Editorial Style Guide
FROM A - Z
A, An
Use the article a before consonant sounds, such as a historic
event and a one-year term (sounds as if it begins with the
letter w).
Use the article an before vowel sounds, such as an honorable
mention (the h is silent) and an 1890s celebration.
Addresses
See Mailing Addresses.
Admission (Office of)
Do not include an s at the end of the word Admission when
referring to ȺpÎÞÂë’s Office of Admission.
Advisor, Adviser
The preferred spelling ends in or.
Affect, Effect
Affect, as a verb, means to influence.
Example: The test will affect his grade.
Affect, as a noun, is not widely used. It is most often used in psychology
to describe emotion.
Example: She exhibits little affect.
Effect, as a verb, means to cause.
Example: He will effect many changes in the department.
Effect, as a noun, means result.
Example: He regretted the effect of his actions.
Ages
Always use figures.
Example: Amy Smith, 21, graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in English.
When an age follows a name (as shown in the example), a comma should be
used before and after the age unless the age marks the end of the sentence.
Then the second comma should be replaced by a period.
Example: The winner is Naperville resident Amy Smith,
21.
Ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun
use hyphens.
Example: (as an adjective):
A 5-year-old boy ran across the street.
Example: (as a noun):
The 5-year-old ran across the street.
Alumni, Alumnus, Alumna, Alumnae
Use alumnus when referring to a man who has graduated a school.
The plural of alumnus is alumni.
Use alumna for similar references to a woman. Alumnae is
the plural of alumna.
Use alumni when referring to a group of men and women graduates.
a.m., p.m.
Lowercase, with periods separating each letter. Avoid redundancy such as 7
a.m. in the morning. See Time.
Among, Between
The rule that between introduces two items and among introduces
more than two satisfies most questions about how to use these words.
Examples: The funds were divided between Smith and
Anderson.
The funds were divided among Smith, Anderson
and Ford.
However, between is the correct word when expressing the
relationships of three or more items considered one pair at a time.
Example: Discussions took place between the administration
and the Student, Faculty, and Staff committees.
Annual
An event is not an annual event until it has been held two successive years.
Do not use the term first annual. Instead, note that the
event is planned to be held annually.
Arts & Ideas
The ȺpÎÞÂë Arts & Ideas program uses an ampersand
as part of its official name. Do not use Arts and Ideas, when referring
to this program.
Avenue
With regard to addresses, use the abbreviation of Ave. only with
numbered addresses. Otherwise, avenue should always be spelled
out.
Examples: 1400 Taylor Ave.
Taylor Avenue
See States (Mailing Address vs. Running Text) under Abbreviations for
more information.
Bachelor’s Degree
Use ’s with bachelor’s degree. Otherwise, use bachelor
of science degree, bachelor of arts degree, bachelor
of arts degree in journalism, etc. See Academic Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations,
and Academic Degrees under Capitalization for more information.
Example: He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
Biannual, Biennial
Biannual means twice a year and is a synonym for the word semiannual. Biennial means
every two years.
Bible
Capitalize, without quotation marks, when referring to the Scriptures of
the Old Testament or the New Testament. Capitalize also related terms such
as the Gospels, Gospels of St. Mark, the Scriptures,
the Holy Scriptures.
Lowercase biblical in all uses. Lowercase bible as
a non-religious term.
Example: My dictionary is my bible.
Bimonthly
Bimonthly means every other month. Semimonthly means
twice a month.
Biweekly
Biweekly means every other week. Semiweekly means
twice a week.
Bold
When used sparingly, bolding is effective in highlighting or setting a
word or a sentence apart from the running text. However, discretion should
be used. Too much text in bold defeats the purpose.
Books
Book titles have been traditionally underlined, and for scholarly pieces
this is still widely done. However, for most other running text, book titles
should be italicized.
Bookstore
Use as one word, when referring to the ȺpÎÞÂë Bookstore.
Boulevard
With regard to addresses, use the abbreviation of Blvd. only with
numbered addresses. Otherwise, boulevard should always be spelled
out.
Examples: 1400 Richmont Blvd.
Richmont Boulevard
See States (Mailing Address vs. Running Text) under Abbreviations for more information.
Brother
When the religious title of Brother is used in reference to a
De La Salle Christian Brother, the initials FSC should always be
included after the name on first reference. The name of the Brother should
be followed by a comma and then FSC.
FSC, without spaces or periods, after a Christian Brother’s
name indicates membership in the religious order.
FSC is the acronym for the Latin Fratres Scholarum Christianarum (Brothers
of the Christian Schools), known informally as the De La Salle Christian
Brothers.
On second reference, the title of Brother should be used with
just the Brother’s first name, such as Brother Mark or Brother
Joseph.
See Religious Titles under Abbreviations for more
information.
Buildings/Locations on Campus
For a list of names for many of the buildings/locations on the main campus, please refer to the Campus Map.
Captions for Photographs
Captions should be used if there is a person, place or situation in a photograph
that needs identifying as it pertains to the accompanying text.
Identify individuals in the photo from left to right if there could be
confusion about who is who. After the first name, add (left) if
there are only two people in the photograph. It is not necessary to add (right) after
the second person’s name since that will be obvious with only two people
in the photo.
Example: Jack Langston (left) presents a check for
$35,000 to Robert Tind, Vice President for Academic Affairs.
When more than two people are shown in a photo, then use the indicator (from
left) before the listing of names.
Example: The honorees were (from left) Jack Calloway,
Tim Borgen and James Trotter.
When large groups of people are included in a photo, it often becomes difficult
to identify every person in a concise manner and even harder to publish a
photo in such a way that each person’s face can be clearly seen. Unless
the photo is enlarged, many individual features may be lost. Some situations,
however, will require these photos to be used. When this is the case, use (from
left, top row), (middle row), etc. to accurately identify each
subject. Identification of each row should be separated by a semicolon.
Example: The committee members included (from left,
top row) Lily Cagney, Carrie Sabota, and Terry Johnson; (middle row) Brian
Malone, Tom Hopkins, Ted Simons, and Jake Elliott; and (bottom row) Janine
Fine, Ann Kaplan, and Denetta Williams.
Do not use a period to end a caption that is not a sentence. Whenever possible,
try to write each caption as a complete sentence unless using a simple tag
to identify a person or place by name, such as John Smith or Niagara
Falls.
Remember not to include the obvious in a photo caption. If the photo shows
something that the reader will understand without further explanation, then
it should not be included in the caption.
Example: Tom Fisher (left) shakes the hand of his friend
Bob Moore.
Upon seeing the photo, the reader will know the two friends shared a handshake.
There is no need to include this information in the caption. It would be
more effective to include information of greater pertinence to the accompanying
text.
Example: Tom Fisher (left) was reunited with his friend
Bob Moore after 20 years. The two lost contact after Moore’s family
moved away when he was a teenager.
Catholic, Catholicism
Both words should be capitalized when used in a religious sense, indicating
the belief and membership in the Christian church headed by the Pope.
