, Southern California, Central Coast, etc.) To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. 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). Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic, as are those lacking any signs of reasonable research. For places names and proper names, the word "Southern" should be capitalized, but in other contexts, it is not. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Should southern be capitalized? 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. However, be consistent and do not write: "Visitors to southern California climbed while visitors to northern California fell." Should south be capitalized? But when these terms are part of an actual place's name, capitalize them, as in "Western Australia", "Northern Ireland", etc. any that aren't articles, conjunctions or prepositions) should be capitalised. Is north capitalized there? 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. 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. I still don't see any "descriptivist argument", much less a strong one. Have you ever visited the Western United States? So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. Hope all that helps! In general, you should capitalize the names of countries and languages. down South. When a database has been given a proper name, capitalize that name, but do not italicize it or place it inside quote marks. 17th ed., U of Chicago P, 2017,www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch08/psec047.html. Am I a midwesterner or a Midwesterner? 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. AP style is primarily for journalists and writers who want to conform to traditional journalism styles. Avoiding Common Capitalization Errors | The Proofreading Pulse Are coca cola and pepsi owned by the same company? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Do You Capitalize "Real Estate"? Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate direction or general location. Prepositions, such as at, around, by, after, along, for, from, of, on, to, with & without. Should southern Florida be capitalized? - Answers Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. When And When Not To. West is directly opposite east. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? The seasons arent proper nouns, so theyre not usually capitalized. 1 The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. Updated on December 22, 2018. Southern, according to a co-author, should not be capitalized because it is an adjective rather than a noun. Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. When there is no proper name, lowercase "mountain", "gorge", "valley", "beach", and other geographical features. North, South, West, East Capitalizing Can Be a Beast - ProofreadNOW.com As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. Hi, Mary. Copyright 2022 - TheContentAuthority.com, Reindeer Vs. Moose: Main Differences, How To Tell Them Apart. In the case of prime minister, either both words begin with a capital letter or neither, except, obviously, when it starts a sentence. How to tell which packages are held back due to phased updates. We always use a capital letter when we write the days of the week. Capitalization | Capitalization Rules - GrammarBook This confusion can also be attributed to the fact that certain region names have direction names in their official names, such as "the Middle East". To Capitalize or not to Capitalize Independence? AP Style states that when referring to the names of a nation, directions should . Capitalize the Southern California region? Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. As explained in the post, some people do capitalize terms like "the North" when they refer to a well-established geographical area. Should states and territories be Capitalised? But southerner and northerner are capitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: Should north southeast and West be capitalized? It might be amusing to look for instances of "southern Southern California" or "northern Southern California". Thus people who live in southern California may prefer to write Southern California. States should also be abbreviated when used as part of a short-form political affiliation. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Erin Wright, 20122023. 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. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Likewise, capitalize terms such as "Native American," "Hispanic," and so on. Most of the north is sandy, and the northern coast is mountainous. Hi, Victoria. What about capitalizing a Southerner or a Southerner? 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). are not capitalized when they merely denote compass direction. Rule 2. 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. When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. The names of things are known as common nouns. 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. Pronouns that refer to any god or gods should be lowercased. 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. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go south on I-90," then you should keep south lowercase. Capital Letters with North, East, South, and West - Grammar Monster 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. Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs (including phrasal verbs such as play with), adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. 'CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions.' Except for England, the other three countries have their own parliaments. Is South Capitalized? - Capitalize My Title . Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. 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. Dont capitalize the word when it precedes the states name unless its included in a states title. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. Capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. Should southern hemisphere be capitalized? Explained by Sharing Culture Which sentence is capitalized correctly I learned that Thor? Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. 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.