amazon web servicesjournoportfolio.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/users/1675/up… · style...
TRANSCRIPT
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 1 of 108
Table of Contents
ABOUT THIS GUIDE ...................................3
WHY THIS GUIDE? .................................................. 3
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE ...................................... 3
CONSISTENCY IS KEY .............................................. 4
THIS GUIDE WILL EVOLVE ...................................... 4
COMPANY OVERVIEW ..............................5
SHORT OVERVIEW ................................................. 5
LONG OVERVIEW ................................................... 5
BRANDING ...............................................5
COMPANY NAME ................................................... 5
THE VOICE .................................6
LEGAL VERSUS BUSINESS WRITING ....................... 6
WRITE FOR YOUR READER ..................................... 6
TIPS ON GOOD WRITING ...........................7
CHOOSE ACTIVE OVER PASSIVE VOICE .................. 7
USE HAMBURGER PARAGRAPHS ........................... 8
KISS – KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE ........................ 9
USE CONTRACTIONS SPARINGLY ........................... 9
WRITING NUMBERS IN TEXT .................................. 9
ALWAYS USE SPELLCHECK ................................... 10
A WORD ABOUT HYPHENATION .......................... 10
COMMONLY MISSPELLED INDUSTRY TERMS ....... 11
FORMATTING GUIDELINES ...................... 12
GENERAL GUIDELINES .......................................... 12
HEADERS, FOOTERS, AND TITLE BLOCKS ............. 12
FILE NAMING CONVENTION ................................ 12
A NOTE ABOUT EMAIL ............................ 14
SUBJECT LINES ..................................................... 14
SIMPLICITY IS KEY ................................................ 14
THE MAGIC FORMULA ......................................... 15
OFFICIAL SIGNATURE ........................... 17
THE ABC OF BCC, CC, AND RE .............................. 17
PROOFREAD ......................................................... 18
AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF STYLE ........... 20
1-9 ........................................................................ 20
A ........................................................................... 20
B ........................................................................... 28
C ........................................................................... 30
D........................................................................... 35
E ........................................................................... 38
F ........................................................................... 41
G .......................................................................... 42
H .......................................................................... 44
I ............................................................................ 48
J ............................................................................ 51
K ........................................................................... 51
L ........................................................................... 52
M .......................................................................... 54
N .......................................................................... 58
O .......................................................................... 61
P ........................................................................... 63
Q .......................................................................... 67
R ........................................................................... 68
S ........................................................................... 68
T ........................................................................... 73
U .......................................................................... 75
V ........................................................................... 75
W ......................................................................... 76
X ........................................................................... 79
Y ........................................................................... 79
Z ........................................................................... 80
INDEX .................................................... 81
APPENDIX .............................................. 85
APPENDIX 1: OFFICIAL TITLES AND DESIGNATIONS .................................................... 85
APPENDIX 2: LIST OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES .............................................................. 86
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 2 of 108
APPENDIX 3: 100 MOST COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS IN STANDARD AMERICAN ENGLISH........ 91
APPENDIX 4: MOST COMMON GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ................................................................ 92
APPENDIX 5: PARTS OF SPEECH ........................... 95
APPENDIX 6: LIST OF CONTRACTIONS ................. 96
APPENDIX 7: ACRONYMS ..................................... 98
APPENDIX 8: PROOFREADER’S MARKS .............. 100
APPENDIX 9: HEADERS, FOOTERS, AND TITLE BLOCKS .............................................................. 101
APPENDIX 10: TEMPLATES ................. 107
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 3 of 108
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This guide has been put together from a number of different resources, including the Associated Press Style Guide, The Chicago Manual of Style, The Bluebook, Covey’s Style Guide for Business and Technical Communications, and Cunningham and Greene’s The Business Style Handbook. In addition, ample consideration has been given to
current marketing collateral (e.g., the website and datasheets) as well as the wealth of proposals generated over the years. WHY THIS GUIDE?
The importance of writing concise and uniform business text cannot be overstated. A wordy request to a coworker is daunting and may go unread. A poorly written sales pitch will lose potential clients and give the company a bad image. A document written using a mixture of Comic Sans and Papyrus fonts will end up looking more like a kindergarten art project than the work of a professional firm. Attaining good writing has a fair amount of challenges. One is allowing time to proofread and edit, something even naturally gifted writers understand as critical. Another challenge is that everyone has his or her own writing style. Not all styles are good and knowing the difference is generally a matter of opinion. Finally, there are over two dozen widely recognized English writing standards, each with a slightly different set of rules and word spellings. For example, in the United States we all know that recognize, prioritize, and standardize end in -ize. In the rest of the English-speaking world, however, recognise, prioritise, and standardise are members of the -ise crowd. Commas cause a lot more debate, even within the American English standard. For example, should one use a standard comma, such as: We invited the neighbors, JFK and Prince, which implies that there are two neighbors, one named JFK and the other named Prince? Or, should one use the Oxford comma (before “and”), as in: We invited
the neighbors, JFK, and Prince, which implies that the neighbors are entirely separate from JFK and from Prince? Grammar enthusiasts tend to be in favor of the Oxford comma usage. Newspapers tend to take the opposite stance. The Associated Press states that extra commas slow readers down and take up precious space on the page. Very few US newspapers use the Oxford comma. Many business publications forego it as well, believing its absence creates snappier, less cluttered writing. Both sides have their strong arguments, neither of which is inherently wrong. What is wrong is when the rules aren’t uniformly applied. The Style Guide makes answering those questions of “Who is right?” easier because it will usually identify the preference (Oxford commas, for the record). This alphabetized, searchable guide has been written to create harmony among employee writing styles, to establish a uniform voice, and to help you communicate as your best, most professional self. HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
This guide is meant to be the authority for grammar and style rules for all publications. Please use it as your first point of reference and defer to it over contradictory information in other standards or guides. We suggest reading pages X through Y completely. Then, familiarize yourself with the Alphabetical Index and Appendices so you can refer to them as needed in the future. That said, not every subject will be covered here. Please refer to Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene’s The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Effective Writing on the Job for any style questions not addressed in this book. Another acceptable and comprehensive reference is the Associated Press Stylebook, which can be
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 4 of 108
purchased in a bookstore or found by going to www.apstylebook.com. has a login for the online guide, which you can use by contacting the Marketing Department. CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Regardless of where these rules come from and how they are applied, the most important rule of all is consistency. Consistency means that if you refer to Wi-Fi in the first paragraph of a document, then you should never refer to it as wifi in the second paragraph. Failure to use the same spelling, punctuation, and style throughout a text comes across as sloppy, losing you credibility in your argument. This guide was created to help reinforce that consistency. If you’re confused about a rule, look it up here, and use it uniformly from then on. This will help you in establishing yourself to your coworkers and clients as a professional authority in whichever topic you’re writing about. THIS GUIDE WILL EVOLVE
This is meant to be an evolving document; new editions will be published from time to time. If you have any questions or suggestions on this document, please email Leith at: lmahoneymaver@ com. As new entries are made and questions answered, we will circulate new copies of this guide to the company electronically, highlighting what has been changed.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 5 of 108
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Please use these descriptions when creating proposals or introductory external communications. SHORT OVERVIEW
Consulting Group is an information governance consulting firm that helps companies, law firms, regulated entities, and public agencies resolve their risk and compliance, litigation, technology deployment, and restructuring challenges. clients include Fortune 500 companies, several state attorneys general offices, some of the largest utilities in the country, and 14 of the Am Law 2016 top 25 law firms. LONG OVERVIEW
Consulting Group is an information governance consulting firm that helps companies, law firms, regulated entities, and public agencies resolve their risk and compliance, litigation, technology deployment, and restructuring challenges. clients include Fortune 500 companies, several state attorneys general offices, some of the largest utilities in the country, and 14 of the Am Law 2016 top 25 law firms. Key service areas include records management and litigation readiness, records collection and analysis, regulatory support, eDiscovery and litigation support, damages and data analysis, and digital forensics. We offer a range of technology solutions, including industry-standard tools, our proprietary document review platform, OLIVER, a suite of utility data and records solutions, VeriLine, and custom applications. Each member of our senior management team has 15 to 20 years of relevant experience and includes thought leaders and testifying experts. Collectively, we have been helping clients in a wide variety of sectors since 1986. Our clients choose us for our capabilities and experience and return to us time and again because of our superior service and the benefits
they receive, ranging from improved case and project outcomes to more strategic management decisions.
BRANDING
COMPANY NAME
Please adhere to these rules when referencing within text.
Consulting Group, Inc.
The full, official name to be used in contracts and by all signature lines, as well as at first mention in a proposal (see below).
Consulting Group, Inc. ( First mention of the company in a formal document (e.g., a proposal). Thereafter, can be used within the text.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 6 of 108
THE VOICE
written voice is much like the way you dress for the office every day: business casual. Comfortable trousers, polo shirts, and jeans on Fridays correlate to a similarly polished and confident — yet relaxed and comfortable — demeanor on the page. When writing in a business casual voice, there are naturally two parts. The business part comes from creating uniformly polished and thoroughly researched text. Taking pride in the business side of your writing means showing your competence and confidence in your topic, and proofreading everything you write. It also means treating everyone you communicate with like the professionals they are. Never forget to use common business courtesies such as please and thank you, and never write to someone in a condescending tone. The casual part of the equation comes from
desire to build a reputation as a friendly, approachable, and down-to-earth business partner in our clients’ day-to-day dealings. wants every client who communicates with us to have a positive experience, and that begins with every employee’s ability to communicate in a tone that isn’t overly buttoned up. This doesn’t mean talking to a client as though they are your best friend, nor does it mean filling your email with a bunch of hashtags. Being casual in your daily writing simply means you realize that at the end of the day, we are all people, talking to other people. The best way to construct a correspondence is to write in a professional style that you yourself would be happy to read. LEGAL VERSUS BUSINESS WRITING
Many of clients are law firms, meaning that they’re trained in legal writing, using legal style guides as their reference for structuring their business documents.
Legal style guides, such as the California Style Manual (used in most California law schools and in the California Supreme Court and Court of Appeals), adhere to a formal writing style that more closely models the writing used in textbooks and research papers. While this writing is sometimes necessary when describing court opinions and legal research, it is considered too dry and complex for daily business writing.
— as with most businesses — follows the simpler approach to writing modeled in The Business Style Handbook and the AP Stylebook. These style guides prefer short sentences, simple vocabulary, and lots of visual spacing between paragraphs to make for catchier, easy-to-read copy. It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to use industry jargon and verbose paragraphs to make sure your reader knows you’re an industry insider. However, this sort of writing tends to be dry and inaccessible to even the most seasoned industry experts. The best way to prove you’re an authority in your writing is to explain your topic in simple terms with confidence and ease, without using industry jargon as a crutch. WRITE FOR YOUR READER
Writing for different industries will require slightly differing writing styles. Writing to a lawyer means you can safely assume he or she understands what a legal motion is without the term having to be explained. If using the term in an email to a pipeline engineer however, you should not assume he or she understands US court procedure, since law is not his or her field of expertise. Similarly, technical specifications and acronyms in an engineering document do not need to be spelled out when writing to other engineering experts. But if you end up distributing such a document to someone outside of the engineering field, you would need to make sure any industry
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 7 of 108
terms are explained so that the document is easily understood. Some clients (such as law firms), will also appreciate a more formal writing style while other clients will prove to be more responsive and appreciative of shorter, to-the-point writing. Remember who your reader is, and use your best judgement when determining which writing style you should use.
TIPS ON GOOD WRITING
CHOOSE ACTIVE OVER PASSIVE VOICE
Active and passive voices differ in how they convey actions through their grammatical structure. To keep writing sharp and engaging for clients and coworkers, using the active voice is best. To tell active voice from passive voice — and to make sure you’re using active voice as much as possible — it’s important to recognize passive voice when you see it. Active voice is simpler than passive voice. In active voice, the subject is doing the action. Steve loves ketchup is written in active voice. Steve, the subject, is loving ketchup, the object of the sentence. In passive voice, the target of the action gets promoted to the subject of a sentence. Ketchup is loved by Steve is written in passive voice. The subject of the sentence is now ketchup, but it isn’t doing much of anything, besides receiving Steve’s love. Passive voice isn’t grammatically wrong, but does come across as wordy or vague. The ketchup is being held by me is written in passive voice. This sentence is grammatically correct, but seems awkward when you can just as easily say I’m holding the ketchup, which is written in active voice and sounds more natural. When you put sentences in passive voice, it’s easy to leave out the person or thing doing an action.
Ketchup is loved is written in passive voice. You don’t know who loves ketchup, only that it’s loved. Politicians and PR superstars often use passive voice to obscure who is actually taking action, such as when they say lessons were learned or mistakes were made. Because it easily hides responsibility of action, many people don’t trust text that is written in passive voice. Passive voice does have its noble purpose and advantages. For instance, if you don’t know who performed an action, then it’s impossible to name the person. For crime reports, using passive voice is essential. Passive voice lets you write up the details of a crime without naming a suspect, such as the store was robbed, rather than Martha might have robbed the store. Scientific writers are also encouraged to use passive voice in their writing, as the passive voice more easily lends itself to objectivity. We mutated the gene is considered bad scientific form, as it puts the focus on the team of scientists, rather than the gene mutation. However, the gene was mutated — in passive voice — takes the scientists out of the equation completely, focusing wholeheartedly on the gene and its mutation. Fiction writing also uses passive voice to intentionally leave out information. The spaceship was stolen focuses on the spaceship, while somebody stole the spaceship focuses on the mysterious thief. Crafty writers can use the passive voice as a tool to shift a reader’s focus to what’s more important in a story — for example, the spaceship — rather than who stole it. For the purposes of business writing, it’s best to stick with active voice. Active voice is less confusing and more direct. However, if you ever find yourself needing to intentionally shift focus away from the main actor of a sentence, know that passive voice is a tool you can use, as long as it’s sparingly.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 8 of 108
USE HAMBURGER PARAGRAPHS
When at a loss for how to structure paragraphs and formal business documents, think of a hamburger. Like any good hamburger, a good paragraph will include a topic sentence (the top bun), one to three sentences of juicy detail (the tomatoes, lettuce, and meat), followed by the conclusion sentence (the bottom bun). Consider the following paragraph:
I love ketchup. The ingredients are known to have health benefits. It is sweet while still being a great addition to savory foods. Ketchup also makes bland food a gorgeous bright red. Ketchup really might be the greatest condiment ever created.
In this example, we have five sentences. The first sentence (the top bun – depicted in brown) introduces what the paragraph will be about. The next three sentences (the tomato, lettuce, and meat – depicted in red, green, and purple) give supporting information to the introductory sentence, followed by the conclusion paragraph (the bottom bun), which should reiterate your points made throughout the paragraph, allowing you to seamlessly move on to a new topic in the following paragraph. Long documents should follow the same sort of structure: introductory sentence (the bun), three or so paragraphs illuminating the major points of your argument (the lettuce, tomatoes, and meat), followed by a conclusion paragraph (the bottom bun). As an example, let’s say you’re writing a business document for a client explaining the benefits of Ketchup. You would begin this document with the introductory paragraph we already used. Your second paragraph would then act as the tomato, describing in more detail your tomato sentence in the introductory sentence (The
ingredients are known to have health benefits). Perhaps in this paragraph, you would describe the main ingredients in ketchup, and which health benefits they’re known to have. Despite being the tomato, in a long document, your second paragraph should introduce the topic you believe is the most important for your reader. This is because your reader is more likely to read the beginning of your document thoroughly, and skim the end to save time. The third paragraph would be your lettuce, and explain in more detail your lettuce sentence from the introductory paragraph (It is sweet while still being a great addition to savory foods). Perhaps you would explain the flavor in more depth, or your favorite savory foods to pair it with. Your fourth paragraph would be the meat (Ketchup also makes bland food a gorgeous bright red). Despite being the meat, this paragraph doesn’t have to be the most important part of your argument. Considering it’s towards the end of your document, it will probably get skimmed over instead of read in detail. This penultimate paragraph of your document is best used to describe a topic that is not central to your document, but is still well-researched and detailed information for your reader. The final paragraph should quickly summarize the points made, and should never introduce new information that wasn’t already covered elsewhere in the text. Those who feel like they have a good mastery of paragraph and long-form document structure can bend the rules to this structure a bit. For example, most business documents use paragraphs that are one to three sentences in length, instead of five. To fit this model, business writers will break up a single topic into several shorter paragraphs. Academic writing tends to use a longer paragraph structure.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 9 of 108
It is also rare that you will have three distinct points you want to make when structuring a document. Sometimes you’ll only have one main topic, and other times, you’ll have more than three. You are ultimately the best judge of how your thoughts should look on paper. But, if you are ever struggling, thinking of a hamburger is a good starting point.
KISS – KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE
The acronym KISS (keep it short and sweet), is an important rule for sentence, paragraph, and document structure in business writing. Unlike academic or creative writing, business text shouldn’t have any fluff. When communicating with someone in an office setting, make sure every word is necessary. Time is money, and extra words or superfluous details waste both. One of the truest skills of writing great documents is the ability to self-edit. Strongly edited documents will always be shorter than their original drafts. Sometimes, even a well-crafted sentence will need to be cut, because it adds nothing to the straightforward details of the business document in question. The same can be said for extraneous vocabulary. Business documents should not send clients running for their dictionaries. Instead, business text should be easy to read, explaining complex information in its simplest terms. USE CONTRACTIONS SPARINGLY
Contractions are made when shortening a word, or combining multiple words into one. The letters that were removed to create this contraction are normally replaced with an apostrophe. Contractions are considered informal in legal writing and formal speeches, however they do save space on the page and are normal practice in everyday business writing. When using contractions, make sure that they are
grammatically correct, sound natural to the ear when spoken, and have been fully incorporated into Standard American English. Don’t (for do not), can’t (for cannot), and it’s (for it is) are all perfectly acceptable contractions to use in most business documents. Ain’t (for are not), y’all (for you all), whatcha (for what are you) are all considered slang, and should never be used in business writing. For documents, consider your audience when determining whether or not to use contractions. Formal documents (such as proposals, presentations to clients, and standard letters) should not contain contractions. Email, quick thank you notes, and other less formal documents can use contractions, albeit sparingly. A list of contractions is given in Appendix 6: List of Contractions. It is recommended you read over the list to see whether or not you have been misusing certain contractions in your writing. WRITING NUMBERS IN TEXT
The standard in business documents is to write out all numbers that begin a sentence, and write out all numbers under 10 in the body of text, such as I have one bottle of ketchup left, but there are 15 bottles on order. When writing out numbers, there is no need to follow the number with its figure in parenthesis. While this is sometimes done in formal legal or technical writing, it is considered redundant in business writing.