Lowercase catholic when used in the generic sense, meaning
general or all-inclusive.
Cents
See Money.
Century
Lowercase, spelling out numbers less than 10, such as the first century and the
20th century.
For proper names, follow the organization’s practice: 20th Century
Fox, Twentieth Century Limited.
Chair, Chairperson
Capitalize as a formal title. Do not capitalize when used as an informal,
temporary position. Do not use chairman or chairwoman unless
it is an organization’s formal title for an office.
Commencement
Capitalize on first reference when referring to ȺpÎÞÂë’s
Commencement ceremonies. Also when ȺpÎÞÂë or Lewis’ is
used along with the word.
Example: ȺpÎÞÂë’s Commencement ceremonies
are held twice a year.
Commencement should be lowercase on second reference in running text unless Lewis
University or Lewis’ precedes the word.
Example (second reference):
Many people attend commencement at ȺpÎÞÂë.
Composition Titles
Unless specifically noted, the guidelines here apply to book titles, movie
titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, song titles, television program
titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, scholarly articles and journals,
and works of art.
Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions
with four or more letters. Capitalize an article (the, a,
or an) or word of fewer than four letters if it is the first or
last word in a title.
Put quotation marks around the names of all titles, with the exception
of book titles, movie titles, scholarly journals, magazines and newspapers.
Book titles have been traditionally underlined, and for scholarly pieces
this is still widely done. However, for most other running text, book titles
should be italicized. Titles of movies, scholarly journals, magazines and
newspapers are also italicized.
It is important in all cases that the reader clearly understands whether
the piece being listed is a book, a movie, an article, etc.
Examples: Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird,
is a classic.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic.
The book, written by Harper Lee, depicts the themes of misunderstanding
and prejudice.
Course Titles, Course Numbers
Capitalize course titles. Do not use quotation marks around the title.
Course numbers should be represented in Arabic numerals.
Example: 10-480 Mass Media Ethics
When referring to sequences of courses, use Roman numerals.
Example: Multimedia Production I and Multimedia Production
II
Coursework
Use as one word.
Example: He completed his coursework for the semester.
Courtesy Titles
After the first reference, use only a person’s last name unless courtesy
or special circumstances warrant an exception as with some religious titles.
Titles should be used throughout if essential to the reader’s comprehension
of the story. See entries on Titles under Abbreviations .
Dates
Use a dash (not a hyphen) to indicate a range of years. If within the same
century, it is unnecessary to repeat the numerals indicating the century
on second reference unless the context requires it.
Examples: 1967–79
2001–05
If the month and the day appear along with a year, use a comma before and
after the year.
Example: Aug. 26, 1965, was the date.
When part of running text, the months of year may be abbreviated when used
along with a specific date. For a list of the correct abbreviations, see Months
Without Dates/ Years Only under Abbreviations.
Example: Aug. 26 or Aug. 26, 1965
Do not use a comma or abbreviate the month if only the month and the year
are used.
Example: August 1965
It is unnecessary to include the year at all if referring to the current
year.
Example: June was an extremely hot month.
See Months Without Dates/Years Only under Abbreviations for
more information.
Days of the Week
See Days of the Week under Abbreviations; and Nouns, Months,
Days of the Week under Capitalization.
Deans’ List
When referring to ȺpÎÞÂë’s Deans’ List,
the apostrophe should follow the s in Deans (denoting the
deans of Lewis’ three colleges).
Decimals
Use a period and numerals to indicate decimal amounts. Decimals should
not exceed two places after the decimal point in textual material unless
special circumstances exist. If possible, delete the zero when two places
after the decimal point (3.3, not 3.30).
Degrees
See Academic Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations,
and Bachelor’s
Degree and Master’s
Degree in this section.
De La Salle
See De La Salle under Capitalization.
Departments
See Academic Departments under Capitalization.
Dimensions
Use Arabic numerals and spell out inches, feet, yards,
etc., to indicate depth, height, length and width. Hyphenate measurements
when they are adjectives preceding a noun.
Example: The 5-foot-6-inch man left the building. The
9-by-12 rug was placed in the living room.
When a measurement does not modify a noun as above, hyphenation is not
used.
Example: The car is 17 feet long. The rug is 9 feet
by 12 feet.
Use a straight apostrophe (not curly) to indicate feet and straight quote
marks to indicate inches (5'6") only in technical contexts or when tabular
forms require brevity.
Lewis athletic rosters use a hyphen to replace the use of the straight
apostrophe and quotation marks in indicating the height of team players.
Instead of 6'1", 6-1 is used.
All running text in athletic publications follow the style as listed here
for dimensions.
Diocese
Capitalize as part of a proper name: the Diocese of Joliet or the
Joliet Diocese. On second reference, the diocese may
be used.
Directions
See Regions in this section.
Disabilities
Refer to those with disabilities as people with disabilities, not the
disabled or disabled people. The person should always be
mentioned first.
Do not use the word normal to mean the opposite of having a disability,
and avoid using words such as victim, afflicted and stricken in
reference to people with disabilities.
Distances
Use Arabic numerals for 10 and above. Spell out for one through
nine.
Example: I walked four miles, but my destination was
another 10 miles away.
Dr.
See title entries under Abbreviations.
Dollars
See Money in this section.
Emeritus, Emerita, Emeriti
These words are often added to formal titles to denote that individuals
who retire retain their rank or title. At ȺpÎÞÂë, these words are
most often used in conjunction with the title of professor or trustee.
When used, these words follow the formal title. Emeritus is used
when referring to a man. Emerita is used when referring to a woman. Emeriti is
the plural form, whether referring to men, women or a group of men and women
together.
Examples: Professor Emeritus Michael Todd
Michael Todd, Professor Emeritus of Physics
Every day, Everyday
Use every day as an adverb and everyday as an adjective.
Examples: She goes to work every day.
She wears everyday shoes.
Every one, Everyone
Use every one when referring to each individual item.
Example: Every one of the apples was rotten.
Use everyone when used as a pronoun meaning all persons.
Example: Everyone wants to be happy in life.
Remember, everyone takes on singular verbs and pronouns.
Faculty
The word faculty may be singular or plural, depending on
the context. However, it is important to be consistent within a context.
Fellowships and Other Awards
The formal names of awards are capitalized, but informal references are
not.
Examples: American Academy of Nursing Fellowship
The American Academy of Nursing award
Fieldhouse
When referring to the Student Recreation and Fitness Center’s fieldhouse, fieldhouse should
be one word and should not be capitalized.
Foreign Words
Some foreign words and abbreviations have been accepted into the English
language, such as bon voyage, versus (vs.) and et
cetera (etc.). They may be used without explanation if they
are clear in context.
Many foreign words and their abbreviations are not understood universally,
although they may be used in special applications such as medical or legal
terminology. If such a word or phrase needs to be used, place it in quotation
marks and provide an explanation.
Example: “ad astra per aspera,” a Latin
phrase meaning “to the stars through difficulty.”
