These guidelines should come in handy when you are putting
together your credentials. A well-written package with proper grammar
and usage goes far to tell a prospective employer or hiring executive
that he/she is considering a "quality" candidate.
My reference for this list is The Gregg Reference Manual,
Eighth Edition, by William A. Sabin, published by McGraw-Hill, New York,
1996. This is generally considered to be "the" reference
manual for grammar, usage and punctuation and you can find the answer to virtually
every question you might ever have with regard to the written word. You can
get The Gregg Reference Manual at a great price from Amazon.com. I have found the
best version to be the spiral-bound paperback, because it will lay flat as
you use it and will stay open on a desk or a book stand. I would highly recommend
its purchase as one of your main reference books, along with an up-to-date
dictionary and thesaurus. Most importantly, use these books; don’t
let them collect dust on your bookshelf.
The Gregg Reference Manual
is organized numerically by category. You will see the "rule number"
in bold at the left margin.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding this reference sheet.
Click on the hyperlinks below to go to a specific subject:
Although the dash has a few specific functions of its own,
it most often serves in place of the comma, the semicolon, the colon,
or parentheses. When used as an alternative to these other marks,
it creates a much more emphatic separation of words within a sentence.
Because of its versatility, some writers are tempted to use a dash to
punctuate almost any break within a sentence. Indeed, some writers mistakenly
think it is fashionable to use dashes in place of periods at the end of sentences.
However, this indiscriminate
use of dashes destroys the special forcefulness that a dash can convey.
So please use the dash sparingly—and then only for deliberate effect.
NOTE: Rule 299 outlines spacing for the dash:
f.
Em Dash (—) No space before or after an em dash.
No space before, between, or after two hyphens used to
represent an em dash.
g.
Hyphen (-) No space before; no space after
except with a suspending hyphen or a line-ending hyphen.
In Place of Commas
201
Use dashes in place of commas to set off a nonessential element
that requires special emphasis.
At this year's annual banquet, the speakers—and the food—were superb.
Of all the color samples you sent me, there was only one I liked—taupe.
202
If a nonessential element already contains internal commas,
use dashes in place of commas to set the element off. (If dashes
provide too emphatic a break, use parentheses instead.)
Our entire inventory of Oriental rugs—including a fine selection
of Sarouks, Kashans, and Bokharas—will be offered for sale at a 40 percent
discount.
203
To give special emphasis to the second independent clause
in a compound sentence, use a dash rather than a comma before the coordinating
conjunction.
The information I sent you is true—and you know it!
In Place of Parentheses
206
Use dashes instead of parentheses when you want to give the
nonessential element strong emphasis.
Call Mike Habib—he's with Jax Electronics—and get his opinion.
Constructing Dashes
216
If you are using word processing software, you will very likely
have access to a special character called an em dash. (This
is the dash that appears in all the examples [above].) If you do
not have access to this special character, you can construct a dash by
striking the hyphen key twice, with no space before, between or
after the hyphens. For example:
Don't believe him--ever!
NOT: Don't believe him -- ever!
NOTE: Do not use a single hyphen with space before and after it.
Periods and commas always go inside the closing
quotation mark . . .
Sign your name wherever you see
an "X."
"Let’s go over the deal
again," she said . . .
"Witty," "clever,"
"amusing," and "hilarious" are only a few of the
adjectives that are being applied to her new book . . .
b.
Periods and commas also go inside the single closing
quotation mark.
Mr. Poston said, "Please let me see all the orders marked
‘Rush.’" . . .
NOTE: Do not confuse a single quotation mark with an apostrophe used
to show possession. When a sentence requires the use of a comma or a
period at the same point as an apostrophe showing possession,
the comma or period follows the apostrophe.
I recently took over the management of the Murrays’, the Boyarskys’,
and the Cabots’ investment portfolios.
248
a.
Semicolons and colons always go outside the
closing quotation mark.
Last Tuesday you said, "I will mail a check today"; it has
not yet arrived . . .
b.
Semicolons and colons also go outside the single quotation
mark.
Alice Arroyo called in from her country place to say, "Please
send me the following items from the file labeled ‘In Process’: the
latest draft of the Berryman agreement and the FASB Statement 33."
249
a.
A question mark or an exclamation point goes inside
the closing quotation mark when it applies only to the quoted material.
His first question was, "How long have you worked here?"
(Quoted question at the end of a statement.)
Garland still ends every sales meeting by shouting, "Go get ‘em!"
(Quoted exclamation at the end of a statement.)
b.
A question mark or an exclamation point goes outside
the closing quotation mark when it applies to the entire sentence.
When will she say, for a change, "you did a nice job on that"?
(Quoted statement at the end of a question.)
Stop saying, "Don’t worry"! (Quoted statement at the end of
an exclamation.)
c.
If the quoted material and the entire sentence each require
the same mark of punctuation, use only one mark—the one that comes first
. . .
Have you seen the advertisement that starts, "Why pay more?"
(Quoted question at the end of a question.) . . .
d.