Correct: I have five notebooks.
Incorrect: I have five (5) notebooks. The exception to this rule comes in regards to dates, ages, and time. Dates should always use figures, such as December 5, not December fifth. Additionally, it is standard business practice to not use ordinals
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 10 of 108
(1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) when writing out dates. Write December 5, 2016 and not December 5th, 2016. Notice how the date and year are offset by a comma. If you are also including the day of the week in the date, then the day and month should be offset by a comma as well, and written out as Monday, December 5, 2016. Ages also always use figures, such as I have an 8-year-old son, and the student is 5 years old. Always use figures when writing out times, such as I have a doctor’s appointment at 5:30, or I have to leave the office at 5 PM today. More specific information about writing numbers in text can be found throughout this guide (see date, numbers, and time entries specifically).
ALWAYS USE SPELLCHECK
Before sending an email, printing a draft, or circulating an Excel spreadsheet, make sure you have used the spellcheck tool. Spellcheck is available on all Microsoft applications installed on machines. If you’re ever unsure of how to use it, contact IT for a quick walkthrough. Spellcheck, by default, will underline words in red that appear to be misspelled. Make sure all red underlines have been checked and removed from every document before saving or sending. After using spellcheck, it is important to read through your document one last time to catch any errors spellcheck may have missed. A WORD ABOUT HYPHENATION
Hyphens (-) are a type of dash, and not to be confused with the em dash or en dash. Use of the hyphen in compound phrases (such as know-it-all) is far from standardized and is optional in most cases, making it more a matter of taste and style. That being said, be conservative
with its use; use hyphens only when it won’t cause confusion. Hyphens are a useful tool when trying to avoid
ambiguity. Saying the mayor will meet with small
aircraft operators is unclear. Are the aircraft
operators small in stature, or are they simply
operators of small aircraft? Using a hyphen
enhances clarity: The mayor will meet with small-
aircraft operators.
The same element of clarity applies to examples
like she recovered from her heart attack and she
re-covered the roof. Similarly, the hyphen can be
used to avoid confusion when using duplicate
vowels or triple consonants, such as anti-
intellectual, shell-like.
Hyphens are also used with compound modifiers
(two words that express a single concept) that
precede a noun, except in the case of adverbs very
and those that end in –ly.
A greenish-blue shirt, a know-it-all attitude, an
easily crafted email, a full-time employee — these
examples display the correct use of the hyphen —
or lack of hyphen — with compound modifiers.
Compound modifiers taking place after the noun
also take on a hyphen when used after the verb to
be and all its variants (the woman is well-liked; the
wines are second-rate).
Hyphens are also used when designating dual
heritages, such as Asian-American, except in the
cases of French Canadian or Latin American.
Spelling out fractions (two-thirds), ratios (it was a
2-to-1 ratio) and scores (the Giants won 4-3),
hyphenated names, and math equations all use
hyphens as well. For more information, see the
hyphen entry in this guide.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 11 of 108
COMMONLY MISSPELLED INDUSTRY TERMS
This section contains industry terms that are commonly misused and misspelled in company documents. The correct spellings are given below. The spellings have been cross-referenced in various style guides and dictionaries, and verified for their accuracy. recommends you review the list and make note of any spellings you are not familiar with. For more background on any of the terms, click on the word to be brought to its detailed entry in this guide.
above referenced attorney-client backup/back up barcode, barcoded biweekly blowback bylaw canceled/canceling/cancellation CD-ROM courtroom cross-reference database data files(s) decision-making end user/end-user fact-finding follow-up/follow up front-end/front end full-time/full time hard copy hard drive high level/high-level highlight high pressure/high-pressure high-risk high-speed high-volume high-tech high-test image-based inbound in-house intact in-text lawsuit
matter-of-fact multimedia multiparty non-relevant offset offshore off-the-record ongoing online/offline onsite/offsite onto/on to outbound overflow overview para-professional(s) part-time/part time pressure-drop pre-established proofread reassemble ramp-up setup/set up slip-sheet(s) stand-alone standby/stand by startup/start up state-of-the-art/state of the art tax-exempt ticking and tying time frame timetable timesheet two-thirds/three-fourths 13-phase/24-inch three-year un-American up-to-date/up to date up-to-scale/up to scale user-friendly well-documented well-known/well known word processing workbook worldwide worst-case
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 13 of 108
Example:
MonstersInc_MIN125_MeetingAgenda_JDoe_20160627
or
MonstersInc_MIN125_MeetingAgenda_v2016.06.27
For confidential files, we advise beginning the file name with CONFIDENTIAL (in all caps), such as:
CONFIDENTIAL_ MonstersInc_MIN125_MeetingAgenda_JDoe_20160627
Internal File Names Because it is already assumed that internal files are sourced, can be dropped from the file name:
ProjectName_Subject_FirstInitialLastInitial_YearMonthDay (or version number)
Example: MIN125_MeetingAgenda_JD_20160627
or
MIN125_MeetingAgenda_v2016.06.21 Additional Guidelines: Avoid using spaces in the file name. Various operating systems and software platforms treat spaces in a file name differently, meaning that document hyperlinks become broken or – worst-case scenario – your computer stops recognizing the file as valid, meaning the file will no longer open. Underscores are the recommended alternative to spacing in file names. Keep in mind that most people will store multiple files in the same file folder, using the sort feature on computer to list and locate files alphabetically. For this reason, discourages beginning file names with a number (such as the date), as this makes alphabetic sorting impossible.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 21 of 108
Keep your audience in mind while writing abbreviations: Would they understand the abbreviated term, or is it a term that is only familiar to you? To check if a company uses abbreviations in its name, visit the company’s website and check its branding (advertising, business card, page header, etc.) Companies should be referred to by their branded name, not the company’s full legal register, according to Fortune 500.
A company’s full legal register should be used in an address, as well as the first reference to the company in any formal correspondence with said company. See also company names. Spell out abbreviations that begin a sentence, except for abbreviated words that are normally never spelled out, such as Ms., Mr., and Mrs. See also abbreviated titles. For abbreviations of state names, see states.
abbreviated titles: The following titles are capitalized and abbreviated as shown when used before a name, both inside and outside quotations, such as Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., Sen., as well as certain military ranks.
For the esquire title used by lawyers, write Esq., as in Humphrey Bogart, Esq. (note the comma).
Abbreviate and capitalize junior (Jr.) and senior (Sr.) after a person’s name, such as Ronald McDonald, Jr. (note the comma).
ABCs: No apostrophe needed. able-bodied: Spelled with a hyphen.
about, approximately: Use about instead of approximately, except in scientific writing.
above: Avoid using above to refer to preceding
reference material, unless you are positive the material will appear on the same page after finals edits. The same applies to the word below. Use previous or following instead.
Correct: Use the following chart for reference.
Incorrect: Use the chart below for
reference. aboveboard: Adjective meaning in a
straightforward manner; open, honest, and legal. Spelled as one word, no hyphen.
above referenced: Two words, no hyphen. absent-minded: Adjective meaning lost in thought
and unaware of one’s surrounding or actions. Spelled with a hyphen.
academic degrees: For resumes, spell out and
capitalize specific degrees, while putting the area of study in lowercase (Bachelor of Arts in auctioneering, Master of Science in floral management). Exceptions apply when writing in resume form. See also academic departments.
When referring to degrees in general terms, it should be lowercase. It is preferred to avoid abbreviations of degree names. Only use abbreviations when writing the degree designation plus the person’s name would be preferred.
Correct: Nazarene is studying to get her
doctorate in golf course theology.
When used after a name, academic abbreviations (BA, MA, MBA, LLD, PhD) are preceded by a comma. Do not use periods.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 22 of 108
Correct: Jon Snow, PhD Incorrect: Jon Snow Ph.D.
Commas also come after the official degree designations when used in full sentences.
Correct: Aloisus Snuffleupagus, PhD, is a pediatrician at Mount Sinai.
Inorrect: Aloisus Snuffleupagus, PhD is a
pediatrician at Mount Sinai. Do not use a name with a courtesy title and then follow it with the degree abbreviation in the same reference.
Correct: Jon Snow, PhD, led the keynote
address for the preschool graduation ceremony.
Incorrect: Dr. John Snow, PhD, led the
keynote address for the preschool graduation ceremony.
academic departments: Use lowercase, except for
words that are proper nouns or adjectives, or when listing credentials in resume form.
The word department is only capitalized
when it comes before the department name.
Correct: He used to work with the history
department at Berkeley.
She has many friends who work in the French department. The Department of History co-chair announced her retirement today.
academic designations: Do not capitalize
freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. Lowercase alma mater.
accents: Do not use accent marks. They don’t transfer well between operating systems and are not standard in American English.
Correct: He submitted his resume.
Incorrect: He submitted his résumé.
Correct: He commutes from San Jose to
San Francisco every day.
Incorrect: He commutes from San José to San Francisco every day.
accept: Verb meaning to receive or take
something. Not to be confused with except. accounts payable/receivable: Current liabilities
and debts a company owes/current amounts due for merchandise or services to a company.
accused of: A person is accused of, not with, a
crime. To avoid any suggestion that someone is being judged before a trial, use accused of in phrases talking about a case before a sentence has been set.
Correct: Cookie Monster, who is accused
of grand larceny, is set to appear in court today.
Achilles’ heel: Write with a possessive
apostrophe. Achilles’ is capitalized, heel is lowercase.
acronyms: A few universally recognized
abbreviations and acronyms (such as AAA and AARP) are required in some instances. Others are acceptable depending on the context.
does not use periods in acronyms
unless explicitly stated or required by the client we’re writing to/on behalf of. For example, write Dave & Buster’s LLC, instead of Dave & Buster’s, L.L.C.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 23 of 108
In general, avoid alphabet soup. It is best to stick to only using two or fewer acronyms in the same text to avoid confusion. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader will not easily recognize.
Always introduce the long form of the name, followed by the acronym in parenthesis, in the first reference for all acronyms not widely known. Acronyms should be written in all caps, with no periods (though few exceptions do exist).
Correct: The Antarctic National Bread Commission (ANBC) hosts several different bake-offs. This year, the ANBC will be inviting members from the AARP, American Gas Association, and the Southern Genealogy Council to compete for best unleavened loaf.
Incorrect: The ANBC is the host of several
different bake-offs. This year, the ANBC will be hosting several members from the AARP, AGA, and SGC to compete for best unleavened loaf.
For a table of acceptable acronyms on first reference, see Appendix 7.
active voice: Write in the active voice when
possible. The active voice is stronger and more direct than passive voice, helping streamline all correspondence.
In the active voice, a subject acts.
Active Voice: The director coached the
actor.
In the passive voice, the action is done by the subject.
Passive Voice: The actor was coached by
the director.
For more information, see the Active and Passive Voice section of this guide.
address: Abbreviate boulevard, avenue, road,
suite, and street in numbered addresses. Spell them out when no number is used.
Put the recipient’s name in the first line, and the company name in the second line. Put the suite number in the same line as the street address. Use the United States Postal Service standard for state abbreviations, and use the 9-digit ZIP code standard when available. If addresses designate streets using east, west, north, or south, abbreviate using a capital letter, followed by a period, such as 200 E. State St.
Avoid using courtesy titles (Mr., Ms.) unless they have been requested by the client. Write the city, state, and ZIP code in the same line, using the nine-digit ZIP code when available.
Correct: Count von Count
Consulting Group, Inc.
San Francisco, CA
Incorrect: Consulting Group Mr. Count von Count
San Francisco, California
adjective: A word that describes a noun or
pronoun. Written with the abbreviation adj. See Appendix 4.
adjective, phrasal: Also known as compound
modifiers, phrasal adjectives are two words
expressing a single concept that precede a
noun. Both words are combined with a
hyphen when preceding a noun, except in
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 24 of 108
the case of adverbs very and those that end
in –ly.
Correct: A greenish-blue shirt
A know-it-all attitude
An easily crafted email
A full-time employee
Phrasal adjectives taking place after a noun
do take on a hyphen when used after the
verb to be and all its variants:
The woman is well-liked.
The wines are second-rate.
The other previous examples would not
take on a hyphen when used after a noun:
The shirt was a greenish blue.
She works full time.
administration: Lowercase the administration, the president’s administration, the Obama administration.
Capitalize when in reference to an official department name. See departments.
affect: An adjective that means influenced by
someone or something.
Affect can also be used as a noun, but as a noun refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychology circles. Not to be confused with effect.
Examples: He has an affected accent.
Your job was affected by corporate restructuring. The patient’s affect was flat.
afterward: Not afterwards. There is no s in this word.
AGA: American Gas Association. Headquartered in
Washington, DC. Use AGA on second reference.
age: Write ages numerically versus spelling out.
Use a hyphen with 20-something, 30-something, etc. Use hyphens between the age and year old only when used as an adjective before a noun. Despite the fact that an age might be plural (such as 30 years), it is the American English standard to write year in the singular when used as a compound modifier (for example, write out 30-year-old woman instead of 30-years-old woman).
Correct: He was a 2-year-old data entry
prodigy.
The 2 year old was a data entry prodigy.
Incorrect: The data entry prodigy was a 2-
year-old. alumni: Used as the plural form for a group of
women and men who graduated from a particular school.
For the singular, masculine, and feminine uses of the word, please reference the following chart: alumna Refers to a woman who has
attended a school.
alumnae Refers to a group of women who attended a school.
alumni Refers to a group of men, or both women and men who attended a school.
alumnus Refers to a man who has attended a school.
alum/alums The gender-neutral reference to a singular person/group that attended a school.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 25 of 108
alphabet soup: Refers to the overuse of three-letter acronyms. To avoid confusing your reader, do not overuse acronyms. Instead, spell them out in each use (best done for shorter words). Also avoid lumping multiple acronyms together in the same sentence or paragraph. See acronyms.
AM: Latin abbreviation for ante meridiem. Use
uppercase and no punctuation, with a single space between the numerals and letters.
Correct: We have a meeting at 10 AM tomorrow.
American Bar Association: Use ABA on second reference or the bar association or the association (in lowercase).
American Gas Association: Headquartered in
Washington, DC. Use AGA on second reference.
among: Preferred to amongst. Amongst is British
English, and never used in Standard American English.
amount: See numbers/amount. ampersand (&): Use the ampersand in an
organization’s formal name, if that is what the organization uses, such as Latham & Watkins.
Do not use & in place of and in text. Write Trinidad and Tobago, not Trinidad & Tobago. When using abbreviations, use & in place of and, so that profit and loss becomes P&L.
and, but: It is acceptable to begin sentences with
these words, though special attention must be paid to make sure that the sentence is full and complete, rather than a sentence fragment.
Correct: And in the end, it never mattered.
But for all that effort, I never would have cared.
Incorrect: And in the end. But for all that effort. annual: Can only be used if an event has been
held in two successive years. Do not use first annual. Second annual and on is appropriate.
anti: No hyphen is needed for words paired with
anti, unless the word begins with an i, or would be confusing to read without the hyphen.
Correct: anti-histamine
anti-inflammatory antidote antibiotics anti-hero
anyone/any one: The one-word version speaks to
a group of people. The two-word version is singling someone out without a group.
Correct: Is anyone here able to stay late
tonight?
I recommend any one of the managers for the project.
apostrophe: Used to indicate possessives by adding ‘s, as in the man’s coat.
A plural possessive or a singular possessive for a word that already ends in an s is formed by adding just an apostrophe, so as not to repeat the s, as in the business’ operations. Joint possession is indicated by placing an ‘s at the end of the sequence, such as Smith
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 26 of 108
and Gallagher’s offices, instead of Smith’s and Gallagher’s offices. The exception to this rule is if you are referring to the possessive form after both words of objects individuals owned, as in Mike’s and Claire’s backpacks. Do not use an apostrophe to form the plural of capital letters used as words, abbreviations that contain no interior periods, titles, numbers, and numerals used as nouns. Correct: three Rs the 1990s lengthy URLs
Careful when using apostrophes to indicate years. Write 1920s instead of 1920’s, but ‘80s for 1980s is correct. For more information, see years. Awkward plurals (aside from lowercase letters) are best written without the use of an apostrophe, unless you feel lack of an apostrophe creates an entirely different meaning or complete confusion. Use an apostrophe to form the plural of lowercase letters. Correct: q’s three r’s Apostrophes are also used to indicate missing letters in contractions, such as don’t for do not. For more information, see contractions.
app: Use this abbreviation (without a period) in all
references to application when applied to computer software.
appraise, apprise: Appraise means to evaluate.
Apprise means to inform.
about/approximately: Use about instead of approximately, unless the writing is scientific.
Arab Spring: Capitalize the S in spring. Term used
to describe the series of antigovernment uprisings in Arab countries beginning in 2010.
articles (parts of speech): For a table of all parts
of speech (nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.), please see Appendix 5.
article titles: Article titles should be put in
quotation marks. Publication names should be set in italics.
Correct: I read a great article in The
Atlantic called “Orbital View: An Airport Rising from the Sea.”
ASCII: Pronounced askee. Acronym is acceptable
of first reference. Refers to a simple text (plain text) format that can be used across multiple platforms. Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
Asian-American: Uppercase, with a hyphen. as per: Preferable to using according to, though to
make reading less confusing, cut when not necessary. As per your request can easily be shortened to as requested, without losing any of the original meaning.
associate degree: Not possessive; written in
lowercase unless listing academic credentials in resume form.
Correct: She has an associate degree in
nuclear fission.
Incorrect: She has an Associate’s Degree in nuclear fission.
assure: Means to make sure or give confidence, as
in she assured us that there were no
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 27 of 108
monsters under the bed. Not to be confused with ensure or insure.
asterisk: An asterisk (*) used to note an omission,
correction, emphasis, or reference in text. ATM: Acronym meaning Automated Teller
Machine. ATM is acceptable on first reference. Do not say ATM machine, as machine would be redundant, considering what the acronym stands for.
attorney: In common usage, lawyer and attorney are interchangeable. Technically, however, an attorney (usually, but not always, a lawyer) is someone empowered to act for another. Such a person is sometimes called an attorney in fact.
A lawyer is a person who is admitted to practice in a court system, and a general term for all members of the bar. A lawyer is sometimes referred to as an attorney at law.
Power of attorney is a written statement legally authorizing a person to act for another.
Do not abbreviate or capitalize attorney or lawyer unless it is an officeholder’s official title. Correct: Our dinner guest Milton Keynes
is a defense attorney. He acts as outside counsel for the
toy company.
