should southern be capitalized should southern be capitalized

In "the eastern portion of Colorado", however, "eastern" is written in small letters since it doesn't denote people or specific culture or practice. Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the southern food in Tennessee. Names of racial and ethnic groups are treated as proper nouns, which means they are capitalized (e.g., African American, Asian American, Black, European American, First Nations, Hispanic, Native American, Latinx, White). The correct answer is option C. In option A, the word Chemistry is only capitalized leaving the other proper noun in lower case. are not capitalized when they merely denote compass direction. As an Amazon Associate, CapitalizeMyTitle.com earns from qualifying purchases. These should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. Is state capitalized when referring to a specific state? 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. Do You Capitalize the Word "Queen" in a Sentence? If you are merely referring to a . Less democratic. Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. 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. Should Southern colonies be 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). A region can be a city, town, village, country, continent, or any area that comes under the jurisdiction or administration of a state. 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. 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. (Most uses will be uppercase.) 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). "southern California" is not the same as "Southern California". The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition (2010) has a useful and detailed discussion of this issue. And "north" in that sentence refers to a direction (i.e., where you turned), not the place (i.e., Bolton Avenue). The AP Stylebook the guiding stylebook for many news outlets, including The Daily Tar Heel advises against using the Oxford comma in most simple series. Do not capitalize them when they follow possessive pronouns such as her, his, my, our, your. Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period. South-Eastern Albania? It also looks at when to capitalize those regions when they are used as adjectives and to describe U.S. geographic populations. Capitalize these words when they designate regions. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? He's one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. In most forms of writings, not capitalizing direction names when they could have been capitalized doesn't bother the readers much. Am I a midwesterner or a Midwesterner? And if so, when? The problem is, there doesn't appear to be a consensus. 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". Here is part of that discussion: 8.46 Regions of the world and national regions. Hi there! Regardless of what side of the debate table you are on, the different thoughts clearly illustrate how differing opinions could be on the matter, causing people to use capitalization rules the way they deem appropriate. rev2023.3.3.43278. 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. It was put into effect at first for big businesses, but was then gradually adopted by everyone as a standardized format. (There is a lot of leniency on whether to capitalize "The." Few would argue that the region is called "The North" as . 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. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. 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. As noted in the post, there's no need to capitalize generic directions (only when they're part of a proper noun). Q. Hello! Without capitalization, it could refer to anyone in the southern hemisphere, or perhaps southern England. Title Case Capitalization (APA 7th) Sentence Case Capitalization (APA 7th) 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). any that aren't articles, conjunctions or prepositions) should be capitalised. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. 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. 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 pronoun "I" You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Most style guides say that compass points and the terms derived from them are lowercased if they just mean direction or location. I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations. However, if you use the word southern instead of a general location, such as the southern winds, the word should be lowercase. 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 Deep South. 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. However, to, not a dash, should be used when from introduces a range of dates (from 2012 to 2013, not from 2012-13). In this particular sentence, I is capitalized because it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. They live in the western part of the country. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. 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? The state abbreviations are always the same: two letter abbreviations with uppercase letters and no periods or spaces between them. You should capitalize "North," "South," "East," and "West" when they're part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). 2023 Caniry - All Rights Reserved Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. What states in the US are consider southern states? They are written with capital letters. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. When Should You Capitalize Geographic Regions in the United States? Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. In all cases, though, you should: And if you need help, our expert proofreaders are ready! @SvenYargs This is a very useful answer; I'm processing it. In other words, capitalize words such as Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis when they are used in place of the persons name. Consult your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. "The State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. Capitalizing the Word States If a writer refers to the United States and refers to it only as the States, states must be capitalized. Capitalize these words when they designate regions. Thank you. How do I connect these two faces together? Likewise, the rules for sentences apply: capitalize the common name at the . That's when even the most exhaustive style . The North, The East, The South, and The West. Job seekers, Is Pepsi the owner of KFC? 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' 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. As explained in the post, some people do capitalize terms like "the North" when they refer to a well-established geographical area. The seasons arent proper nouns, so theyre not usually capitalized. Posted by Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. Is north capitalized there? 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. In June 1963, the Department provided an initial list of abbreviations, but many had only three or four letters, which were still too long. Binomial nomenclature is, of course, also used for animals, including the singularly curious one designated as Homo sapiens. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. If a is used, go with prime minister.). It's the inconsistency or the abrupt switching between capitalized letters and lowercase letters is what that puts readers off. 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. Prepositions, such as at, around, by, after, along, for, from, of, on, to, with & without. only if it's a proper name. The term "region" is a general noun, and it's usually not capitalized, as a result. Opportunities exist on the east and west sides of the city. 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). Of course, they should be capitalized at the start of sentences and in titles, as they are with other nouns. The question as to whether something should be considered a name or not is one of style, and as such you should adhere to the discipline of your editor, publication, or organization, or in the absence of a house style, you should adopt a suitable. Todays post explains when to capitalize geographic regions in the United States. For instance, the term "ecoregion" is used commonly in environmental geography, "bioregion" in biogeography, etc. The main style guides all agree on this, although . The storm is heading east. 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). That means that official names of departments and units should be capitalized and not when referring to just a type of department or unit. the Southern States the Eastern Seaboard Northern Ireland the Western Hemisphere When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? 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. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". are widely recognized as popular names and are thus capitalized. Unless the direction is part of the country's actual name, it remains lowercased. 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. When And When Not To. