Do you capitalize the word state

It’s not easy to know when to capitalize the word “state.” It can actually be quite confusing. So, should you capitalize the word state?

The word “state” should be capitalized when it comes after the name of a state. For example, “Michigan State.” It seems pretty easy to understand but for residents of Washington State and New York State, it can get confusing. The citizens of these states need to differentiate themselves from other geographical entities, namely Washington D.C and New York City.

For all other state citizens, there’s no need for one to use the word “State” when describing where they are from. For example, it is enough for one to say, “I am from Colorado.” They don’t have to say, “I am from Colorado State.” However, it is not enough for a Washington State resident to simply say, “I am from Washington.” Such a person will have to specify and say, “I am from Washington State.”

Capitalizing “State” in “United States”

The word State must be capitalized when talking about the United States as a country. For example, “Kenya’s first direct flight to the United States was commissioned late last year.” You can also say, “My cousin relocated to the States last month.”

You must also capitalize the word state when it forms the full name of a specific body. For example, “The State Finance Department.” The word should only be capitalized if it forms part of the name of the specific body. For example, you cannot say, “ the State’s Finance Department.” It will have to be as follows, “the state’s Finance department.”

Situations Where the Word State Shouldn’t Be Capitalized

The word state shouldn’t be capitalized if it comes before the name of the state. For example, it should be “the state of Colorado” and not “the State of Colorado”.

The word state shouldn’t be capitalized if it is used in place of a state’s name. For example, you should say, “She is a state employee.”

In addition, you shouldn’t capitalize the word state when it is used in a general sense. For example, “The state of affairs in Colorado State is quite okay.”

Conclusion

The English language is quite divided when it comes to when the word “state” should be capitalized. Scholars and language guides often contradict each other. For example, the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook contradict each other on whether the word “state” should be capitalized if it comes after the state’s name.

It is easier to follow the guide provided above to avoid confusion. It will definitely help your state of mind.

Asked by: Prof. Erica Monahan

Score: 4.8/5
(22 votes)

You capitalize «state» only when it follows the name of the state, as in «New York State is also called the Empire State,» or when it’s part of a traditional name for a state, like «Empire State» or «Lone Star State.» When it precedes the name of the state, don’t capitalize the word unless it’s part of a title of …

Do you capitalize the words state and federal?

GENERAL RULES Modifiers are not capitalized. Words such as city, state, federal, naval, and national, when used as modifiers, are not capitalized.

Is state capital a proper noun?

It should be capitalized when at the start of a sentence, or when it is part of a proper noun.

Should state of Florida be capitalized?

Do you capitalize states when referring to the United States?

A. Actually, “the States” is capped when it means the United States. It’s only when referring to individual states collectively that you should lowercase: “Each of the states elects two senators,” as opposed to “I’m going back to the States.”

41 related questions found

Following is a survey of style advice from various style manuals that I consulted on the question of when to capitalize the word state.

British style guides

From The Oxford Guide to Style (2002):

Some words bear a distinction in capitalization according to their use in an abstract or specific sense. Churches are capitalized fir denomination, as Baptist Church, but lower-cased for building, as Baptist church. Note, however, the distinction between

the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church

the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches

Oxford University and Cambridge University

Oxford and Cambridge universities

where churches and universities are lower-case since they are descriptive rather than part of a formal name. Similarly State is capitalized in an abstract or legal sense, separation of Church and State, but not in a specific sense (except when forming a title): drove over the New York state line but member of the New York State Senate.

From The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (2003):

state a nation or territory considered as a political community, often cap. to denote the abstract concept: ‘separation of Church and State’

From H.W. Fowler & Ernest Gowers, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, second edition (1965):

state, n. It is a convenient distinction to write State for the political unit, at any rate when the full noun use is required (not the attributive, as in state trading), and state in other senses. [Cross-reference omitted.] The following compound forms are recommended [Cross-reference omitted.]: statecraft, stateroom, State socialism, State prisoner, State trial, State paper.

