Yes, Southern is capitalized because it refers to the South (= the southern US). When to Capitalize North, South, East and West. Hi, Chris. Less democratic. 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. Should "west coast" be capitalized if it is referring to the western region of the U.S.? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. When And When Not To. 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. 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. Popular usage sets the rules for standard practice especially in the case of region names. AP Style says it should be capitalized while the Chicago Style Manual says it should be lowercased. The word should only be capitalized if it appears in the body's name. Names of regions should be capitalized if those are proper nouns or denote a country, city, continent, etc. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. How to tell which packages are held back due to phased updates. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. When did they standardize state abbreviations? Thus, we have rigid goldenrod but Missouri goldenrod, azure penstemon but Torrey's penstemon and California penstemon. 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). The direction word makes it a proper noun. Likewise, capitalize terms such as "Native American," "Hispanic," and so on. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. 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. After all, it was named after its inventor, Edwin Southern, and therefore the use of the capital is justified. Note that it doesn't seem to be treated as a compound proper noun (e.g., searching for "Southeastern Albania" produces an error since Ngrams is case sensitive and there don't seem to be any instances of that capitalization in the Google Books database). Pronouns that refer to any god or gods 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. When there is no proper name, lowercase "mountain", "gorge", "valley", "beach", and other geographical features. Capitalize proper nouns and most adjectives formed from proper nouns. 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. For example, NY for New York, use the US Postal Services symbol system. By prevailing usage, roughly the most southerly one-third or two-fifths of California is referred to as Southern California, in initial caps. For example, capitalizing "Southerner" in the sentence "As a Southerner, she had a distinct drawl" can be up for debate. Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. Similarly, the European Union is an assortment of multiple countries. South-East Albania? Here Chemistry and Spanish are the proper nouns. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. @Devil07, the geographical adjective "southern" is not usurped -- it just means something different. Of course, they should be capitalized at the start of sentences and in titles, as they are with other nouns. 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.. Check your style guide (if applicable) for advice on specific terms. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, capitalization, Chicago style, dictionaries. It's the inconsistency or the abrupt switching between capitalized letters and lowercase letters is what that puts readers off. 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. Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the Southern food in Tennessee. The same applies for related adjectives and other compass directions: We live in the eastern part of the country. There is room for variation here: if you live in Coventry and youre writing for other Coventry residents, then perhaps writing South Coventry would make sense. 1 Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? The geographical areas "The North," "The East," "The South," and "The West" are treated like proper nouns. Is Southern California capitalized AP style? However, the Associated Press Stylebook does not recommend capitals in that case. When proofreading or editing documents, we often find that writers are confused about when to capitalize these terms. [Relevant examples:] the South, southern, a southerner (of a country); the South, Southern, a Southerner (in American Civil War contexts); the Deep South; Southern California; the South of France (region); Southeast Asia; South Africa; South African (referring to the Republic of South Africa); southern Africa (referring to the southern part of the continent); south; southern; southward; to the south (directions). "The South" is capitalized because it designates a definite region, e.g., "I was born and raised in the South." More answers below We always use a capital letter when we write the days of the week. 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. Do You Capitalize the Word "Queen" in a Sentence? Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". 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. Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? My name is Erin. You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. When words like northern, southern, eastern, or western precede a place name, they arent usually capitalized because they only indicate a general location within a region. In case it's not obvious, I have a bachelor's in writing. What is thought to influence the overproduction and pruning of synapses in the brain quizlet? Prepositions, such as at, around, by, after, along, for, from, of, on, to, with & without. AP style is primarily for journalists and writers who want to conform to traditional journalism styles. When you're talking about America's West Coast or the Middle East, the directional word is also part of a proper name, and it gets a capital letter. By attaching itself to a common object, the language or country name takes on a new meaning. 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. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic, as are those lacking any signs of reasonable research. 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. The word 'southern' shouldn't be capitalized in a sentence unless it is a proper noun. A title like this would appear as: A Guide to English: Perfecting Grammar in an Academic Paper. In most forms of writings, not capitalizing direction names when they could have been capitalized doesn't bother the readers much. I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. Is north capitalized there? 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). I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). 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). I assume CMOS have done reasonable research before arguing against a rigid insistence on 'the principles sketched in [an earlier section of CMOS]' and have thought carefully before arguing against ignoring authors' strong preferences. Should north southeast and West be capitalized? You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Duck Vs. Loon: How Are These Words Connected? 3. Home-buyers pay a 1.75% fee up . Do you capitalize north? Should Southern colonies be capitalized? Each morning, the sun rises in the east . As explained in the post, some people do capitalize terms like "the North" when they refer to a well-established geographical area. The pastor prayed that God should deliver us from our sins. When the word "state" comes after a state's name, it should be capitalized. 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 . More answers below We also lowercase the terms when they refer to people: My friend is a southerner. The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese. the East, the North, the South, the West (of a country) northern, southern, eastern, western (parts of a country) Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. The rules are fairly standard for title case: Capitalize the first and the last word. You should always capitalize Westerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. You don't even want to know what he calls pancakes. Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. 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 the designation is widely known, the "direction" terms are capitalized for instance, "Southern California". 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). 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. ANS: Demand, Copyright 2023 TipsFolder.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Do you know "what is the Western Hemisphere?" 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 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. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? The mines are in the plateaus western region. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 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. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. Did any DOS compatibility layers exist for any UNIX-like systems before DOS started to become outmoded? Southern California; West Texas; the Lower East Side of New York; If in doubt, use lowercase. 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. For example, The hurricane move north towards the Gulf Coast. The North, The East, The South, and The West. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Wotan is one of the gods in Wagner's Ring Cycle. But the AP Stylebook says to always capitalize Southern when referring to the South in the United States, regardless of whether youre discussing the Civil War. Capitalize regional terms when they refer to a commonly accepted proper name of an area. