Do I Capitalize South And North Referring To Regions In The Us
Troublesome WordsYou know how most people have trouble spelling certain words? The word that always gets me is vacuum. I can never remember if there is one C or two Cs. (It’s one—but I just double-checked in my dictionary to make sure!) This can happen with many issues in English: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. Some rules are so troublesome to remember that not only do English language learners frequently mix them up, native speakers do too! One such case that I find particularly tricky for myself and my students is directional words. There are so many rules about when to capitalize or lowercase these words that I find myself looking them up again and again in my style guide. I hope that, by blogging about them today, the rules will stick with me as well as with you and your students!Note that the rules may vary in different regions of the world, and even in different fields within the same region.
This post is based on the popular North American style guide, 16th edition.To the West or to the west? Western or western?According to The Chicago Manual of Style, sections 8.45–46, you don’t normally capitalize directional words when referring to direction or location. That’s a great question, Larry. First of all, you’re correct that most companies would capitalize the directional word in a job title. Secondly, you can tell your students that it depends on the company—some companies choose to use a noun form (that’s acting as an adjective; e.g., Midwest Regional Manager) and some use the adjective form (e.g., Midwestern Regional Manager). As far as I know, there aren’t any rules for this situation. I’ve seen both forms used, but I agree with your instincts— I’d say the adjective form is probably a bit more common.
Chicago Style Capitalize Regions
Capitalize the names of nationalities, peoples, races, tribes, etc. Lowercase black, white when used to refer to races. Uppercase North, South, East, West when referring to regions; lowercase when referring to compass points. The university is located in the Northeast. The building is north of Wilkens Avenue. When you're naming a region, directions are capitalized. For example, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Nashville are all in the South, not the south. One hint, although.