District Attorney Rhoda Borrocks
Claire Underwood, Partner attorney-client: Hyphenated when combining the
two parties to become a compound modifier (aka phrasal adjective), as in attorney-client privilege.
attorney general: Capitalize only when used as a title before a name. Lowercase in all other general references.
Attorney takes on an s in the plural form, but general does not. Never abbreviate. This is the same rule applied to phrases such as sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, etc.
Correct: Attorney General Jack McCoy Jack McCoy is currently California’s attorney general.
Jack McCoy and Alexandra Cabot are both state attorneys general. We should contact the attorneys general offices in California and New York.
attorney general, office of the: Never abbreviate.
Capitalize only when used as an official title for the office (verify official title on its website). Lowercase in all other references. Attorney takes on an s in the plural form, but general does not.
Correct: Several state attorneys general
offices experienced an influx of complaints about the change.
The California Office of the
Attorney General was created in 1850.
The attorney general office in
California was created in 1850.
We should contact the attorneys general offices in California and New York.
Incorrect: Several States Attorney General
offices experiences and influx of complaints about the change.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 28 of 108
The California office of the attorney general was created in 1850.
The Attorney General Office in California was created in 1850.
attribution: Every statistic you cite should include
an attribution, with the exception of general knowledge.
Correct: According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, only about half of workers participate in a workplace retirement plan.
Incorrect: Only half of workplace workers
participate in a workplace retirement plan.
Explanation: The second sentence lacks
the authority of the first sentence, without the statistic being back by a credible source.
audio conference: Two words. awhile/a while: When written as one word,
awhile is an adverb meaning for a time, and is only used to replace that three-word term.
A good way to see if awhile is appropriate is
to replaced with any other adverb, such as quietly or loudly, and see if it still makes sense.
Correct: Go study awhile.
She laughed awhile. When written as two words, a while is a
noun, a period of time. You could replace while with any other time frame, and it would still make sense, such as a year, a second, a minute, a day.
Correct: It has been a while since I have had Icelandic food. It might take me a while to get to the transit museum.
B
backup/back up: One word as a noun (Did you make a backup?). Two words as a verb (Please back up the disk.)
Bar/bar: For specific state associations, capitalize
both state name and Bar. Otherwise, keep in lowercase.
Correct: The State Bar of California
She is a member of the bar.
The bar association meets every Thursday.
barcode/barcoded: One word, no hyphen. best-seller: Two words. Hyphenated in all usages,
unless using the official title of a list that spells it otherwise due to its use of a different style guide.
Correct: The Girl on the Train is a best-
seller in the United States.
The Girl on the Train is No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.
biweekly: One word. An adjective meaning every
other week. Not to be confused with semiweekly.
blowback: One word. Used for an unforeseen
negative consequence of an action or decision. Also used for the process of gasses expanding or traveling in the opposite direction of what is the expected course, especially through escape of pressure or delayed combustion.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 29 of 108
Bluebook, The: The most widely used legal citation style guide in the United States. Taught in the majority of US law schools and used in the majority of US federal courts, it is the citation guide most familiar to legal clients.
board of directors: Always lowercase, except in
resume listings. board of trustees: Always lowercase, except in
resume listings. book titles: Capitalize all principal words
(including conjunctions and prepositions) of more than four letters.
Capitalize articles (a, an, the) if it is the first or last word in a title.
Italicize all major publication titles including books, films, and magazines, except the Bible and books that are reference material (almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.)
Translate all titles into English unless the work is well known by its foreign name.
Correct: James Patterson is writing a
sequel to You’ve Been Warned called I told You So.
She memorized the Farmer’s Almanac. She is reading Les Miserables.
bring: Bring and take both describe transporting
something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view.
Somebody brings something to you, but you
take it somewhere else. As a rule, remember that if the movement
is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.
Correct: Bring me the coffee, then take
your shoes to your room. bulleted lists: Uppercase the first letter of a
listing, and do not use semicolons between bullet points.
Periods should be used only if listed items are complete sentences, and should be used uniformly for every item on the list if applied. Grammar and sentence tense structure should be uniform for each list item as well.
Correct:
Apples
Bananas
Oranges
Incorrect:
apple;
Bananas.
orange; Correct:
Apples are a good source of fiber.
Bananas are a good source of potassium.
Oranges are a good source of vitamin C.
Incorrect:
Apples are a good source of fiber.
bananas for potassium
Doctors have recommended oranges for vitamin C
but/and: It is acceptable to begin sentences with
these words, though special attention must be paid to make sure that the sentence is full and complete, rather than a sentence fragment.
Correct: And in the end, it never mattered
that I passed the exam.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 30 of 108
But for all that effort, I never would have cared about passing the exam.
Incorrect: And in the end. But for all that effort. bylaw: One word. Refers to a local ordinance that
applies only to that area, or a rule adopted by an organization that must be followed only by its members.
C
canceled, canceling: Spelled with one L. cancellation: Spelled with two Ls. capital: The city where a seat of government is
located. Do not capitalize.
When used in finance, capital describes money, equipment, or property used in a business by a person or corporation.
Also refers to an uppercase letter.
capital gain, capital loss: The difference between
what a capital asset costs and the price it brought when sold.
capitalization - general: In general, avoid
unnecessary capitals. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it. If there is no relevant listing in this guide for a particular capitalization, consult the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Proper Nouns: Capitalize nouns that
constitute a unique identification: Elmo, Sesame Street, Big Bird.
Proper Names: Capitalize common nouns
such as party, river, street, and west only when they are an integral part of an official name, or when otherwise noted in this
guide: Democratic Party, Nile River, Castro Street, West Virginia.
Common Nouns: Lowercase common
nouns when they stand alone, including in subsequent references from their official designation: the party, the river, the street, the state. Lowercase the common noun elements of names in their plural usage, unless using plural formal titles with full names: the Democratic and Republican parties, Castro and Market streets, lakes Wobegon and Wabash, Presidents Francis Underwood and Garrett Walker.
Popular Names: Some places and events lack proper names, but have established popular names that are widely accepted in popular culture and act as proper names: the South Side (of Chicago), the Badlands (of South Dakota), the Street (the financial community of New York, centering around Wall Street).
This same principle also applies to events, such as the Series (for the World Series) and the Derby (for the Kentucky Derby).
This rule should not be used as a license to capitalize any common noun you deem important in writing. When in doubt about words aside from proper nouns and proper names, it is generally safer to use lowercase.
Derivatives: Capitalize words that are derived from a proper noun
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 31 of 108
(American, Islamic, Orwellian, Dickensian).
Sentences: Capitalize the first word in a
statement that stands as a sentence, even if the word normally begins with a lowercase (EDiscovery services are in high demand this year; IPhone sales have begun to slump).
Compositions: Capitalize the principal
words in the names of books, plays, poems, operas, songs, radio and television programs, works of art, etc.
Titles: Capitalize formal titles when used immediately before a name. Lowercase titles when used alone or in constructions that set them off from a name by commas, except in resume-style listings.
Use lowercase letters at all times when using terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles (Please welcome Vice President Claire Underwood. Her husband is the president.)
capitol: Capitalize US Capitol and Capitol when
referring the physical building in Washington, DC. Follow the same practice when referring to state capitol buildings. Lowercase all other references.
Correct: The meeting was held in the west
wing of the Capitol.
The California Capitol is in Sacramento. She wants to visit the capitol buildings in every state.
CD-ROM: Hyphenated. Use all caps.
cellphone: One word. No hyphen. Acceptable to use mobile or cell instead.
Christmas: Preferred word use is holiday or
holidays, rather than referring to a specific holiday.
city: Capitalize city if part of a proper name, an
integral part of an official name, or a regularly used nickname.
Correct: New York City, City by the Bay,
Mile-High City.
Also capitalize when part of a formal title before a name, but not when the title comes after the name.
Correct: City Manager Chris Traeger
Chris Traeger is the city manager.
Lowercase in all other references, including titles that are not official.
Correct: The city of San Francisco, the city
government, the city Board of Education
citywide, countrywide, nationwide: One word. cleanup, clean up: One word as a noun and
adjective (an environmental cleanup is necessary), and two words without a hyphen as a verb (please clean up your room).
co-: Retain the hyphen when forming nouns,
adjectives, and verbs that indicate occupation or status, such as co-author, co-founder, co-pilot, co-defendant, co-signer, co-owner.
Coworker is an exception to this rule, and
does not take a hyphen.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 32 of 108
Use no hyphen in other combinations, such as coed, cooperate, cooperative, coexist, coordination, coexistence, copay.
coast: Lowercase when referring to the physical
shoreline (Atlantic coast, Pacific coast, north coast). Also lowercase when referring to smaller regions (the Santa Cruz coast).
Capitalize when referring to regions of the United States lying along such shorelines: the Atlantic Coast states, the East Coast, the West Coast, a city on the Gulf Coast.
COB: Acronym for close of business; indicates a
deadline of 5:30 PM, the close of business hours. COB is preferred acronym for interoffice correspondences when discussing end-of-day activities, as opposed to EOD (End of Day) or EOB (End of Business).
coincidence: Not to be confused with irony. If you
get the stomach flu before your trip to Alaska, that’s not ironic, it’s coincidental. If you had traveled to Alaska to see bears, only to hear that there was a bear sighting on your street back at home during your trip, that would be ironic.
colon: A colon (:) is used at the end of a sentence
to introduce lists, tabulations, other texts, etc. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.
Correct: She promised this: The entire
family would return to Brazil at the end of the year.
She was bringing only three items in her suitcase: a suit, a toothbrush, and a pocket translator.
Colons are also used in listing time elapsed (2:05:37), time of day (7:14 AM), and legal citations (Washington Code 3:245-260).
Colons can also be used in place of commas for dialogue or to introduce a direct quotation of one sentence that remains within a paragraph. Also used in the dialogue for a trial, for example:
Bailey: What were you doing on the night of the 19th? Mason: I refuse to answer that.
Colons are also used for dialogue in question-and-answer interviews:
Q: When did you start playing guitar? A: I started playing when I was 5 years old, in Ms. Andrew’s kindergarten class.
Colons remain outside quotation marks, unless they are part of the quote itself.
Colons should not be combined with dashes or commas.
color: Standard font color for all
publications is either black or navy blue, font size 10.5, in Calibri typeface.
comma: A serial comma (also called Oxford comma or Harvard comma) is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually and, or, or nor) in a series of three or more terms. While there is some academic debate as to the necessity of always using the serial comma, it is
policy to do so.
Correct: She took a photograph of her
parents, the president, and the
vice president.
Incorrect: She took a picture of her
parents, the president and the
vice president.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 33 of 108
Explanation: The correct sentence makes
it clear that the picture taken was
of the girl’s parents, and both the
president and vice president were
in the photograph as well. The
incorrect sentence could imply
that the vice president and
president happen to be the girl’s
parents, which is not actually the
case.
In a series whose elements are all joined by
conjunctions, no commas are needed
unless the elements are long and delimiters
would be helpful.
Correct: Would you prefer Journey or Def
Leppard or Styx?
You can turn left at the second light and right when you reach the plaza, or turn left at the third streetlight and left again at the statue of Harvey Milk, or just ask someone in the neighborhood how to get there.
Use commas to signal nonrestrictive or nonessential material, to prevent confusion, and to indicate relationships among ideas and sentence parts.
Correct: The Umayyad, who were part of the Quraysh tribe, invaded Gaul in 711.
Incorrect: The Umayyad who were part of the Quraysh tribe invaded Gaul in 711.
comma splices: Do not link two independent clauses with a comma (unless you also use a coordinating conjunction – and, or, but, for, nor, so, yet). Instead, use a period or semicolon, or rewrite the sentence.
Correct: In 1983, US GNP was $300 billion below forecast. By 1986, it was $700 billion below projections.
Incorrect: In 1983, US GNP was $300 billion below forecast, by 1986, it was $700 billion below projections.
company names: It is practice to visit a company’s website in order to determine the formatting of its name. To find the preferred method a particular company uses, visit its website. Then either scroll down to the footer of the page, or go to the information section of the website. Normally the official moniker will be located in one of these two locations.
For example, going to www.lw.com shows us that the firm Latham and Watkins prefers its company name written as Latham & Watkins LLP, rather than Latham & Watkins, L.L.P.
Companies are singular (not plural) entities, and therefore take the pronoun of it, not they.
Correct: Latham and Watkins LLP is a client of The firm has worked with for over five years.
Incorrect: Latham and Watkins LLP is a client of They have worked with us for over five years.
comparatives: Adverbs have two different forms to show comparison of two things. Comparatives end in –er, or take an irregular form (such as better, badly, worse, less, more). A comparative uses -er or more, but not both.
Correct: The student graduated earlier than expected.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 34 of 108
The economy stabilized more slowly than expected.
Commas are also use to separate elements of official degrees and titles, such as Aloisus Snuffleupagus, Esq., is a litigation attorney for Smart & Biggar, LLP.
See adverb in Appendix 5, or see superlatives.
compose: Means to make up. When you compose, you put the pieces first, as in fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America. Not to be confused with comprise.
compound modifiers: Also known as phrasal
adjectives, compound modifiers are two or
more words expressing a single concept,
that then act like an adjective. These
compound words are usually connected by
hyphens to provide clarity in their use as a
compound phrase, except in the case of
adverbs very and those that end in –ly.
Examples: A greenish-blue shirt
A know-it-all attitude
An easily crafted email
A full-time employee
These same examples would not take on
a hyphen when used after a noun:
The shirt was a bluish green
She works full time
Compound modifiers taking place after the
noun take on a hyphen when used after the
verb to be and all its variants:
The woman is well-liked
The wines are second-rate
compound names: Compound names should be alphabetized as though they’re one word, so that Ellen van der Zwaan would be filed under V, not Z.
comprise: Means to include. When you comprise,
you put the whole first, as in a soccer game comprises (includes) two halves. Not to be confused with compose.
conjunction: Joins clauses, sentences, or words
(and, but, when).
Example: I like dogs and cats, but my favorite animal is the sloth.
contractions: Use apostrophes in contractions.
Place the apostrophe where the letter is omitted, as in John’s going there for John is going there.
For a complete list of Standard English contractions, see Appendix 6.
coop, co-op: Coop refers to a cage for animals; co-
op refers to a cooperative (a business or organization that is owned and operated by the people who work there or use its services).
court: See court names. court decisions: The word to is not needed when
writing court decisions.
Correct: The court ruled a 5-4 decision.
Incorrect: It was a 5 to 4 decision. courtesy title: Refer to both men and women by
their first and last name, without a courtesy title (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) unless specifically requested by the client to do otherwise. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who share the same last name, use both their first and last names on first reference, and continue using only first names in all subsequent references.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 35 of 108
court names: Capitalize the full proper name of
courts at all levels. Capitalize court in official documents filed with the court when referencing the court specifically, as this is a general style recommendation adopted in the legal profession to show a sign of respect. Lowercase in general reference.
Correct: Rocky and Bullwinkle went to
court to give witness testimony against Boris and Natasha.
We are asking the Court to please review the attached documents at the Court’s earliest possible convenience. The 9th Circuit The US Supreme Court The Supreme Court The state Superior Court
courtroom: One word, lowercase. coworker: One word, no hyphen. Also acceptable
to use colleague. CPUC Supplier Clearinghouse: Stands for
California Public Utilities Commission Supplier Clearing House. The program monitors supplier diversity by participating utilities, and oversees a clearinghouse of women, minority, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, disabled, and veteran-owned businesses.
cross-reference: Two words, hyphenated. curricula: Plural of curriculum (not curriculums). D
dad: Lowercase unless used as proper noun.
Correct: I have to call my dad and let him know I’ll be late.
I love you, Dad!
database: One word, no hyphen. data file(s): Two words. datasheet: One word, no hyphen. Refers to a
document that summarizes the performance and other technical specs of our products and services.
has over 20 different full-color,
single-sheet, double-sided datasheets detailing our services. Contact the Marketing Department for access to these documents.
dash: There are various types of dashes, aside
from the hyphen dash. These types of dashes have their specific appearance (shown below) and uses. To understand more about specific uses of various types of dash marks, please search them individually in this guide.
hyphen - en dash – em dash — 2-em dash — — 3-em dash — — —
The hyphen, en dash, and em dash are the most commonly used. Though many readers may not notice the difference — especially between an en dash and a hyphen — correct use of the different types is a sign of editorial precision. These characters are easy enough to create on computers and smartphones, but must be proofread carefully for any conversion errors.
date: For dates, write out months in sentences, but use abbreviations in tables and
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 36 of 108
technical documents. Months and days of the week should always be capitalized.
Month Abbreviation
January Jan.
February Feb.
March Mar.
April Apr.
May May.
June Jun.
July Jul.
August Aug.
September Sep.
October Oct.
November Nov.
December Dec.
Day Abbreviation
Sunday Sun.
Monday Mon.
Tuesday Tue.
Wednesday Wed.
Thursday Thu.
Friday Fri.
Saturday Sat.
In keeping with the American standard,
uses calendars with the first day of the week beginning on a Sunday, with Saturday being the seventh day of the week. Ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) are not used with dates in official documents. When using ordinal numbers for other purposes, write them out for any number under 10. Use superscript for any number over 10. If the month, date, and year are all used in the same line, then separate the year with a comma. If day of the week, month, date, and year are being used, then use a comma between the day of the week and the date.
Correct: She was born on November 23, 2005. She was born in November 2015. She was born in November. Taxes are due on the 11th business day of April. All accounts must be closed out by the seventh month. She came into the office on Friday, April 15, 2016.
daylight savings time: Also referred to as
summer time. Takes acronym DST on first reference. Begins in mid-March and ends in mid-November for most of the United States. States and territories that are excluded include Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, most of Arizona, parts of Oregon, and parts of Indiana.
days: Capitalize days of the week (Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, etc.)
follows the American standard of beginning the calendar week on Sunday, with Saturday being the seventh day of the week.
decimals: Use decimals in place of fractions.
One-third or 1/3 becomes 0.33.
Values of less than 1.00 take a zero (0) before the decimal point, unless discussing baseball statistics (her batting average was .367), firearm calibers (he owned a .22-caliber single-shot rifle), and in probabilities (p <.07).
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 37 of 108
decision-making: Hyphenated when used as a compound modifier, such as in a decision-making process.
departments: Capitalize names of various
departments when in reference to an official department name, both when using the word department or without. Lowercase department when used on its own, without an official designator.
Correct: Von Count works for the
Accounting Department.
Von Count works for Accounting. Von Count does accounting. Von Count is joining the department on Thursday.
