When is north capitalized

It depends on how the direction is being used in the sentence, right? Yes, that is correct. If they are merely giving direction, they are not capitalized. If they are part of a proper name, then they are. Directions always gave me trouble and I sometimes would capitalize, but not other times. You certainly learn something new every day. North, South, East, West or north, south, east, west. I get confused because the grammar checker I use always capitalizes north, south, east, and west.

I assumed they were always capitalized because of this. This is why you never want to rely exclusively on spell checkers and grammar checkers. And "north" in that sentence refers to a direction i. Most of the north is sandy, and the northern coast is mountainous.

Do you capitalize north? Hi, Chris. As explained in the post, some people do capitalize terms like "the North" when they refer to a well-established geographical area. However, it is only compulsory to do so when "North" is part of a proper noun. There's not enough context in your example to offer any solid advice e. I often have to write north, west in reference to an entrance or exit, for example, the patron exited through the north turnstile.

The argument I hear is this is a region of the building not a direction, so it should be capitalized. Is this correct. Hi, Mary. The example you give is a generic direction used as an adjective like the "east wing of the mansion" example in the post , so no capitalization is required.

Michael Chester. Opportunities exist on the east and west sides of the city. Cap or no cap on east and west. Hi, Michael. As noted in the post, there's no need to capitalize generic directions only when they're part of a proper noun. Upload a document Instant Quote. Instant Quote Need more help perfecting your writing?

Proofed has the perfect editor! Get An Instant Quote. Get Started. More Writing Tips? Read More On Our Blog. The drought has ended in the northern states. My sales territory takes in most of the southeastern states. General location. She was Southeastern Champion twice in a row.

The Western Region referring to a part of the national sales staff reports that sales are 12 percent over budget for the first six months. Source: The Gregg Reference Manual. Subscribe to Email Updates Sign up for our emails! Search Our Blog.

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