Founders
ȺpÎÞÂë has three original founders: Michael Fitzpatrick,
Bishop Bernard J. Sheil and Frank J. Lewis. Honorary founders
have also been named throughout the years.
Founders Week
In the name of this week-long series of events, founders is
plural and does not carry an apostrophe.
Fractions
Spell out amounts less than 1 in running text, using hyphens between
the words, such as two-thirds, four-fifths, seven-sixteenths.
Use figures for precise amounts larger than 1, converting to decimals
whenever practical.
Fractions are preferred, however, when referring to the stock market.
When using fractional characters, use 11/2 (for
example) with no space between the figure and the fraction.
In tabular material, use figures exclusively, converting to decimals if
the amounts involve extensive use of fractions that cannot be expressed as
a single character.
Freshman, Freshmen
Refer to freshman and freshmen as first-year students.
FSC
See Brother in this section.
Full Time, Full-Time
Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier. Otherwise, do not hyphenate.
Examples: He works full time.
He has a full-time job.
Gender-Biased Language
Avoid gender-biased language. For example, instead of policeman,
use police officer. Chairman should be replaced with chair or chairperson.
An exception to this rule is if the language is used as part of an official
title within a company or institution, or is used within a quote.
When faced with a decision of whether to use his or her when
the antecedent is indefinite, the best choice is to revise the sentence to
a plural, less gender-oriented form.
Example: Reporters protect their sources.
Graduation Years
See Omitted Figures under Apostrophe.
Heights
See Dimensions in this section.
Highway Designations
Use these forms as appropriate in context for highways identified by number:
U.S. Highway 1, U.S. Route 1, Route 1, Illinois
34, Illinois Route 34, state Route 34, Route
34, Interstate Highway 495. If understood within the context, I-495 may
also be used.
When a letter is appended to a number, capitalize it but do not use a hyphen: Route
1A.
International Students
This term should be used instead of foreign students.
Invitations
Invitations do not require end-of-line punctuation. Numbers greater than
10 and all street numbers may be spelled out. :00 or o’clock may
also be used in conjunction with the times of events.
When printing the University’s address, Illinois may
also be spelled out instead of using the two-letter state codes designated
by the U.S. Postal Service. This rule applies to all other addresses used
in invitations as well.
Consult the Mailing Addresses for more details.
Italics
Italics are effective in highlighting or setting a word or a sentence apart
from the running text. However, discretion should be used. Too many italicized
words or sentences defeat the purpose of italicizing.
Some titles of specific works are italicized. See Composition Titles in
this section.
It’s, Its
It’s is a contraction for it is or it has.
Example: It’s nice to finally meet you.
Its is the possessive form of the neuter pronoun.
Example: The University is proud of its Mission.
Junior, Senior
See Family Lineage under Abbreviations.
Lay, Lie
The action word is lay. It takes a direct object. Laid is
the form for its past tense and past participle. Its present participle is laying.
Lie indicates a state of reclining along a horizontal plane. It
does not take a direct object. Its past tense is lay. Its past participle
is lain. Its present participle is lying.
When lie means to make an untrue statement, the verb forms are lie, lied and lying.
Correct Examples of Present or Future Tenses (direct objects
in bold)
I will lay the book on the table.
The lawyer tried to lay the blame on him. He lies on the
beach all day. I will lie down.
Incorrect Examples of Present or Future Tenses
He lays on the beach all day. I will lay down.
Correct Examples of Past Tense
I laid the book on the table. The lawyer has
laid the blame on him. He lay on the beach all day. He has lain on the
beach all day. I lay down. I have lain down.
Correct Examples in Present Participle
I am laying the book on the table. The lawyer
is laying the blame on him. He is lying on the beach. I am lying down.
Lectures
Put quotation marks around the formal title of a lecture.
Lewis, ȺpÎÞÂë
Frank J. Lewis
When referring to ȺpÎÞÂë’s namesake, Frank
J. Lewis, his full name (as it appears here) should be listed on first
reference. Mr. Lewis should be used on second reference to
differentiate the individual from the University.
ȺpÎÞÂë
Never abbreviate ȺpÎÞÂë in any
reference. Lewis or the University may be used on second
reference. When at all possible, the words ȺpÎÞÂë should
be kept on the same line in running text.
University should always be capitalized
when referring to ȺpÎÞÂë.
Line Breaks
Do not break a proper name. Do not break an already hyphenated word except
at the hyphen. Do not end a column of text in a hyphen. Three or more characters
of a hyphenated word should be brought to the next line. Never break the
word Lewis when referring to ȺpÎÞÂë, and whenever
possible do not place the words ȺpÎÞÂë on separate
lines of running text.
Mailroom
Use as one word, when referring to the ȺpÎÞÂë Mailroom.
Master’s Degree
Use in conjunction with an apostrophe, unless using the more complete name
of the specific degree.
Examples: He earned a master’s degree in business.
He earned a master of arts degree in education.
Measurements
See Dimensions in this section.
Mid-
Do not use this prefix in conjunction with a hyphen unless a capitalized
word follows.
Examples: mid-America or mid-Atlantic
midsemester or midterm
Mile
A mile equals 5,280 feet. The metric equivalent is 1.6 kilometers. Use
figures for amounts in dimensions, formulas and speeds.
Example: The car slowed to 7 miles per hour.
Spell out amounts below 10 in distances.
Example: He drove five miles.
Money
Dollars
Always lowercase the word dollars unless
it begins a sentence. Use figures and the $ sign in all instances
except with amounts that do not specify a figure. When the $ sign
is used, the word dollars is not needed. Also the .00 which
often follows the dollar amount is unnecessary.
Example: The book cost $50.
I needed a few dollars more.
For specified amounts, the word takes a singular
verb.
Example: He said $500,000 is what they want for the
painting.
For amounts of more than $1 million, use the $ and
numerals up to two decimal places. Do not link the numerals and the word
by a hyphen. If exact figures are known, they may be used if important to
the context.
Examples: He is worth $4.56 million. He is worth exactly
$4,551,243.
The net worth of the company is $2.1 billion.
The form for amounts less than $1 million is: $4, $25, $300, $2,000, $630,000.
Cents
Spell out the word cents and lowercase
unless used at the beginning of a sentence.
Use numerals for amounts less than a dollar such
as 5 cents, 12 cents, etc. Use the $ sign and
decimal system for larger amounts such as $1.10 and $2.02.
Months
Names of months without a specific date, or with a year alone should be
spelled out. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov.
and Dec. Spell out all other months.
When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with
commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with
commas. See Months Without Dates/Years Only under Abbreviations for
examples.
Months and days of the week should be capitalized, but not the seasons
(winter, spring, summer, fall).
Movies
Italicize the titles of movies.
Music
Put quotation marks around the names of all opera titles, song titles and
other musical compositions.
Names
Add a comma before Jr. or Sr. but not before II or 2nd,
etc. Do not put a space between initials, such as J.T. Atkinson or
the U.S. embargo.
