Capitalization: Generic terms

BHG Stylebook

Capitalize generic terms when they are used as part of a proper name.
Gray’s Lake
Atlantic Ocean
Locust Street
the Statue of Liberty
New York State
East Coast
West Coast
Craftsman Era
Victorian Age
Lowercase generic terms when they are used descriptively or to define.
Atlantic and Pacific oceans
on lakes Superior and Erie
the streets Locust and Grand
chapters 1 and 2 (but Chapter 1 and Chapter 2)
in rows 3 and 4 (but in Row 3 or Row 4)
Better Homes and Gardens® magazine

Lowercase generic terms used alone for the whole name, even if the meaning is specific.
the St. Louis Arch (the arch)
the Statue of Liberty (the statue)
EXCEPTIONS:
the Canal (Panama Canal)
the Channel (the English Channel)
the District (the District of Columbia)
the Falls (Niagara Falls)
the Gulf (Gulf of Mexico)
the Islands (Philippine or Hawaiian Islands)
If in doubt about generic terms, lowercase them.

 

 

Capitalization
Acronyms
After colons
Company names
 Directions and regions
Generic terms
Headlines
Job titles
Product names
Websites
Zones

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Capitalization: Directions and Regions

BHG Stylebook

Capitalize direction names and their variations when they designate a specific region or residents of a region. Use lowercase when they designate compass points.
Crops from the West, Midwest, and South are shipped to the Northeast.
Some Northerners have never tasted Southern cooking.
Record temperatures continued to bake the Midwestern and Southern states. Strong southerly winds provided little relief.
Winds are expected to become northerly later today, bringing cooler air.
Capitalize direction names and their variations when they are used as nouns to stand for natives or residents of a specific area.
Northerners
Southerners
Cap direction and region names when they are part of a proper name or designate a region widely known among your audience.
Corn Belt
Cotton Belt
Down East
East Coast
Eastern Seaboard
Heartland
Low Country
North Woods
Northern California
South of France
Southern California
the South Side of Chicago
Texas Hill Country
Upstate New York
West Coast
Generally use lowercase when describing a section of a state or city.
southwestern Minneapolis
western Iowa
When in doubt, use lowercase.

Capitalize when designating politically divided areas.
Northern Ireland
Western Europe (when context refers to post-World War II Europe)
Capitalize north, south, east, and west when they’re used as names for specific sections of the U.S.
in the North
out West
back East
the Deep South
Capitalize regions in time zones; cap rest of zone name if it is the official, full name.
Eastern time or Eastern Standard Time
Pacific time or Pacific Daylight Time

 

Capitalization
Acronyms
After colons
Company names
Directions and regions
Generic terms
Headlines
Job titles
Product names
Websites
Zones

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Adjectives

BHG Stylebook

Suggested order

  1. Opinion (first-rate, handsome)
  2. Size (tall, short)
  3. Age (young, elderly)
  4. Shape (square, rectangle)
  5. Color (red, white)
  6. Origin (British, American)
  7. Material (cotton, wool)
  8. Purpose (sewing, as in a sewing machine; diving, as in diving board)

Abbreviations: Spaces

BHG Stylebook

Use a space between a number and an abbreviation of a metric unit, or hyphenate if used as a modifier.
3 g
2-L bottle
Exception: 6d nail (this is the abbreviation for a 6-penny nail)

Use a space between two initials of a person’s name.
J. P. Doe
Omit the space between initials of a company name.
E.F. Hutton
Omit the spaces between three or more initials of a person’s name.
J.F.K.
F.D.R.

 

Abbreviations
Capitalization
Company Names
Dates and Times
Degrees and Certifications
Periods
Plurals
Spaces

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Abbreviations: Periods

BHG Stylebook

Omit periods with an abbreviation of solid compound words.
NW (northwest)
Omit periods with acronyms.
NATO
Omit periods with chemical symbols.
O (oxygen)
Omit periods with abbreviations of group names and licenses and certificates.
AIA (American Institute of Architects)
Omit periods with metric abbreviations.
6 mm
Omit periods with shortened word forms.
ad (advertisement)
Omit periods with letters used as letters or as words.
vitamin C R-30
piece A f/16

EXCEPTIONS:
B.S. degree
Ph.D. (no spaces)
p.m.

 

Abbreviations
Capitalization
Company Names
Dates and Times
Degrees and Certifications
Periods
Plurals
Spaces

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Abbreviations: Company Names

BHG Stylebook

Always abbreviate Co., Inc., Corp., Ltd., and LLC with company names.
The Bombay Co.
K.L. Wessel Construction Co. Inc.
U-Line Corp. Design Imports Ltd.
Midwest Design LLC
Spell out Manufacturing, Division, Associates, Brothers, and other like terms as part of company names.

 

Abbreviations
Capitalization
Company Names
Dates and Times
Degrees and Certifications
Periods
Plurals
Spaces

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Abbreviations: Capitalization

BHG Stylebook

Capitalize abbreviations when the word or words represented would ordinarily be capitalized.
Btu (British thermal unit)
Capitalize abbreviations when the abbreviation itself has become established as a capital.
TV
VCR
CD (on 2nd reference; spell out on first reference)
No., Nos.
See also Capitalization.

 

Abbreviations
Capitalization
Company Names
Dates and Times
Degrees and Certifications
Periods
Plurals
Spaces

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