Lowercase with names of nations (southern France) unless they indicate a political division (South Korea). Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. He's one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' 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 And When Not To. Updated on December 22, 2018. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the southern winds, southern should be lowercase. Unless you are referring to the Four Seasons, there is no reason for seasons to . proofreading, Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. 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. Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. Thus, here are 10 capitalization rules you should know for a well written write-up: Capitalize the first word of every sentence. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 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. For example: The words are also not capitalized if they only indicate locations or the climate or geography of a region. Todays post explains when to capitalize geographic regions in the United States. To properly follow AP style guidelines, only use one space after a period, as opposed to the often used double-space. 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? If youre referring to the Western States, for example, youre referring to a group of proper nouns. Note that exceptions based on specific regional, political, or historical contexts are inevitable and that an author's strong preference should usually be respected. Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. AP Style holds to the general rule of lowercasing compass directions and capitalizing regions. Settlers moved into the West. The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. 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. Be the first to read new posts and updates about MLA style. However, capitalization may depend on the style guide you're using. Title Case Capitalization (APA 7th) Sentence Case Capitalization (APA 7th) She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. The storm is heading east. Characteristics. The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough: Capitalize the first word in a sentence. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, capitalization, Chicago style, dictionaries. Should southern be capitalized? The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Hi, Michael. the Deep South. We always use a capital letter when we write the days of the week. Is it Southern or Southern? 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 . 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. To capitalize or not quoted text after be form, How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. Lowercase to when it functions in an infinitive. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. A diathermal wall between two thermodynamic systems in thermodynamics allows heat transfer but does not allow for the transfer of matter across it. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. Thus, here are 10 capitalization rules you should know for a well written write-up: According to most style guides, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are capitalized in titles of books, articles, and songs. Many scholars now study the global South. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. . Certain regions of California (Bay Area, Southern California, Central Coast, etc.) My friend is a southerner. seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. 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. Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. Names of people People's names are proper nouns, and therefore should be capitalized. is considered basic and should be known by people who claim to have a good command of the language. @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. The water and land global areas are further divided into subregions bounded by huge geographical features influencing large-scale ecologies. "I" is always capitalized, along with all its . But, generally, you only need to capitalize a direction in a place name if the direction is a standard part of the places name. Don't capitalize these words when they refer to the general location, geography or climate of a region. In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. North Dakota; West Virginia; Also capitalize compass points when used in denoting widely known sections. The seasons arent proper nouns, so theyre not usually capitalized. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. 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. 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.". In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. The days of the week are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In terms of "human geography", the regions and their subregions are elucidated by the ethnography discipline. Whichever version you use, then, we'd suggest not capitalizing the direction, just the country name. Hi, Mary. Do not capitalize them when they follow possessive pronouns such as her, his, my, our, your. Capitalize such words as Northerner, Southerner, and Midwesterner. However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. 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. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? 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. Hi, Victoria. Is north capitalized there? 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. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. That's when even the most exhaustive style . 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. However, if instead you reference a general location, such as "the southern winds," then the word southern should be lowercase. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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). For example, you would write "the Southern United States," but "the southern way of . Some authorities also capitalize titles if they immediately follow the name without the word "the.". Capitalization Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, etc., unless the word is part of a formal name. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. 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. Should north East south West be capitalized? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. A region can be a city, town, village, country, continent, or any area that comes under the jurisdiction or administration of a state. only if it's a proper name. Names of regions should be capitalized if those are proper nouns or denote a country, city, continent, etc. For example, Southern US is proper because it is a specific region. 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. For example, the "river" is a general noun and not capitalized. Once again, refer to your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. The first letter of someone's first, middle, and last name is always capitalized, as in John William Smith . Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. I live to the west of Detroit Michigan. I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. Use lowercase when referring to directions on a compass. By attaching itself to a common object, the language or country name takes on a new meaning. are widely recognized as popular names and are thus capitalized. However, if you use the word southern instead of a general location, such as the southern winds, the word should be lowercase. Should southern be capitalized? But when these terms are part of an actual place's name, capitalize them, as in "Western Australia", "Northern Ireland", etc. ), but I'd suggest not capitalizing it unless you're certain it is necessary. 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. You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Which sentence is capitalized correctly I learned that Thor? A title like this would appear as: A Guide to English: Perfecting Grammar in an Academic Paper. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. For places names and proper names, the word "Southern" should be capitalized, but in other contexts, it is not. If you are merely referring to a . Other assets have a wide range of liquidity. Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. 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. (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 Thank you. MLA style followsThe Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. 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 State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. They are written with capital letters. Capitalize words that are part of the formal name, but lowercase in less formal uses: he crossed the Hudson River; but: he fell into the river. Usage guide. Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. The capitalization of as depends upon its function. A recognized geographical region. You should read both Western and Eastern philosophy. If it's a name, it's a proper noun. As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. I am living in Western Downtown. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. So, noun will be always first capital letter. 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). 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. September 18, 2013, at 9:56 pm. In the case of prime minister, either both words begin with a capital letter or neither, except, obviously, when it starts a sentence. You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous Midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). CMOS looks at what a large relevant tranche of people do; this ultimately defines what is acceptable. When people form a group and give it a name, it should be capitalized. The correct sentence is Carlotta and I love Halloween. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. Hi, Lynne. 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.