So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. Capitalizing southern and capitalizing south have the same rules. Is north capitalized there? I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. Instead, I have compiled a partial list of things people shouldn't capitalize but commonly do anyway. For example: But when the terms are used to indicate a region, they are capitalized for example, the "West Coast". 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). U.S. 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. You can even submit asample document for free to see how our services work. You don't even want to know what he calls pancakes. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? 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. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. Consult your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. The argument I hear is this is a region of the building not a direction, so it should be capitalized. The water and land global areas are further divided into subregions bounded by huge geographical features influencing large-scale ecologies. As an aside, when we toured through the San Francisco Peninsula earlier this year, our guide told us that the natives generally didn't like the name 'Silicon Valley'. The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. For example, The hurricane move north towards the Gulf Coast. The main thing is to be consistent with whatever you choose. The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. , Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence. Certain regions of California (Bay Area, Southern California, Central Coast, etc.) The same rule applies for specific regions when you add -ern onto the end of a direction. The word white is not usually capitalized in this situation; men would never be. The Content Authority is where you will find great content, written by amazing writers, around topics like grammar, writing, publishing, and marketing. In case it's not obvious, I have a bachelor's in writing. Have you ever visited the Western United States? 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). The United Kingdom, for instance, is a region that comprises four countries: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Should compass directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west) ever be capitalized? For example, Southern US is proper because it is a specific region. You should capitalize "North," "South," "East," and "West" when they're part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. But when the words are used in specific contexts, denote people belonging to a particular region, or refer to their social, political, or cultural activities, they are capitalized. The problem is, there doesn't appear to be a consensus. Can you drive with a broken front differential? Rule 2. Hope all that helps! This is known as 'title case'. The English language has grammar and usage rules by the boatload. Just make sure you are consistent with the letter case. Duck Vs. Loon: How Are These Words Connected? However, be consistent and do not write: "Visitors to southern California climbed while visitors to northern California fell." Should south be capitalized? Only a few signs of the zodiac are automatically capitalized (Capricorn, Gemini, Sagittarius, Taurus). Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. When in doubt, lowercase. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. Automatically capitalize your email subjects, essay, headline, and article titles. The other concern I have is that southern is a geographical term, that I feel shouldn't be usurped in this way. Check your style guide (if applicable) for advice on specific terms. In this particular sentence, I is capitalized because it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. NOTE: When terms like western region and southern district are used to name organizational units within a company, capitalize them. Clearly, LA, OC, and SD are part of Southern California, but there are a lot of other places that are located in southern California that are not located in Southern California, such as Palm Springs, Salton Sea, Joshua Tree, Blythe, etc. However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the western winds, western should be lowercase. Erin Wright, 20122023. We also lowercase the terms when they refer to people: My friend is a southerner. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, capitalization, Chicago style, dictionaries. 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. Dont capitalize the word when it precedes the states name unless its included in a states title. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? Posted by 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.. Capitalize the first word of every sentence. Which sentence is capitalized correctly I learned that Thor? Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the capital letter. When did they standardize state abbreviations? When writing or proofreading manuscripts, names of regions and their capitalization rules could be tricky to discern or ascertain. To summarize the advice above, we suggest: However, capitalization may depend on the style guide youre using. You would capitalize "Southern" when referring to the people, or their culture, politics, or social activities, e.g., Southern hospitality, Southern cuisine, Southern accents. These should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. Capitalize proper nounsand adjectives derived from proper nouns. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. Otherwise, the word should be lowercased, as in "the god of 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. It also looks at when to capitalize those regions when they are used as adjectives and to describe U.S. geographic populations. My name is Erin. 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. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. 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. 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. A recognized geographical region. Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. You should read both Western and Eastern philosophy. Guidance to capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. In all cases, though, you should: And if you need help, our expert proofreaders are ready! You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Proper nouns are names of particular individuals, places, or things, such as Josephina, Michigan, Oreo, and United Auto Workers. However, in certain pairings, the common noun appears after a name or proper noun for instance, "the Highlands Region". Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. However, to, not a dash, should be used when from introduces a range of dates (from 2012 to 2013, not from 2012-13). (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 "I" is always capitalized, along with all its . "The State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. 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. Opportunities exist on the east and west sides of the city. 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 regional terms when they refer to a commonly accepted proper name of an area. When we write the days of the week, we always use a capital letter. It might be amusing to look for instances of "southern Southern California" or "northern Southern California". 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. 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. I guess you're saying that it's always okay to break any principle if you really want to, because CMOS says so. Surely not one word Southeast? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the capital letter. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? And Wisconsin is known as the Badger State (not "the badger state") even though its official name is Wisconsin. Should southern be capitalized? The following examples illustrate not only the principles sketched in [an earlier section of CMOS] but also variations based on context and usage. Racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and are capitalized. @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. 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. You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Therefore, use "Black" and "White" instead of "black" and "white" (do not use colors to refer to other human groups; doing so is considered pejorative). Likewise, the rules for sentences apply: capitalize the common name at the . If you are merely referring to a . Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? 