You capitalize state only when it follows the name of the state, as in New York State is also called the Empire State, or when its part of a traditional name for a state, like Empire State or Lone Star State. When it precedes the name of the state, dont capitalize the word unless its part of a title of . 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.". There may be disagreement about where the border of Southern California begins, just as there was and is about the border of the Wild West, but the fact that the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange County, and San Diego are all located in Southern California is beyond debate. Each morning, the sun rises in the east . She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. 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. Should "west coast" be capitalized if it is referring to the western region of the U.S.? Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. To properly follow AP style guidelines, only use one space after a period, as opposed to the often used double-space. It's similar to why your name is always capitalized. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. Capitalization Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, etc., unless the word is part of a formal name. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: We also lowercase the terms when they refer to people: Butsouthernerandnorthernerarecapitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: The civil war was fought between Southerners and Northerners. 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 they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. This is known as 'title case'. Best Book Writing Software and Book Writing Apps, Cursive Text Generator , Buscador de palabras y descifrador de palabras. capitalization, maps, writing tips. What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? In general, Midwesterners are friendly and down to earth. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? Home-buyers pay a 1.75% fee up . In your first paragraph after the caption you make a good comparison between Wild West and Southern California, but I'm still troubled by a couple of issues. Is "Southern California" considered a proper noun? In this particular sentence, I is capitalized because it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. The state abbreviations are always the same: two letter abbreviations with uppercase letters and no periods or spaces between them. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. Most style guides recommend capitalizing "West Coast" when referring to the western seaboard of the U.S. hi, should i capitalize 'west' in 'west Africa' or 'north' in north Africa'? The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) suggests capitalizing terms like Midwesterner, Northerner, Southerner, and Westerner:5. 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 West Coast has beautiful scenery. Which sentence is capitalized correctly on a cloudless night? So, option 2 is correct. So, noun will be always first capital letter. Wotan is one of the gods in Wagner's Ring Cycle. However, when these words are actually part of the place name, they must be capitalized. Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. When you're talking about America's West Coast or the Middle East, the directional word is also part of a proper name, and it gets a capital letter. What about capitalizing western or Westerner? AP style is primarily for journalists and writers who want to conform to traditional journalism styles. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go south on I-90," then you should keep south lowercase. However, a co-author argues that southern should not be capitalized, because it is an adjective, not a noun. A recognized geographical region. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Circling back to the "title" rule, if the headline is in sentence case and the word "region" is not the starting word of the title, "region" should be written in lowercase. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. Capitalize the Southern California region? Of course, as with other nouns, they should be capitalized at the beginning of sentences and in titles. 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. So the upshot of my answer is that you didn't miss the memo (or perhaps I should say The Memo) on this issue, but at the same time you didn't notice a larger phenomenon in accordance with which initial-capping Southern California is by no means a unique, inexplicable, or indefensible treatment of a regional name. Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. Which sentence is capitalized correctly Carlotta? September 18, 2013, at 9:56 pm. When the word "state" comes after a state's name, it should be capitalized. To find out when to capitalize North, South, East, and West, read our guide to capitalizing directions below. Phil Jamieson Feb 16, 2010 5:00:00 AM. If a is used, go with prime minister.). For example, most people would capitalize South London because South London is a well-known part of a famous city. They are written with capital letters. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. 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. Words Which Should Not Be Capitalized in a Title. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Capitalize My Title makes title capitalization easy. In other words, capitalize words such as Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis when they are used in place of the persons name. Explanation: Because, Pisces is a noun. Explanation: Because Pisces is a verb. 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. Along with the proper nouns listed in the table above, you should also always capitalize: the first word after a colon when what follows the colon is an independent clause, most nouns when they are followed by numerals or letters (e.g., Table 1, Figure 2, Panel A; see section 4.17), and. Updated on December 22, 2018. However, if instead you reference a general location, such as "the southern winds," then the word southern should be lowercase. Do not drive, Five Below Job Opportunities Earning consideration for Five Below jobs begins with meeting the companys minimum employment age, which is 16 years old. By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. These should not be capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! However, capitalization may depend on the style guide you're using. