In general, when a direction is a description, it’s lowercase, and when it’s the name of something, it’s capitalized—but there are exceptions. Sometimes directional terms such as south are capitalized and sometimes they aren’t.
Do you capitalize cardinal directions AP style?
AP Style calls for lowercase north, south, east, west, northeast and so on when you’re talking about compass directions. “Drive south for 3 miles.” But when you’re talking about a region, use a capital letter. “She’s from the South.” “Rain is expected in the Northeast.” “The firm will open a branch in the Midwest.”
Should you Capitalise north south east west?
North, South, East and West as Proper Nouns
You should capitalise ‘North’, ‘South’, ‘East’ and ‘West’ when they’re part of a proper noun (i.e. the name of a unique thing). The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe.
How do you write cardinal directions?
Like Chicago style, AP style recommends using a period with the abbreviations for north, south, east, and west (N., S., E., and W.) and not using a period with the abbreviations for northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest (NE, NW, SE, and SW).
How do you write cardinal points in English?
The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W respectively. Relative to north, the directions east, south, and west are at 90 degree intervals in the clockwise direction.
Do compass points need capital letters?
Compass Points and Directions
It is a common misconception that the four compass directions should always be capitalised. This is not the case. Indeed, they follow the same rules as any other word most of the time and should only be capitalised when they form part of a proper noun.
How do you write east north east?
Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate direction or general location. Many waterskiers have relocated from the Northeast to the South.
How do you write north east address?
- N.
- NE.
- S.
- SW.
- E.
- NNW.
- W.
- ESE.
Should Southeast be capitalized?
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).
Do you capitalize east and West Coast?
MLA style follows The Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. 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. She moved from the East Coast to the West Coast.
Do you capitalize north sky?
on a cloudless night I studied pisces a constellation in the north sky. On a cloudless night, I studied Pisces, a constellation in the North sky. Explanation: Because, ‘Pisces’ is a noun. So, noun will be always first capital letter.
How do you write east south east?
North, South, East and West as Proper Nouns
You should capitalise ‘North’, ‘South’, ‘East’ and ‘West’ when they’re part of a proper noun (i.e. the name of a unique thing). The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe.
What are the 5 cardinal directions?
North, East, South, West : these are the shipping cardinals beacons to avoid the dangerous points or centers.
How do you write South South East?
the point on the compass midway between south and southeast. coming from this point: a south-southeast wind. directed toward this point: a south-southeast course.
How do you write west north west?
Capitalised, North-West would be a proper noun, the name of a particular place. Without capitals it would be a region but not necessarily the proper name given to it. ‘northwest’ without a capital is, again, just a region (the same term can be a compass point/direction).
Can we say north east as east north?
Obviously, it was much clearer to divide each quadrant by only one intermediate point (“northeast,” for instance), and then to put one further subdivision on each side of that one (creating “north-northeast” and “east-northeast”). As we’ve always said, the point of using good, clear English is to communicate.
Do you capitalize east Coast?
When referring to a specific region, you should capitalize the words East Coast such as “I’m traveling to the East Coast” since “East Coast” is a proper noun in this case. 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.
Do you capitalize southern?
Knowing whether to capitalize directional adjectives can be challenging. 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.
How do you write directions north south east west?
At the most basic level, the standard advice is to lowercase north, south, east and west when used as compass directions and to capitalize them when they are used as part of a proper noun or adjective or refer to regions or geographic areas.
When Should Western be capitalized?
What about capitalizing western or Westerner? The same rules apply to capitalizing western as capitalizing west. If you are referring to a group of proper nouns such as “the Western States.” However, if you’re referring to a general location, such as “the western winds” then western should be lowercase.
Should West Coast be capitalized?
Capitalize words that are part of the formal name, but lowercase in less formal uses: he crossed the Hudson River; but: he fell into the river. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast.
Do you capitalize directions like north?
In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. Capitalize these words when they designate formal regions as defined by U.S. Census Bureau (Northeast, South, Midwest, West). He drove west.
Do you capitalize Eastside?
Capitalize north, south, east, west, and derivative words when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate direction or general location.
Is back east capitalized?
But you capitalize them when they’re specific regions or an integral part of a proper name. For example, you’d say: Out West. Back East.