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. A title like this would appear as: A Guide to English: Perfecting Grammar in an Academic Paper. When dealing with geographic terms, capitalize nouns such as "river", "lake", etc. Is Southern capitalized in southern states? Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. It's not a continent, nor is it a country. We lowercase the terms when they refer to directions: The United States is located north of Mexico. Thus people who live in southern California may prefer to write Southern California. It only loosely defines a region of California and its border is not officially defined either. Of course, as with other nouns, they should be capitalized at the beginning of sentences and in titles. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) suggests capitalizing terms like Midwesterner, Northerner, Southerner, and Westerner:5. The example you give is a generic direction used as an adjective (like the "east wing of the mansion" example in the post), so no capitalization is required. When these words are included in the place name, however, they must be capitalized. Without capitalization, it could refer to anyone in the southern hemisphere, or perhaps southern England. In other words, when the word "region" is a part of a name or is being specific in its meaning, the word is capitalized. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. 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. Characteristics. For example, most people would capitalize South London because South London is a well-known part of a famous city. ANS: Demand, Copyright 2023 TipsFolder.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. 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. However, capitalization may depend on the style guide you're using. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. As an Amazon Associate, CapitalizeMyTitle.com earns from qualifying purchases. In terms of "human geography", the regions and their subregions are elucidated by the ethnography discipline. 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. AP Style states that when referring to the names of a nation, directions should . As Sven Yargs' answer shows, there is a strong descriptivist argument involved. In some cases, like country and city names, this is clear. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. the East, the North, the South, the West (of a country) northern, southern, eastern, western (parts of a country) The word should only be capitalized if it appears in the body's name. We always use a capital letter when we write the days of the week. 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. More answers below Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Each morning, the sun rises in the east . How can I find out which sectors are used by files on NTFS? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the days of the week. 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. The capitalization of as depends upon its function. The AP Stylebook, which is the guiding stylebook for a number of news organizations, including The Daily Tar Heel, advises against using the Oxford comma in most basic series. So, noun will be always first capital letter. Binomial nomenclature is, of course, also used for animals, including the singularly curious one designated as Homo sapiens. It does not store any personal data. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Examples: southern France, northern Canada. It only loosely defines a region of California and its border is not officially defined either. For example, Silicon Valley isn't a proprietary name or legally defined area, but it receives initial caps anyway. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? When possessive pronouns like her, his, my, our, and your are used, do not capitalize them. 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. At 8.47 ("Popular place names or epithets"), CMOS notes that certain other regions and epithets receive initial caps as well. 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 . 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. Does the word federal need to be capitalized? 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. Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). Generally, you do not need to capitalize the names of the seasons. 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. 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. West is directly opposite east. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Capitalize the Southern California region? 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. 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. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. Rule 1. 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.". down South. When Should You Capitalize Geographic Regions in the United States? But if someone prefers "African American," use that term rather than a more generic "black." The correct answer is option C. In option A, the word Chemistry is only capitalized leaving the other proper noun in lower case. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. This is the sentence that is capitalized correctly. Should "west coast" be capitalized if it is referring to the western region of the U.S.? 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. When did states go to 2 letter abbreviations? That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositionshowever, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters. Back East. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". If these geographic areas are part of a name, however, such as "River Thames", capitalize the term. Capitalize names of organizations, institutions, stores, businesses, teams, political parties, and government bodies. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. When referring to regions, capitalize these words. For example, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends capitalization:2. Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the Southern food in Tennessee. This suffix makes the direction an adjective, and when it describes a specific region, it should be capitalized. The days of the week are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions. When common nouns like party, river, and street are included in a proper name, capitalize them. But it would be unusual to do this for a less well-known location, such as south Coventry.. However, widely known designations are capitalized: the Upper East Side, Southern California. If youre referring to a collection of proper nouns, such as the Southern States, this is the case. I have published a variety of other capitalization posts related to time periods, geographic features, people, and product names. I tried to describe the difference in my answer below. 4 Is Southern California capitalized AP style? Geographic Regions Used as Adjectives Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. Usage guide. 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). The Chicago Manual of Style. rev2023.3.3.43278. 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. Instead of using the frequently used double-space, only use one space after a period to properly follow AP style guidelines. 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. (Most uses will be uppercase.) Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? 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. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? Should states and territories be Capitalised? September 18, 2013, at 9:56 pm. If as is used as a preposition, it is lowercase; if as is used as an adverb, conjunction or pronoun, it is uppercase. Also, if "region" is the first word in a sentence, it is capitalized. The North, The East, The South, and The West. 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. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. Words such as one, it, its, its, him, and own should all be capitalized no matter where they appear in a title. If it's a name, it's a proper noun. Q. Debating with an editor over capitalization of the word bicentennial. Should Southern colonies be capitalized? If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. Capitalizing western and capitalizing west have the same rules. 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. Less democratic. 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. 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. What about capitalizing a Westerner or a Westerner? The sentence reads "I turned on north Bolton." 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).
Cooper Green Mercy Hospital News,
Difference Between Progessence Plus And Progessence Phyto Plus,
What Items Should You Buy Extended Warranties On Dave Ramsey,
Articles S