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. In 1963, the state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations. 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. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. So it would be best to check your style guide if you have one and to make sure whatever you choose is used consistently. So, if a person is from South Africa, south would be capitalized since it's the proper name of the country. Is Southern capitalized in southern states? Southern, according to a co-author, should not be capitalized because it is an adjective rather than a noun. You should always capitalize Westerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Use capital letters in the following ways: The first words of a sentence When he tells a joke, he sometimes forgets the punch line. [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). There's not enough context in your example to offer any solid advice (e.g., the "north" of where? 2023 Caniry - All Rights Reserved The periods are omitted in headlines. You should only capitalize directions, such as south, when you are referring to it as the proper noun, such as "in the South.". The term "region" is a general noun, and it's usually not capitalized, as a result. The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe. And "north" in that sentence refers to a direction (i.e., where you turned), not the place (i.e., Bolton Avenue). The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. To know what other words you should capitalize, try our free title capitalization tool. Q. Hello! Words such as one, it, its, its, him, and own should all be capitalized no matter where they appear in a title. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (regardless of length). What about capitalizing a Southerner or a Southerner? For example, Southern US is proper because it is a specific region. Does Counterspell prevent from any further spells being cast on a given turn? She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. I guess you're saying that it's always okay to break any principle if you really want to, because CMOS says so. Should Southern colonies be capitalized? The days of the week are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 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. 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. 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. Names of gods are capitalized, including Allah, Vishnu, and God. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau. 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 water and land global areas are further divided into subregions bounded by huge geographical features influencing large-scale ecologies. Do I capitalize southern as in the US region? The basic guidelines for using capital letters in English appear simple enough: Capitalize the first word in a sentence. Similarly, the European Union is an assortment of multiple countries. Instead, I have compiled a partial list of things people shouldn't capitalize but commonly do anyway. It only takes a minute to sign up. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. My friend is a southerner. But it would be unusual to do this for a less well-known location, such as south Coventry.. The seasons arent proper nouns, so theyre not usually capitalized. It was put into effect at first for big businesses, but was then gradually adopted by everyone as a standardized format. Everyone on the bus tour enjoyed the Southern food in Tennessee. Characteristics. References to God (s) The word "god" should be capitalized if it is being used as a proper name of a monotheistic god, as in God in Christianity and Judaism. When to Capitalize North, South, East and West. However, I was recently advised by someone who I consider to be educated to capitalize "southern" in this context. However, there are a few exceptions you should learn about. Guidance to capitalize proper nouns in APA Style. If the writer is referring to the United States and calling it just the States, then states needs to be capitalized. So: North Carolina is north of South Carolina and east of West Virginia. . doesn't shout the need for "capitalization", it's safe to write it in lowercase. Here is part of that discussion: 8.46 Regions of the world and national regions. You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. Capitalize proper nouns and most adjectives formed from proper nouns. Is north capitalized there? 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. Likewise, the rules for sentences apply: capitalize the common name at the . The correct sentence is Carlotta and I love Halloween. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". However, the forms bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree and master's are acceptable as general 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. Do you capitalize the word state when referring to a state? North Dakota; West Virginia; Also capitalize compass points when used in denoting widely known sections. 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. Lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, and other lowercase letters are used when indicating compass direction. If you are merely referring to a direction, such as "go north on I-90," then you should keep north lowercase. Is Colorado in the west or the West? Whether it's an "official" name or not and how well the thing is defined have no bearing whatsoever. @EdwinAshworth I didn't notice any argument in his answer at all. For example, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends capitalization:2. 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". You would capitalize "Southern" when referring to the people, or their culture, politics, or social activities, e.g., Southern hospitality, Southern cuisine, Southern accents. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. As noted in the post, there's no need to capitalize generic directions (only when they're part of a proper noun). In all cases, though, you should: And if you need help, our expert proofreaders are ready! Are you captivated by capitalization? But southerner and northerner are capitalized when they refer to people on either side of the civil war in the United States: Rule 1. You should always capitalize Southerner since it refers to a group of people who are proper nouns. After all, it was named after its inventor, Edwin Southern, and therefore the use of the capital is justified. Each state has its own shortened name codes, which are used in written documents and mailing addresses.