These same principles govern the placement of a question mark
or an exclamation point in relation to a single quotation mark . . .
If one or more words are omitted within a quoted sentence,
use ellipsis marks (three spaced periods, with one space before and after
each period) to indicate the omission.
"During the past forty years . . . we have been witnessing a change
in buying habits, particularly with respect to food."
Do not capitalize occupational titles (such as author,
surgeon, publisher and lawyer preceding a name.
The reviews of drama critic Simon Ritchey have lost
their bite.
NOT: The reviews of Drama Critic Simon Ritchey have
lost their bite.
313
d.
Titles of company officials (for example, the president,
the general manager) should not be capitalized when they follow or replace
a personal name. Exceptions are made in formal minutes of meetings . .
. and in rules and bylaws.
NOTE: Some companies choose to capitalize these titles in all their
communications because of the great respect the officials command
within the company. However, this practice confers excessive
importance on people who are neither public officials nor eminent
dignitaries, and it should be avoided.
e.
In general, do not capitalize job titles when they stand alone
. . .
321
When the common-noun element is used in place of the full
name (for example, the company in place of the Anderson Hardware
Company, do not capitalize the short form unless special emphasis
or distinction is required (as in legal documents, minutes of meetings,
bylaws and other formal communications, where the short form is intended
to invoke the full authority of the organization). In most cases, however,
capitalization is unnecessary because the short form is used only as a
general term of classification.
The company has always made a conscientious effort to involve
itself in community affairs. However, our company policy specifically
prohibits our underwriting any activity in support of a candidate
for public office. (As used here, company is a term of general
classification).
BUT: On behalf of the Company, I am authorized to accept your
bid. (Here the full authority of the company is implied; hence Company
is spelled with a capital C.)
322
Common organizational terms such as advertising department,
manufacturing division, finance committee and board of directors are ordinarily
capitalized when they are the actual names of units withinthe
writer’s own organization. These terms are not capitalized when they
refer to some other organization unless the writer has reason to give
these terms special importance or distinction . . .
The Advertising Department will unveil the fall campaign this
Friday. (Style used by insiders.)
BUT: The advertising department of Black & London will
unveil its fall campaign this Friday. (Style used by outsiders.)
347
a.
Do not capitalize the names of programs, movements or concepts
when used as general terms.
social security benefits BUT: the Social Security Administration
medicare payments BUT: the Medicare Act
the civil rights movement BUT: the Civil Rights Act
The rules for expressing numbers would be quite simple if writers
would all agree to express numbers entirely in figures or entirely in
words. But in actual practice the exclusive use of figures is
considered appropriate only in tables and statistical matter, whereas
the exclusive use of words to express numbers is found only in ultraformal
documents (such as proclamations and social invitations). In writing
that is neither ultraformal nor ultratechnical, most style manuals call
for the use of both figures and words in varying proportions. Although
authorities do not agree on details, there are two sets of basic rules
in wide use: the figure style (which uses figures for most numbers above
10) and the word style (which uses figures for most numbers above 100).
Unless you deal with a very limited type of business correspondence, you should be familiar with both styles and be prepared to use each appropriately as the situation demands.
401
Spell out numbers from 1 through 10; use figures for numbers
above 10. This rule applies to both exact and approximate numbers.
I would like ten copies of this article, but I need only two or three
right away.
At the convention we got over 75 requests for a copy of your report.
a.
Use all figures—even for numbers 1 through 10 (as in this
sentence)—when they have technical significance or need to stand out for
quick comprehension. This all-figure style is used in tables, in
statistical material, and in expressions of dates (May 3), money
($6), clock time (4 p.m.), proportions and ratios (a
5-to-1 shot), sports scores (3 to 1), academic grades (95)
and percentages (8 percent). This style is also used with abbreviations
and symbols (12 cm, 8°F), with numbers referred to as numbers (think
of a number from 1 to 10), with highway designations (U.S. Route
1, I-80), and with technical or emphatic references to age (a tristate
study of 5-year-olds), periods of time (a 6-month loan), measurements
(parcels over 3 pounds), and page numbers (page 1).
b.
In isolated cases spell out a number above 10 in order to
de-emphasize the number or make it seem indefinite.
Jonathan could give you a thousand and one reasons for his inability
to find a job that's right for him.
I have a hundred things to do today. (In this context 100 things
would seem too precise, too exact.)
NOTE: Also use words for numbers at the beginning of a
sentence, for most ordinals (our twenty-fifth anniversary),
for fractions (one-third of our sales), and for nontechnical
or nonemphatic references to age (my son just turned twelve),
periods of time (twenty years ago), and measurements (I
need to lose thirty pounds).
402
Use the same style to express related numbers above and
below 10. If any of the numbers are above 10, put them all in figures.
We used to have two dogs, one cat, and one rabbit.
BUT: We now have 5 dogs, 11 cats, and 1 rabbit .
. . .
Our four sons consumed a total of 18 hamburgers, 5
large bottles of diet Coke, 12 DoveBars, and about 2000
cookies—all at one sitting. (Figures are used for all
the related items of food; the other numbers—four and one—are
spelled out, since they are not related and are not over 10.)
