đ¤ Garbl's Editorial Style and Usage Guide: MâO
Entries from magazine names through organizational structure.
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Introduction | Punctuation | Commonly Confused Words
M
magazine names Capitalize the name, but do not place it in quotations. Italicize magazine names if possible; underline them if not. Lowercase magazine unless it is part of the formal title. See composition titles.
measurements See dimensions, numerals.
media Media takes plural verbs when it refers to more than one news organization or medium of communication, such as TV, radio, and newspapers: Radio and television are popular entertainment media. Avoid implying that the news media, social media, or paid media are a single or monolithic entity: Heâs convinced the local news media is out to get him.
metrics Include metric terms when they are relevant. Use metric terms when they are the primary form in which the source of information has given statistics. Follow the metric units with equivalents in terms more widely known in the United States. Usually, put the equivalent in parentheses after the metric figure, or make a general statement, such as: A kilometer equals about five-eighths of a mile. Except for references to computer memory storage and mm for millimeter in film widths, do not use metric abbreviations, such as kg for kilogram.
middle initials Use middle initials when they are an integral part of a personâs name (as typically used by the person named): John F. Kennedy. Use middle initials in stories or reports where they help identify a specific person, such as in casualty lists and accident reports. Also, donât put a space between initials.
midnight, noon Donât capitalize, and do not put a redundant 12 in front of either word. Use noon instead of misleading or confusing 12 p.m. (or 12 a.m.); readers likely wonât know the difference between them. Also, avoid using midnight if it could confuse readers about what day something is taking place. Instead, use 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, for example, or 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
Midnight marks the end of one day and the beginning of the next. To avoid confusion, specify the date when needed. See time.
miles Use figures for amounts under 10 in dimensions, formulas, and speed: The land measured 2 miles by 3 miles. The truck slowed to 8 miles per hour. The coach gets 6 miles per gallon. Spell out below 10 in distances: He drove eight miles.
military titles Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before a personâs name. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the personâs full name. In later references, use only the last name.
Spell out and lowercase a title when it is substituted for a name: The general cautioned his staff about issuing potentially illegal orders.
Miss, Mr., Mrs., Ms. Do not use the courtesy titles Miss, Mr., Mrs., or Ms. Instead, use the first and last names of the person. On second reference, use only the last name. Courtesy titles may be used in business correspondence. See names.
money Use numerals: 8 cents, $10 bill, 8 pounds, 6 euros. If you must note foreign currencies, donât put spaces between the abbreviation and the currency symbol and between the currency symbol and the number: US$60, Can$35, or C$35. If you donât use the dollar sign (or the suitable symbol for other currencies), a space goes between the abbreviation and the number: Fr 40 million, DM 501.23. Avoid using the symbol for foreign currencies that may be unfamiliar to your readers. Also see cents, dash under Punctuation, decimals, dollars, fractions, numerals, ranges.
months Capitalize the names of months in all uses. In documents, reports, and web pages, abbreviate the following months when used with a specific date: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. Spell out when using a month alone or with a year alone: The committee met in August. The committee met Aug. 23, 1995. The committee met in August 1994. Do not abbreviate months in the datelines of correspondence.
When using the month, day, and year, set off the year with commas: The committee met Aug. 23, 1994, at the Seattle Center. See dates.
Also, donât insult your readers by noting that a month is a month. Simplify. Drop the month of in the month of January.
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Introduction | Punctuation | Commonly Confused Words
N
names People are entitled to be known however they want to be known if their identities are clear. In publications, use a personâs full name on first reference, last name only on second reference. Donât repeat a personâs title before the last name on second reference. See brand names; capitalization; junior, senior; middle initials; Miss, Mr., Mrs., Ms.; nickname, pseudonym.
newspapers Capitalize all proper nouns that are part of the official title. Italicize them if possible; underline them if not. Capitalize the in a newspaperâs name if that is the publicationâs preferred title. Donât use quotation marks. See composition titles.
nickname, pseudonym Use instead of a personâs given name if the person prefers to be known by the nickname or pseudonym. When including a nickname in the identification of a person, use quotation marks, not parentheses. But omit the quotation marks when using a nickname without the personâs real name: Theodore âTeddyâ Roosevelt but Teddy Roosevelt.
