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. However, as in the case of plant names, animal names are not capitalized ("I spotted a red-tailed hawk," not "I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk"), except when an element of the name is a proper noun, as in "Steller . Which Is More Stable Thiophene Or Pyridine. Direction-denoting terms such as north, south, east, west, etc. Others may argue that the word simply denotes the direction of the region the individual lives and must not have the capital letter. 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. 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. For instance, the term "ecoregion" is used commonly in environmental geography, "bioregion" in biogeography, etc. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. By prevailing usage, roughly the most southerly one-third or two-fifths of California is referred to as Southern California, in initial caps. The Starved Rock Lodge offers world-famous Midwestern hospitality in a scenic environment. Have you ever visited the Western United States? If youre referring to a collection of proper nouns, such as the Southern States, this is the case. Whichever version you use, then, we'd suggest not capitalizing the direction, just the country name. Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Please include the research youve done. Capitalize the Southern California region? To put it another way, capitalize words like Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis in place of the persons name. Are you supposed to capitalize north south east and west? "southern California" is not the same as "Southern California". 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. Some common examples of when you should capitalize north include: down North. doesn't shout the need for "capitalization", it's safe to write it in lowercase. APA Style 6th Edition Blog: Do I Capitalize This Word? Chicago style is best for writers who want to adhere to traditional publishing standards and academic writers in non-scientific fields. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. We also lowercase the terms when they refer to people: My friend is a southerner. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. However, the forms bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree and master's are acceptable as general terms. Most style guides say that compass points and the terms derived from them are lowercased if they just mean direction or location. The argument I hear is this is a region of the building not a direction, so it should be capitalized. I wanted to know how to write Southeast Albania correctly (proof reading). Otherwise, not. If a law is new but its interpretation is vague, can the courts directly ask the drafters the intent and official interpretation of their law? Avoiding Common Capitalization Errors | The Proofreading Pulse And Wisconsin is known as the Badger State (not "the badger state") even though its official name is Wisconsin. When Should You Capitalize Geographic Regions in the United States? AP Style says it should be capitalized while the Chicago Style Manual says it should be lowercased. Not capitalizing when referring to a general direction. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic, as are those lacking any signs of reasonable research. I tried to describe the difference in my answer below. Note that exceptions based on specific regional, political, or historical contexts are inevitable and that an author's strong preference should usually be respected. 8 What states in the US are consider southern states? There's not enough context in your example to offer any solid advice (e.g., the "north" of where? So, noun will be always first capital letter. 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. Is north capitalized there? The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. 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. 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. Capitalize proper nouns and most adjectives formed from proper nouns. When referring to Greek, Roman, and other groups of gods and goddesses, only the name is capitalized. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. So, noun will be always first capital letter. If the designation is widely known, the "direction" terms are capitalized for instance, "Southern California". Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? Filed Under: Should compass directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west) ever be capitalized? Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. NOTE: When terms like western region and southern district are used to name organizational units within a company, capitalize them. Editorial Style Guide - University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Thus people who live in southern California may prefer to write Southern California. Why do many companies reject expired SSL certificates as bugs in bug bounties? Should You Capitalize Western? (Western World, Culture - Grammarlookup When used as part of a short-form political affiliation, states should also be abbreviated. Regardless of what side of the debate table you are on, the different thoughts clearly illustrate how differing opinions could be on the matter, causing people to use capitalization rules the way they deem appropriate. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Capital Letters with North, East, South, and West - Grammar Monster This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Another example, "Eastern" in the phrase "Eastern bankers" is capitalized since the word denotes a certain group of people. Keep reading to learn everything there is to regions and their capitalization, rules for related terms and phrases, what a region is, etc. However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. [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 Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. When to Capitalize North, South, East and West - Proofed Should aurora borealis be capitalized? Explained by Sharing Culture Do you capitalize the S in Southern California? - TipsFolder.com I studied Pisces, a constellation of the North sky, on a cloudless night. For example, capitalizing "Southerner" in the sentence "As a Southerner, she had a distinct drawl" can be up for debate. Hi, Chris. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. Capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period. Capitalize the pronoun. However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. 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. Did the Allman Brothers Band play southern rock or Southern rock? Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. The Chicago Manual of Style. Southern, on the other hand, is capitalized by convention when it refers to California: I live in Southern California. (Cap or no cap on east and west). Botany Rules 1: Writing Plant Common Names and English Names - Blogger It's all directional | Grammar Party With names of states The same rule applies as with names of nations. State names had to be abbreviated to make room for the ZIP code. Use lower case for generic or plural references. Is South capitalized when talking about the Civil War? 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). 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. Capitalization | Capitalization Rules - GrammarBook When Do You Capitalize Geographic Terms? - dummies When words like northern, southern, eastern, or western precede a place name, they aren't usually capitalized because they only indicate a general location within a region. These should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. Only when it's very apparent or writing the direction names in small letters looks completely off, capitalize them. However, if, like Northern Ireland and North Korea, the direction is part of the proper name, it should be capitalized. Binomial nomenclature is, of course, also used for animals, including the singularly curious one designated as Homo sapiens. Copyright 2022 - TheContentAuthority.com, Reindeer Vs. Moose: Main Differences, How To Tell Them Apart. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. are not capitalized when they merely denote compass direction.

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