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. With states, lowercase in most uses: northern New York. Time arrow with "current position" evolving with overlay number. However, the forms bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree and master's are acceptable as general terms. I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube. Once again, refer to your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. ), but I'd suggest not capitalizing it unless you're certain it is necessary. How can I find out which sectors are used by files on NTFS? northern New Jersey, western Massachusetts Northern Ireland, Western Australia The United Kingdom, for instance, is a region that comprises four countries: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. For places names and proper names, the word "Southern" should be capitalized, but in other contexts, it is not. The following sentence is capitalized correctly : I learned that Thor is the god of thunder when I read a book about myths from Norway. In general, you should capitalize the names of countries and languages. 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. But, generally, you only need to capitalize a direction in a place name if the direction is a standard part of the places name. Dont capitalize the word when it precedes the states name unless its included in a states title. Except for England, the other three countries have their own parliaments. South-East Albania? 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. Copyright 2022 - TheContentAuthority.com, Reindeer Vs. Moose: Main Differences, How To Tell Them Apart. Capitalize such words as Northerner, Southerner, and Midwesterner. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Each morning, the sun rises in the east . The administration's solution: Ease credit for riskier borrowers. I guess you're saying that it's always okay to break any principle if you really want to, because CMOS says so. 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. Human settlements and their impact on the physical geography, and, The communication between the environment and humanity, The precipitation is the maximum in the interior, Cattle-breeding techniques or practices could vary across, Urundi and Ruanda are fertile, healthy, high-lying, and thickly populated, This text isn't a law but an abstract of the several special usages obtained in those, She passed the Lake Amadeus and the Reynolds range in that direction but had to turn, Many scholars are now studying the global. AP style is primarily for journalists and writers who want to conform to traditional journalism styles. 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. Hi, Michael. As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. Should north southeast and West be capitalized? proofreading, However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. 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. Are coca cola and pepsi owned by the same company? 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. There's not enough context in your example to offer any solid advice (e.g., the "north" of where? Don't capitalize these words when they refer to the general location, geography or climate of a region. It does not store any personal data. 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. What about capitalizing a Westerner or a Westerner? is considered basic and should be known by people who claim to have a good command of the language. 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. To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. Updated on December 22, 2018. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. "I" is always capitalized, along with all its . You should only capitalize directions, such as south, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the South.". However, as in the case of plant names, animal names are not capitalized ("I spotted a red-tailed hawk," not "I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk"), except when an element of the name is a proper noun, as in "Steller . Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. 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. Is it Southern or Southern? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Some common examples of when you should capitalize south include: down South the Deep South The Chicago Manual of Style. Here are directions capitalized in sentences: Words such as "southerner" and "northerner" are usually not capitalized if they denote people. Most of the north is sandy, and the northern coast is mountainous. The word white is not usually capitalized in this situation; men would never be. 1 The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. If the is used, use Prime Minister. As explained in the post, there is no need to capitalize these words when used generically (only when they're part of a proper noun). 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). You should always capitalize Westerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. 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). 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. When they indicate compass direction, lowercase north, south, northeast, and so on, but capitalize when it indicates a region: the West Coast. West is directly opposite east. However, widely known designations are capitalized: the Upper East Side, Southern California. What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? 9 Should north southeast and West be capitalized? Home-buyers pay a 1.75% fee up . The word god is generally not capitalized if it is used to refer to the generic idea of a deity, nor is it capitalized when it refers to multiple gods. 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. For example, The hurricane move north towards the Gulf Coast. The mines are in the plateaus western region. 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'? 3. So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. You should only capitalize "east" when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the East" or "in the Middle East". It only takes a minute to sign up. 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. 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. Characteristics. The state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations in 1963. 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. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. When we write the days of the week, we always use a capital letter. If youre referring to the Western States, for example, youre referring to a group of proper nouns. What are some examples of how providers can receive incentives? NOTE: When terms like western region and southern district are used to name organizational units within a company, capitalize them. In all cases, though, you should: Check your style guide (if applicable) for advice on specific terms. The geographical areas "The North," "The East," "The South," and "The West" are treated like proper nouns. Words such as one, it, its, its, him, and own should all be capitalized no matter where they appear in a title. , Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence. 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 . Capitalization Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, etc., unless the word is part of a formal name. For example: The words are also not capitalized if they only indicate locations or the climate or geography of a 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. These are not governed entities, but they are official designations. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. 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). It might be amusing to look for instances of "southern Southern California" or "northern Southern California". Examples: southern France, northern Canada. 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. 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. 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. To summarize the advice above, we suggest: However, capitalization may depend on the style guide youre using. So, should you capitalize regions when writing? For example, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends capitalization:2. The first letter of someone's first, middle, and last name is always capitalized, as in John William Smith . 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. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. 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. When common nouns like party, river, and street are included in a proper name, capitalize them. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. . Colorado is part of the Southwest. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, capitalization, Chicago style, dictionaries. 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. In general, midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. When dealing with geographic terms, capitalize nouns such as "river", "lake", etc. Which sentence is capitalized correctly Carlotta? 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.