As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. When Should You Capitalize Geographic Regions in the United States? Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. Use a hyphen to show a range of dates and do not repeat 20 (2012-13, not 2012-2013). Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (regardless of length). (Cap or no cap on east and west). Direction-denoting terms such as north, south, east, west, etc. To put it another way, capitalize words like Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis in place of the persons name. Does the word federal need to be capitalized? Is it "southern California" or "Southern California?". northern New Jersey, western Massachusetts Northern Ireland, Western Australia 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. 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. A region can be a city, town, village, country, continent, or any area that comes under the jurisdiction or administration of a state. Do You Capitalize "Real Estate"? 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.". However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. When people form a group and give it a name, it should be capitalized. Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? More answers below When to capitalize North East south west? Also, if "region" is the first word in a sentence, it is capitalized. Biden administration should avoid subsidies for risky mortgages It also looks at when to capitalize those regions when they are used as adjectives and to describe U.S. geographic populations. The first letter of someone's first, middle, and last name is always capitalized, as in John William Smith . When referring to regions, capitalize these words. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When to capitalize North East South West? 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' The problem is, there doesn't appear to be a consensus. There's not enough context in your example to offer any solid advice (e.g., the "north" of where? "I" is always capitalized, along with all its . The following examples illustrate not only the principles sketched in [an earlier section of CMOS] but also variations based on context and usage. To capitalize or not quoted text after be form, How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. My friend is a southerner. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Capitalization | Capitalization Rules - GrammarBook Do you capitalize the S in Southern California? - TipsFolder.com When referring to races, should 'black' and 'white' be capitalized? (MLA) Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. 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). Please include the research youve done. I tried to describe the difference in my answer below. If the is used, use Prime Minister. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. 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? Do not drive, Five Below Job Opportunities Earning consideration for Five Below jobs begins with meeting the companys minimum employment age, which is 16 years old. Copyright 2022 - TheContentAuthority.com, Reindeer Vs. Moose: Main Differences, How To Tell Them Apart. When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? They are written with capital letters. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. Use the US Postal Services symbol system, which is a two-letter abbreviation that consists of a two-letter abbreviation in which both letters are capitalized and no periods are used when giving an address or in tables or other uses where space is limited. Capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. Racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and are capitalized. 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. I guess you're saying that it's always okay to break any principle if you really want to, because CMOS says so. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations. U.S. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? Certain public figures get capitalized, but others dont. Should north southeast and West be capitalized? The rules are fairly standard for title case: Capitalize the first and the last word. In the case of prime minister, either both words begin with a capital letter or neither, except, obviously, when it starts a sentence. 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. Erin Wright, 20122023. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. Capitalize names of organizations, institutions, stores, businesses, teams, political parties, and government bodies. Use lowercase when referring to directions on a compass. Capitalization - APA Style Citation Guide 7th Edition - Library 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. Job seekers, Is Pepsi the owner of KFC? Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. Do you capitalize north? But when the term is used in a formal name, it's capitalized, as in "the Hudson River". Am I a midwesterner or a Midwesterner? Unless they are actually part of the place name, directions dont need to be capitalized, but this depends on personal preference (e.g., if it might make this clearer to the reader) and whether its specified by a style guide. Do You Capitalize the Word "Queen" in a Sentence? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". When they indicate compass direction, lowercase north, south, northeast, and so on, but capitalize when it indicates a region: the West Coast. Usage guide. Capitalize proper nounsand adjectives derived from proper nouns. Capitalization For WebCT Users in Writing Classes: The "caps" icon (usually immediately before a word) indicates either that the following word ought to be capitalized (for one of the reasons listed here) or, if it is already capitalized, that it shouldn't be. Thus people who live in southern California may prefer to write Southern California. When used as part of a short-form political affiliation, states should also be abbreviated. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. State names had to be abbreviated to make room for the ZIP code. That's when even the most exhaustive style . However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. 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 . With names of states The same rule applies as with names of nations. Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. 