Knowing about the curiosities intrinsic to linguistic facts is, without a doubt, a fundamental step for every user who lends himself to the exercise of expanding his competence as such. And rest assured that as we feel involved in this goal, we are increasingly surprised by their complexity.
Due to such occurrences, the article in question aims to address the characteristics inherent to the word "state" which, for semantic reasons, present some divergences regarding spelling - the main target of our study. Let us emphasize them, therefore:
Whenever we refer to the State as a specific institution, it is recommended that it be written with a capital letter. So, let's see an example:
It is the duty of the State to ensure public safety.
By sticking to the “state” referring to the federative units of a given country, we chose to write it in lowercase letters. For that, let us observe:
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In this vacation we will visit the state of Bahia.
We also have that state that refers to the way in which a certain being is found, especially with regard to physical and psychological aspects, which is also spelled with a lowercase letter. Evidenced through the following examples:
The injured boy's condition is serious.
We will have to postpone the event, as the speaker's emotional state is compromised.
Therefore, if under any circumstances you have ever been in a “doubtful state” in relation to the use of this word, possibly after such elucidation you have resolved all your questions.
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Brazil School Team
Grammar - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DUARTE, Vânia Maria do Nascimento. "State or state? – features that demarcate them "; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/estado-ou-estadotracos-que-os-demarcam.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