Only capitalize department names when you’re certain that it’s the official name of the department. If you are unsure, then use lowercase.
Correct: I was wondering what the
official name of your accounting department is?
The official name of our
accounting department is the Department of Debits and Credits.
dictionary: uses Standard American English spellings in all instances. For any entry not noted in this guide, use the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as the authority for all spellings.
dimensions: See measurements. directions: North, east , south, and west are
lowercased when they refer to compass
directions, uppercased when referring to distinct, widely known regions.
Correct: He drove west.
He lives on the East Coast.
The North was victorious.
She lives in the southern part of the city.
She commutes from Southern California.
Lowercase with names of nations unless they are part of a proper name.
Correct: He was born in northern Kenya.
She is from South Korea.
I’m visiting North Dakota this summer.
My cousin’s from Northern Ireland.
I’m taking a tour of the western United States this winter.
Regions such as the Lower East Side of New York, the South Side of Chicago, the Far East, the Middle East, the South Pole, and the West Coast take capitals as well. If in doubt about other regions, use lowercase.
district attorney: Capitalize only when used as a formal title before a name. Can abbreviate as DA on second reference.
Correct: District Attorney Abbie
Carmichael
Abbie Carmichael became the district attorney in 2001.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 38 of 108
District Attorney Abbie Carmichael worked tirelessly as DA for 10 years.
doctor: For medical doctors, write Dr. Leo
Spaceman or Leo Spaceman, MD. Do not write Dr. Leo Spaceman, MD, as the latter is redundant.
For dentists, write Dr. Mark Kaplan or Mark Kaplan, DDS. Do not write Dr. Mark Kaplan, DDS.
For nonmedical doctors, write Cosima Niehaus, PhD. Do not write Dr. Cosima Niehaus.
For all second-reference use, refer to the person by his or her last name, without the doctor designation.
Correct: Dr. Leo Spaceman is currently in
the process of patenting an affluenza vaccine. If successful, Spaceman hopes to eradicate all cases of affluenza around the world.
Incorrect: Dr. Leo Spaceman, MD, is
currently in the process of patenting an affluenza vaccine. If successful, Dr. Spaceman hopes to eradicate all cases of affluenza around the world.
dollar: Always lowercase. Use the $ sign before
the amount in most cases, except for casual references or amounts without a figure.
Correct: The asparagus water costs $4.
Mom, please give me a dollar. American dollars are in high demand at Whole Foods.
When referencing international currency, always give the United States dollar
amount in parenthesis, followed by the acronym USD for United States dollar. Use Google for the correct conversion rate. Use of the dollar sign is not needed when paired with the USD signifier. Correct: The lawsuit won the company
£1.4 million (2.41 million USD)
down style: Adopted from The Chicago Manual of Style, this rule refers to using lowercase letters and minimal punctuation whenever possible, such as chairman, french fries, website, the cloud, the president (notice the lack of capitalization).
Proper nouns such as Brussels and Belgium are capitalized, but brussels sprouts is not capitalized. This rule stems from the notion that lack of capitalization makes typing more efficient.
See also keystroke guideline.
down-to-earth: Written with hyphens. Earth is
spelled with a lowercase e in this instance. Correct: She is very down-to-earth for a
Nobel Prize-winning physicist. downturn: One word. E
each other: Two words. Refers to two or more people or objects, as in Louisa and Adam will help each other.
earth, Earth: Generally lowercase, as in down-to-
earth and he hopes to move heaven and earth. Uppercase only when referring to the proper name of the planet, as in the astronauts returned to Earth after a 60-day flight.
East Coast, the: Capitalize when referring to the
East Coast of the United States. Lowercase
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 39 of 108
when referring to the eastern coast of any other country.
Capitalize coast when referring to regions of the United States lying along such shorelines: the Atlantic Coast states, the East Coast, the West Coast, a Gulf Coast city. Lowercase coast when referring to the physical shoreline of countries outside the US: Atlantic coast, Pacific coast, eastern coast. Do not capitalize when referring to smaller regions inside the US: the Santa Cruz coast.
each other: Two words. Use when referring to
different people, as in Miriam and Albert helped each other with the project.
e.g.: Latin abbreviation for exempli gratia
(meaning for example). Not to be confused with i.e. E.g. should generally be followed by a list of examples, so it is usually delimited by a comma. However, it does not need to be followed by a comma when listing a single example. The list following e.g. is by no means a finite list, simply a few examples on a greater theme.
Correct: I love eating cheeses whose
ingredients are a mystery, e.g., Velveeta, Kraft Easy Spray Cheese, and nacho cheese.
Correct: I get distracted easily by shiny objects, e.g. nickels.
eDiscovery: No hyphen, uppercase D. Refers to
the discovery in litigation or government investigations in the exchange of information in an electronic (e) format.
effect: Means to accomplish something, or as a result of something. Not to be confused with affect.
When trying to decide whether affect or
effect is the correct choice in a sentence, remember that effect is almost always the correct choice when used as a noun.
Effect as a noun means the result of
something, whereas affect when used as a noun means an emotional state, and as such is rarely used outside of the psychology field.
Examples: The rainy weather had a huge
effect on umbrella sales.
The changes will be effected on Monday.
You have an effect on me.
electronically stored information: Spell out on first reference. Use ESI on second reference. Refers to information that is created, utilized, and stored in digital form, in compliance with US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
email: One word, lowercase, no hyphen. For more on writing business email, please see A Note About Email at the beginning of this style guide.
emoji: Ideograms and smileys used in electronic
messages and web pages. Not acceptable for official communications. Use best judgement for use in interoffice emails.
emoticons: A pictorial representation of a facial
expression created by using different keyboard characters. Not acceptable for official communications. Use best judgement for use in interoffice emails.
em dash: Use an em dash(—) to:
Indicate an abrupt change in thought:
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 40 of 108
- I have handcrafted — usually skillfully — a lot of pottery in my day.
A series within a phrase that would otherwise be offset by commas:
- She listed the qualities — durable, sleek, dependable — that she was looking for in her next microwave.
Attribution before a speaker, author, or composer’s name:
- “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky
In datelines:
- SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Puppy Bowl has finally arrived.
Put a space on either side of an em dash in all uses, except of at the start of a paragraph.
Creating an em dash can be done by either:
- [ctrl]+[alt] and the minus sign on the numbers pad
or
- [alt]+0151 (on the number pad)
EnCase: Forensic, cyber security, security analytics, and eDiscovery software used by various courts. Developed by Guidance Software.
EnCE: EnCase Certified Examiner. Spell out on first
reference. Use EnCE on second reference.
Refers to a certification provided by the Guidance Software company for their EnCase program. Certification requires 64 hours of forensic training or 12 months computer forensic work experience, followed by an exam.
en dash: The en dash (–) is slightly wider than a
hyphen, and narrower than an em dash.
Note that an en dash changes the meaning of a phrase. Spanish-American War (using a hyphen) means the war that took place in Spanish America. The Spanish–American War (using an en dash) is used to mean the war that took place between Spain and America.
The en dash is used to connect a prefix to a proper open compound, for example pre–World War II. In this example, pre is connected to the open compound World War II, and therefore has to do a little extra work than a hyphen. It is also used to show a range, such as 2–3 years and terminal points on a route, such as San Jose–San Francisco. The en dash does not require a space between itself and a word. To create an en dash on a PC, hold the [control] key and the [-] minus key on the numeric keypad.
To create it on a Mac, hold the [Option] key and the [-] minus key at the top of the keyboard.
end user/end-user: End user is two words when used as a noun (we have to consider our end users when developing the product). Takes a hyphen as an adjective (end-user experience).
ensure: Means to guarantee, as in steps were
taken to guarantee an unlimited supply of cheese. Not to be confused with assure or insure.
EOB: Acronym for end of business.
preferred usage for end-of-day deadlines is COB.
EOD: Acronym for end of day. preferred
usage for end-of-day deadlines is COB.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 41 of 108
EOM: Acronym for end of message. Used at the end of an email subject line (in parenthesis) to signify that all content is in the subject line, and the actual message does not need to be opened.
Correct: Subject: Will be in the office at 10
AM today (EOM) ESI: See electronically stored information. esquire: An honorific (courtesy title) sometimes
placed at the end of an attorney’s name in the US. Write Humphrey Bogart, Esq. (note the comma before and period after Esq).
Example: Aloisus Snuffleupagus, Esq., is a
litigation attorney for Smart & Biggar, LLP.
every day: Two words as an adverb. One word
(everyday) as an adjective.
Correct: Filing expense reports was an everyday task.
She drove a Honda civic, which she considered an everyday kind of car.
She drives her car to work every day.
example: See e.g. except: Preposition meaning to include (someone
or something) other than (something or someone). Not to be confused with accept.
Example: I like all fruit, except apples. exclamation point: An exclamation point (!)
should not be used in formal business texts, datasheets, or other mass-
distributed publications. Instead, rely on sentence structure to create declarative statements and emphasis.
Exclamation points are acceptable in less formal emails, but should be used sparingly. Their overuse can come across as unprofessional.
F
fact-finding: Hyphenated. farther: Refers to physical difference. Should not
be confused with further.
Correct: How much farther do we need to go?
Shaking decreases the farther a quake gets from its source.
federal court: Always lowercase. female: Use female as an adjective, not woman,
as in she is the first female vice president. fewer: Use fewer when referring to separate
items that can be counted. Not to be confused with less.
Correct: You have fewer dollars than I do.
There are fewer problems to worry about now than there were before.
Incorrect: You have less problems now. You have less dollars than I do.
follow-up/follow up: Follow-up as a noun is spelled with a hyphen. Follow up as a verb is spelled with two words, no hyphen.
Correct: The follow-up is very in-depth.
Be sure to follow up with me about the project tomorrow.
font: Standard font for all online and print
publications is Calibri, size 10.5, in black or navy blue.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 42 of 108
Font names should be capitalized when written out, such as he wrote all his emails in Papyrus font.
for-profit: Two words, with a hyphen. fractions: Hyphenate all compound numbers from
twenty-one through ninety-nine, as well as all fractions (such as two-thirds majority).
prefers writing most fractions as
percentages, except in court or congressional decisions, such as two-thirds
majority. One-third or 1/3 becomes 0.33.
Values of less than 1.00 take a zero (0) before the decimal point, unless discussing baseball statistics (her batting average was .367), firearm calibers (he owned a .22-caliber single-shot rifle), and in probabilities (p <.07). Avoid using the percent (%) symbol except in charts, graphs and illustrations. Always spell out percent in text, such as 55 percent, not 55%.
front-end/front end: Spelled with a hyphen when used as an adjective (front-end web development, front-end fee). Spelled as two words without a hyphen when used as a noun (the front end of the user interface).
full time, full-time: Hyphenated when used as a compound modifier.
Correct: She works here full time.
She’s looking for a full-time job.
fundraiser/fundraising: One word. further: Further refers to an extension of time or
degree. Should not be confused with farther.
Correct: I will look further into this
tomorrow.
Let me know if you need any further instructions.
G
general assembly: Capitalize when it is the formal name for the ruling body of an organization, such as the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, or the United Nations General Assembly. Lowercase in all other references.
general court: Part of the official proper name for
the legislatures in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In these references only, capitalize with or without the state name. Legislature (capitalized) may be used instead, and treated as a proper name.
Correct: the Massachusetts General Court
the General Court the Legislature
Lowercase legislature and general court in all other general uses.
General Services Administration: Located in
Washington, DC to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA is acceptable on second reference.
Geneva Conventions: Note the s at the end. genus, species: In scientific or biological names,
capitalize the first (or generic) Latin name for the class of plant or animal (AKA genus). Lowercase the species that follows. Both words are italicized. On second reference, use the abbreviated form.
If the term is not being used in a scientific or technical document, use the familiar term, rather than the scientific one.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 44 of 108
Calculated quarterly in the US. GDP is acceptable on first reference.
groundbreaking: One word. ground zero: Lowercase. The point on the earth’s
surface directly above, below, or at which an explosion or intense activity occurs.
grown-up: Spelled with a hyphen as both a noun
and adjective. Gulf/Gulf Coast: Capitalize when referring to the
US region lying along the Gulf of Mexico. Lowercase in general references to nondescript gulfs or to Gulf of Mexico regions outside of the US.
H
habeas corpus: Written in italics. Defines a writ ordering a person in custody to be brought before a court to find out if that person should really be in jail. When using the terms in text for non-legal clients, define what habeas corpus means.
half day, half-day: Half day (without a hyphen) is a noun, as in I worked a half day.
Half-day (with a hyphen) is an adjective, as in I worked a half-day shift.
half-mast: Spelled with a hyphen. Term is only for use of flags on ships and at naval stations. See half staff.
half-staff: Spelled with a hyphen. Term is used for flags on shore (not at naval stations). See half-mast.
handheld/hand-held: One word as a noun. Use a hyphen as an adjective.
handmade: One word, no hyphen.
hands-free: Note use of hyphen.
hang/hanged/hung: One hangs a picture, a criminal, or oneself. For past tense or the passive, use hanged when referring to executions or suicides. Use hung for all other past tense actions (I hung a picture, I hung my diploma, we hung a chandelier).
hang-up/hang up: Uses a hyphen as a noun. Two words as an adjective.
happy holidays, season’s greetings, merry Christmas: Such phrases are always lowercase, though the proper name of the holiday is always capitalized (Christmas, Hanukah, Eid, Halloween).
Correct: Season’s greetings! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and New Year!
hard copy: Two words, no hyphen.
hard drive: Two words, no hyphen.
Harvard comma: uses the Harvard comma in its publications. See comma.
heads-up: Written with a hyphen.
health care: Two words.
heaven: Lowercase.
hell: Lowercase, but capitalize Hades.
height: See measurements.
headings: Standard headings for publications should be in bold. You can choose to make heading text larger than body text at your discretion, as long as all headers are uniform throughout. See also Appendix 9 and Appendix 10.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 45 of 108
Calibri typeface is the standard font for all publications (excluding the
company logo). Headings should be kept in Calibri as well, though a change to other standard fonts is allowed, as long as the heading fonts are uniform throughout and the font chosen is professional looking and easy to read. In order to easily differentiate between a heading and paragraph text, uses one hard return between the heading and the beginning of the text.
The following rules should also be followed for headings:
1. Capitalize the first and last words in titles and subtitles (but see rule 7), and capitalize all other major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions — but see rule 4).
2. Lowercase articles the, a, and an.
3. Lowercase prepositions, regardless of length, except when they are used adverbially or adjectivally (up in Look Up, down in Turn Down, on in The On Button, to in Come To, etc.) or when they compose part of a Latin expression used adjectivally or adverbially (De Facto, In Vitro, etc.)
4. Lowercase the conjunctions and, but, for, or, and nor.
5. Lowercase to not only as a preposition (rule 3) but also as part of an infinitive (to run, to hide, etc.), and lowercase as in any grammatical function.
6. Lowercase the part of a proper name that would be lowercased in text, such as de or von.
7. Lowercase the second part of a
species name, such as fulvescens in Acipenser fulvescens, even if it is the last word in a title or subtitle.
Correct: New Standards in Gas Pipelines Gas pipeline standards have recently undergone a change in the industry. It is important to make yourself aware of these changes in order to avoid problems in the future.
Correct: A Theory on Rain Proposed by Hebert de Pluie Belgian meteorologist Herbert de Pluie has some thoughts on rain that are sure to get the rest of the thinking world into a bit of a steam. His thesis on rain being the runoff from Jedi warfare in a neighboring galaxy was presented yesterday to the UN Council of Intergalactic Diplomacy.
Explanation: These examples show the
correct spacing (or lack of spacing) between the headers and the section paragraph. They also show the correct use of font size, color, and title case capitalization.
Incorrect: New standards in gas pipelines Gas pipeline standards have recently undergone a change in the industry. It is important to make yourself aware of these changes in order to avoid problems in the future.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 46 of 108
Incorrect: A Theory On Rain
Proposed By Hebert De
Pluie Belgian meteorologist Herbert de Pluie has some thoughts on rain that are sure to get the rest of the thinking world into a bit of a steam. His thesis on rain being the runoff from Jedi warfare in a neighboring galaxy was presented yesterday to the UN Council of Intergalactic Diplomacy.
Explanation: These examples either do not use correct title case capitalization, or use an incorrect style or color.
high-: When used as a prefix, high (followed by a
hyphen) creates a compound modifier/phrasal adjective, which then modifies a noun.
When a phrase using high does not become a compound modifier, it normally does not take a hyphen, with some exceptions.
Correct: Those are very high-level
documents.
I work at a very high level.
I’m searching for good high-speed Internet access. This Internet connection seems pretty high speed.
You want to avoid moving to very high-cost areas. Some of those positions come at a very high cost.
Exceptions: Give me a high-five!
Please highlight the paragraph. high-five: Hyphenated both as a noun and
adjective. highlight: One word. high level/high-level: Hyphenated when used as a compound modifier. Otherwise, use as two words without a hyphen.
Correct: My office looks out over the street from a high level.
We were given some very high-
level documents to read before the meeting.
highlight: One word, no hyphen.
Correct: Can you please highlight the text using the yellow highlighter?
high pressure/high-pressure: Hyphenated when used as a compound modifier. Otherwise, use as two words without a hyphen.
Correct: There are a lot of high-pressure stakes involved with this project.
The hose was left on at very high
pressure. high-tech: Two words, hyphenated. holidays: Preferred term when referring to winter
holidays. Use lowercase. The proper name of a holiday is always capitalized (Christmas, Hanukah, Eid, Halloween).
Correct: Season’s greetings! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and New Year!
home page: Two words, no hyphen. Used to express the front (or default) page of a website or computer application.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 47 of 108
hyphen: Hyphens (-) are a type of dash, and not to be confused with the em dash or en dash.
Hyphens can be used to indicate items in a list, such as:
Georgina listed several reasons she didn’t show up to class:
-She slept in. -Her car broke down. -She didn’t do the homework.
Hyphens are also used to indicate the
subtraction sign in math equations (4 - 3 = 1), as joiners to avoid ambiguity, or to form a single idea from two or more words, (such as in compound modifiers).
Use of the hyphen in compound phrases
(such as know-it-all) is far from standardized and is optional in most cases, making it more a matter of taste and style. That being said, be conservative with their use; use hyphens only when it won’t cause confusion.
Some guidelines for use:
Avoid ambiguity by using a hyphen whenever confusion would be caused without it. - Saying the mayor will meet with
small aircraft operators is unclear; are the aircraft operators small in stature, or are they simply operators of small aircraft? Instead, use a hyphen to enhance clarity, by writing the phrase the mayor will meet with small-aircraft operators.
