If youre referring to a collection of proper nouns, such as the Southern States, this is the case. A recognized geographical region. Capitalize names of organizations, institutions, stores, businesses, teams, political parties, and government bodies. 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. Guidance to capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. Chicago style is best for writers who want to adhere to traditional publishing standards and academic writers in non-scientific fields. Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. You should capitalize North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a unique thing). When people form a group and give it a name, it should be capitalized. Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the capital letter. ANS: Demand, Copyright 2023 TipsFolder.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. Only capitalize state when it follows the states name, such as New York State is also known as the Empire State, or when it is part of a traditional state name, such as Empire State or Lone Star State, can be capitalized. Should Southern colonies be capitalized? Is South capitalized when talking about the Civil War? seems less related to the usual descriptivist process, more opinion-based. However, if you are referring to a general region, such as the east coast of the United States then you should keep the words lowercase. Of course, as with other nouns, they should be capitalized at the beginning of sentences and in titles. Also, if "region" is the first word in a sentence, it is capitalized. And Wisconsin is known as the Badger State (not "the badger state") even though its official name is Wisconsin. If you are merely referring to a . You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Did the Allman Brothers Band play southern rock or Southern rock? In other words, when the word "region" is a part of a name or is being specific in its meaning, the word is capitalized. With names of states The same rule applies as with names of nations. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses. 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. 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.". I is always capitalized, along with all its contractions. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. However, in certain pairings, the common noun appears after a name or proper noun for instance, "the Highlands Region". The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? 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. Don't capitalize these words when they refer to the general location, geography or climate of a region. "The South" is capitalized because it designates a definite region, e.g., "I was born and raised in the South." More answers below Duck Vs. Loon: How Are These Words Connected? In case it's not obvious, I have a bachelor's in writing. 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). There's not enough context in your example to offer any solid advice (e.g., the "north" of where? After all, it was named after its inventor, Edwin Southern, and therefore the use of the capital is justified. For example, Silicon Valley isn't a proprietary name or legally defined area, but it receives initial caps anyway. In most forms of writings, not capitalizing direction names when they could have been capitalized doesn't bother the readers much. Note that exceptions based on specific regional, political, or historical contexts are inevitable and that an author's strong preference should usually be respected. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. But southerner and northerner are capitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Southern United States, for example, is appropriate because it is located in a specific region. That means you should lowercase articles, Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. It was first put into effect for large businesses, but it was gradually adopted as a standardized format by everyone. 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. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. It might be amusing to look for instances of "southern Southern California" or "northern Southern California". If you are referring to a group of proper nouns such as the Southern States. However, if youre referring to a general location, such as the southern winds then southern should be lowercase. Some common examples of when you should capitalize south include: down South the Deep South Certain public figures get capitalized, but others dont. 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. I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube. Capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. In general, midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. Southern, on the other hand, is capitalized by convention when it refers to California: I live in Southern California. Consult your dictionary if your preferred style guide doesnt address this issue. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Lowercase with names of nations (southern France) unless they indicate a political division (South Korea). However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. MLA style follows The Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. 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. If states is being referred to in a general manner, such as There are two senators for each state, then the word states would remain lower case. The names of things are known as common nouns. For example, Southern France is capitalized because it is a proper noun and . In contrast, The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago style) recommends lowercasing specific U.S. geographic regions used as adjectives:3. In all cases, though, you should: And if you need help, our expert proofreaders are ready! Some authorities also capitalize titles if they immediately follow the name without the word "the.". 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. The pronoun "I" Are you captivated by capitalization? 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. Have you ever visited the Western United States? When there is no proper name, lowercase "mountain", "gorge", "valley", "beach", and other geographical features. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. The administration's solution: Ease credit for riskier borrowers. the East, the North, the South, the West (of a country) northern, southern, eastern, western (parts of a country) 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". So, noun will be always first capital letter. A title like this would appear as: A Guide to English: Perfecting Grammar in an Academic Paper. How do I connect these two faces together? Most style guides say that compass points and the terms derived from them are lowercased if they just mean direction or location. But you capitalize them when theyre specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. However, capitalization may depend on the style guide you're using. 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. For example, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends capitalization:2. Which sentence is capitalized correctly Carlotta? 