"The State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. 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. 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Is north capitalized there? Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. If the is used, use Prime Minister. 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'? 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. You should capitalize "North," "South," "East," and "West" when they're part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). 9 Should north southeast and West be capitalized? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. What is the rule for state abbreviations? So you would only capitalize federal when you use it in the name of a federal agency, an act, or some other proper noun. For places names and proper names, the word "Southern" should be capitalized, but in other contexts, it is not. 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. 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 It only loosely defines a region of California and its border is not officially defined either. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. 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. The word white is not usually capitalized in this situation; men would never be. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. To put it another way, capitalize words like Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis in place of the persons name. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. Otherwise, not. Certain regions of California (Bay Area, Southern California, Central Coast, etc.) Use capital letters in the following ways: The first words of a sentence When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line. The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and gloves. Erin Wright, 20122023. The days of the week are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 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. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. 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. 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 . Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. 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 studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. That means that official names of departments and units should be capitalized and not when referring to just a type of department or unit. 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). Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. Therefore, use "Black" and "White" instead of "black" and "white" (do not use colors to refer to other human groups; doing so is considered pejorative). Do you like West Asia? The North, The East, The South, and The West. In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". That means you should lowercase articles, Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. 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. Of course, as with other nouns, they should be capitalized at the beginning of sentences and in titles. 1. Explanation: Because Pisces is a verb. Federal or federal? Similarly, the European Union is an assortment of multiple countries. That's when even the most exhaustive style . Geographic Regions Used as Adjectives 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. (Cap or no cap on east and west). You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Keep reading to learn everything there is to regions and their capitalization, rules for related terms and phrases, what a region is, etc. A region could also be a group of nations. 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. To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. 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 . It was first put into effect for large businesses, but it was gradually adopted as a standardized format by everyone. Other assets have a wide range of liquidity. When using a U.S. geographic region as an adjective, the decision to capitalize or lowercase will depend on your style guide. 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.". ANS: Demand, Copyright 2023 TipsFolder.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough: Capitalize the first word in a sentence. 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. When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. So, noun will be always first capital letter. Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. The seasons are not proper nouns and are therefore not normally capitalized. Can you drive with a broken front differential? Hope all that helps! Southern California; West Texas; the Lower East Side of New York; If in doubt, use lowercase. Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. 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. When youre talking about Americas West Coast or the Middle East, the directional word is also part of a proper name, and it gets a capital letter. It also looks at when to capitalize those regions when they are used as adjectives and to describe U.S. geographic populations. Lorry Vs. Truck: Meaning And How To Use Each One, Turnip Vs. Radish: Meaning And Differences Of These Words. Capitalize common nouns such as party, river and street when they are part of a proper name. The argument I hear is this is a region of the building not a direction, so it should be capitalized. But in other cases, it is more a matter of convention and habit. Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. If youre referring to a collection of proper nouns, such as the Southern States, this is the case. MLA style followsThe Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. Except for England, the other three countries have their own parliaments. ), Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. The sentence which is capitalized correctly is My easiest classes are Chemistry and Spanish. AP Style says it should be capitalized while the Chicago Style Manual says it should be lowercased. 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. In some cases, like country and city names, this is clear. Hi, Victoria. 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.. 10 Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? 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 direction word makes it a proper noun. By attaching itself to a common object, the language or country name takes on a new meaning. They live in the western part of the country. 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. In most forms of writings, not capitalizing direction names when they could have been capitalized doesn't bother the readers much. 1 The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. 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. The capitalization of as depends upon its function. The official USPS postal abbreviation is this format. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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 . It's not a continent, nor is it a country. I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube. PepsiCo, based in Purchase, New York, owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, all of which have 29,000 locations, Money differs from other economic assets in that it is the most liquid asset available. In domains such as ecology, physical geography, environmental geography, and zoogeography, regions are typically based on ecosystems, biomes, natural regions, drainage basins, soil types, mountain ranges, and other natural features. 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). However, the forms bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree and master's are acceptable as general terms. Which sentence is capitalized correctly I learned that Thor? