another question for the grammar geniuses...

[welfareloser]

today's topic: directions. tell me which of these, if any, should be capitalized. sorry to bug, but i can't find rules on this one ANYWHERE.

She went north.

She is from the north.

That is a northern bird.

She is a northerner.

[ArkiStan]

I'm not a grammar genius, but I'll give it a guess. I think none of them have to be capitalized. I think words like "north" must be capitalized in cases where they are a part of a proper noun (North America, etc.). So in this case, my guess is that they are all correct. what do you think welfare?

grammar geniuses...am I right?

[coleslaw]

If, when saying "She is from the north," you are referring to THE North (as in the North and South of Civil War times), then north should be capitalized. However, if you are simply referring to a general or relative direction, then no capitalization is needed.

As a general rule, if you are referring to a relative area, no capitalization is needed. On the other hand, when you are referring to an actual location, such as the Far East (or simply, the East), capitalize.

[Markel]

According to http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/capitals.htm
[capitalize] Specific geographical locations: Hartford, Connecticut, Africa, Forest Park Zoo, Lake Erie, the Northeast, the Southend. However, we do not capitalize directions or locations that aren't being used as names: the north side of the city; we're heading south this winter.

From http://www.richmond.edu/~writing/wweb/capital.htm
[use] north, south, northeast, etc. when they indicate direction; North, South, West, etc. when they indicate geographical regions. Phrases such as the Mid Atlantic, Silicon Valley, Dixie, Sun Belt, and Midwest are capitalized.

ex.: Ben drove south to visit his uncle Bubba, who has a Southern accent.

I tell you people, all you need to do is learn how to google! I entered "capitalize directions north south" into the search box and let the web do the rest for me.

[welfareloser]

Originally posted by Markel


I tell you people, all you need to do is learn how to google! I entered "capitalize directions north south" into the search box and let the web do the rest for me.

you questioning my googlin skeelz?

[baseball bat] THWACK! [/baseball bat]