Paul Hillier October 18, 2011 TCN707 Editing and Style

Abbreviations and Symbols

- To improve clarity, avoid using abbreviations wherever possible. - Give the full name on first reference and then the abbreviation in parenthesis. Use the abbreviation thereafter. - Well-known abbreviations (e.g., CBC) do not need to be spelled out on first use. - Omit periods and spaces in all capital abbreviations, unless it refers to a person or place. - If possible, use a general term instead of repeating the abbreviation frequently. (e.g., RCMP can be substitute for the federal police). - Omit periods from currency abbreviations. - Most lower case and mixed case abbreviations take periods (e.g., B.Sc.). - Mixed case abbreviations that start and end with a capital letter do not take periods (e.g., PhD). - Metric symbols are not abbreviations, so do not take periods (e.g., cm, m, ml). - Abbreviations formed from the first letter of each word are all capitals. - Abbreviations formed from initial and other letters are in initial capital and lower case. - Abbreviations that have become common words are lower case. - Avoid repeating words that are part of the abbreviation (e.g., VIN number). - Use brackets in pairs to indicate editorial or explanatory comments. - Use brackets with sic to indicate a printed error in a quotation. - Dont use quotation marks to enclose a word that is being used humorously or ironically. - Always place periods and commas inside quotation marks. Always place colons or semicolons outside quotation marks. - Dont use an apostrophe with possessive personal pronouns, to form the possessive of inanimate objects, or to form the plural of proper nouns.

TCN707 Style Sheet Numbers and Measurement Style and Punctuation

- Spell out whole numbers below 10 and use figures for 10 and above. - Use arabic numerals in addresses, times, dates, years, decimals, decisions, scores, votes, odds, measurements, currency, sequences, latitude and longitude. - Only use roman numerals (e.g., x, ix, v) to indicate sequences of animals or people. - Spell out numbers at the start of a sentence, except when starting with a year. - Spell out common fractions below one (e.g., one-half). - Spell out numbers in millions or greater. - Spell numbers in casual use (e.g., thousands). - Spell extremely large numbers in millions or billions. - Watch for differences in numbering (e.g., in Britain 1,000,000,000,000 is a billion). - Use the metric system for measurement. Where imperial is standard, write it and the metric equivalent in parentheses. - Round equivalent measurements, unless accuracy is required. - Metric symbols do not take periods or s for plurals. - A litre (L) is the accepted name for a cubic decimetre (dm3). A millilitre (mL) is the same as a cubic centimetre (cm3). - Use square metres or square kilometres instead of hectares. - Add one space after a period, not two. - Dont indent or double space text. - Use a period after a number or letter a formal outline or a numbered list. - Use ellipsis marks to indicate an omission or words in a quote, or a break in thought. - Dont use a period in the title of a work of art. - Use a question mark after a direct -question, or when a sentence is half statement and half question. - Dont use a question mark after an indirect question. - Dont use a question mark within parentheses to express humour or irony. - Dont use more than one exclamation mark at a time, or with other stop marks. - Use the colon to introduce a list after a complete sentence, incomplete sentence, or subheading with no introductory words. - A colon may also introduce a direct quotation that is more than three lines long. - Use a semicolon between independent clauses in a compound sentence. - Use a semicolon to separate items in a list when there are commas in some list items. - Use an em dash, rather than two hyphens. - Use an en dash, rather than a hyphen. - An em dash can be used to set off parenthetical information. - Use an em dash before an authors name after a direct quotation. - Use an en-dash for periods of time where you might otherwise use the conjunction to or from. - Dont use a comma to separate the subject and verb of the sentence. - Dont use a comma to join independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction. - Dont use parentheses to indicate deletion or enclose comments.