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. September 18, 2013, at 9:56 pm. South-East Albania? AP Style states that when referring to the names of a nation, directions should . However, if instead you reference a general location, such as "the southern winds," then the word southern should be lowercase. Be the first to read new posts and updates about MLA style. Have you ever wondered when its okay to capitalize north, east, south, and west? By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. As an Amazon Associate, CapitalizeMyTitle.com earns from qualifying purchases. Western (and Northern) blots however, were not named after inventors but were given these names in honor of . Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? Direction-denoting terms such as north, south, east, west, etc. These should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. Use a hyphen to show a range of dates and do not repeat 20 (2012-13, not 2012-2013). The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. Names of regions should be capitalized if those are proper nouns or denote a country, city, continent, etc. For example, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends capitalization:2. As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. 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. Are seasons capitalized or not? However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. Generally, you do not need to capitalize the names of the seasons. Meaning of Western world and alternative terms, Specifying geography with cardinal directions, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Meaning of " Western world" and alternative terms. doesn't shout the need for "capitalization", it's safe to write it in lowercase. Capitalize names of organizations, institutions, stores, businesses, teams, political parties, and government bodies. But you capitalize them when theyre specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. State names had to be abbreviated to make room for the ZIP code. Note that exceptions based on specific regional, political, or historical contexts are inevitable and that an author's strong preference should usually be respected. 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.". Should north southeast and West be capitalized? 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. The pastor prayed that God should deliver us from our sins. When the word state forms the full name of a specific body, you must also capitalize it. MLA style follows The Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. Rule 2. The word 'southern' shouldn't be capitalized in a sentence unless it is a proper noun. It only takes a minute to sign up. The concept of a "region" is significant and used widely among the several geography branches, each of which could describe the areas or zones in region-based terms. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Phil Jamieson Feb 16, 2010 5:00:00 AM. 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. However, to, not a dash, should be used when from introduces a range of dates (from 2012 to 2013, not from 2012-13). southern Atlanta; But capitalize compass points when part of a proper name. The first letter of someone's first, middle, and last name is always capitalized, as in John William Smith . This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation. What is, In a front-wheel drive setup, theyre what transfers power to the wheels via the transmission or differential (in a rear-wheel drive setup). Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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? 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. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Thank you. Capitalization Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, etc., unless the word is part of a formal name. 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. Yes, Southern is capitalized because it refers to the South (= the southern US). Capitalize the first word of every sentence. When And When Not To. In general, Midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. 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. As an aside, when we toured through the San Francisco Peninsula earlier this year, our guide told us that the natives generally didn't like the name 'Silicon Valley'. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. capitalization. Hi, James. Thus, here are 10 capitalization rules you should know for a well written write-up: Capitalize the first word of every sentence. 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. Do You Capitalize the Word "Queen" in a Sentence? Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the southern food in Tennessee. 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). To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. . This is known as 'title case'. Unless the direction is part of the country's actual name, it remains lowercased. Capitalizing western and capitalizing west have the same rules. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? 3. 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. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations. For example, "western Massachusetts", "northern New Jersey". As explained in the post, some people do capitalize terms like "the North" when they refer to a well-established geographical area. 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. Whichever version you use, then, we'd suggest not capitalizing the direction, just the country name. You should only capitalize directions, such as south, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the South.". However, the Associated Press Stylebook does not recommend capitals in that case. After all, it was named after its inventor, Edwin Southern, and therefore the use of the capital is justified. Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? ), but I'd suggest not capitalizing it unless you're certain it is necessary. When used as part of a short-form political affiliation, states should also be abbreviated. In June 1963, the Department provided an initial list of abbreviations, but many had only three or four letters, which were still too long. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Consult your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. Hi, Kelly. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. However, if you use the word southern instead of a general location, such as the southern winds, the word should be lowercase. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. 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. Once again, refer to your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. My friend is a southerner. When a database has been given a proper name, capitalize that name, but do not italicize it or place it inside quote marks. Capitalize these words when they designate regions. But if someone prefers "African American," use that term rather than a more generic "black." Posted by Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? If you are merely referring to a . North Dakota; West Virginia; Also capitalize compass points when used in denoting widely known sections. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. However, widely known designations are capitalized: the Upper East Side, Southern California. In this particular sentence, I is capitalized because it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. NOTE: Within certain regions it is not uncommon for many who live there to capitalize the adjective because of the special importance they attach to the regional designation. The rules are fairly standard for title case: Capitalize the first and the last word. To Capitalize or not to Capitalize Independence? It is also a great option for general business writing. If these geographic areas are part of a name, however, such as "River Thames", capitalize the term. Without capitalization, it could refer to anyone in the southern hemisphere, or perhaps southern England. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. any that aren't articles, conjunctions or prepositions) should be capitalised. CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions.