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. For example, capitalizing "Southerner" in the sentence "As a Southerner, she had a distinct drawl" can be up for debate. Most of the north is sandy, and the northern coast is mountainous. To capitalize or not to capitalize "southern" California [duplicate]. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. I am living in Western Downtown. Thus, we have rigid goldenrod but Missouri goldenrod, azure penstemon but Torrey's penstemon and California penstemon. The word should only be capitalized if it appears in the body's name. Other assets have a wide range of liquidity. When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name? The problem is, there doesn't appear to be a consensus. 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. Check your style guide (if applicable) for advice on specific terms. The sentence which is capitalized correctly is My easiest classes are Chemistry and Spanish. 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. The word white is not usually capitalized in this situation; men would never be. 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. It was put into effect at first for big businesses, but was then gradually adopted by everyone as a standardized format. For example, Southern France is capitalized because it is a proper noun and . Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. only if it's a proper name. In other words, when the word "region" is a part of a name or is being specific in its meaning, the word is capitalized. "southern California" is not the same as "Southern California". Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. [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 term "region" is a general noun, and it's usually not capitalized, as a result. South-Eastern Albania? Unless you are referring to the Four Seasons, there is no reason for seasons to . Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. States and territories Use initial capitals for words in the formal name. In 1963, the state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations. In some cases, like country and city names, this is clear. You should only capitalize directions, such as north, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the North.". The word "southern" is not part of the official name of California or any city or county, so I never capitalize it. Southern United States, for example, is appropriate because it is located in a specific region. She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. What are some examples of how providers can receive incentives? when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. 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. Each morning, the sun rises in the east . Strength Vs. Strong: Differences, How To Tell Them Apart? If as is used as a preposition, it is lowercase; if as is used as an adverb, conjunction or pronoun, it is uppercase. When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. 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. This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation. Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? To summarize the advice above, we suggest: However, capitalization may depend on the style guide youre using. 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. 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. He's one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. The other concern I have is that southern is a geographical term, that I feel shouldn't be usurped in this way. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. How do I connect these two faces together? 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 there is no proper name, lowercase "mountain", "gorge", "valley", "beach", and other geographical features. Of all the various names or terms, direction names could be the trickiest to handle. But things become tricky once we get down to the details. If youre referring to a collection of proper nouns, such as the Southern States, this is the case. Racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and are capitalized. Which sentence is capitalized correctly on a cloudless night? How can I find out which sectors are used by files on NTFS? So, noun will be always first capital letter. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? If youre referring to the Western States, for example, youre referring to a group of proper nouns. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? 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. Opportunities exist on the east and west sides of the city. Hello! 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. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? In general, midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. Does Counterspell prevent from any further spells being cast on a given turn? (I have no authority for this opinion, other than my intuition as an English speaker. 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. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. The water and land global areas are further divided into subregions bounded by huge geographical features influencing large-scale ecologies. What about capitalizing a Southerner or a Southerner? Examples: southern France, northern Canada. 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). 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. Of course, they should be capitalized at the start of sentences and in titles, as they are with other nouns. 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). , Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence. Meaning of Western world and alternative terms, Specifying geography with cardinal directions, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Meaning of " Western world" and alternative terms. Did the Allman Brothers Band play southern rock or Southern rock? Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Should north southeast and West be capitalized? This suffix makes the direction an adjective, and when it describes a specific region, it should be capitalized. Posted by capitalization, maps, writing tips. My name is Erin. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. If youre referring to a specific location, such as the southern winds, southern should be lowercase. 6 Does the word federal need to be capitalized? when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. 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. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. 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. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. If the writer is referring to the United States and calling it just the States, then states needs to be capitalized. 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. When north, south, east, and west refer to generic directions (i.e., the points of the compass), they are not capitalized: The master bedroom is in the east wing of the mansion. Do you capitalize north? These should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. 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). 1 The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. 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.". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Related, but not duplicates (in my opinion): As definitive as it gets. When common nouns like party, river, and street are included in a proper name, capitalize them. CMOS recognizes that common usage and context determine conventional approaches to capitalization in connection with the treatment of certain terms related to regions. The Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook, for instance, say to only capitalize Southern when referring to the American Civil War. @Devil07, the geographical adjective "southern" is not usurped -- it just means something different. Proper nouns include the specific names of people, places, and things. When to capitalize North East south west? In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. Duck Vs. Loon: How Are These Words Connected? I often have to write north, west in reference to an entrance or exit, for example, the patron exited through the north turnstile. So you would only capitalize federal when you use it in the name of a federal agency, an act, or some other proper noun. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? 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. But in other cases, it is more a matter of convention and habit. Unless the direction is part of the country's actual name, it remains lowercased. What about capitalizing a Westerner or a Westerner? I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night.