- The same clarity guidelines are
applied to she recovered from her heart attack and she re-covered the roof. Re-covered (with a hyphen) adds much-needed clarity of meaning to the second phrase.
Use hyphens with compound modifiers (two words that express a single concept) that precede a noun, except in the case of adverbs very and those that end in –ly. - A greenish-blue shirt, a know-it-all
attitude, an easily crafted email, a full-time employee — all these examples display the correct use of the hyphen — or lack of hyphen — with compound modifiers.
- These same examples would not take on a hyphen when used after a noun (the shirt was a bluish green; she works full time).
Compound modifiers taking place after a noun take on a hyphen when used after the verb to be and all its variants. - The woman is well-liked; the wines
are second-rate
Use hyphens when designating a dual heritage, such as Asian-American, except in the case of French Canadian or Latin American.
Use hyphens to avoid confusion when using duplicate vowels or triple consonants, such as anti-intellectual, shell-like.
When spelling out fractions (two-thirds), ratios (it was a 2-to-1 ratio) and scores (the Giants won 4-3), a hyphen should be used.
Hyphens should be used with all hyphenated names, such as Jean-Paul Sartre or Amy Moore-Bacon. See also hyphenated names.
hyphenated names: When a client uses a
hyphenated name (such as Amy Moore-
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 49 of 108
indentations: As is traditional in business English, does not use indentations to
mark new paragraphs. There should be one hard return between paragraphs in
documents, rather than a soft return (otherwise known as a line break).
A hard return adds spacing between paragraphs in Word, helping to visually create a separation of thought. A soft return (created by pressing the shift and enter keys together) does not add spacing between paragraphs.
Correct: Today is the first day of spring.
All the trees are blossoming, and there’s a light breeze in the air. The problem is I have a horrible pollen allergy. I can’t wait until winter. I tried moving somewhere where there were no trees or flowers or nature. I thought I’d found the perfect spot, right next to an old tire factory. But then my new neighbors petitioned the mayor for trees on every city block in the neighborhood. The day that measure passed was the worst day of my life.
Incorrect: Today is the first day of
spring. All the trees are blossoming, and there’s a light breeze in the air. The problem is I have a horrible pollen allergy. I can’t wait until winter. I tried moving somewhere where there were no trees or flowers or nature. I thought I’d found the perfect spot, right next to an old tire factory. But then
my new neighbors petitioned the mayor for trees on every city block in the neighborhood. The day that measure passed was the worst day of my life.
indicative mood: The indicative mood is used to
make factual statements, ask questions, or express opinions and beliefs as if they were facts. Any verb tense can be deployed in the indicative mood.
The following examples are statements of fact employing the indicative mood:
Prosecutors have not said whether they will appeal the decision. Birkesntocks will be the new Birken bag.
I read a study today that will have a big effect on our industry.
infer: Not to be confused with imply. Infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else suggests, even though it was not explicitly stated.
As a general rule, a writer implies something in her or his writing, even though it wasn’t implicitly written, and the reader infers something through what they read, even though it wasn’t implicitly stated.
in-house: Two words, hyphenated.
insure: Use only as a reference to insurance, as in the policy insures his inflatable yacht.
intact: One word.
Internet: Spelled with a capital I.
in-text: Hyphenated, as in be sure to use in-text citations.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 50 of 108
into/in to: Into as one word is a preposition.
Example: He threw the keys into the jar.
Explanation: Here, both in and to relate to a position (the jar). Since both in and to work together to give a position, motion, or direction, we can combine them to form the preposition into.
In and to stay separate when one or both of them are part of a verb.
Example: Jack walked in to say hello to an old friend.
Explanation: The to is part of the infinitive verb to say, so in and to stay separate, and do not form one word.
irony: Irony has several different meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected.
Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but means another, often said in a sarcastic tone. An example of this would be someone spilling coffee on their brand-new white shirt on their way to an interview and exclaiming, Excellent! This day couldn’t start off any better!
Dramatic irony is when a spectator is given an item of information that at least one of the characters in a movie, play, story, etc., is unaware of. This information places the spectator ahead of the character. An example of this is found in The Truman Show, where the viewer is aware that Truman is in a television show, but Truman has no idea.
Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. An example of this can be found in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In this story, Dorothy travels
to see a wizard and fulfills his challenging demands in order to return home, only to discover that she had the ability to return home on her own all along.
Cosmic irony is also known as the irony of fate, and is closely tied with situational irony. It arises from sharp contrasts between reality and human ideals, or between intentions and results.
An example of cosmic irony can be found by looking at the mongoose infestation in Hawaii. Mongooses were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands from Jamaica to eradicate the rat problem in Hawaii. Not only did the mongoose not do anything to help control the rat problem (the mongoose hunts during the day, while rats are nocturnal), but the mongoose went on to destroy the native bird population in Hawaii instead, which in turn has allowed an increasing insect population to decimate Hawaiian crops, since there are fewer birds hunting the insects.
It is important to note that while cosmic irony can be seen as coincidence or bad luck, not all coincidences are cosmic irony. Cosmic irony deals only with coincidences where the action or event is assumed to have a positive outcome, but the results have detrimental consequences.
italics: Italics should be used to note names of books, magazines, films, plays, and other major publications.
Italics are also used to set apart words written in a foreign language, and for words you wish to give emphasis to.
its, it’s: Its is a possessive pronoun and does not take an apostrophe.
Correct: The department always meets its deadlines.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 51 of 108
Incorrect: The department always meets it’s deadlines.
It’s is a contraction of it is, and takes an apostrophe.
Correct: She told me it’s raining outside.
Incorrect: She told me its raining outside.
J
JD: Juris doctor. Latin for doctor of law. Use without periods. Plural: JDs.
Correct: Barbara Walters introduced
President Frank Underwood to the audience. Afterward, the president gave a speech about education. The vice president announced that she wasn’t going to run for president in the election. The queen hosted a dinner featuring a toast given by US President Frank Underwood. She met astronaut Mike Dexter at a German cheese tasting.
Attorney General Eric Holder will be visiting San Francisco today.
Incorrect: The President gave a speech about education.
She traveled to Rome so she could meet the Pope.
Past and future titles are capitalized if used
before a person’s name:
Correct: The bookstore held a signing for former President Jimmy Carter.
A party was held for acting Mayor Bill Murray.
judge: Capitalize before a name when used as a formal title. Lowercase in all other references.
Correct: I would like to introduce you to Judge Judith Sheindlin.
Judith Sheindlin is a retired Manhattan family court judge.
K
keystroke guideline: This refers to the rule that the fewer keystrokes it takes to form a word, the better.
This means use of lowercase letters in words such as brussels sprouts, french fries, the president, chairman.
Use of lowercase letters means fewer keys (such as the shift key) need to be pressed on a keyboard while typing, leading to a faster document production time.
This guideline also applies to the lack of punctuation in acronyms such as LLP, PC, and IPO, and in other words where superfluous punctuation can be reduced without causing confusion.
kilowatt: Written as kW. Note the lowercase k followed by the uppercase w. See watt.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 52 of 108
L
latitude: Distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees up to 90. Do not use the degree symbol (°) for latitude and longitude. Instead, use the form of 45 degrees north latitude, 22 degrees west longitude, with degree written out.
lawsuit: One word.
lawyer: In common usage, lawyer and attorney are interchangeable. Technically, however, an attorney (who is usually, but not always, a lawyer) is someone empowered to act for another. Such a person is sometimes called an attorney in fact.
A lawyer is a person who is admitted to practice in a court system, and the general terms for any member of the bar. Such a person is sometimes referred to as an attorney at law.
Power of attorney is a written statement legally authorizing a person to act for another.
lay, lie: Lay takes a direct object, as in lay your gloves on the table, where gloves is the direct object. The tenses are lay (present tense), laid (past tense), and laid (past participle).
Lie means to recline, and never takes a direct object, as in lie down on the couch for a nap, as opposed to lay your body down on the couch for a nap.
The tenses are lie, lay (as in she lay down and napped for an hour), and lain (She loves naps, but hasn’t lain down all day).
lay off/layoff: Lay off is a verb, as in the company will lay off 1,000 employees in the next two years.
Layoff is a noun, as in the layoff was the result of a dismal sales quarter.
Both terms apply to the removal of employees solely to reduce a workforce or cut costs. Does not apply to employees let go because of poor job performance.
LCD: Liquid-crystal display. Always use the acronym on first reference, as in LCD TV.
lecture: When referencing a titled lecture, the formal title should use title case capitalization and be put in quotation marks.
Correct: I went to see a TED talk called “Ducks Go Quack, Cows Go Moo.”
lead, led: Lead is the present tense. Led is the past tense.
Correct: I should lead the discussion with a poll.
She led the discussion with a poll.
lead-up: Two words, hyphenated.
left-click: Two words, hyphenated.
left-handed: Two words, hyphenated.
lend, loan: Loan is a noun. Lend is a verb.
Correct: I am currently in the process of applying for a loan.
The bank will lend me money if I can find a co-signer.
less: Use less when referring to a whole, or to non-countable items. Not to be confused with fewer.
Correct: You have less money than me.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 53 of 108
You have less hope than I do.
life and death: Not life or death.
like: When using as an approval rating on a social networking site, write in quotation marks, such as Be sure to “like” us on Facebook!
LinkedIn: One word. Capitalize both L and I.
LLM: Master of laws. Written without periods. Plural: LLMs.
LLP: Limited liability partnership. LLP is acceptable on first reference. Designation for for-profit enterprises in corporate law to note a partnership in which some or all partners have limited liabilities. This means that one partner will not be held responsible for another partner’s negligence. An LLP contains a different level of tax liability than a corporation.
When used with a company name, offset with a comma, but do not use with periods, such as Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
The exception to this standard is if the official usage on the company’s website uses different formatting rules. For example, write Morrison & Foerster LLP without any comma offset before LLP, as that is the firm’s official usage on its website.
loan/lend: Loan is a noun. Lend is a verb.
Correct: I’m currently in the process of applying for a loan.
The bank will lend me money if I can find a financial backer.
local of a union: Use a figure and capitalize when giving the name of a union. Lowercase when it stands alone.
Correct: San Francisco’s Local 25 is holding a meeting Tuesday.
login/log in: One word when used as a noun. Two words when used as a verb.
Correct: I need to reset my login.
I will log in as soon as I get it reset.
logon/log on: One word when used as a noun. Two words when used as a verb.
Correct: I need to reset my logon.
I will log on as soon as I get it reset.
logoff/log off: One word when used as a noun. Two words when used as a verb.
Correct: Can you please confirm the logoff process?
I will log off from the network as soon as I get back to the office.
long distance/long-distance: Two words and no hyphen when used as a noun. Use a hyphen when written as an adjective.
Correct: It is a long distance between BART stops.
We had a long-distance calling card before Skype became popular.
longitude: Distance east or west of the equator measured in degrees up to 90. Do not use the degree symbol (°) for latitude and longitude. Instead, use the form of 45 degrees north latitude, 22 degrees west longitude, with degree written out.
lowercase: One word.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 54 of 108
low-tech: Two words, hyphenated.
Lunar New Year: Capitalize all three words.
M
magazine/newspaper/publication/periodical names: Capitalize the names of publications, following their style. Publication and periodical names should be written in italics. Article titles should be written in quotes. Lowercase magazine unless it’s part of the publication’s official title. Only capitalize the if it’s an official part of the publication’s title.
Correct: the Financial Times The Huffington Post The New York Times The Daily Beast Harper’s magazine Newsweek magazine the San Francisco Chronicle
male: Use male as an adjective, not man, as in he is the first male IPS officer in India.
malware: Use the same word (malware) for both singular and plural. Used for software designed to interfere with a computer’s normal functioning.
man: Use male as an adjective, not man, as in he is the first male IPS officer in India.
many/much: Many modifies things that can be counted, namely plural nouns. Much modifies things that cannot be counted, namely singular nouns.
Correct: How many cats do you own? How many dollars are in your wallet? How many people are in the room?
Sending you many thanks! How much ice cream would you like? How much money did the ice cream cost?
MAOP: Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure. Refers to the wall strength of a pipeline or storage tank, and how much pressure the walls may safely hold in normal operation. MAOP is acceptable on second reference. Use without periods.
Martin Luther King Day: Acceptable way to write Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Note the use of capitalization. This day is a federal holiday observed by and falls on the third Monday of January.
mashup: Mashup is a combination of two or more pieces of content, such as photos, video, or music, used to create something new. Written as one word.
master of arts/master of science: Abbreviated MA, MS, MBA, MFA. A master's degree or a master's is acceptable in any reference (note lowercase and use of apostrophe). See academic degrees.
matter code: Matter codes should be written with their three-letter signifier, followed by the two or three-digit number classification, without a space or hyphen.
Correct: All my work this week should be charged to PGE143.
Incorrect: Do you have the PGE 143 expenses available?
matter-of-fact: Hyphenated.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 55 of 108
Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure: Refers to the wall strength of a pipeline or storage tank, and how much pressure the walls may safely hold in normal operation. MAOP is acceptable on second reference. Use without periods.
May Day, mayday: May Day (two words, uppercase) is a holiday celebrated on May 1.
Mayday (written as one word, lowercase) is an international distress signal, from the French m’aider, meaning help me.
MBA: Master of Business Administration. Acceptable as MBA on first reference. See also master of arts, master of science and academic degrees.
MC: Misspelled. Use emcee instead of MC for Master of Ceremonies.
Use Mc (note the lowercase c) for the Irish prefix in last names (such as McDonald).
m-commerce: Electronic commerce done on cellphones. Stands for mobile commerce.
measurements: Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc. Use apostrophes and quotes for measurements only in technical documents.
Correct: The van is 20 feet long and has 500 square feet of space.
Incorrect: He is 5’7” tall, yet still managed to get a spot on the varsity basketball team.
When you abbreviate units of measurement, use the same symbol for both the singular and plural forms.
Correct: 6 lb and 1 lb 3 m and 1 m
20 ft and 1 ft 23.5 cm and 1.0 cm
If you spell out the abbreviated word, retain the plural when the number is greater than one.
Correct: 1 kilometer and 15 kilometers 6.8 meters and 1 meter
Do not abbreviate units of measure unless they’re paired with a number.
Correct: The string is 3 in. The string is measured in inches.
media: Media is a collective noun, and takes on the singular.
Correct: The media is expected to make an appearance at the event.
Incorrect: The media are expected to make an appearance at the event.
Medicaid, Medicare: Both are capitalized. Medicaid refers to a federal-state program in the US that pays for health care for the needy, aged, blind, and disabled, in which the state determines eligibility for the program. Medicare is a federal program for people aged 65 and over, and for the disabled. Eligibility is determined on the federal level, and is based mainly on social security.
megabyte: Use MB (in uppercase) in all references for technical writings only. In all other text, spell out on first reference and use MB on second reference.
megahertz: Use MHz in all references in technical writings only. In all other text, spell out on
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 56 of 108
first reference and use MHz on second reference.
megawatt: See watt.
memo: Shortened memo is preferred over memorandum.
menswear: Preferred as one word, as opposed to men’s wear.
meridians: Meridians designate longitude, which is the distance east or west of Greenwich, England (such as Greenwich meridian).
metric measurements: Although metric is the standard outside the US, it is still necessary in all texts to give the US standard measurement equivalent in parentheses whenever a metric measurement is used.
mic: Acceptable abbreviation in all references for the word microphone. Use mic, not mike.
micromanage: One word. No hyphen.
mid-: Most words that take on the mid- prefix use the hyphen.
Correct: We will have the budget ready by mid-month.
middle age/middle-aged: Do not capitalize. Middle age (two words, no hyphen) is used as a noun. Use a hyphen and a d in aged when used as an adjective, as in the middle-aged man decided to retire. Neither use is capitalized. The term refers to people between 40-65 years old.
middle initials: If part of a name, include them as relevant in the first reference, such as Warren G. Harding. If two people in an organization have the same name, use their middle initial to distinguish between them.
midnight: Write midnight or 12 AM, not 12 midnight.
military titles: Capitalized when used as a formal title before a person’s name. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the full name. In subsequent references, do not use the title before the name, use only the person’s last name.
Spell out and lowercase titles when they’re used in place of a person’s name.
Correct: Gen. John Jones is the top US commander in Afghanistan. The general will be retiring next year.
Incorrect: Gen. John Jones is the top US Commander in Afghanistan. The General will be retiring next year.
Plurals: Add s to the principal element in the title.
Correct: Majs. January Jones and Kelly Smith
Retired: Add retired before the title.
Correct: They invited retired Maj. Gen. January Jones.
Millennial Generation: Note the capitalization of this term. Acceptable to write Millennial as well (without Generation). Refers to those who entered the workforce as of the year 2000.
millennium: The plural is millennia, not
millenniums. minus sign: Use the minus sign (-) to designate
negative numbers and in mathematical equations. There shouldn’t be a space between the minus sign to signify a negative number ( -2 ), but there should be a single space between mathematical
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 57 of 108
functions in an equation. Correct: -2 + 3 = 1 15 / -3 = -5
mips: Millions of instructions per second; mips is
acceptable on second reference mis-: See prefixes. mobile: Acceptable alternative to cellphone. modifier: A word or phrase used to describe a
noun, pronoun, or verb.
Modifiers function as adjectives or verbs, and make a meaning more exact, as in a part-time employee, or a million-dollar deal. For more information, see also compound modifiers and Appendix 5.
mom: Lowercase unless used as a proper noun.
Correct: I have to call my mom and let her know I’ll be late. I love you, Mom!
money: Does not take an s in the plural form.
Take care not to duplicate the currency term when using symbols.
Correct: $500 I have a lot of money to
deposit. Incorrect: $500 dollars
I have a lot of moneys to deposit.
month: Write out months in sentences, but use
abbreviations in tables and technical documents. Periods are used after the abbreviations. Name of months and their abbreviations should always be capitalized.
Month Abbreviation
January Jan.
February Feb.
March Mar.
April Apr.
May May.
June Jun.
July Jul.
August Aug.
September Sep.
October Oct.
November Nov.
December Dec.
If the month, date, and year are all used in the same line, then separate the year with a comma. If day of the week, month, date, and year are being used, then use a comma between the day of the week and the date.
Correct: She was born on November 23, 2005.
She was born in November 2015. She was born in November. She came into the office on
Friday, April 15, 2016.
