Capitalizing directions.

Today we dip into the mailbag and answer a reader’s question:

Dear Scribe,

Please advise on capitalization of N, S, W, E. For example, Kerry’s office is on the Northeast corner of the 19th floor. Erin’s office is on the East side of the 18th floor. I drove East on I-84. Etc. Help!

Your devoted fan.

Dear Devoted Fan,

Thanks for the interesting capitalization question!

As we know, north, south, east, and west are cardinal directions. When talking about a general direction, the word is not capitalized, e.g.: the north side of the office, the southeast corner of the floor, the east side, the cold north wind, go east on I-84 for three miles. That is because in those instances the direction is used as a common noun—not a proper noun.

But when a direction is used as a proper noun, it is capitalized, e.g.: The Northwest, West Virginia, the South.

So the simple rule is this: when a direction is used as a proper noun, it’s capitalized; but if it is used as a general direction, it isn’t.

That is all for now …