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. 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. Thus, we have rigid goldenrod but Missouri goldenrod, azure penstemon but Torrey's penstemon and California penstemon. A region could also be a group of nations. 9 Should north southeast and West be capitalized? Many scholars now study the global South. When the word state forms the full name of a specific body, you must also capitalize it. 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 . Unless the direction is part of the country's actual name, it remains lowercased. Only when it's very apparent or writing the direction names in small letters looks completely off, capitalize them. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. To capitalize or not quoted text after be form, How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. North Dakota; West Virginia; Also capitalize compass points when used in denoting widely known sections. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. Title Case Capitalization (APA 7th) Sentence Case Capitalization (APA 7th) You can even submit asample document for free to see how our services work. And if so, when? 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). I have published a variety of other capitalization posts related to time periods, geographic features, people, and product names. But when the term is used in a formal name, it's capitalized, as in "the Hudson River". 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. Should southern be capitalized? However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. For example, the "river" is a general noun and not capitalized. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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). Western (and Northern) blots however, were not named after inventors but were given these names in honor of . I tried to describe the difference in my answer below. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia? Are you supposed to capitalize north south east and west? Which sentence is capitalized correctly on a cloudless night? When writing or proofreading manuscripts, names of regions and their capitalization rules could be tricky to discern or ascertain. 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. When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? The main thing is to be consistent with whatever you choose. Rule 2. In terms of "human geography", the regions and their subregions are elucidated by the ethnography discipline. When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. 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. Please note that my close-vote reason was 'lack of reasonable signs of research'; I believe that there are differences between the 'northern Europe' example and this one. (Cap or no cap on east and west). So: North Carolina is north of South Carolina and east of West Virginia. 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). the Deep South. Pronouns that refer to any god or gods should be lowercased. I often have to write north, west in reference to an entrance or exit, for example, the patron exited through the north turnstile. The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. 4 Is Southern California capitalized AP style? When common nouns like party, river, and street are included in a proper name, capitalize them. In headlines, the periods are omitted. The following sentence is capitalized correctly : I learned that Thor is the god of thunder when I read a book about myths from Norway. Which Is More Stable Thiophene Or Pyridine. When used as part of a short-form political affiliation, states should also be abbreviated. However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. If these geographic areas are part of a name, however, such as "River Thames", capitalize the term. The sentence reads "I turned on north Bolton." Names of regions should be capitalized if those are proper nouns or denote a country, city, continent, etc. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Is south capitalized when referring to Southern states? To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. Hi, Kelly. In June 1963, the Department provided an initial list of abbreviations, but many had only three or four letters, which were still too long. Should states and territories be Capitalised? Titles should only be capitalized if they precede a proper name when used as part of the name. @Devil07, the geographical adjective "southern" is not usurped -- it just means something different. Capitalize directions that are names; North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Of all the various names or terms, direction names could be the trickiest to handle. 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. 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, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. At 8.47 ("Popular place names or epithets"), CMOS notes that certain other regions and epithets receive initial caps as well. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. For example: I live in The North. The rules are fairly standard for title case: Capitalize the first and the last word. is considered basic and should be known by people who claim to have a good command of the language. The word 'southern' shouldn't be capitalized in a sentence unless it is a proper noun. Capitalizing North, South, East, and West when theyre part of a proper noun (i.e., the name of a specific geographical region or culture). Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN. Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? 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. What about capitalizing western or Westerner? So, should you capitalize regions when writing? Do you capitalize Pacific Northwest? 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. (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 @SvenYargs This is a very useful answer; I'm processing it. AP Style states that when referring to the names of a nation, directions should . 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. 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. 5 Should states and territories be Capitalised? But it would be unusual to do this for a less well-known location, such as south Coventry.. When the word "state" comes after a state's name, it should be capitalized. For example, you would write "the Southern United States," but "the southern way of . 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. the Southern States the Eastern Seaboard Northern Ireland the Western Hemisphere In general, Midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. As a general thumb rule, if a particular direction (north, south, etc.) In all cases, though, you should: Check your style guide (if applicable) for advice on specific terms. 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. Are seasons capitalized or not? The Content Authority is where you will find great content, written by amazing writers, around topics like grammar, writing, publishing, and marketing.

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