I guess you're saying that it's always okay to break any principle if you really want to, because CMOS says so. Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the southern food in Tennessee. However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. Also, if "region" is the first word in a sentence, it is 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. Are Directions Capitalized? Easy Ways to Know When These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Southern, on the other hand, is capitalized by convention when it refers to California: I live in Southern California. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? AP Style says it should be capitalized while the Chicago Style Manual says it should be lowercased. 1 Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. U.S. 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. However, be consistent and do not write: "Visitors to southern California climbed while visitors to northern California fell." Should south be capitalized? Q. Hello! But when these terms are part of an actual place's name, capitalize them, as in "Western Australia", "Northern Ireland", etc. 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. In what contexts would I capitalize "city" and "county"? Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (regardless of length). Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! As a general thumb rule, if a particular direction (north, south, etc.) English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Time arrow with "current position" evolving with overlay number. How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac), How to Insert Images into Shapes in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac), How to Align the Periods in Numbered Lists in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac), How to Password Protect Files in Microsoft Word, How to Password Protect PDFs in Adobe Acrobat (PC & Mac). But it would be unusual to do this for a less well-known location, such as south Coventry.. The following examples illustrate not only the principles sketched in [an earlier section of CMOS] but also variations based on context and usage. I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). A recognized geographical region. Capitalize proper nounsand adjectives derived from proper nouns. The North, The East, The South, and The West. For example, "western Massachusetts", "northern New Jersey". Should global south be capitalized? My name is Erin. "The State Finance Department," for example, is a good example. seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. To Capitalise or Not To Capitalise: A Useful Guide - Proofed only if it's a proper name. The state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations in 1963. 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. To Capitalize or not to Capitalize Independence? However, if, like Northern Ireland and North Korea, the direction is part of the proper name, it should be capitalized. If a is used, go with prime minister.). When referring to a specific region, you should capitalize the words East Coast such as Im traveling to the East Coast since East Coast is a proper noun in this case. Duck Vs. Loon: How Are These Words Connected? The following sentence is capitalized correctly : I learned that Thor is the god of thunder when I read a book about myths from Norway. He's one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. North, East, South or West - Capitalize or Not? - ProofreadNOW.com For example, The hurricane move north towards the Gulf Coast. That means you should lowercase articles, Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. CMOS looks at what a large relevant tranche of people do; this ultimately defines what is acceptable. 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. 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). Capitalization | Capitalization Rules - GrammarBook When Do You Capitalize Geographic Terms? - dummies Here Carlotta is the name hence it needs to be in capital and I, Halloween should be capitalized. English Proofreading and Copyediting Prices, Spanish Proofreading and Copyediting Prices, northern New Jersey, western Massachusetts. In domains such as ecology, physical geography, environmental geography, and zoogeography, regions are typically based on ecosystems, biomes, natural regions, drainage basins, soil types, mountain ranges, and other natural features. Settlers moved into the West. Did any DOS compatibility layers exist for any UNIX-like systems before DOS started to become outmoded? The names of things are known as common nouns. (There is a lot of leniency on whether to capitalize "The." Few would argue that the region is called "The North" as . Should Pisces be capitalized? [Fact Checked!] 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. The key factor here is that were using these words descriptively (i.e., to specify the direction or location of something), not to name something. The plant common name has to conform to the rules of English, however, so if there's a proper noun in the common name, it must be capitalized. Is it Southern or Southern? Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. Back East. Capitalization | CSU - California State University Hello! 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.". Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". southern Atlanta; But capitalize compass points when part of a proper name. In case it's not obvious, I have a bachelor's in writing. Other assets have a wide range of liquidity. Is north capitalized there? When used as part of a short-form political affiliation, states should also be abbreviated. Is summer a good time? In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. Popular usage sets the rules for standard practice especially in the case of region names. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. 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. So you would only capitalize federal when you use it in the name of a federal agency, an act, or some other proper noun. When the word state forms the full name of a specific body, you must also capitalize it. 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. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? 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. Why distinguishes money from other assets in the economy. capitalization. Is Southern California capitalized AP style? 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. The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) suggests capitalizing terms like Midwesterner, Northerner, Southerner, and Westerner:5. Otherwise, not. Wotan is one of the gods in Wagner's Ring Cycle. Southern belle (from French belle 'beautiful') is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South. Capitalizing the Word States If a writer refers to the United States and refers to it only as the States, states must 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 on a cloudless night? The correct sentence is Carlotta and I love Halloween. When a database has been given a proper name, capitalize that name, but do not italicize it or place it inside quote marks. 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. It only loosely defines a region of California and its border is not officially defined either. When combining with another common noun to form the name for a region . (Cap or no cap on east and west). The English language has grammar and usage rules by the boatload. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The sentence reads "I turned on north Bolton." That's when even the most exhaustive style . University Editorial Style Guidelines - Santa Clara University