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". Southern, on the other hand, is capitalized by convention when it refers to California: I live in Southern California. In terms of "human geography", the regions and their subregions are elucidated by the ethnography discipline. At 8.47 ("Popular place names or epithets"), CMOS notes that certain other regions and epithets receive initial caps as well. I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. Is "southern" capitalized in this sentence? - Quora For example: But when the terms are used to indicate a region, they are capitalized for example, the "West Coast". when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. (There is a lot of leniency on whether to capitalize "The." Few would argue that the region is called "The North" as . What is the rule for state abbreviations? For example, NY for New York, use the US Postal Services symbol system. She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. Colorado is part of the Southwest. 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). What states in the US are consider southern states? When Do You Capitalize Geographic Terms? - dummies When And When Not To. Which Is More Stable Thiophene Or Pyridine. Circling back to the "title" rule, if the headline is in sentence case and the word "region" is not the starting word of the title, "region" should be written in lowercase. Should The South Be Capitalized? - FAQS Clear proofreading, Instead, I have compiled a partial list of things people shouldn't capitalize but commonly do anyway. Drive south for five miles. The storm is heading east. 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). 4 Is Southern California capitalized AP style? 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. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". Geographic Regions Used as Adjectives The word should only be capitalized if it appears in the body's name. Is summer a good time? This seems a difficult case; as this discussion at. Hi, Michael. The name of a theatrical play, but this is also a conventional geographical region that would be capitalized anyway. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(42679, '809ac5c4-ef90-4489-8311-03d2c90632ee', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Topics: That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. However, the Associated Press Stylebook does not recommend capitals in that case. If as is used as a preposition, it is lowercase; if as is used as an adverb, conjunction or pronoun, it is uppercase. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. @SvenYargs This is a very useful answer; I'm processing it. When used to refer to direction and location, dont capitalize the names of directions like north, south, east, or west; however, when they appear in the names of places and regions, do capitalize these words. The correct sentence is Carlotta and I love Halloween. Capitalization | CSU - California State University How do I connect these two faces together? 1. Examples: southern France, northern Canada. 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. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. If it's a general noun such as a river, lake, ocean, etc., the region need not be capitalized. Actually, you should capitalize federal only when it is part of a proper noun, that is, the official name of a particular or unique person, place, or thing. Which sentence is capitalized correctly I learned that Thor? I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). 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. So, if a person is from South Africa, south would be capitalized since it's the proper name of the country. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. Thank you. Thor and Norway are capitalized because they are proper nouns. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. So you would only capitalize federal when you use it in the name of a federal agency, an act, or some other proper noun. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. 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. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! 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. I still don't see any "descriptivist argument", much less a strong one. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. . Explanation: Because Pisces is a verb. 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. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic, as are those lacking any signs of reasonable research. North, East, South or West - Capitalize or Not? - ProofreadNOW.com AP style is primarily for journalists and writers who want to conform to traditional journalism styles. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? Capitalize these words when they designate regions. Capitalizing southern and capitalizing south have the same rules. Along with the proper nouns listed in the table above, you should also always capitalize: the first word after a colon when what follows the colon is an independent clause, most nouns when they are followed by numerals or letters (e.g., Table 1, Figure 2, Panel A; see section 4.17), and. The Chicago Manual of Style. However, if, like Northern Ireland and North Korea, the direction is part of the proper name, it should be capitalized. You should always capitalize Westerner since it refers to a group of people who are 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). Otherwise, the word should be lowercased, as in "the god of war.". Dates. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I live to the west of Detroit Michigan. September 18, 2013, at 9:56 pm. University Editorial Style Guidelines - Santa Clara University Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. "The South" is capitalized because it designates a definite region, e.g., "I was born and raised in the South." More answers below When to Capitalize Directions - Writing Explained This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. When it's an adjective ("bicentennial year"), I agree that no cap is needed . However, if instead you reference a general location, such as "the southern winds," then the word southern should be lowercase. Capitalize the Southern California region? Use capital letters in the following ways: The first words of a sentence When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line. Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For example, "Global is a proper noun." . When writing or proofreading manuscripts, names of regions and their capitalization rules could be tricky to discern or ascertain.