See also date.
monthlong: One word. Moody’s: A credit rating agency based out of New
York. Note the apostrophe in the name. movie titles: Capitalize all principal words
(including conjunctions and prepositions) of more than four letters in a movie title.
Capitalize articles (a, an, the) if it is the first
or last word in a title. Italicize all major publication titles except
the Bible and books that are reference material (almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.)
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 58 of 108
Translate all titles into English unless the
work is well known by its foreign name. Correct: Shawshank Redemption
Dude, Where’s My Car? Life is Beautiful
Les Miserables much/many: Use much with items in bulk, or that
which can’t be counted. Use many with countable items.
Correct: How many pens do you need?
How many days do you need?
How much time do you need? multimedia: One word. multiparty: One word. Murphy’s law: Notice the use of an apostrophe
and the lowercase L. Murphy’s law states that if something can go wrong, it will.
music: Use quotes, not italics, for official titles in
English of songs, such as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Use quotes and italics for titles of songs in foreign languages, using the capitalization style suggested by the language (Latin-based languages do not capitalize all words in titles), such as “Ca plane pour moi” where the French words are not capitalized, since French speakers write their titles in lowercase (capitalizing only proper nouns).
N
names: In general, use first and last names on first reference. Use only last names on second and all subsequent references, unless an individual requests otherwise for a legitimate reason.
For the esquire title used by lawyers, write Humphrey Bogart, Esq. (note the comma before and period after Esq).
Abbreviate and capitalize junior and senior after a person’s name, such as Ronald McDonald, Jr. (note the comma before and period after Jr).
Correct: Aloisus Snuffleupagus, Esq., is a litigation attorney for Smart & Biggar, LLP. Snuffleupagus is currently representing Count von Count, Jr. on insider trading charges. If convicted, von Count could be sentenced to $5 million in fines and up to 20 years in prison.
See also hyphenated names.
nation/national: Lowercase both words unless part of a formal name, such as The National Security Council.
national anthem: Put a specific national anthem in quotation marks, such as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
National Institutes of Health. Spell out on first reference. NIH is acceptable on second reference.
nationality: Capitalize proper nationalities, such as Scottish, Syrian, Nigerian, Ecuadorian. Lowercase racial descriptions, such as black or white. Capitalize African-American, Asian-American, etc.
nationwide: Lowercase. One word.
nauseous/nauseated: Nauseous means causing nausea. Nauseated means experiencing nausea. Both words are often misused.
Correct: I feel nauseated.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 60 of 108
non-: Most words that start with the non- prefix do not take a hyphen, except when it precedes a word with a capital letter, such as non-American, or another word that starts with an n, such as non-negotiable. An exception to this rule is nonprofit.
none: Takes a singular or a plural, depending on its use. Should most often take a plural form since it sounds the most natural to native speakers, unless you want to emphasize the idea of no one or not one.
nonprofit: One word. Preferred over not-for-profit.
noon: Write noon or 12 PM, not 12 noon.
noteworthy: One word.
notwithstanding: One word.
noun-pronoun consistency: Determine whether the noun being used is singular or plural, and select the pronoun form to match.
Correct: XYZ Corporation is a great client. has been working with it
for years.
Incorrect: XYZ Corporation is a great client. has been working with them for years.
Explanation: XYZ Corporation is the noun in this case, and is a singular entity (one single company, not multiple companies), therefore taking on the singular pronoun of it.
NRN: Acronym for No Reply Necessary. Used at the end of an email subject line (in parenthesis) to indicate that no response is needed/expected to an email.
Example: Subject: Website has launched today! (NRN)
numbers: Number takes a singular verb when it stands alone. Takes a plural verb when used in a number of.
Spell out all numbers that begin a sentence, unless this number is a year or an amount of currency, preceded by a currency symbol.
Spell out numbers under 10, unless in reference to someone or something’s age (the wine was 2 years old), year (the tribe lived in the Sahara in 2 AD), fraction or percentage (there was a 5 percent population increase), or time (the train leaves at 4:05 PM).
Correct: It took him three hours to run the Boston Marathon.
It took 12 weeks to put the presentation together.
When they are required to be written out, hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine. When writing out numbers, there is no need to follow the number with its figure in parenthesis. While this is sometimes done in formal legal or technical writing, it is considered redundant in business writing.
Correct: I have five notebooks.
Incorrect: I have five (5) notebooks.
prefers writing fractions as
percentages. One-third or 1/3 becomes 0.33. The exception to this rule is with court cases or congressional decisions, where the fraction is written out with a hyphen (such as two-thirds majority).
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 61 of 108
Values of less than 1.00 take a zero before the decimal point, unless discussing baseball statistics (her batting average was .367), firearm calibers (he owned a .22-caliber single-shot rifle), and in probabilities (p <.07). Avoid using the percent (%) symbol except in charts, graphs and illustrations. Always spell out percent in text, such as 55 percent, not 55%.
All figures of four or more digits take a comma each three places to the left, such as $1,457,586.
Use an apostrophe before an incomplete number. Do not put an apostrophe between the number and s.
Correct: The ‘20s was a time of great excess in the US.
When spelling out decades, do not capitalize them (the twenties was a time of great excess in the US).
Correct: The twenties was a time of great excess in the US.
number/amount: Use number for things that can be counted. Use amount for things that cannot be counted.
Correct: She has a number of reports she has to complete. The amount of time spent on the reports will vary.
numbers, ordinal: Ordinal numbers are those used to indicate order (second, third…20th, 21st, etc.)
Spell out first through ninth. Use figures starting with 10th. Do not use superscript; keep all text of an ordinal number in the
same font size, so as not to disturb the transferring of these numbers between operating systems.
Dates should always use figures, such as December 5, not December fifth. Additionally, it is standard business practice not to use ordinals (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) when writing out dates.
Correct: December 5, 2016 Incorrect: December 5th, 2016
numbers, telephone: Telephone number should
be separated by dashes. Offset a phone number with a comma and ext. to designate an extension.
Correct: 415-986-8850, ext. 200
O
ocean: Lowercase when it stands alone, capitalize when part of the name of the five oceans: Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Antarctic Ocean, Arctic Ocean.
When more than one ocean is mentioned, use the word ocean only once, such as the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
o’clock: Use AM or PM instead. See time.
OCR: Stands for Optical Character Recognition. Write out on first reference. OCR is acceptable on second reference.
OCR is a technology that allows the user to convert different type of documents —such as handwritten papers, digital photographs, and scanned PDFs — into editable and searchable data.
off of: The of is unnecessary. She fell off the couch, instead of she fell off of the couch. See prepositions.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 62 of 108
offboard/onboard: One word. No hyphen.
offset: One word.
offshore: One word.
offsite/onsite: One word. No hyphen.
off-the-record: Hyphenated.
OK: Use OK (with capital letters) instead of okay. OK’d, OK’ing, OKs are all correct tense forms of the word.
one another: Two words. Refers to more than two people or objects, as in Louisa, Adam, and Miriam will help one another.
ongoing: One word.
online/offline: One word. No hyphen.
onsite/offsite: One word. No hyphen. on-time/on time: Spelled with a hyphen when
using as a phrasal adjective (our goal is on-time delivery).
Spelled as two words without a hyphen when used as a adverb (your flight will arrive on time).
onto/on to: As a preposition, onto is written as one word (She threw her coat onto the floor).
There is a distinction between the preposition onto and the use of on followed by the preposition to (as in onward or toward).
Correct: Let’s move on to the next restaurant.
Those who qualify can go on to college.
I want to get on to the computer.
Explanation: Let’s move on to the next restaurant clearly states you want to move toward the next restaurant. Let’s move onto the next restaurant could be construed as you want to place yourselves on top of the next restaurant.
For help in distinguishing adverbs from prepositions, see Appendix 5.
op-ed: Preferred use of the term that refers to opinion pieces written for various publications. Stands for opinion editorial.
Optical Character Recognition: Spell out on first
reference. Use OCR on second reference.
OCR allows for the recognition of printed or written text on a photo-scanned image or document, turning the text into editable character codes.
oral: Use oral for spoken words when not making
a comparison.
Correct: He gave an oral argument.
Use verbal to compare words with some other form of communication:
Correct: His smile represented the
happiness that his verbal skills hadn’t yet developed to express.
Use written for words committed on paper.
Correct: He had a written agreement to
visit his grandmother every Wednesday.
ordinal numbers: See numbers, ordinal.
outbound: One word.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 64 of 108
Always spell out percent in text, such as 55 percent, not 55%.
period: In formal documents, it’s preferable to use periods rather than exclamation points for declarative sentences.
Periods are also used:
To end indirect questions (He asked what the big deal was.)
To end most abbreviations (Inc. instead of Incorporated)
After initials (John F. Kennedy, T.S. Eliot)
To create ellipses (…)
To create enumerations (1. Buy groceries. 2. Take the dog for a walk.)
Periods always go inside quotation marks.
Correct: Sam said, “My name is Sam, and I like green eggs and ham.”
Use a single space after a period, and use a single period when an abbreviation ends a sentence (They work for Consulting Group, Inc. not They work for Consulting Group, Inc..)
Use a single period inside a parenthesis, but not following a parenthesis, if the information inside the parenthesis is a full sentence that ends with a period.
photocopy: Use instead of Xerox, which is a trademarked term.
phrasal adjective: Also known as compound
modifiers, phrasal adjectives are two or
more words expressing a single concept and
act like an adjective. These words are
normally connected by hyphens, except in
the case of adverbs very and those that end
in –ly.
Examples: A greenish-blue shirt.
A know-it-all attitude.
An easily crafted email.
A full-time employee.
Explanation: All these examples display
the correct use of the hyphen —
or lack of hyphen — with phrasal
adjectives.
These same examples would not
take on a hyphen when used
after a noun:
The shirt was a bluish green.
She works full time.
Phrasal adjectives taking place after a noun
take on a hyphen only when used after the
verb to be and all its variants:
The woman is well-liked.
The wines are second-rate.
prefixes: In general, do not hyphenate words when using a prefix with a word starting with a consonant. Commonly used prefixes include anti-, co-, ex-, hyper-, intra-, macro-, micro-, mis-, non-, post-, pre-, re-, sub-, etc.
Three rules are constant:
1.) Except for cooperate and coordinate, use a hyphen when two of the same letters follow one another, such as pre-established.
2.) Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 65 of 108
3.) Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes, such as sub-subparagraph.
president: See job titles.
preposition: A word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, space, time, or to introduce an object. Prepositions include of, to, in, among, behind, above, like, following, from, and for.
Contrary to popular grammar myth, it is perfectly acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition, as long as it follows natural speech patterns. If it sounds awkward, then rewrite the sentence. Writing, even in business, should sound natural.
Correct: What did you step on?
Incorrect: On what did you step?
Don’t end a sentence with a preposition if you’re able to leave the preposition off the end of the sentence without changing the meaning:
Correct: Where are you?
Incorrect: Where are you at?
Unnecessary, extraneous prepositions in any part of a sentence should always be left off to make writing more concise.
Correct: He is just outside the door.
Incorrect: He is just outside of the door.
Explanation: The meaning in both sentences is the same. It’s standard business writing practice to use the shorter sentence to avoid tiring the reader with unnecessary words.
pressure-drop: Spelled with a hyphen.
proofread: One word.
PM: Latin abbreviation for post meridiem. Use uppercase and no punctuation, with a single space between the numerals and letters.
Correct: We have a meeting at 4 PM today.
PMP: Project Management Professional; a registered trademark certification given by the Project Management Institute. PMP is acceptable on second reference.
policymaker, policymaking: One word.
possessive: To form the possessive of plural nouns not ending in s, add an ‘s to the end of the word, as in women’s rights. A plural possessive or a singular possessive for a word that already ends in an s is formed by adding just an apostrophe, so as not to repeat the s, as in the business’ operations, and the United States’ election season. Joint possession is indicated by placing an ‘s at the end of the sequence, such as Smith and Gallagher’s offices, instead of Smith’s and Gallagher’s offices. For compound words, add an ‘s to the word closest to the possessed object, as in the attorney general’s remarks, and the mayor elect’s new residence. A double possessive only takes on an apostrophe when in reference to an animate object, otherwise the possessive form is not used.
Correct: A friend of John’s is going to that college.
He is a friend of the college.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 66 of 108
Incorrect: He is a friend of the college’s.
Explanation: Since college is an inanimate
object, the possessive form is not used.
Aside from double possessives, there is no rule against forming possessives out of inanimate objects. However, this tends to humanize inanimate objects, so is best avoided in business texts when possible. Say the effects of the report, instead of the report’s effects, for example. Personal interrogative and relative pronouns have irregular forms of the possessive: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, theirs, whose. None of these takes on an apostrophe. See also apostrophe.
profanities: Do not use profanity in any documents, unless part of a direct quote required to be included for project work.
You can “bleep-out” curse words by using em dashes or hyphens in place of letters, such as he said f—— several times during his deposition.
Acronyms referring to common profane phrases are not to be used in official
correspondence either. This includes acronyms such as WTF and STFU.
pronouns: A pronoun is a word (such as I, he, she, you, it, we, or they) that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase to avoid repetition.
All pronouns must clearly refer to definite referents (nouns). Use it, they, this, that, these, those, and which to prevent confusion.
Correct: I like your shirt. It is a beautiful color.
We have a new team member. Her name is Imani.
Incorrect: I like your shirt. Your shirt is a beautiful color.
We have a new team member. The new team member’s name is Imani.
Sometimes use of a pronoun will cause confusion because of the use of multiple nouns or noun phrases to which the pronoun could be referring. In this case, restructure the sentence for clarity, rendering the pronoun unnecessary.
Correct: Because of his interest in economic development, Senator Martin sometimes neglects the environment.
Incorrect: Because Senator Martin is less interested in the environment than in economic development, he sometimes neglects it.
See also Appendix 5.
pronoun-noun consistency: Determine whether the noun being used is singular or plural, and select the pronoun form to match.
does not use their to refer to singular unknown entities. A corporation, publication, and other singular objects should be referred to as it, and not as they. Unknown entities take their in the plural.
Correct: SMH Corporation is a great client. has been working with it
for years.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 67 of 108
Incorrect: SMH Corporation is a great client. has been working with them for years.
Explanation: SMH Corporation is the noun in this case, and is a singular entity (one single corporation, not multiple corporations), therefore taking on the singular pronoun of it.
Also with regards to using his or her, does not use their to refer to
singular unknown people in a group. Use the singular her or his (and therefore more grammatically correct) pronoun.
Correct: Everybody must bring his or her own lunch.
Incorrect: Everybody must bring their own lunch.
Q
quotation marks: The period (.) and comma (,) always go within quotation marks (“ “).
The dash (-), semicolon (;), question mark (?), and exclamation point (!) go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.
Correct: What do you think she meant by “I’d rather move to Guam”?
Incorrect: What do you think she meant by “I’d rather move to Guam?”
Correct: “How are you?” she asked.
Incorrect: “How are you,” she asked?
Periods and commas in relation to opening quotes: Quoted material needs a comma preceding it only when introducing a narrative or direct quotes, but should not
be used when introducing indirect quotes, partial quotes, or other text inside quotation marks.
Words following an open quote comma should be capitalized, but aren’t necessarily capitalized if not preceded by a comma.
Correct: When asked about her yak racing championship, she got teary-eyed and said, “That quarter-mile race was the most important quarter mile of my life.”
Incorrect: When asked about her yak racing championship, she got teary-eyed and said “that quarter-mile race was the most important quarter mile of my life.”
Correct: He said the victory put him “on the map in the chess boxing world.”
Incorrect: He said the victory put him, “on the map in the chess boxing world.”
Correct: There are those who say “sure thing” but aren’t actually listening.
Incorrect: There are those who say, “sure thing,” but aren’t actually listening.
Periods and commas in relation to closing quotes: Periods and commas precede closing quotation marks, whether in double or single quotes.
Correct: “That’s a beautiful cape,” she said.
Incorrect: “That’s a beautiful cape”, she said.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 68 of 108
Quotes inside of quotation marks take on a single apostrophe:
Correct: “What did you mean when you said ‘I’d rather move to Guam’”?
R
ramp-up: Spell with a hyphen. Used to indicate an increase or series of things that lead up to the main event.
R&D: Spell out research and development on first reference; use R&D on second reference.
read through/read-through: Spelled with a hyphen when used as a noun, otherwise spelled as two words without a hyphen.
really: Avoid the word really in business writing. It does not add value to a statement, is superfluous, and comes across as unpolished and redundant. The same holds true for very.
record: In setting a record, do not write new, as this would be redundant. Write the sales department set a record this month, rather than the sales department set a new record this month.
record keeping: Two words. No hyphen.
records and information management: Spell out on first reference. Use RIM on second reference. The term refers to the managing of records — both electronic and hard copy — throughout their life cycle, including identifying pertinent records, and then analyzing, securing, tracking, retrieving, and permanently storing or destroying.
redundancy: Avoid unnecessary repetition at all costs in business writing.
Correct: $500 million ATM
PIN necessary rarely consensus in proximity
Incorrect: $500 million dollars ATM machine PIN number absolutely necessary rarely ever consensus of opinion group consensus in close proximity
See also Appendix 7.
RFI: Request for information. RFI is acceptable on second reference.
RFP: Request for proposal. RFP is acceptable on second reference.
RFQ: Request for quotation. RFQ is acceptable on second reference.
RIM: See records and information management.
Rule 26(f): Refers to the motion to compel rule pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 (FRCP 37).
This motion deals with discovery disputes, when one party believes the opposing counsel or third party’s discovery response to be inadequate. When such a dispute occurs, Rule 26(f) asks the court to require the offending party to produce the requested documentation, or to issue a sanction for failure to comply.
S
sans-serif: A typography that does not use serifs — AKA small lines — at the ends of characters.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 69 of 108
Examples: Calibri
Century Gothic Arial
seasons: Not capitalized. Write spring, summer, fall, winter.
Autumn is British English, and should be avoided in official texts to avoid confusion for readers not familiar with the term.
semicolon: A semicolon (;) is used to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma conveys, but less separation than a period implies. It connects two independent clauses.
Statements with a semicolon are meant to be read with less of a pause than two clauses connected by a period, where both clauses either share or contrast the same line of thought. Semicolons are best used only in formal and technical documents. Leave them out of less formal texts to avoid confusion. Letters following a semicolon should be lowercase, unless forming a list.
Basic Guidelines for Use:
Consider the following sentences:
My uncle has a toy poodle named Curly. He likes taking Curly to the dog park.
Both of the sentences above easily stand alone as independent thoughts without being attached to each other. Since they can stand alone, it is acceptable to connect them with a semicolon, to create less of a separation of thought:
My uncle has a toy poodle named Curly; he likes taking him to the dog park.