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. Opportunities exist on the east and west sides of the city. Capitalize directions that are names; North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions. The Content Authority is where you will find great content, written by amazing writers, around topics like grammar, writing, publishing, and marketing. Also, if "region" is the first word in a sentence, it is capitalized. However, capitalization may depend on the style guide you're using. For example: But when the terms are used to indicate a region, they are capitalized for example, the "West Coast". When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. Lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, and other lowercase letters are used when indicating compass direction. The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough: Capitalize the first word in a sentence. However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. Thus, here are 10 capitalization rules you should know for a well written write-up: Capitalize the first word of every sentence. Should southern be capitalized? Keep reading to learn everything there is to regions and their capitalization, rules for related terms and phrases, what a region is, etc. 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. Is that an argument? But you capitalize them when theyre specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. Capitalize a persons title when it precedes the name. South-Eastern Albania? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. A region can be a city, town, village, country, continent, or any area that comes under the jurisdiction or administration of a state. Do not capitalize them when they follow possessive pronouns such as her, his, my, our, your. If you are merely referring to a . But it would be unusual to do this for a less well-known location, such as south Coventry.. 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. Otherwise, not. Generally, you do not need to capitalize the names of the seasons. 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. What states in the US are consider southern states? In general, Midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. Capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. Capitalize common nouns such as party, river and street when they are part of a proper 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. You wouldnt normally unless north and south are part of a proper noun (e.g., South Africa). For example, you would write "the Southern United States," but "the southern way of . Except for England, the other three countries have their own parliaments. Colorado is part of the Southwest. The following examples illustrate not only the principles sketched in [an earlier section of CMOS] but also variations based on context and usage. The main style guides all agree on this, although . Common nouns are the names of things. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the western winds, western should be lowercase. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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". Settlers moved into the West. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. 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. However, if instead you reference a general location, such as "the southern winds," then the word southern should be lowercase. The seasons arent proper nouns, so theyre not usually capitalized. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? However, if you use the word southern instead of a general location, such as the southern winds, the word should be lowercase. 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. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! These are not governed entities, but they are official designations. Is Southern capitalized in southern states? As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. 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. Is South capitalized when talking about the Civil War? In some cases, like country and city names, this is clear. Do you like West Asia? ), but I'd suggest not capitalizing it unless you're certain it is necessary. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. 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). Sallie Ward, a Southern belle. What about capitalizing western or Westerner? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "I" is always capitalized, along with all its . Have you ever wondered when its okay to capitalize north, east, south, and west? Some common examples of when you should capitalize north include: down North. For example, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends capitalization:2. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. So, if a person is from South Africa, south would be capitalized since it's the proper name of the country. Many scholars now study the global South. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations. The capitalization of as depends upon its function. Whichever version you use, then, we'd suggest not capitalizing the direction, just the country name. For instance, the term "ecoregion" is used commonly in environmental geography, "bioregion" in biogeography, etc. For example, most people would capitalize South London because South London is a well-known part of a famous city. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. Federal or federal? In the case of prime minister, either both words begin with a capital letter or neither, except, obviously, when it starts a sentence. Except for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah, the name of a city and state should be abbreviated when they are used together. It was put into effect at first for big businesses, but was then gradually adopted by everyone as a standardized format. 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). 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. Is Colorado in the west or the West? What about capitalizing a Southerner or a Southerner? The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. Q. Debating with an editor over capitalization of the word bicentennial. When to capitalize North East south west? Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. (Most uses will be uppercase.) Seasons. That means that official names of departments and units should be capitalized and not when referring to just a type of department or unit. Todays post explains when to capitalize geographic regions in the United States. is considered basic and should be known by people who claim to have a good command of the language. Guidance to capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. The state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations in 1963. 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). Words such as one, it, its, its, him, and own should all be capitalized no matter where they appear in a title. 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. For example, "Global is a proper noun." . Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. We lowercase the terms when they refer to directions: The United States is located north of Mexico. 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. "The State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. If as is used as a preposition, it is lowercase; if as is used as an adverb, conjunction or pronoun, it is uppercase. That's when even the most exhaustive style . (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 Consult your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. With names of states The same rule applies as with names of nations. Use lowercase when referring to directions on a compass. 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. North Dakota; West Virginia; Also capitalize compass points when used in denoting widely known sections. 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. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the days of the week. Capitalizing southern and capitalizing south have the same rules. Which sentence is capitalized correctly on a cloudless night? Binomial nomenclature is, of course, also used for animals, including the singularly curious one designated as Homo sapiens. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". 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. 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. seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. North, east, south, and west are the four cardinal directions, often marked by the initials N, E, S, and W. East and west are at right angles to north and south. I am living in Western Downtown. CMOS looks at what a large relevant tranche of people do; this ultimately defines what is acceptable. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the southern winds, southern should be lowercase. the Southern States the Eastern Seaboard Northern Ireland the Western Hemisphere 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. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. 'I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker.' 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. Hi, Victoria. Phil Jamieson Feb 16, 2010 5:00:00 AM. 6 Does the word federal need to be capitalized? Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.