U.S. style guides

From [Merriam-]Webster’s Standard American Style Manual (19885):

Words designating global, national, regional, or local political divisions are capitalized when they are essential elements of specific names. However, they are usually lowercased when they precede a proper name or when they are not part of a specific name.

[Relevant examples:] Washington State, the state of Washington

NOTE: In legal documents, these words are often capitalized regardless of position.

the State of Washington, the County of Hampton, the City of New York

From Allan Siegal & William Connolly, The New York Times Manual of Stylr and Usage, revised edition1999):

state. Capitalize New York State, Washington State and formal references to any state government: The State of Ohio brought the suit. Lowercase state in references to a geographical area (They drove through the state of Illinois) and when it stands alone (The state sued the city) Capitalize when State appears with the name of an official agency or with an official title that is capitalized: the State Education Department, State Treasurer Pat Y. Berenich. Use State in references to New York and Washington when necessary to distinguish them from the cities, but omit State if the context is unmistakable: The governors of California and New York have similar powers. Nebraska’s population is smaller than Washington’s. Lowercase in the general sense: affairs of state.

From The Associated Press Stylebook (2007):

state Lowercase in all state of constructions: the state of Maine, the states of Maine and Vermont.

…

Do not capitalize state when used simply as an adjective to specify a level of jurisdiction: state Rep. William Smith, the state Transportation Department, state funds.

…

MISCELLANEOUS: Use New York state when necessary to distinguish the state from New York City.

Use state of Washington or Washington state when necessary to distinguish the state from the District of Columbia. (Washington State is the name of a university in the state of Washington.)

From Words into Type, third edition (1974):

Divisions of the world or of a country. Cap names of the division of the world or of a country

[Relevant examples:] North Atlantic States [as an official U.S. census designation], New York State

Lowercase: state {used in a general sense and when it does not follow a proper name: state of New York, state of Oklahoma} and coast {when the meaning is the shoreline rather than the region: Pacific coast, Atlantic coast}.

…

The word church is capped when it forms a part of such names [as religious denominations, monastic orders, movements, and their adherents] or of names of particular edifices, but not hen it stands alone unless it is used to denote a religious organization of the whole world or of a particular country. This form is usually found in contradistinction to State: the Church and the State.

From The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition (2010):

8.50 Political divisions—capitalization. Words denoting political division—from empire, republic, and state down to ward and precinct—are capitalized when they follow a name and are used as an accepted part of the name. When preceding the name, such terms are usually capitalized in names of countries but lowercased in entities below the national level (but see 8.51). Used alone, they are usually lowercased.

[Relevant examples:]the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; the republic; the State of the Gambella Peoples; the state

the Commonwealth of Australia; the commonwealth; the state of New South Wales; the state

Washington State; the state of Washington

8.51 Governmental entities. In contexts where a specific governmental body rather than the place is meant, the words state, city, and the like are usually capitalized when used as part of of the full name of the body.

Conclusions

Style guides are fragmented on the details of precisely when to capitalize state as a term for a political or geographical subdivision of the world. Overall, however, they tend to endorse capitalizing State when the word appears as part of a formal proper name and lowercasing it otherwise. Of course, the style guides that particular publishing houses enforce may diverge from the main current of usage in unpredictable ways, since capitalization is a notoriously idiosyncratic area of writing style.

With regard to the three specific types of occurrences that the poster asks about, the following conclusions seem reasonable:

1. Synonymous to the words ‘country’, ‘nation’ or ‘government’. Even though there are subtle differences among them. There is very little style guide approval for capitalizing state as a common noun in instances where it refers to a political entity comparable to a nation or country. Likewise, style guides offer virtually no support for capitalizing nation or country as a common noun. The chief exception—where substantial but by no means unanimous support for capitalizing State exists—involves instances where the word refers unitarily to the abstract idea of secular government or authority (often in juxtaposition with ecclesiastical government or authority, as in the contrasting terms Church and State).

2. 1st-tier administrative division of a country. Examples: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Baden-Württemberg. Most of the style guides I consulted advise against capitalizing state in instances where the word refers to a particular governmental state. So, for example, most style guides (especially in the United States) would approve of lowercasing state as a stand-in for California in the following instance: «The state of education in California is pathetic» —> «The state of education in this state is pathetic.»