Semicolons are never used with conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, so, and yet):
Correct: My uncle has a toy poodle named Curly, and he likes to chase cats.
My uncle has a toy poodle named Curly; he likes to chase cats.
Incorrect: My uncle has a toy poodle named Curly; and he likes to chase cats.
Semicolons are also used to separate items in a list that already incorporates commas:
Correct: My itinerary for vacation is as follows: two days in Tokyo, Japan; three days in Cambodia; and four days in Shanghai, China.
Incorrect: My itinerary for vacation is as follows: two days in Tokyo, Japan, three days in Cambodia, and four days in Shanghai, China.
semiweekly: One word. Semi means half, therefore semiweekly means half weekly (meaning every half week), more correctly said as twice a week. Not to be confused with biweekly.
serial commas: uses serial commas (aka Oxford commas or Harvard commas) in its publications. See comma.
serif: A typography which uses a serif (from the Dutch word line) to the end of a stroke in a letter or symbol.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 71 of 108
Correct: -2 + 3 = 1 15 / -3 = -5
In sentences, there is no spacing between slashes and the letters that come before or after the slash.
Correct: either/or
Incorrect: either / or
speech: When referencing a titled speech, the formal title should use title case capitalization and be put in quotation marks.
Correct: I went to hear our university president give a speech called “Ducks Go Quack, Cows Go Moo.”
spelling: uses Standard American English spellings in all instances. We therefore use the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as the authority for most spellings in our publications, with minor exceptions.
See also Commonly Misspelled Industry Terms and Appendix 3.
split infinitives: Infinitives are two-word forms of
verbs, such as to read, where both to and read combine to create the infinitive form of the verb.
A split infinitive occurs when a word,
(typically an adverb), separates to and the verb.
Examples: To boldly go
To better understand To scientifically illustrate
In 1864, Henry Alford’s The Queen’s English
erroneously published that the practice of splitting infinitives in proper English was so
rare that there was never a good reason to do so.
To the contrary, linguists have found
several examples proving that even in the 1860s, splitting infinitives was quite common, even in aristocratic British circles.
In fact, there are some instances where
splitting an infinitive is the most grammatically correct and concise way to convey meaning. For example, consider the phrase she expects her salary to more than triple in the next 20 years. The infinitive to triple is split by more than. Placing more than anywhere else in the sentence would require a major rewrite in order to convey the same meaning.
Despite the pop-culture notion that the
practice is grammatically incorrect, using split infinitives is a perfectly acceptable — if not sometimes mandatory — practice in good writing and natural speaking.
stand-alone: Hyphenated. standby/stand by: Standby (written as one word),
can be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. It is used to mean someone who or something that is dependable and ready in an emergency, or someone who is waiting to board an airplane (as in on standby).
When written as two words, stand by is a
verb meaning ready and waiting. startup/start up: Spelled as one word, the term
refers to a new business. This spelling is an exception to the spelling suggested in the Merriam Webster Dictionary.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 72 of 108
As two words, refers to the verb, such as start up the car.
state-of-the-art/state of the art: Written using
hyphens as a phrasal adjective before a noun. Written without hyphens as a noun phrase. Refers to the highest level of development in the field. Due to the term’s overuse, it is best avoided.
Correct: The briefcase is state of the art. It is a state-of-the-art briefcase. Preferred: The briefcase uses smart
technology, thermal file protection sensors, and recycled Italian leather recovered from 16th-century shipwrecks.
Explanation: The first two examples show
the correct usage of the terms as a noun phrase and phrasal adjective. However, these sentences don’t actually convey what is state-of-the-art about the briefcase, and loses the reader’s interest quickly. The final sentence explains the special perks of the suitcase, pulling the reader in and making them want to know more.
states: The United States Postal Service (USPS)
prefers the two-letter postal abbreviations when ZIP codes are included. Both letters are capitalized, no periods are used. Use USPS abbreviations only with full street addresses.
In text, do not use USPS abbreviations. Instead, use the standard abbreviation (given in the following table) in conjunction with a city or town. Spell out the full state name if no city or town is included.
State Standard USPS
Alabama Ala. AL
State Standard USPS
Alaska Alaska AK
Arizona Ariz. AZ
Arkansas Ark. AR
California Calif. CA
Colorado Colo. CO
Connecticut Conn. CT
Delaware Del. DE
Florida Fla. FL
Georgia Ga. GA
Hawaii Hawaii HI
Indiana Ind. IN
Idaho Idaho ID
Iowa Iowa IA
Illinois Ill. IL
Kansas Kans. KS
Kentucky Ky. KY
Louisiana La. LA
Maine Maine ME
Maryland Md. MD
Massachusetts Mass. MA
Michigan Mich. MI
Minnesota Minn. MN
Mississippi Miss. MS
Missouri Mo. MO
Montana Mont. MT
Nebraska Nebr. NE
Nevada Nev. NV
New Hampshire N.H. NH
New Jersey N.J. NJ
New Mexico N. Mex. NM
New York N.Y. NY
North Carolina N.C. NC
North Dakota N. Dak. ND
Ohio Ohio OH
Oklahoma Okla. OK
Oregon Oreg. OR
Pennsylvania Pa. PA
Rhode Island R.I. RI
South Carolina S.C. SC
South Dakota S. Dak. SD
Tennessee Tenn. TN
Texas Texas TX
Utah Utah UT
Vermont Vt. VT
Virginia Va. VA
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 73 of 108
State Standard USPS
Washington Wash. WA
West Virginia W. Va. WV
Wisconsin Wis. WI
Wyoming Wyo. WY
subjunctive mood: The subjunctive mood (e.g.,
were, would) of verbs expresses doubt, wishes, regret, and non-factual conditions. Use the subjunctive mood if there’s little chance that the statement will actually come true. Sentences that express a contingency or hypothesis can use either the subjunctive or the indicative mood, depending on the context. See indicative mood.
Example of Subjunctive: If I were a rich
man, I would quit my job and move to Zihuatanejo.
I wish I were in Italy with you. She expressed a wish that he be
there at 6 AM. I suggest you implement the
changes as soon as possible. It’s essential they submit the
paperwork before going on the tour.
Example of Indicative: If the bill passes, it will ease the burden of countless homeless people on the streets of Zihuatenejo.
superlatives: Adverbs have two different forms to
show comparison of two things: comparatives and superlatives.
Superlatives end in -est, or take an irregular form (such as best, worst, least, most). The superlative uses -est or most, but not both.
Correct: The most fun I’ve ever had was going to that concert. That was the saddest movie I’ve ever seen.
Incorrect: That was the most saddest movie I’ve ever seen.
See also adverbs in Appendix 5, or see comparatives.
supreme court: Capitalized with the state name (such as the California Supreme Court) and without the state name when referring to a specific supreme court, or when the state name is unnecessary (such as the state Supreme Court). Always capitalized when referring the US Supreme Court.
Lowercase when used as a general reference.
T
take: Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view.
Somebody brings something to you, but you
take it somewhere else. As a rule, remember that if the movement
is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.
Correct: Bring me the coffee, then take
your shoes to your room. TAR: See technology-assisted review. tax-exempt: Hyphenated. technology-assisted review: Spell out on first
reference. Use TAR on second reference.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 74 of 108
This term encompasses many different forms of document review technology, including deduplication, visual analytics, predictive coding, workflow, reporting, and searching.
teleconference: One word. telephone numbers: Use dashes to separate
number groups in phone numbers, rather than periods or parenthesis.
Correct: 415-986-8850
that, who, which, whose, whom: That is used for essential clauses (clauses important to the meaning of a sentence) and without commas: I remember the day that we met.
Which is used for nonessential clauses
(where the information is less necessary) and uses commas: The team, which is based out of Sandusky, Ohio, is competing in Australia this year.
Who is the pronoun used for references to human beings and for animals with a name. Write the person who is in charge, not the person that is in charge.
Who is grammatically the subject, never the object, of a sentence or phrase: The woman who rented the room left a tip; Who is there?
Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition: The woman to whom the room was rented left the window open; Whom do you wish to see?
Whose is the possessive, such as I do not know whose coat this is.
the: Definite article. When mentioning newspapers or periodicals, do not capitalize the in titles, unless it’s part of the newspaper’s official name.
Correct: Margaret reads the San Francisco Chronicle every day on her way to work.
Incorrect: Margaret reads The San
Francisco Chronicle on her way to work.
ticking and tying: Present participle of tick and tie. An accounting term meaning that every item in a ledger or inventory is accounted for and properly linked to its similar parts.
time: When writing out times in documents, it is
preferred you write the numbers in digital format (the meeting is at 2:00, or the meeting is at 2 PM), rather than write out in long form (the meeting is at two o’clock).
time frame: Two words, no hyphen. timeline: One word. timesheet: One word. timetable: One word. title case capitalization: Refers to the
capitalization used when writing titles and headlines.
Capitalize all principal words (including conjunctions and prepositions) of more than four letters.
Capitalize an article (a, an, the) if it is the
first or last word in a title. titles: Apply these general guidelines to all titles,
but also look up specific title formats, such as movie titles and job titles.
Italicize all major publication titles except
the Bible and books that are reference material (almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.)
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 78 of 108
who, whom: Pronouns. Who is used for
references to human beings and animals with names. It is grammatically the subject (never the object) of a sentence.
Correct: Who framed Walter Mitty?
Whom is used when someone is the object of a sentence. In general, if you can answer a question with him instead of he, then it should be asked using whom instead of who. This is a good device for remembering how to correctly apply the term. The m in him means you should use whom, not who.
Correct: Who is giving the presentation on
Netflix comedies?
-He is! With whom is Gloria going to the farmer’s market?
-Gloria is going with him.
wholehearted: One word, no hyphen. wide-: Hyphenated prefix when used in terms
such as wide-angled, wide-awake, wide-open, wide-brimmed. Widespread is an exception.
-wide: Words that take on this suffix do not use a
hyphen. Correct uses include citywide, nationwide, companywide.
widespread: One word, no hyphen. width: See measurements. Wi-Fi: W and F should be uppercase. Note use of
hyphen, as this is the only official acceptable usage approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance for this trademarked term.
wiki: Lowercase w. General reference term for software that allows a group of users to add, delete, edit, and share information on an intranet or on the Internet.
Wikipedia: Uppercase W. An online encyclopedia
whose entries are edited by its users, regardless of a person’s expertise. Should be used as a reference to further information, but should not be used as an official source.
will call: Short for will call for. Refers to the
method of picking up purchased tickets at a venue prior to an event. In general, should be lowercase.
windup: One word. No hyphen. wingspan: One word. No hyphen. wintertime: One word. Seasons are never
capitalized. woman: Use female as an adjective, not woman,
as in She is the first female vice president. word-of-mouth: Noun and adjective. word processing: Two words. No hyphen. workers’ compensation: Plural possessive, so
takes an apostrophe after the s, unless you are talking about one (singular) particular worker, as in a worker’s compensation.
working class: Noun. Uses hyphenated working-
class as an adjective.
Correct: Everyone always considered her working class because she grew up in a working-class neighborhood, even though she had wealthy parents.
work-: Words that take work- as a prefix do not use a hyphen.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 79 of 108
Examples: workbook workday workflow workforce workload workplace workroom workshop workstation workweek worldwide
Exception: work plan
Work plan: Two words, no hyphen. Refers to an
outline of a set of goals and processes by which a team and/or person can accomplish those goals.
workproduct: One word, no hyphen. Refers to the
deliverable or outcome (such as a training course) that must be produced to complete a project and achieve its objectives.
Workproduct doctrine refers to American
civil procedure which protects workproduct prepared in anticipation of litigation from discovery by opposing counsel.
World Series: Uses uppercase. Can also be
referred to as the Series, with the in lowercase.
worldwide: Lowercase. One word.
worst-case: Spelled with a hyphen, as in worst-case scenario.
worthwhile: One word. write-down/write down: Noun and adjective
forms are spelled with hyphen. A write-down is an accounting step a company makes when assets fall in value. The decline is reflected in the company’s balance sheet.
Write down uses no hyphen as a verb (please write down the following address).
Correct: I had to write down a write-down
for our Q4 earnings today.
write-off: Noun and adjective forms are spelled with a hyphen. A write-off is a cancelation of a debt or worthless asset. Write off uses no hyphen as a verb.
Correct: I had to write off some write-offs
on our expense forms today. write-up/write up: Use hyphen for noun. No
hyphen for verb. X
Xerox: See photocopy. Xmas: Do not use this abbreviation for Christmas.
In official company correspondence going to clients, use the generic holiday or holidays instead of referring to a specific religious holiday.
Correct: Happy holidays!
Incorrect: Merry Xmas! XML: Extensible Markup Language. Used to sort,
search, and format information. XML is acceptable on first reference.
X-ray: Used with a hyphen and uppercase X. Y
Yahoo: Do not use the trademark exclamation point (!) in the formal corporate name.
years: 1950s, 1860s. No apostrophe, unless taking
off the first two figures in the year format. Correct: It was a classic ’81 DeLorean.
It was a classic 1981 DeLorean. When a phrase uses a month, date, and year, set off the year with a comma.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 80 of 108
Correct: She was born in the early 1950s,
and came of age during the carefree days of the ‘60s. She was born on December 13, 1989.
year-end: Written using a hyphen. yeses: The plural form of yes. youth: Refers to those aged 13 until their 18th
birthday. Use man or woman for anyone 18 and older.
YouTube: One word, with the y and t capitalized. Yukon: A Canadian territory. Do not abbreviate. Z
zero-base budgeting: A method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period. Zero-based budgeting starts from a zero base, and every function within an organization is analyzed for its costs and needs.