Non-
Hyphenate all words used in conjunction with this prefix except the following,
which have specific meanings of their own:
nonchalance, nonchalant, nondescript, nonsense,
and nonsensical.
Numerals
A numeral is a figure, letter, word or group of words expressing a number.
Arabic Numerals
Arabic numerals use the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0. Use
Arabic forms unless Roman numerals are specifically required.
In most cases, numbers 10 and above should
be represented numerically. When it is necessary to spell out large numbers,
use a hyphen to connect a word ending in y to another word; do not
use commas or the conjunction and to separate words that are part
of the same number: twenty-one; one hundred forty-three; one
thousand one hundred fifty-five; one million two hundred seventy-six
thousand five hundred eighty-seven.
Spell out a numeral at the beginning of a sentence.
If it is too awkward to spell it out, rewrite the sentence. One exception
to this rule is a numeral that identifies a calendar year.
Examples: Five hundred students graduated in the fall.
1967 was a year that began with a lot
of snow.
Spell out casual references.
Examples: Thanks a million! But a thousand times no!
He walked a quarter of a mile.
When referencing proper names, use words or numerals
according to an organization’s practice, such as 20th Century Fox.
For ordinal numbers (first, second, tenth, 1st, 2nd, 10th,
etc.), spell out first through ninth when they indicate
sequence in time or location such as first base, the First Amendment,
or he was first in line. Starting with 10th, use figures.
Use 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.
when the sequence has been assigned in forming names, including geographic,
military and political designations such as 1st Ward, 7th Fleet or 1st
Sgt.
For cardinal numbers (one, two, ten, 1, 2, 10,
etc.), consult the separate entries within this guide including Addresses
for Mailing Purposes; and Ages, Century, Course Numbers, Dates,
Decimals, Dimensions, Distances, Fractions, Graduation Years, Highway Designations,
Mile, Money, Page Numbers, Percentages, Room Numbers, Sizes, Speeds, Telephone
Numbers, Temperatures, Weights and Years, all listed in this
section.
For uses not covered by these listings, spell out
whole numbers below 10 and use figures for 10 and above.
Roman Numerals
Roman numerals use the letters I, V, X, L, C, D and M.
Use Roman numerals for wars and to show personal sequence for animals and
people: World War II, King George VI, etc. See Family
Lineage under Abbreviations for more information.
In Roman numerals, the capital letter I equals 1, V equals
5, X equals 10, L equals 50, C equals 100, D equals
500 and M equals 1,000. Do not use M to mean million
as some publications sometimes do.
Other numbers are formed from these by adding or
subtracting as follows:
The value of a letter following another of the
same or greater value is added: III equals 3.
The value of a letter preceding one of greater
value is subtracted: IV equals 4.
Office
Capitalize office when it is part of an agency’s formal
name: Office of Campus Security.
Lowercase on second reference, such as the office. When used in
plural form, offices should not be capitalized.
Example: The offices of Financial Aid Services and
Campus Security will be open.
Most formal office names at Lewis begin with the Office of. When
not used in this manner, office should not be capitalized.
Example: the Marketing and Communications office
An exception to this rule is the Business Office.
On
Do not use on before a date or day of the week as long as
its absence does not lead to confusion.
Example: The meeting will be held Monday.
The word on is not necessary in this example.
Over
The word over is not interchangeable with more than. Over refers
to spatial relationships.
Example: The plane flew over the city.
More than is used with figures.
Example: More than 170 people attended the event.
Page Numbers
Use figures and capitalize the word page when used with a
figure. When a letter is appended to the figure, capitalize it but do not
use a hyphen.
Examples: Page 1, Page 10, Page 20A
Parkway
Always spell out the word parkway, whether used alone or with
a numbered street address.
Example: One University Parkway
Percentages
Use figures: 1 percent, 2.5 percent (use decimals, not
fractions), 10 percent.
For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero.
Example: The cost of living rose 0.6 percent.
Do not abbreviate the word percent. In scientific, technical and
statistical copy, use the symbol %. In all other copy, spell out.
Never use pct.
Ph.D.
The preferred form is to say a person holds a doctorate and
to name the individual’s area of specialty.
Example: Dr. Sam Jones visited the University this
week. He holds a doctorate in physics and has written several books.
Never use the title of Dr. in conjunction with Ph.D., Ed.D.,
etc. For more information, see title entries under Abbreviations.
Play Titles
Put quotation marks around the names of all play titles.
Plurals
Follow these guidelines in forming and using plural words:
Most Words
Add s: boys, girls, ships, villages.
Words Ending in CH, S, SH, SS, X and Z
Add es: churches, lenses, parishes, glasses, boxes, buzzes.
Words Ending in F
Change f to v and add es,
such as leaves and shelves.
Words Ending in IS
Change is to es, such as oases, parentheses and theses.
Words Ending in 0
If o is preceded by a consonant, most
plurals require es, such as buffaloes, dominoes, echoes and heroes.
In some cases, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, the plural
of piano is pianos.
Words Ending in Y
If y is preceded by a consonant or qu,
change y to i and add es, such as armies, cities, navies and soliloquies.
Latin Endings
For Latin-root words ending in us, change us to i,
such as alumnus to alumni.
For most Latin-root words ending in a,
change a to ae, such as alumna to alumnae.
The word formula (formula to formulas) is an exception.
Words ending in on change to a,
such as phenomenon to phenomena.
For most words ending in um, add s,
such as referendums, memorandums and stadiums.
Exceptions include addenda, curricula and media.
Compound Words
For compound words that involve separate words
or words linked by a hyphen, the most significant word should be made plural,
such as attorneys general, daughters-in-law, presidents-elect and deputy
chiefs of staff.
Proper Names
For most proper names that end in es or z,
add es, such as the Joneses or the Gonzalezes.
For most proper names ending in y, add s even
if preceded by a consonant such as the Duffys and the Kennedys.
Exceptions include the Alleghenies and the Rockies.
For other proper names, add s, such as
the Hatfields and the McCoys.
Numerals, Single and Multiple Letters
See Apostrophe under Punctuation.
P.M., A.M.
Lowercase, with periods separating each letter. Avoid redundancy such as 10
p.m. at night. See Time in this section.
Possessives
Plural Nouns Not Ending in S
Add ’s, such as the alumni’s
contributions and women’s rights.
Plural Nouns Ending in S
Add only an apostrophe, such as the churches’ needs and
the girls’ toys.
Nouns Plural in Form, Singular in Meaning
Add only an apostrophe, such as measles’ effects and mathematics’ rules.
Apply the same principle when a plural word occurs
in the formal name of a singular entity, such as the United States’ wealth and General
Motors’ profits.
Nouns The Same in Singular and Plural
Treat these words the same as plurals, even if
the meaning is singular, such as the two deer’s tracks and the
lone moose’s antlers.
Singular Nouns Not Ending in S
Add ’s, such as the ship’s
route and the horse’s food.
Singular Common Nouns Ending in S
Add ’s unless the next word begins
with s. In those cases, just add an apostrophe.
Examples: The witness’s answer was unexpected.
The witness’ story was unexpected.
Singular Proper Names Ending in S
Use only an apostrophe, such as Socrates’ life and Tennessee
Williams’ plays.
Pronouns
Pronouns have separate forms for the possessive.
None of the following involve an apostrophe: mine, ours, your, yours,
his, hers, its, theirs and whose.
If using an apostrophe with a pronoun, always be
certain that the meaning calls for a contraction, as in you’re,
it’s, there’s and who’s.
Compound Words
Following the preceding rules, add an apostrophe
or ’s to the word closest to the object possessed, such as the
attorney general’s request, the attorneys general’s
request, the major general’s decision, and the major
generals’ decisions. See Plurals in this section for
guidelines on forming the plurals of these words.
Joint Possession, Individual Possession
Use a possessive form after only the last word
if ownership is joint, such as John and Julie’s house.
Use a possessive form after both words if the objects
are individually owned, such as John’s and Julie’s books.
Descriptive Phrases
Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when
it is used primarily in a descriptive sense, such as the citizens band
radio and a teachers college.
One way to remember this is that an apostrophe
usually is not used if for or by rather than of would
be appropriate in the longer form: a college for teachers.
An ’s is required, however, when
a term involves a plural word that does not end in s, such as a children’s
hospital and a people’s republic.
Descriptive Names
Some governmental, corporate and institutional
organizations with a descriptive word in their names use an apostrophe; some
do not. Follow the user’s practice:
Diners Club, the Ladies’ Home Journal,
and the Veterans Administration.
Double Possessive
A double possessive is a phrase such as a friend of
John’s. Two conditions must apply for a double possessive to
occur:
- The word after of must refer to an animate
object, and
- The word before of must involve only a portion
of the animate object’s possessions. Otherwise, do not use the possessive
form on the word after of.
Examples: He is a friend of the college. (not
college’s, because college is inanimate)
The friends of John Adams mourned his death. (not
Adams’, because all of his friends were involved)
Inanimate Objects
In general, avoid excessive personalization of
inanimate objects. When possible use an of construction when it
fits the sentence.
For example, the earlier references in this section
to measles’ effects and mathematics’ rules would
be better phrased as the effects of measles and the rules of
mathematics.
Prefixes
Three rules are constant in the case of prefixes, although some exceptions
exist:
- Except for cooperate and coordinate,
use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins
with the same vowel.
- Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized,
such as mid-America.
- Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes, such as sub-subparagraph.
For more information, see Hyphen under Punctuation.
President
Always capitalize the word president when referring to Lewis
University’s President and in all other instances as a formal
title, such as President Bush.
Professors
See Academic Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations.
Publications
Italicize and capitalize only official, published titles, such as the Lewis
University Summer/Fall Course Schedule 2002. Otherwise, lowercase
with no italics (the course schedule).
On first reference, it is important to use the full title of the publication,
such as Vision 2006: Learning, Mission and Leadership.
Ratios
When using ratios, ȺpÎÞÂë’s style uses a colon to separate
the figures.
Example: ȺpÎÞÂë’s student-faculty ratio
is 15:1.
Regions, Directions
In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc.
when they indicate compass direction. Capitalize these words when they designate
geographical regions.
Example: (Compass Direction)
He drove west. The cold front moved east.
Example: (Regions)
A storm system developed in the Midwest and
spread eastward. It will bring showers to the East Coast by morning. Warm
temperatures will prevail in the Western states.
Reprints
Reprinted material with another publication’s credit is not edited
to University style.
Road
Always spell out, whether used alone or with a numbered street address.
Example: 159 Broadview Road
Roman Numerals
See Numerals in this section.
Room Numbers
Use figures and capitalize room when used with a figure, such as Room
320.
When a room number is combined with a letter (whether placed before or
after the number), a hyphen should not be used to separate the letter from
the room number.
Example: Your class is located in Room A133.
R.S.V.P.
R.S.V.P. is the abbreviation for the French respondez s’il
vous plait. It means please reply.
Saint
See Saint and Geographic Names under Abbreviations for more information.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
See De La Salle under Capitalization.
School
Whenever possible, avoid referring to ȺpÎÞÂë itself as a school.
ȺpÎÞÂë has one school: the School of Graduate, Professional & Continuing Education (SGPCE).
Seasons
See Seasons under Capitalization.
Second References
Capitalize the word university in reference to Lewis. Capitalize
the word president in reference to Lewis. Capitalize the word president in reference to ȺpÎÞÂë’s President.
Second and subsequent references to a person generally use only the last name, except in obituaries. Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Rev.
Semester
(Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer)
Do not capitalize semesters in running text, unless a part of a formal
name.
Example: The course will be taught during the fall
semester.
Semiannual
Semiannual means twice a year; it is a synonym for biannual.
Do not confuse it with biennial, which means every two years.
Should, Would
Use should to express an obligation.
Example: We should help the needy.
Use would to express a customary action, or in constructing
a conditional past tense.
Example: (Customary Action)
During the summer we would spend a lot of time
at the beach.
Example: (Conditional Past Tense)
If I had not injured my foot, she would not
have been late for the meeting.
Sizes
Use figures, such as a size 9 dress, size 40 long, 71/2 shoes and
a 341/2 sleeve.
Song Titles
Place quotation marks around the titles of songs.
Spacing of Text
See the section titled Working
With Text.
Speeds
Use figures.
Example: The car slowed to 7 miles per hour. The winds
were 5 to 10 miles per hour. A 10-knot wind was recorded.
Avoid extensively hyphenated constructions, such as 5-mile-per-hour
winds.
Suffixes
If a word combination is not listed in the dictionary, use two words for
the verb form; and hyphenate all noun or adjective forms.
Symbols
In running text, spell out the words percent, degrees (temperature), feet, inches and cents. In
tables, it is acceptable to use symbols for these (%,°,',", ¢).
Amounts greater than 99 cents should be in numerals with a dollar sign
($6).
See Money in this section for more information.
Telephone Numbers
In all references, use parentheses around the area code. This is based
on a format that telephone companies have agreed upon for domestic and international
communications.
For numbers within the United States, the parentheses around the area code
should be followed by a space, the three-digit prefix, a hyphen and then
the remaining four digits of the phone number.
Example: (815) 838-0500
Since direct telephone numbers are available to reach departments, offices
and individual faculty, staff and students at the University, these should
be used whenever possible instead of the University’s main telephone
number (815) 838-0500 along with the appropriate telephone extension.
For internal publications, extensions alone may be used. When extension
numbers are given, the word extension may be capitalized and
abbreviated when accompanied by the specific number.
Example: The Director of Public Relations may be reached
at Ext. 5297.
ȺpÎÞÂë’s toll-free number should be used only in conjunction
with recruiting/enrollment efforts.
Television Program Titles
Place quotation marks around the name of a television show. Put the word
show in the quotes if it is part of the formal name. The word show may be
dropped when it would be cumbersome, such as in a set of listings. Use quotation
marks also for the title of an episode.