Style and Punctuation (cont.) ABC

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Abridgement Acknowledgement Aging Airplane Anemia Anesthesia Analyze Appall Appendices Arbour Ardour Armour Artifact Axe 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. Balk Behaviour Breathalyzer Bureaus Candour Catalogue Catalyze Centre Chteaux Cheque Clamour Colour Combatting Cozy

DEF
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Defence Demeanour Dialyze Diarrhea Distill Draft Dryly Endeavour Enrol Enrolment 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Equalled Estrogen Etiology Favour Fervour Fibre Flavour Forestalment Fulfill Fulfillment

GHI
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Gravelled Grey Harbour Hemorrhage Honour Humour Imperilled Indices Instalment Inquire Instill

Paul Hillier October 18, 2011 TCN707 Editing and Style

Paul Hillier October 18, 2011 TCN707 Editing and Style

JKL
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Judgment Labour Libellous Licence (n.) License (v.) Likeable Livable Lustre

MNO
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Manoeuvre Marshalled Marvellous Metre Mitre Mould Moustache Neighbour Ochre Odour Oenology Offence Orthopedic

TCN707 Style Sheet PQR STUVWXYZ

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Paralyze Parlour Pedalled Peddlar Pediatric Plow Practice (n.) Practise (v.) Pretense Program Pyjamas Racquet Rancour Referendums Rigour Rumour 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Saleable Saltpetre Saviour Savour Sceptre Signaller Sizable Skepticism Smoulder Sombre Splendour Storey 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. Succour Sulphur Theatre Traveller Tumour Valour Vapour Vigour Woollen

Spelling
- Diphthongs use American spelling in most cases. (exception: oe diphthongs such as manoeuvre). - The use of silent e+ suffix follows American or British standards. - Always use our endings instead of the American or (e.g., colour, labour, tumour, vapour). - Always use re endings instead of the American er (e.g., centre, metre). - Always use yze endings instead of the British yse (e.g., alalyze, paralyze, Breathalyzer). - The use of silent l or ll follows American or British standards. - Always use double consonants, following the British model, except combatting. - Where a verb has two past-tense forms, use either without preference (e.g. kneeled or knelt). - Where the Canadian Oxford Dictionary lists two possible spellings, use the first spelling. - Use preferred spelling in the case of place names, businesses, the titles of books, movies, and other works. - Apply Canadian spelling to government departments and agencies. - When checking spelling, focus on common problem areas, such as prefixes and suffixes, doubled consonants, and the schwa sound.

Miscellaneous
Capitalization - Use lower case letters whenever possible. Capitalize all proper names, trade names, government departments and agencies, names of associations, companies, clubs, religions, languages, nations, races, places, addresses; otherwise, lower case where a reasonable option exists. - Capitalize common nouns and formal titles when preceding or a part of a formal name; lower case them when standing alone. - Lower case occupational titles and job descriptions. - For emphasis, avoid the use of all capitals. Use italics, boldface, larger type size, extra white space, or a text box. Statistics - Watch for estimates. - Ensure the source is identified as preliminary or of a subsequent release. - Ensure the date of the data is clearly indicated. - Be careful with comparisons of data in other places and time periods. - Clearly identify the study area. Pronouns - Do not substitute reflexive pronouns for personal pronouns (e.g., Jack and myself went to the store). - Make sure to use compound pronouns rather than two pronouns (e.g., She and I, we). - Do not mistake possessive personal pronouns for contractions (e.g., its/its). - Ensure the antecedent and pronoun agree in number. When a pronoun has no identifiable antecedent, supply one. - Do not make vague references to clauses using which, that, this, or it. - Because there is no non-gendered thirdperson pronoun, use they instead of he or she. Verbs - Ensure subject-verb agreement in person or number. - Do not write excessively in the passive voice. - Be careful to not split the infinitive by inserting an adverb between the particle to and the verb. Adverbs and Adjectives - Use an adverb to modify a verb, adjective, or adverb (e.g., that was a very fast car). - Use an adjective as a subjective complement (e.g., the car goes fast). Conjunctions, Prepositions, and Interjections - Do not end a sentence with a preposition. - Do not add a subordinate conjunction to a sentence and leave it punctuated as a sentence. Sentences - Subjects and verbs should agree in person and in number, regardless of the intervening words, phrases, or clauses between them. - Be careful of singular nouns in plural form. - Whenever possible, keep the subject and predicate together.