The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Rules for Capitalizing Academic Degrees in AP Style when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. 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). However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. 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). capitalization - To capitalize or not to capitalize "southern Surely not one word Southeast? To capitalize or not quoted text after be form, How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. South Pacific. 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. Thus, we have rigid goldenrod but Missouri goldenrod, azure penstemon but Torrey's penstemon and California penstemon. It also looks at when to capitalize those regions when they are used as adjectives and to describe U.S. geographic populations. 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. - thanks! When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. 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). Capitalize locations in a country if the proper noun is given in other words, the name of a region or city, such as the Congo, the Mississippi River, etc. Capitalization Unless the word is part of a formal name, do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, or other similar words. 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. The word should only be capitalized if it appears in the body's name. 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? Of course, they should be capitalized at the start of sentences and in titles, as they are with other nouns. 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. Most style guides say that compass points and the terms derived from them are lowercased if they just mean direction or location. If it's a general noun such as a river, lake, ocean, etc., the region need not 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. proofreading, We lowercase the terms when they refer to directions: The United States is located north of Mexico. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. 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. Popular usage sets the rules for standard practice especially in the case of region names. So, noun will be always first capital letter. Is state capitalized when referring to a specific state? The mines are in the plateaus western region. To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. Unless you are referring to the Four Seasons, there is no reason for seasons to . It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. Biden administration should avoid subsidies for risky mortgages Most of the north is sandy, and the northern coast is mountainous. Knowing whether to capitalize directional adjectives can be challenging. 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. Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. Otherwise, the word should be lowercased, as in "the god of war.". Should north East south West be capitalized? Here are directions capitalized in sentences: Words such as "southerner" and "northerner" are usually not capitalized if they denote people. Without capitalization, it could refer to anyone in the southern hemisphere, or perhaps southern England. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Best Book Writing Software and Book Writing Apps, Cursive Text Generator , Buscador de palabras y descifrador de palabras. It's all directional | Grammar Party 1. You can even submit asample document for free to see how our services work. Only when it's very apparent or writing the direction names in small letters looks completely off, capitalize them. The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough: Capitalize the first word in a sentence. the East, the North, the South, the West (of a country) northern, southern, eastern, western (parts of a country) He's one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. When they indicate compass direction, lowercase north, south, northeast, and so on, but capitalize when it indicates a region: the West Coast. Capitalizing western and capitalizing west have the same rules. Should Southern colonies be capitalized? What states in the US are consider southern states? In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. CMOS looks at what a large relevant tranche of people do; this ultimately defines what is acceptable. Which sentence is capitalized correctly on a cloudless night? Here are some rules to follow. Do you know "what is the Western Hemisphere?" 6 Does the word federal need to be capitalized? Broadly speaking, a region is an area that's divided by: Geographic regions are usually depicted by their not-so-clearly defined, and at times transitory boundaries. Is Southern California capitalized AP style? Capitalize a persons title when it precedes the name. The geographical areas "The North," "The East," "The South," and "The West" are treated like proper nouns. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. Consistency is the most important thing, though, so you should be fine as long as the form chosen is clear and you use it each time. Proper nouns are names of particular individuals, places, or things, such as Josephina, Michigan, Oreo, and United Auto Workers. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? 'CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions.' doesn't shout the need for "capitalization", it's safe to write it in lowercase. Capitalize directions that are names; North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions. But when the term is used in a formal name, it's capitalized, as in "the Hudson River". What about capitalizing a Westerner or a Westerner? Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. Do you capitalize north? Be the first to read new posts and updates about MLA style. 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 example, we capitalizenorth,south,east, andwest when the terms refer to regions or cultures: Customs in the East differ from those in the West. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. However, some people also suggest capitalizing the names of: The uniting theme here is the idea of naming a well-known or well-defined region. 2023 Caniry - All Rights Reserved Erin Wright, 20122023. ), Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. However, if youre referring to a specific region, such as the east coast of the United States, keep the words lowercase. The English language has grammar and usage rules by the boatload. For example, Southern France is capitalized because it is a proper noun and . 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. You don't even want to know what he calls pancakes. 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. Capitalization in APA, Chicago, MLA, and AP - ProofreadingPal 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. Hi there! In most forms of writings, not capitalizing direction names when they could have been capitalized doesn't bother the readers much. Capitalization - APA Style Citation Guide 7th Edition - Library Southern belle - Wikipedia The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous Midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment.