by D. Michelle Adkerson
a.m./p.m.
On-the-hour time designations followed by "a.m." or "p.m."
never include the colon.
Last week's rendezvous was scheduled for 7 p.m. [not 7:00
p.m.], but we didn't meet again until 3:00 the following
afternoon. Let's try to get together by 6:30 p.m. tomorrow.
abbreviations; acronyms
1. Generally, when letters are omitted from within an abbreviated
word, use an apostrophe to denote the omitted letters.
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don't |
can't |
aff'g |
dep't |
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nat'l |
comm'n |
eng'g |
rev'd |
When letters are omitted from the end of the abbreviated word, use a
period.
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adj. |
cert. |
admin. |
univ. |
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coop. |
corp. |
util. |
inc. |
And then there are the exceptions: words in which letters are omitted
internally, but that use no apostrophes and that end in a period.
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dept. |
bldg. |
hwy. |
mt. |
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st. |
ctr. |
bd. |
ltd. |
There is one certainty, however; an abbreviated word never uses
both an apostrophe and a period.
dep't (legal style)
dept. (business style)
But Never: dep't.
2. When using abbreviated words, base your selection of "a" or "an" on
the pronunciation of the abbreviation that follows the article, not the
word or phrase for which the abbreviation stands.
an FDA regulation
a Food and Drug Administration regulation
an SBA guideline
an NAACP victory
an NYSE member
Acronyms are pronounced like words.
a NOW principle
a modem
an EPCOT Center display
a Nabisco product
addresses
1. Because the Post Office scans from the bottom up, the address
should appear with the city, state, and zip code on the last line of the
address and the street address or P.O. box on the second to the last
line. The floor, suite, or room number on an address should appear in
one of the following locations:
The West Company
Attention: Ms. T. Swinton
146 Leo Lane, Room 4
Monk, WA 98000 |
Ms. V. Bell
Suite 600
1111 Dalloway Park
Monk, WA 98000 |
Ms. V. Bell
Clive & Company
Room 212, Duncan Tower
1798 21st Street
Monk, WA 98000 |
Ms. T. Swinton
The West Company
1928 Sack Building
2112 Leo Lane
Monk, WA 98000 |
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Not:
Ms. T. Swan
The East Company
4444 West Market Avenue
Room 4
Walsh, ME 14500
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2. As shown in the first example, an attention line should follow the
addressee line. But it may instead appear, underscored or otherwise
emphasized, on the left side of the envelope, three lines below the
return address. (This is where other notations, such as "Confidential,"
"Personal," and "Please Forward," appear.)
The attention line should not appear below the mailing address. On the
inside address, however, the attention line may appear on the second
line below the mailing address.
A simpler style is to type on the top line the name of the department or
person to whom the correspondence is directed and to type on the second
line the company name, eliminating the use of an attention line
altogether.
3. The Post Office's scanners are programmed to read both traditional
style and the all-capped style that is used for mass mailings. The
traditional style is still the accepted style for business
correspondence, so continue to use the style shown in the examples
above.
4. Use a space to separate the street number from the name of a numbered
street.
22 35th Place
Not: 22 - 35th Place
adjectives
1. Compound Adjectives. If two or more descriptive words
precede the noun, each of which describes the noun, use a comma (or
"and," when appropriate) between each descriptive word.
The
ugly, slavering, limping dog slowly approached. (The underlined
words each describe the noun dog.)
2.
Phrasal Adjectives. If the descriptive words before the noun
are unequal, hyphenate them to create a single unit.
The quick-frozen lunch assaulted the senses. (Quick describes
frozen;
quick-frozen describes lunch.)
The two-year plan will affect us all.
the law-of-the-case doctrine
3. But if the first descriptive word ends in -ly, don't use a
hyphen.
The quickly frozen dinner unnerved the tongue.
Note:
Some compound adjectives retain the hyphen even when they appear
after the noun they modify.
advise
Use advise to mean "to counsel or warn," not "to notify" or "to
inform."
Not: B.J. advised us that the play began at 8 p.m.
But:
B.J. informed us that the play began at 8 p.m.
Solly was advised by the strange spirit not to attempt to unlock the
13th door alone.
affect; effect
The first is a verb that means "to influence" "to change," or "to
assume." The second, usually a noun, means "result" or "impression"; as
a verb, effect means "to bring about."
The new color of the study should not affect her concentration, but
it will.
The effect of the changed rule was chaos until a clarification was
posted.The
blue and white motif produces an effect of space and calm, a
preferable alternative to the pumpkin theme the former owner
enjoyed.
I would not have imagined that color alone could effect such a
transformation.
Note:
In psychology jargon only, affect has an additional meaning
as a noun synonym for feeling or emotion. Likewise,
the adjective form affective means "emotional."
agreement
When several nouns share a common verb, the nouns and verb should
agree in number (a plural noun means a plural verb).
1. If and connects the nouns, the verb should usually be
plural.
Alicia and I are going to see four films this weekend.
Tracye and the girls plan to join us for one of them.
Tip:
To test yourself, use pronouns to sound out the verbs. When you see
Alicia and I, think we - "We are going" sounds right.
Instead of Tracye and the girls, think "They
are going to join us."
But:
Spaghetti and meatballs is Cassie's least favorite meal when she
dines out. (The nouns act as a single unit.)
2. If or or nor connects the nouns, the verb should agree
with the noun closest to it.
Either they or I am going to complete this job today.
Neither the sisters nor their mother is painting now.
Neither their mother nor they are hungry.
But when your subject has both singular and plural parts, you should
generally arrange the sentence so that the plural part is nearer the
verb.
Neither the observers nor Renata was aware of the danger.
Better:
Neither Renata nor the observers were aware of any danger.
3. Unlike and and or, the words and phrases below follow
the subject of a sentence but do not affect whether the verb is singular
or plural.
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combined with |
as well as |
with |
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along with |
together with |
in addition to |
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besides |
accompanied by |
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If necessary, rewrite the sentence to make your meaning more clear.
Correct:
Teri's assistance, along with tips from Michael, is exactly
what I need to complete this project. (The subject, assistance,
is singular, so the verb is also singular.)
But:
Teri's assistance and Michael's tips are what I need.
(The and makes the subject plural - "assistance and tips" -
so the verb is plural.)
Correct:
Jakota's bird, combined with my turtle and goldfish, makes
the office come alive.
But:
Jakota's bird and my turtle and goldfish make the room come
alive.
allege; assert; claim; maintain (verbs)
Allege means to state or assert without adequate proof. Assert
means to declare with assurance. Synonyms include declare, profess,
affirm, aver, and warrant. Claim means to say or to declare;
it raises doubt about the truth of an assertion. Maintain means
to declare as true or as being capable of proof.
alleged; accused; suspected
These words may only refer to a crime or condition, never to a person.
Not:
alleged rapist
accused embezzler
suspected murderer
But:
alleged rape
alright
There is no such word. Use all right.
alternate; alternative
Alternate means "one after the other." Alternative
means "one or the other," a choice between two or more possibilities.
The editors received alternate book proposals from their eager
author. (They received the proposals one after the other; making a
choice between or among the proposals is not implied.)
The editors received alternative book proposals. (They received two
or more proposals with the expectation that they would choose
between or among them.)
ample
Use ample when you mean "more than enough." Avoid phrases such
as more than ample or hardly ample. The first is
redundant; the second doesn't make sense.
My dinner was ample; I couldn't wish for more.
anticipate
Use anticipate when an event is foreseen and something is done
in response to that foreseen event.
I anticipate a hard winter, so I bought a dandy new snow shovel.
appreciate; depreciate
Something that appreciates increases in value; something that
depreciates lessens in value.
Not:
Her holdings depreciated in value. (Value is redundant.)
The value of his ring appreciated over time.
But:
Her holdings depreciated.
His ring appreciated over time.
apprehend; comprehend
The first means to grasp the meaning or something; the second means to
know something completely.
as; like
As introduces a subordinate clause. (A subordinate clause
contains a subject and verb but depends on the main clause in the
sentence.)
Like introduces a phrase. (A phrase has no subject or verb.)
The toy purrs like a kitten.
It purrs as a kitten purrs.
as much or more than
Incorrect for as much as or more than.
author
This word is not a verb.
awhile; a while
As a noun, while means "an interval of time." Awhile
is an adverb used to modify a verb; it means "for a short time." Use
a while after a preposition; use awhile after a verb with no
intervening preposition.
Roberto wept awhile.
Roberta swept for a while.
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