Temperatures
Use figures for all temperatures except zero. Use a word, not
a minus sign, to indicate temperatures below zero.
Examples: The day’s low was minus 10, or the
day’s low was 10 below zero.
Temperatures fell 5 degrees.
It is 86 degrees here.
Note that generally it is not necessary to specify Fahrenheit or Celsius.
In cases where this is needed, the specific temperature scale should follow
the word degrees and should always be capitalized. If understood,
the first letter of the scale may be used alone (with the number of degrees)
as long as it is capitalized (with no period following unless it is the end
of the sentence).
Examples: It is 86 degrees Fahrenheit here.
It is 86 F here.
Remember, temperatures get higher or lower, but they
don’t get warmer or cooler.
That
Use the conjunction that to introduce a dependent clause if the
sentence sounds or looks awkward without it. While there are exceptions, that usually
may be omitted when a dependent clause immediately follows a form of a verb.
Example: He said he signed the form.
That should be used when a time element intervenes between the
verb and the dependent clause.
Example: He said Monday that he signed the form.
That usually is necessary after some verbs, including advocate,
assert, contend, declare, estimate, make clear, point out, propose and state.
That is required before subordinate clauses beginning with conjunctions
such as after, although, because, before, in addition to, until and while.
Example: John said that after he realized the deadline
had passed, he decided to wait until next semester
When in doubt, include that. Omission can confuse the meaning.
Inclusion does not hurt as long as it is not excessively used throughout
the text.
That is the preferred pronoun to introduce essential clauses
that refer to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. An essential
clause is a clause that cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning
of the sentence. An essential clause should not be set off from the rest
of a sentence by commas.
Example: The part of the army that suffered severe
injuries needed reinforcement.
See Which as well as Who, Whom entries in
this section for more information about essential and non-essential
clauses.
Theater, Theatre
Always use theatre when referring to ȺpÎÞÂë’s
Philip Lynch Theatre. The generic use of the word is theater.
When referring to the proper names of other theaters, use the form included
as part of the formal name.
Time (a.m., p.m.)
Lowercase a.m. and p.m. The periods may be removed
in tables and lists if space is limited, but periods should always be used
in text.
Use noon instead of 12 p.m. or 12 noon, and
use midnight instead of 12 a.m. or 12 midnight.
Do not use :00 or o’clock with a time unless it
is included in quoted material or within contexts such as very formal publications
(invitations, etc.).
Time (Standard)
See Standard Time under Capitalization.
Time Zones
Capitalize the full name of the time in force within a particular zone: Eastern
Standard Time, Eastern Daylight Time, Central Standard
Time, etc.
Lowercase all but the region in short forms: the Eastern time zone, Eastern
time, Mountain time, etc.
The abbreviations EST, CDT, etc. are acceptable for zones
used within the continental United States, Canada and Mexico only if the
abbreviation is linked with a clock reading, such as noon EST and 9
a.m. PST. Do not set the abbreviations off with commas.
Spell out all references to time zones not used within the continental
United States. For example, when it is noon EDT, it is 1 p.m. Atlantic
Standard Time and 7 a.m. Alaska Standard Time.
One exception to this rule is that Greenwich Mean Time may be
abbreviated GMT on second reference if used with a clock reading.
As with all abbreviations, it is important to be certain the acronyms used
are clearly understood.
Titles
See Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations; and Composition
Titles under this section.
Under Way
The term under way consists of two words in almost all uses.
Example: The project is under way.
It consists of one word only when used as an adjective before a noun in
a nautical context, such as an underway flotilla.
United States, U.S.
See United States, U.S. under Abbreviations.
University
Never abbreviate ȺpÎÞÂë, in any reference. Lewis or the
University may be used on second reference. When at all possible,
the words ȺpÎÞÂë should be kept on the same line in
running text. University should always be capitalized when referring
to ȺpÎÞÂë.
Vice
Use as a separate word without a hyphen in instances such as vice president, vice
consul, vice chancellor, vice principal, vice
regent, vice secretary, vice chairman and vice
admiral.
Vice President
See Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations;
and Academic, Business and Religious Titles under Capitalization.
The Web and e-mail
Database
Use database as one word and lowercase
in most instances.
E-mail
Hyphenate e-mail and lowercase it
except at the start of a sentence.
Home Page
Use home page as two words and lowercase
unless part of a formal name.
http://
In running text, http:// is not needed
at the start of a Web address listing unless the address doesn’t start
with www or there might be some confusion about whether it is a
Web address.
Internet
Capitalize Internet.
Line Breaks
Do not break a line of text after a period or a
slash within a Web or an e-mail address. Whenever possible, try to keep the
entire Web or e-mail address on the same line of text. In cases where this
cannot be done, bring the period or slash down to start the next line. If
an address does not fit on one line, do not hyphenate when breaking it.
Online
Do not hyphenate online; this should be
treated as one word.
Online Publications
Italicize the titles of online publications, such
as University News.
Web
Web should be capitalized when referring
to the World Wide Web. Web site is two words and Web should
be capitalized while site should be lowercase.
Web Address
Avoid ending a sentence with a Web address since
readers may think the period ending the sentence is part of the address.
When possible, put the Web address in midsentence. The Web address should
always be lowercase.
< >
The symbol < > is not needed
around the listing of a Web address.
Weights
Use figures.
Example: The baby weighed more than 9 pounds. She had
a 9-pound, 7-ounce boy.
Which
Which is the only acceptable pronoun to introduce a non-essential
clause that refers to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. A
non-essential clause is a clause that can be eliminated without changing
the meaning of a sentence. It must be set off by commas.
Example: The book, which he never read, contained a
series of short stories.
The pronoun which occasionally may be substituted for that in
the introduction of an essential clause that refers to an inanimate object
or an animal without a name. In general, this use of which should
appear only when that is used as a conjunction to introduce
another clause in the same sentence.
Example: He said Monday that the section of the building
which suffered the most damage needs immediate repair.
See That in this section for more information about essential
and non-essential clauses. Also see Who, Whom in this section.
Who, Whom
Use who and whom for references to human beings and to
animals with a name. Use that and which for inanimate objects
and animals without a name. See That and Which in this
section for more information.
Who is the word to use when someone is the subject of a sentence,
clause or phrase.
Example: The woman who rented the room left the window
open. Who is there?
Whom is the word to use when someone is the object of a verb or
preposition.
Example: The woman to whom the room was rented left
the window open. Whom do you wish to see?
When using who and whom in conjunction with essential
and non-essential clauses, do not use commas to set the clause off from a
sentence if the clause is essential to the meaning; use commas if the clause
is not essential. See That and Which entries in this
section for further information on essential and non-essential clauses.
Example: Employees who are consistently ahead of deadline
will be rewarded.
(This sentence includes an essential clause. In this
example, the writer is saying that only one group of employees, those who
are consistently ahead of deadline, will be rewarded.)
Example: Employees, who are consistently ahead of deadline,
will be rewarded.