3. Status of something [as in «The state of education in this State is pathetic»]. I haven’t found any style guide that recommends capitalizing state in instances where the word means «status» or «condition.»

The word State must be capitalized when talking about the United States as a country. You must also capitalize the word state when it forms the full name of a specific body. For example, “The State Finance Department.” The word should only be capitalized if it forms part of the name of the specific body.

Does United States have to be capitalized?

Does the ‘the’ in ‘the United States’ need to be capitalized? The answer is almost always no. The correct name of the country is United States of America, much like the name of other countries is France, or Malaysia, which makes it problematic in grammar terms.

What is a RWA?

Risk-weighted asset (also referred to as RWA) is a bank’s assets or off-balance-sheet exposures, weighted according to risk. This sort of asset calculation is used in determining the capital requirement or Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) for a financial institution.

What are risk-weighted assets example?

For example, a loan that is secured by a letter of credit is considered to be riskier and thus requires more capital than a mortgage loan that is secured with collateral.

Do banks issue RWA?

A Ready Willing and Able Letter (RWA) is a document issued by a bank or financial institution for their clients.

Is letter of comfort a guarantee?

Letters of comfort (also known as letters of support or letters of responsibility) are letters of moral commitments given to support certain obligations. Unlike guarantees, these are merely commitments are not legally binding.

Why would a bank accept a comfort letter?

Comfort letters are often used in finance transactions where the lender is not able to obtain a guarantee. Comfort letters are generally issued by a parent or holding company giving ‘comfort’ to a lender about their support for a subsidiary in the context of a finance transaction.

What is the point of a comfort letter?

A comfort letter assures the recipient of the soundness of an individual or company it is considering doing business with. Such letters may be sent by auditors, accounting firms, or parent companies.

How long does it take to get a letter of comfort?

We will inform you if any remedial work is required giving you up to 3 months to finish the work. We will issue the letter within 5 working days following satisfactory inspection.

How does a letter of comfort work?

A letter of comfort is a written document that provides a level of assurance that an obligation will ultimately be met. A letter of comfort can contain a variety of provisions, including ones regarding non-competition, confidentiality, or compensation to one party if another party quits a deal.

What is SAS 100 now?

In November 2002, the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) issued Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) 100, Interim Financial Information, which supersedes SAS 71. The SEC requires public companies to engage an independent accountant to review interim financial information before it is included on Form 10-Q or Form 10-QSB.

When you write about or to a governmental agency, do you wonder when to capitalize? Here are some simple rules to help you.

Rule: When you use the complete names of departments, capitalize. You may also capitalize a shortened form of a department. Do not capitalize when these words are used as adjectives or generically.

Examples:
the United Nations General Assembly
the General Assembly
Congress
a congressional committee

Rule: Capitalize civil titles only when used with the name following or when addressing someone directly.

Examples:
Councilman James Harris
the councilman
James Harris, councilman
How are you voting, Councilman?
President Biden
the president

Rule: If you are working on government documents or you are representing a government agency, then you may capitalize words like City, County, and District when they stand alone.

Example: The County will implement the plan approved by the voters last June.

Rule: When you refer back to a proper noun using a shortened version of the original name, you may capitalize it.

Examples:
The District Water Plan allocates … The Plan calls for …
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken the case. The Bureau has sent out a bulletin to other federal departments to enlist their help in capturing the fugitive.

However, if you are not working on government documents or are not representing a government agency, do not capitalize generic or shortened terms.

Examples:
The county will implement the plan …
The plan calls for …
The bureau has sent out a bulletin …

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If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the «Comment» box at the bottom of this page.

It is sometimes but not always capitalized. It is capitalized
when it is used in a title, or when it is part of the name of an
organization or branch of government. When it is part of the
official name of a state, as in «The State of Rhode Island and
Providence Plantations», it is capitalized, but not when referring
to the states in general.

You would not capitalize it if you wanted to make a distinction
between Washington DC and the state of Washington, for example.
Washington state University would be another matter of course.