ZIP code: Spelled in uppercase. ZIP is an acronym
meaning Zone Improvement Plan. Use the nine-figure format (XXXX-XXXX) when available.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 81 of 108
INDEX
2
2-em dash, 20
3
3-em dash, 20
A
a, 20 ABA, 20 abbreviated titles, 21 abbreviations, 20 ABCs, 21 able-bodied, 21 about, 21, 26 above, 21 above referenced, 21 aboveboard, 21 absent-minded, 21 academic degrees, 21 academic departments, 22 academic designations, 22 accents, 22 accept, 22 accounts payable/receivable, 22 accused, 22 Achilles’ heel, 22 acronyms, 22, 98 active voice, 23 address, 23 adjective, 23, 95 adjective, phrasal, 23 administration, 24 adverb, 95 affect, 24 afterward, 24 AGA, 24 age, 24 alphabet soup, 25 alumni, 24 am, 25 American Bar Association, 25 American Gas Association, 25 among, 25 amount. See numbers/amount ampersand (&), 25 an, 20 and, but, 25 annual, 25 anti, 25 anyone/any one, 25 apostrophe, 25 app, 26
appraise, apprise, 26 approximately, 21, 26 Arab Spring, 26 article titles, 26 articles (parts of speech), 26, 95 as per, 26 ASCII, 26 Asian-American, 26 associate degree, 26 assure, 26 asterisk, 27 ATM, 27 attorney, 27 attorney general, 27 attorney general, office of the, 27 attorney-client, 27 attribution, 28 audio conference, 28 awhile/a while, 28
B
backup/back up, 28 Bar/bar, 28 barcode, 28 barcoded, 28 BCC, 17 best-seller, 28 biweekly, 28 blowback, 28 Bluebook, The, 29 board of directors, 29 board of trustees, 29 book titles, 29 bring, 29 bulleted lists, 29 but/and, 29 bylaw, 30
C
canceled, canceling, 30 cancellation, 30 capital, 30 capital gain, 30 capital loss, 30 capitalization, 30 capitol, 31 CC, 18 CD-ROM, 31 cellphone, 31 Christmas, 31 city, 31 citywide, 31 cleanup, clean up, 31 coast, 32
COB, 32 coincidence, 32 colon, 32 color, 32, See Font comma, 32 comma splices, 33 company names, 33 comparatives, 33 compose, 34 compound modifiers, 34 compound names, 34 comprise, 34 conjunction, 34, 95 contractions, 9, 34, 96 coop, co-op, 34 countrywide, 31 court. See court names court decisions, 34 court names, 35 courtesy title, 34 courtroom, 35 coworker, 35 CPUC Supplier Clearinghouse, 35 cross-reference, 35 curricula, 35
D
dad, 35 dashes, 35 data file(s), 35 database, 35 datasheet, 35 date, 35 daylight savings time, 36 days, 36 decimals, 36 decision-making, 37 departments, 37 determiner, 95 dictionary, 37 dimensions. See measurements directions, 37 district attorney, 37 doctor, 38 dollars, 38 down style, 38 down-to-earth, 38 downturn, 38
E
e.g., 39 each other, 38, 39 earth, Earth, 38 East Coast, the, 38
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 83 of 108
longitude, 53 lowercase, 53 low-tech, 54 Lunar New Year, 54
M
magazine/newspaper/publication/periodical names, 54
male, 54 malware, 54 man, 54 many, 54 MAOP, 54 Martin Luther King Day, 54 mashup, 54 master of arts/master of science,
54 matter code, 54 matter-of-fact, 54 Maximum Allowable Operating
Pressure, 55 May Day, mayday, 55 MBA, 55 MC, 55 m-commerce, 55 measurements, 55 media, 55 Medicaid, 55 Medicare, 55 megabyte, 55 megahertz, 55 megawatt, 56, 76 memo, 56 menswear, 56 meridians, 56 merry Christmas, 44 metric measurements, 56 mic, 56 micromanage, 56 mid-, 56 middle age, middle-aged, 56 middle initials, 56 midnight, 56 military titles, 56 Millennial Generation, 56 millennium, 56 minus sign, 56 mips, 57 mis-. See prefixes mobile, 57 modifier, 57 mom, 57 money, 57 month, 57 monthlong, 57 Moody’s, 57 movie titles, 57
much, 54 much/many, 58 multimedia, 58 multiparty, 58 Murphy’s law, 58 music, 58
N
names, 58 nation/national, 58 national anthem, 58 National Institutes of Health, 58 nationality, 58 nationwide, 31, 58 nauseous/nauseated, 58 Navy, 59 New Years’ Day/New Year’s Eve,
59 New York Stock Exchange, 59 newsfeed, 59 newspaper/magazine/publication
name, 59 newstand, 59 nighttime, 59 nitty-gritty, 59 No. 1, 59 no-brainer, 59 noes, 59 non-, 60 none, 60 nonessential clauses, 77 nonprofit, 60 noon, 60 noteworthy, 60 notwithstanding, 60 noun, 95 noun-pronoun consistency, 60, See
pronoun-noun consistency NRN, 60, See COB number, amount, 61 numbers, 60 numbers, ordinal, 61
O
o’clock, 61 ocean, 61 OCR, 61 off of, 61 offboard/onboard, 62 offset, 62 offshore, 62 offsite/onsite, 62 off-the-record, 62 OK, 62 one another, 62 ongoing, 62
online/offline, 62 onsite/offsite, 62 on-time/on time, 62 onto, on to, 62 op-ed, 62 Optical Character Recognition, 62 oral, 62 ordinal numbers, 62 outbound, 62 overflow, 63 overview, 63 Oxford comma. See comma
P
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 63
Pacific Standard Time, 63 para-professional(s), 63 parenthesis, 63 part time, 63 parts of speech, 63 part-time, 63 passive voice, 63 percent, 63 period, 64 photocopy, 64 phrasal adjective, 64 pm, 65 PMP, 65 policymaker, 65 policymaking, 65 possessive, 65 possessive pronouns, 95 prefixes, 64 preposition, 95 Preposition, 65 president, 65 pressure-drop, 65 profanities, 66 pronoun, 95 Pronoun-Noun Consistency, 66 Pronouns, 66 proofread, 65 proofreader’s marks, 100
Q
quotation marks, 67
R
R&D, 68 ramp-up, 68 read through/read-through, 68 really, 68 record, 68 record keeping, 68
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 84 of 108
records and information management, 68
redundancy, 68 reflexive pronouns, 95 relative pronoun, 95 Reply to All, 18 RFI, 68 RFP, 68 RFQ, 68 RIM. See Records and Information
Management Rule 26(f), 68
S
sans-serif, 68 season’s greetings, 44 seasons, 69 semicolon, 69 semiweekly, 69 serial commas, 69 serif, 69 setup, set up, 70 signoff/sign off, 70 slash, 70 slip-sheet(s), 70 soft return, 49 soundbite, 70 spacing, 70 speech, 71 spelling, 71 split infinitives, 71 stand-alone, 71 standby/stand by, 71 startup/start up, 71 state-of-the-art/state of the art, 72 states, 72 subjunctive mood, 73 superlatives, 73 supreme court, 73
T
take, 73 TAR, 73, See Technology Assisted
Review tax-exempt, 73 technology-assisted review, 73 teleconference, 74 telephone numbers, 74 Templates, 107 that, 74 the, 74 ticking and tying, 74 time, 74 time frame, 74 timeline, 74
timesheet, 74 timetable, 74 title blocks, 101 title case capitalization, 74 titles, 74 toolkit, 75 top 10 list, 75 town. See city traveled/traveling, 75
U
un-American, 75 United Nations, 75 United States, 75 uppercase, 75 up-to-date, up to date, 75 up-to-scale, up to scale, 75 US Court of Appeals, 75 user-friendly, 75
V
verb, 75, 95 verbal, 75 versus, 75 very, 76 Veterans Day, 76 vice, 76 vice versa, 76 video conference, 76 village, 76 voicemail, 76 VoIP, 76 Volkswagen of America Inc., 76 vulgarities, 76
W
waitlist/wait-list, 76 war, 76 Washington, DC, 76 watt:, 76 web, 76 website, 76 week, 76 weekend, 76 well, 76 well-being, 77 well-documented/well
documented, 77 well-informed, 77 well-known/well known, 77 well-versed, well versed, 77 West Coast, the, 77 which, 74, 77 whip, 77
who, 74 who, whom, 78 wholehearted, 78 whom, 74 whose, 74 wide-, 78 -wide, 78 widespread, 78 width, 78 WiFi, 78 wiki, 78 Wikipedia, 78 will call, 78 windup, 78 wingspan, 78 wintertime, 78 woman, 78 word processing, 78 word-of-mouth, 78 work-, 78 work plan, 79 workers’ compensation, 78 working class, 78 workproduct, 79 World Series, 79 worldwide, 79 worst-case, 79 worthwhile, 79 write-down/write down, 79 write-off, 79 write-up/write up, 79
X
Xerox, 79 Xmas, 79 XML, 79 X-ray, 79
Y
Yahoo, 79 year-end, 80 years, 79 yeses, 80 youth, 80 YouTube, 80 Yukon, 80
Z
zero-base budgeting, 80 ZIP code, 80
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 86 of 108
APPENDIX 2: LIST OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
is a professional services firm that offers its services it two distinct buckets: information governance being the first bucket, and natural gas and utilities services being the second. Within those buckets, offers numerous different services, depending on client need. To become familiar with the client solutions has to offer, the following breakdown of its products and services — with a description for each one — has been provided in this appendix. In addition to these products and services, it will be helpful for you to know the following terms, which are further explained elsewhere in this guide:
eDiscovery Electronically Stored Information (ESI) EnCase Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Records and Information Management (RIM) Rule 26(f) Technology-Assisted Review (TAR)
Information Governance
Risk and Compliance —Solutions for supporting business managers, in-house counsel, and compliance leads with risk compliance projects, by providing the following services:
Records Management: Defining and implementing a policy and plan to manage information in all its various forms.
Records Collection: Retrieving, organizing and processing dispersed information necessary to resolve a business or compliance matter.
Records Review and Validation: Collecting and organizing uncontrolled documents. Reviewing objectively or subjectively to validate key data, or capture it to aid in retrievability or analysis.
Data Analysis: Translating a business or legal problem into a numeric model. Compiling the necessary information from documents or data sets and solving the puzzle.
Enterprise Information Security: Helping organizations to protect themselves against cyber-security threats – and to respond effectively in the event an attack occurs.
Workplace Investigations: Assisting companies by performing forensically-sound analyses of computer, network, mobile device, or cloud application usage to gather facts surrounding employee-related concerns or allegations.
Regulatory Support: Bringing our depth of information management and litigation experience to the regulatory realm.
Crisis Management: enables lawyers and their clients to respond effectively to information requests in the wake of major incidents.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 87 of 108
Litigation — Aiding in-house counsel and law firms on a wide range of cases and proceedings, by
assisting in the following areas:
Litigation Readiness – Preparing for litigation by assisting with the following: - Assessment and Strategy: A clear view of litigation needs before a proceeding, and a strategy
for improvement. - Discovery Plan Development: A repeatable, scalable, defensible process, including a litigation
hold strategy and execution plan. - ESI Data Mapping: Identifying all pertinent data a client has, and where it resides on various
networks.
eDiscovery — Pre-trial procedure assistance with obtaining evidence through: - Identification: Offering early-stage discovery planning, preparing for Rule 26(f) meetings, mapping
ESI data, advising on and assisting with legal hold, and creating a discovery plan. - Preservation and Collection: Leading effective preservation through collection by managing
preservation orders, recommending a collection strategy, assessing which relevant data sources have responsive data, conducting web-based surveys to ensure all responsive data is identified, deploying EnCase-certified examiners to collect evidence in a forensically-sound manner, archiving and restoring data, following best practice chain of custody procedures, and tracking and reporting the entire scope of collection.
- Analysis: Early case assessment to reduce the data population. Analytics to accelerate the review
and ensure accuracy. - Processing: Ingesting and extracting data (including password-protected files and mobile and voice
data) according to industry-standard protocols, performing OCR of any documents needed; providing bibliographic coding when needed, and exporting to whichever package or hosting solution the client requires.
- Hosting – provides two hosted review options:
o Oliver Hosted Review: Provides a lean and customizable feature set.
o Relativity Hosted Review: An industry-leading, fully-featured document review platform
with self-administration capabilities. - Document Review: Providing a dedicated project manager to help define the review workflow,
report regularly on results, and manage the multiple reviewers on the project. also provides review platforms and can hire contract attorneys and/or subject matter experts as needed, as well as review facilities and analytics.
- Production: Helping with the most effective document production by recommending delivery
formats, managing the production deadlines, performing document redaction, tracking to multiple
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 88 of 108
parties, privilege log generation, final QC prior to delivery, image endorsement TIF/PDF conversion, high-speed printing, and witness binder creation.
Document Services: Including scanning and document imaging, DVD burning, OCR, bibliographic coding, subjective coding, and image conversion.
Digital Forensics: Includes finding and restoring lost, hidden, or damaged files; analyzing operating systems and file artifacts to understand user behavior; providing affidavits and expert testimony, and analyzing other forensic reports.
Class Action and Claims Support: Management of electronic and hard-copy claims distribution; hosting claims tracking data on our secure application; claims qualification and resolution support; Proof of Claim (POC) form development, and expert testimony.
Analytical Services: Data collection and analysis to prepare case strategy, support or disprove damage claims, assess class certification, and more.
Trial Support: Data preparation, exhibit creation, and trial presentation services.
Expert Witness: professionals have provided written opinions, declarations, and affidavits, have been deposed as experts, and have provided expert testimony on discovery services we’ve assisted with, as well as discovery performed by the opposing side. Key areas of expertise include litigation process and procedures, and computer forensics and electronic evidence recovery.
Document Review Software — is a certified provider of a number of document review and eDiscovery software programs, including:
OneSource: OneSource meets most of a typical matter’s eDiscovery requirements, including: data storage, ESI ingestion and processing, analytics support, document review licensing and hosting, production hosting, and project management and production support.
OLIVER: Online cloud-based document review tool.
Relativity: offers clients access to this software created by kCura. Relativity document review provides image flow and native file review, powerful searching, diverse coding options, flexible workflow capabilities, integrated productions, Unicode and foreign language support, and text analytics.
FrameWork: FrameWork is a SaaS solution that allows users to manage data and evidence through various litigation lifecycles, primarily discovery.
Technology Deployment — Helping companies implement new hardware and software.
Legacy Data Migration: Moving data from paper or non-standard formats into new systems or archives.
Custom Solutions: Developing lean web-based applications that meet tactical business needs, especially in the areas of content or stakeholder management.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 91 of 108
APPENDIX 3: 100 MOST COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS IN STANDARD AMERICAN ENGLISH
acceptable dumbbell kernel principal
accidentally embarrass leisure principle
accommodate equipment liaison privilege
acquire exhilarate library pronunciation
a lot exceed license publicly
amateur existence lightening questionnaire
apparent experience maintenance receive
argument fiery maneuver recommend
atheist foreign medieval refer
believe gauge memento relevant
bellwether grateful millennium restaurant
calendar guarantee miniature rhyme
cemetery harass miniscule schedule
changeable height mischievous separate
collectible hierarchy misspell sergeant
column humorous neighbor supersede
committed ignorance noticeable their
conscience immediate occasionally they’re
conscientious independent occurrence threshold
conscious indispensable pastime twelfth
consensus inoculate perseverance tyranny
daiquiri intelligence personnel until
definite its (possessive) playwright vacuum
discipline jewelry possession weather
drunkenness judgment precede weird
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 92 of 108
APPENDIX 4: MOST COMMON GRAMMATICAL ERRORS
1. Sentence Fragments
Make sure each word group you have punctuated as a sentence contains a grammatically complete and independent thought that can stand alone as an acceptable sentence.
Incorrect: Tests of the Shroud of Turin have produced some curious findings. For example, the pollen of forty-eight plants native to Europe and the Middle East.
Explanation: The second sentence is a fragment.
Correct: Tests of the Shroud of Turin have produced some curious findings. For example, the cloth contains the pollen of forty-eight plants native to Europe and the Middle East.
2. Sentence Sprawl
Too many equally weighted phrases and clauses produce tiresome sentences.
Incorrect: The hearing was planned for Monday, December 2, but not all of the witnesses could be available, so it was rescheduled for the following Friday, and then all the witnesses could attend.
Explanation: There are no grammatical errors here, but the sprawling sentence does not communicate clearly and concisely.
Correct: The hearing, which had been planned for Monday, December 2, was rescheduled for the following Friday so that all witnesses would be able to attend.
3. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
Place modifiers near the words they describe; be sure the modified words actually appear in the sentence.
Incorrect: Many tourists visit Arlington National Cemetery, where veterans and military personnel are buried every day from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
Correct: Every day from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, many tourists visit Arlington National Cemetery, where veterans and military personnel are buried.
4. Faulty Parallelism
Be sure you use grammatically equal sentence elements to express two or more matching ideas or items in a series.
Incorrect: The candidate's goals include winning the election, a national health program, and the educational system.
Correct: The candidate's goals include winning the election, enacting a national health program, and improving the educational system.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 93 of 108
5. Incorrect or Unclear Pronoun Reference
All pronouns must clearly refer to definite referents (such as nouns).
Use it, they, this, that, these, those, and which carefully to prevent confusion.
Unclear: Because Senator Martin is less interested in the environment than in economic development, he sometimes neglects it.
Clear: Because of his interest in economic development, Senator Martin sometimes neglects the environment.
6. Pronoun-Noun Consistency (Singular vs. Plural)
Determine whether the noun being used is singular or plural, and select the pronoun form to match.
Incorrect: XYZ Corporation is a great client. has been working with them for years.
Correct: XYZ Corporation is a great client. has been working with it for years.
Incorrect: Everybody must bring their own lunch.
Correct: Everybody must bring his or her own lunch.
7. Omitted commas
Use commas to signal nonrestrictive or nonessential material, to prevent confusion, and to indicate relationships among ideas and sentence parts.
Incorrect: The Huns who were Mongolian invaded Gaul in 451.
Correct: The Huns, who were Mongolian, invaded Gaul in 451.
8. Superfluous commas
Unnecessary commas make sentences difficult to read and are grammatically incorrect.
Incorrect: The term, "scientific illiteracy," has become almost a cliche, in educational circles.
Correct: The term "scientific illiteracy" has become almost a cliche in educational circles.
9. Comma splices
Do not link two independent clauses with a comma, unless you also use a coordinating conjunction, such as and, or, but, for, nor, so, yet. Instead, use a period or semicolon, or rewrite the sentence.
Incorrect (comma splice): In 1952 Japan's gross national product was one third that of France, by the late 1970s it was larger than the GNPs of France and Britain combined.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 94 of 108
Correct: In 1952, Japan's gross national product was one third that of France. By the late 1970s, it was larger than the GNPs of France and Britain combined.
10. Serial commas
A serial comma (also called Oxford comma and Harvard comma) is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually and, or, or nor) in a series of three or more terms. While there is some academic debate as to the use of necessity of always using the serial comma, it is policy to do so.
Incorrect: Joe went to lunch with Jason, an officer and a gentleman.
Explanation: This is unclear: Did Joe go to lunch with just Jason (who is an officer and a gentleman)? Or did Joe go to lunch with three different people?
Correct: Joe went to lunch with Jason, an officer, and a gentleman.
Joe went to lunch with Jason, who was an officer and a gentleman.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 95 of 108
APPENDIX 5: PARTS OF SPEECH
noun Person, place, or thing. girl, boy, Rome, Iran, book, table
My coat has been moved from my chair.
determiner Limits or “determines” a noun.
a, an, the, five, some, many
I have two coats.
pronoun Replaces a noun. I, me, we, us, you, she, her, he, him, it
Tara is studying to be an astrophysicist. She is very smart and hardworking.
relative pronoun Introduce subordinate adjective clauses.
that, which, who, whom, whose, whichever, whoever, whomever
The person whose coat this is has great fashion sense.
interrogative pronouns Used to ask questions. what, who, which, whom, whose
Whose coat is this?
indefinite pronoun Refers to something that is unspecified.
anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, no one, someone, both, few, many, several, all, many, several, most, some
Is anybody going to the concert tonight?
reflexive pronouns Ends in self or selves. myself, yourself, ourselves, yourselves
I have to take better care of myself.
possessive pronouns (before nouns)
Used to show ownership; used before nouns.
my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their
It’s her coat.
possessive pronouns (used alone)
Used to show ownership; don’t need to precede a noun.
mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs
That coat is yours.
adjective Describes a noun. good, bad, smelly, pretty, big, small, red, blue, interesting, boring
My coat is long and red. I love wearing it when it’s cold outside.
verb An action word or state of being.
(to) be, have, do, like, hate, love, work, sing, dance, run, must, can
My coat is long and red. I love wearing it when it is cold outside.
adverb Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb.
quickly, silently, well, badly, very, really
My rabbit east slowly, but when he gets really hungry, he eats very quickly.
preposition Links a noun to another word.
to, at, after, on, but I went to yoga on Monday after work.
conjunction Joins clauses, sentences, or words.
and, but, when I like dogs and cats, but my favorite animal is the sloth.
interjection A short exclamation. oh, hi, well, so, ouch Ouch! That hurt!
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 98 of 108
APPENDIX 7: ACRONYMS
A few universally recognized abbreviations and acronyms (such as AAA and AARP) are required in some instances. Others are acceptable depending on the context, but are never mandatory.
In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize. Which acronyms your reader will easily recognize depends on the context. A pipeline engineer will understand the acronym MAOP (for Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure) without any further explanation. Someone outside of the pipeline engineering field will need an explanation of the term’s meaning and significance. For all acronyms not widely known, introduce the long form of the name with the acronym in parenthesis next to it on first reference.
Correct: Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) It is safest to stick to using only two or fewer acronyms in the same text to avoid confusion. When deciding which terms to refer to in acronym form, and which to leave written out, stick to using acronyms only for terms that will be referenced multiple times throughout the text.
Correct: The Antarctic National Bread Commission (ANBC) hosts serval different annual bake-offs.
This year, they’ll even be inviting members from the AARP, the American Gas Association, and the Southern Genealogy Council to compete for best unleavened loaf. Last year, the ANBC awarded the bake-off first place trophy to the AARP.
Incorrect: The ANBC is the host of several different annual bake-offs. This year, ANBC will even be
hosting several members from the AARP, AGA, and SGC to compete for best unleavened loaf. Last year, the ANBC awarded the bake-off first place trophy to the AARP.
All acronyms in the following table are allowable on first reference in general documents. If you do not see the acronym you’re hoping to use on this list, then introduce the full term first, followed by the acronym in parenthesis. You can then refer to the acronym, rather than the full term, throughout the rest of your document. Part of the importance of familiarizing yourself with this table, is to understand the meaning behind the acronyms you already use on a daily basis. By being familiar with an acronym’s meaning, you’ll easily be able to use them correctly in a sentence. For example, saying I need to use the ATM machine is the same as saying I need to use the automated teller machine machine, where machine is repeated. Instead, the correct use would be I need to use the ATM. Same applies to GPS. Instead of saying my car is equipped with a GPS system, say my car is equipped with a GPS.
Style Guide
v. 2016.08 Page 100 of 108
APPENDIX 8: PROOFREADER’S MARKS