(This sentence includes a non-essential clause. In
this example, the writer is saying that all employees will be rewarded.
If the who are consistently ahead of deadline phrase were deleted,
the meaning of this sentence would not change.)
Who’s, Whose
Who’s is a contraction for who is, not a possessive.
Example: Who’s there?
Whose is the possessive.
Example: I do not know whose coat it is.
Wide-
Usually hyphenated, such as wide-awake, wide-eyed, and wide-open.
-Wide
No hyphen, including examples such as nationwide, statewide and worldwide.
Widows
See Working with Text.
X ray, X-ray
Although X-ray, X ray and x ray are all cited in Webster’s
New World Dictionary as possible options, use X-ray for
most instances.
Years
Use figures, such as 1975. To indicate spans of decades or centuries,
use an s without an apostrophe, such as the 1800s.
Years are the lone exception to the general rule in numerals that a figure
is not used to start a sentence.
Example: 1976 was a very good year.
See Months Without Dates/Years Only under Abbreviations for
more information.
ZIP Codes
Use all-caps ZIP for Zone Improvement Program. Run the
five-digit code without placing a comma between the state name and the ZIP
code.
Example: Romeoville, IL 60446
When possible, use the four-digit extension that follows the five-digit
code to further clarify the address. A hyphen should be used to separate
the five-digit code from the numeric extension.
Example: Romeoville, IL 60446
Professors
See Academic Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations.
Publications
Italicize and capitalize only official, published titles, such as the Lewis
University Summer/Fall Course Schedule 2002. Otherwise, lowercase
with no italics (the course schedule).
On first reference, it is important to use the full title of the publication,
such as Vision 2006: Learning, Mission and Leadership.
Ratios
When using ratios, ȺpÎÞÂë’s style uses a colon to separate
the figures.
Example: ȺpÎÞÂë’s student-faculty ratio
is 15:1.
Regions, Directions
In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc.
when they indicate compass direction. Capitalize these words when they designate
geographical regions.
Example: (Compass Direction)
He drove west. The cold front moved east.
Example: (Regions)
A storm system developed in the Midwest and
spread eastward. It will bring showers to the East Coast by morning. Warm
temperatures will prevail in the Western states.
Reprints
Reprinted material with another publication’s credit is not edited
to University style.
Road
Always spell out, whether used alone or with a numbered street address.
Example: 159 Broadview Road
Roman Numerals
See Numerals in this section.
Room Numbers
Use figures and capitalize room when used with a figure, such as Room
320.
When a room number is combined with a letter (whether placed before or
after the number), a hyphen should not be used to separate the letter from
the room number.
Example: Your class is located in Room A133.
R.S.V.P.
R.S.V.P. is the abbreviation for the French respondez s’il
vous plait. It means please reply.
Saint
See Saint and Geographic Names under Abbreviations for more information.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
See De La Salle under Capitalization.
School
Whenever possible, avoid referring to ȺpÎÞÂë itself as a school.
ȺpÎÞÂë has one school: the School of Education.
Seasons
See Seasons under Capitalization.
Second References
Capitalize the word university in reference to Lewis. Capitalize
the word president in reference to ȺpÎÞÂë’s
President.
Second and subsequent references to a person generally use only the last
name, except in obituaries. Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Rev.
Semester
(Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer)
Do not capitalize semesters in running text, unless a part of a formal
name.
Example: The course will be taught during the fall
semester.
Semiannual
Semiannual means twice a year; it is a synonym for biannual.
Do not confuse it with biennial, which means every two years.
Should, Would
Use should to express an obligation.
Example: We should help the needy.
Use would to express a customary action, or in constructing
a conditional past tense.
Example: (Customary Action)
During the summer we would spend a lot of time
at the beach.
Example: (Conditional Past Tense)
If I had not injured my foot, she would not
have been late for the meeting.
Sizes
Use figures, such as a size 9 dress, size 40 long, 71/2 shoes and
a 341/2 sleeve.
Song Titles
Place quotation marks around the titles of songs.
Spacing of Text
See the section titled Working With Text.
Speeds
Use figures.
Example: The car slowed to 7 miles per hour. The winds
were 5 to 10 miles per hour. A 10-knot wind was recorded.
Avoid extensively hyphenated constructions, such as 5-mile-per-hour
winds.
Suffixes
If a word combination is not listed in the dictionary, use two words for
the verb form; and hyphenate all noun or adjective forms.
Symbols
In running text, spell out the words percent, degrees (temperature), feet, inches and cents. In
tables, it is acceptable to use symbols for these (%,°,',", ¢).
Amounts greater than 99 cents should be in numerals with a dollar sign
($6).
See Money in this section for more information.
Telephone Numbers
In all references, use parentheses around the area code. This is based
on a format that telephone companies have agreed upon for domestic and international
communications.
For numbers within the United States, the parentheses around the area code
should be followed by a space, the three-digit prefix, a hyphen and then
the remaining four digits of the phone number.
Example: (815) 838-0500
Since direct telephone numbers are available to reach departments, offices
and individual faculty, staff and students at the University, these should
be used whenever possible instead of the University’s main telephone
number (815) 838-0500 along with the appropriate telephone extension.
For internal publications, extensions alone may be used. When extension
numbers are given, the word extension may be capitalized and
abbreviated when accompanied by the specific number.
Example: The Director of Public Relations may be reached
at Ext. 5297.
ȺpÎÞÂë’s toll-free number should be used only in conjunction
with recruiting/enrollment efforts.
Television Program Titles
Place quotation marks around the name of a television show. Put the word
show in the quotes if it is part of the formal name. The word show may be
dropped when it would be cumbersome, such as in a set of listings. Use quotation
marks also for the title of an episode.
Temperatures
Use figures for all temperatures except zero. Use a word, not
a minus sign, to indicate temperatures below zero.
Examples: The day’s low was minus 10, or the
day’s low was 10 below zero.
Temperatures fell 5 degrees.
It is 86 degrees here.
Note that generally it is not necessary to specify Fahrenheit or Celsius.
In cases where this is needed, the specific temperature scale should follow
the word degrees and should always be capitalized. If understood,
the first letter of the scale may be used alone (with the number of degrees)
as long as it is capitalized (with no period following unless it is the end
of the sentence).
Examples: It is 86 degrees Fahrenheit here.
It is 86 F here.
Remember, temperatures get higher or lower, but they
don’t get warmer or cooler.
That
Use the conjunction that to introduce a dependent clause if the
sentence sounds or looks awkward without it. While there are exceptions, that usually
may be omitted when a dependent clause immediately follows a form of a verb.
Example: He said he signed the form.
That should be used when a time element intervenes between the
verb and the dependent clause.
Example: He said Monday that he signed the form.
That usually is necessary after some verbs, including advocate,
assert, contend, declare, estimate, make clear, point out, propose and state.
That is required before subordinate clauses beginning with conjunctions
such as after, although, because, before, in addition to, until and while.
Example: John said that after he realized the deadline
had passed, he decided to wait until next semester
When in doubt, include that. Omission can confuse the meaning.
