The correct use of capital letters

[rj106]

With regard to using directions - North / north..... Southern / southern..... the East / the east....... and so on.

Is there a rule where capital letters should be used, as I am never quite sure??

[Quizmonster]

If the direction word is part of a proper name...North Star, North Sea oil, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation etc...it takes a capital but otherwise not...north Scotland, northern lights, northeasterly wind etc.

[heathfield]

North, south, etc, are common nouns, like house, water, horse. Common nouns don't have capitals. 'He sailed north' is correct.

Proper nouns are the name of things like people, places, planets, etc, and are given capitals as in John, Paris, Jupiter. Note that the common nouns 'north, south, etc' become proper nouns when referred to as places. 'I live in The South', 'East Dulwich', 'North Dakota'.

'Northern, southern, northerly, southerly, etc, are all adjectives, and are not normally given capitals. The exception is when they are part of a proper name, as in 'Great Western Road'.

Hope this helps.

[heathfield]

HI QM, didn't see you there!

[rj106]

thanks to you both

[aristotle]

Northerly and southerly are not adjectives but adverbs.

[Quizmonster]

Actually, Aristotle, 'northerly' can be a) a noun, b) an adjective or c) an adverb.
a) There was a strong northerly blowing that night.
b) Eating deep-fried Mars bars is a northerly habit.
c) From here, we must sail northerly to reach El Dorado.
So, H was perfectly correct to refer to these direction words as adjectives.