Ordinal Numbers
424
In general, spell out all ordinal numbers (first, second,
third, etc.) that can be expressed in one or two words. (A hyphenated
number like twenty-first counts as one word.)
in the twenty-first century
twentieth-century art . . .
on the forty-eighth floor
on my fifty-fifth birthday
the Fourteenth Ward
the two millionth visitor to EPCOT
the firm's one hundredth anniversary (BUT: the firm's
125th anniversary)
the Ninety-ninth Congress (in text)
the Ninety-Ninth Congress (in headings and titles; see 363)
the 104th Congress
the Eighteenth Amendment
When the day follows the month, use a cardinal figure (1,
2, 3, etc.) to express it.
On March 6 (NOT: March 6th or March sixth)
409
a.
Express complete dates in month-day-year sequence.
March 6, 1998 . . .
b.
Avoid the following forms:
March 6th, 1998
Mar. 6, 1998
the 6th of March, 1998
the sixth of March, 1998
410
Note the use of commas and other punctuation with expressions
of dates.
On August 13, 1998, my husband and I received the bank loan that
permitted us to start our own restaurant. (Two commas set off the
year following the month and day.)
Sales for February 1998 hit an all-time low. (Omit commas around the
year when it follows the month alone.)
Express percentages in figures, and spell out the word percent
. . .
When your mortgage rate goes from 6 percent to 6.6 percent,
it may have increased by less than 1 percentage point, but you’ll
pay 10 percent more in interest.
NOTE: The % symbol may be used in tables, on business forms and in
statistical or technical material.
Capital letters and abbreviations ending with capital letters
are pluralized by adding s alone.
three Rs
four Cs
five VIPs
HMOs
POs
S&Ls
BBSs
IQs
PTAs
V.P.s
M.D.s
Ph.D.s
b.
Some authorities still sanction the use of an apostrophe before
the s (for example, four C's, PTA's). However, the
apostrophe is functionally unnecessary except where confusion might otherwise
result.
three A's
too many I's
two U's
BUT: His report card showed three As, two Bs, and one C.
(When the context is clear, no apostrophes are necessary.)
638
To form the singular possessive of an abbreviation, add an
apostrophe plus s. To form the plural possessive, add an
s plus an apostrophe to the singular form.
Singular
Plural
Mr. C.'s opinion
the M.D.s' diagnoses
PBS's programming
the Ph.D.s' theses
this HMO's doctors
the CPAs' meeting
639
To form the possessive of a personal or an organizational
name that ends with an abbreviation, a number, or a prepositional phrase,
add an apostrophe plus s at the end of the complete name.
the Winger Co.'s new plant
the Knights of Columbus's drive
United Bank of Arizona's loan rates
Hyde & Sikh Inc.'s dividends
David Weild II's retirement
Walter Frick Jr.'s campaign
NOTE: If no extra s sound is created when you pronounce the
possessive form, add only an apostrophe.
A compound adjective consists of two or more words that function
as a unit and express a single thought. These one-thought modifiers are
derived from (and take the place of) adjective phrases and clauses. In
the following examples the left column shows the original phrase or clause;
the right column shows the compound adjective.
Adjective Phrase or Clause
Compound Adjective
terminals installed at the point of the sale
point-of-sale terminals
a career moving along a fast track
a fast-track career
a guarantee to give you your money back
a money-back guarantee
an actor who is well known
a well-known actor
a conference held at a high level
a high-level conference
a report that is up to date
an up-to-date report
814
Hyphenate the elements of a compound adjective that occurs
before a noun. (REASON: the words that make up the compound
adjective are not in their normal order or a normal form and require hyphens
to hold them together.)
high-tech equipment (equipment that reflects a high level of technology)
long-range plans (plans projected over a long range of time)
bottom-line results (results that are shown on the bottom line of
a financial statement)
industry-recognized performance (performance that has received recognition
in the industry)
831
a.
Hyphenate phrases used as compound adjectives before
a noun. Do not hyphenate such phrases when they occur normally elsewhere
in the sentence.
Before the Noun
Elsewhere in the Sentence
up-to-date expense figures
The expense figures are up to date.
on-the-job training
I got my training on the job.
a state-of-the-art installation
This model reflects the current state of the art.
832
a.
When a series of hyphenated adjectives has a common basic
element and this element is shown only with the last term, insert a "suspending"
hyphen after each of the incomplete adjectives to indicate a relationship
with the last term.
long- and short-term securities
single-, double-, ortriple-spaced copy
10- and 20-year bonds
a three- or four-color cover
b.
Use one space after each suspending hyphen unless a comma
is required at that point.
Do not confuse certain possessive pronouns with contractions
and other phrases that sound like the possessive pronouns.
its (possessive)
it’s (it is or it has)
[NOTE: the only time you use an apostrophe in it’s
is when it is a contraction, used to substitute for it is or it
has. Its is possessive without an apostrophe.]