Inclusion does not hurt as long as it is not excessively used throughout
the text.
That is the preferred pronoun to introduce essential clauses
that refer to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. An essential
clause is a clause that cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning
of the sentence. An essential clause should not be set off from the rest
of a sentence by commas.
Example: The part of the army that suffered severe
injuries needed reinforcement.
See Which as well as Who, Whom entries in
this section for more information about essential and non-essential
clauses.
Theater, Theatre
Always use theatre when referring to ȺpÎÞÂë’s
Philip Lynch Theatre. The generic use of the word is theater.
When referring to the proper names of other theaters, use the form included
as part of the formal name.
Time (a.m., p.m.)
Lowercase a.m. and p.m. The periods may be removed
in tables and lists if space is limited, but periods should always be used
in text.
Use noon instead of 12 p.m. or 12 noon, and
use midnight instead of 12 a.m. or 12 midnight.
Do not use :00 or o’clock with a time unless it
is included in quoted material or within contexts such as very formal publications
(invitations, etc.).
Time (Standard)
See Standard Time under Capitalization.
Time Zones
Capitalize the full name of the time in force within a particular zone: Eastern
Standard Time, Eastern Daylight Time, Central Standard
Time, etc.
Lowercase all but the region in short forms: the Eastern time zone, Eastern
time, Mountain time, etc.
The abbreviations EST, CDT, etc. are acceptable for zones
used within the continental United States, Canada and Mexico only if the
abbreviation is linked with a clock reading, such as noon EST and 9
a.m. PST. Do not set the abbreviations off with commas.
Spell out all references to time zones not used within the continental
United States. For example, when it is noon EDT, it is 1 p.m. Atlantic
Standard Time and 7 a.m. Alaska Standard Time.
One exception to this rule is that Greenwich Mean Time may be
abbreviated GMT on second reference if used with a clock reading.
As with all abbreviations, it is important to be certain the acronyms used
are clearly understood.
Titles
See Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations; and Composition
Titles under this section.
Under Way
The term under way consists of two words in almost all uses.
Example: The project is under way.
It consists of one word only when used as an adjective before a noun in
a nautical context, such as an underway flotilla.
United States, U.S.
See United States, U.S. under Abbreviations.
University
Never abbreviate ȺpÎÞÂë, in any reference. Lewis or the
University may be used on second reference. When at all possible,
the words ȺpÎÞÂë should be kept on the same line in
running text. University should always be capitalized when referring
to ȺpÎÞÂë.
Vice
Use as a separate word without a hyphen in instances such as vice president, vice
consul, vice chancellor, vice principal, vice
regent, vice secretary, vice chairman and vice
admiral.
Vice President
See Titles/Degrees under Abbreviations;
and Academic, Business and Religious Titles under Capitalization.
The Web and e-mail
Database
Use database as one word and lowercase
in most instances.
E-mail
Hyphenate e-mail and lowercase it
except at the start of a sentence.
Home Page
Use home page as two words and lowercase
unless part of a formal name.
http://
In running text, http:// is not needed
at the start of a Web address listing unless the address doesn’t start
with www or there might be some confusion about whether it is a
Web address.
Internet
Capitalize Internet.
Line Breaks
Do not break a line of text after a period or a
slash within a Web or an e-mail address. Whenever possible, try to keep the
entire Web or e-mail address on the same line of text. In cases where this
cannot be done, bring the period or slash down to start the next line. If
an address does not fit on one line, do not hyphenate when breaking it.
Online
Do not hyphenate online; this should be
treated as one word.
Online Publications
Italicize the titles of online publications, such
as University News.
Web
Web should be capitalized when referring to the World Wide Web.
Web Address
Avoid ending a sentence with a Web address since
readers may think the period ending the sentence is part of the address.
When possible, put the Web address in midsentence. The Web address should
always be lowercase.
< >
The symbol < > is not needed
around the listing of a Web address.
See the section titled Web Standards.
Weights
Use figures.
Example: The baby weighed more than 9 pounds. She had
a 9-pound, 7-ounce boy.
Which
Which is the only acceptable pronoun to introduce a non-essential
clause that refers to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. A
non-essential clause is a clause that can be eliminated without changing
the meaning of a sentence. It must be set off by commas.
Example: The book, which he never read, contained a
series of short stories.
The pronoun which occasionally may be substituted for that in
the introduction of an essential clause that refers to an inanimate object
or an animal without a name. In general, this use of which should
appear only when that is used as a conjunction to introduce
another clause in the same sentence.
Example: He said Monday that the section of the building
which suffered the most damage needs immediate repair.
See That in this section for more information about essential
and non-essential clauses. Also see Who, Whom in this section.
Who, Whom
Use who and whom for references to human beings and to
animals with a name. Use that and which for inanimate objects
and animals without a name. See That and Which in
this section for more information.
Who is the word to use when someone is the subject of a sentence,
clause or phrase.
Example: The woman who rented the room left the window
open. Who is there?
Whom is the word to use when someone is the object of a verb or
preposition.
Example: The woman to whom the room was rented left
the window open. Whom do you wish to see?
When using who and whom in conjunction with essential
and non-essential clauses, do not use commas to set the clause off from a
sentence if the clause is essential to the meaning; use commas if the clause
is not essential. See That and Which entries in this
section for further information on essential and non-essential clauses.
Example: Employees who are consistently ahead of deadline
will be rewarded.
(This sentence includes an essential clause. In this
example, the writer is saying that only one group of employees, those who
are consistently ahead of deadline, will be rewarded.)
Example: Employees, who are consistently ahead of deadline,
will be rewarded.
(This sentence includes a non-essential clause. In
this example, the writer is saying that all employees will be rewarded.
If the who are consistently ahead of deadline phrase were deleted,
the meaning of this sentence would not change.)
Who’s, Whose
Who’s is a contraction for who is, not a possessive.
Example: Who’s there?
Whose is the possessive.
Example: I do not know whose coat it is.
Wide-
Usually hyphenated, such as wide-awake, wide-eyed, and wide-open.
-Wide
No hyphen, including examples such as nationwide, statewide and worldwide.
Widows
See Working with Text.
X ray, X-ray
Although X-ray, X ray and x ray are all cited in Webster’s
New World Dictionary as possible options, use X-ray for
most instances.
Years
Use figures, such as 1975. To indicate spans of decades or centuries,
use an s without an apostrophe, such as the 1800s.
Years are the lone exception to the general rule in numerals that a figure
is not used to start a sentence.
Example: 1976 was a very good year.
See Months Without Dates/Years Only under Abbreviations for
more information.
ZIP Codes
Use all-caps ZIP for Zone Improvement Program. Run the
five-digit code without placing a comma between the state name and the ZIP
code.
Example: Romeoville, IL 60446
When possible, use the four-digit extension that follows the five-digit
code to further clarify the address. A hyphen should be used to separate
the five-digit code from the numeric extension.
Example: Romeoville, IL 60446
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