A pseudonym (or pen name) is usually a fictitious name used by a writer, such as Mark Twain for Samuel Clemens. For nicknames of places, things, and personalities, capitalize but donât use quotation marks: Evergreen State, Motown, Honest Abe, Old Glory, Galloping Gertie. See names.
No. Use as the abbreviation for number when used with a figure, in both singular and plural forms: the No. 3 choice, invoice Nos. 4311 and 5207, lot No. 23, apartment No. 6. Donât use the number symbol or sign, to stand for No. or number.
numerals
Spell out most whole numbers below 10. Use figures for 10 and above. See entries and cross-references below for exceptions to those general guidelines. Also spell out zero and zero percent, though the figure 0 may be appropriate in technical contexts and ranges: 0% to 5%.
Use figures 1 through 9 and above for ages of people, animals, events, and things. Use figures when numbers precede measurable units (dimensions, distances, temperatures, but not time measurements). Use figures in tables and charts.
Avoid following the word for a number with a figure in parentheses for the same number. Itâs redundant. Avoid: The contract will run out in eight (8) days.
In amounts more than a millionâunless the exact amount is essentialâround off up to two decimal points. Write out the word million, billion, or trillion; use numbers in all but casual uses; donât use a hyphen between the number and million, billion, or trillion; and avoid using fractions instead of decimals: 4 million, 31.6 million, a million bucks, a $6.25 million investment (not $6 1/4 million). Include million, billion, or trillion when giving ranges: The project could cost $35 million to $41 million, not $35-$41 million. Some readers may think you mean only $35.
When numbers must be spelled out, use a hyphen to connect only two-digit numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine. Donât use either a hyphen or the word and when spelling out numbers in the hundreds and thousands: fifty-two, fifty-two thousand, fifty-two million, one hundred fifty-two students, two thousand fifty-two trips, two thousand two.
Also, spell out ordinal numbers first through ninth when they show sequence in time or place: first base, Third Avenue, Fourth Amendment, fifth grade, 10th in line. Exceptions include county, legislative, and congressional districts: She lives in the 2nd District. See districts.
Most ordinal numbers 10th and above (21st, 215th and so on) are usually not spelled out. When ordinals must be spelled out, use a hyphen to connect two-digit numbers twenty-first through ninety-ninth: twenty-fifth anniversary.
Avoid beginning a sentence with a number. If unavoidable, spell it out. Starting a sentence with a number/letter combination is acceptable: 401(k) plans are popular. 3D movies are also popular.
Spell out casual expressions: thanks a million, a thousand bucks. See the exception for years.
For exceptions and other uses, see addresses, ages, cents, chapter, dates, decimals, dimensions, distances, dollars, fractions, headlines, highway designations, miles, money, No., page numbers, percent, percentages, ranges, room numbers, scores, size, speeds, telephone numbers, temperatures, time, votes, weight. Also see dash, hyphen under Punctuation
O
office Capitalize when part of an agencyâs official name: Customer Assistance Office, Clark County Sheriffâs Office, U.S. Attorneyâs Office. Lowercase all other uses: the analystâs office, the sheriffâs office, the attorneyâs office. See capitalization.
online One word, no hyphen, in all uses. See email, internet, World Wide Web.
organizational structure Capitalize the official (proper) names of all organizational departments, divisions, sections, offices, units, and groups: the Englehart Department of Finance, Accounting Division, Customer Services Section, Property Tax Information Office, Marketing Unit, Documentation Group. Use the whole name on first reference.
For later references, shortened versions of organizational namesâwithout the common nouns department, division, section, and so onâare acceptable.
Capitalize the proper name part of full names when using only that part of the name and dropping the common noun: Finance, Accounting, Customer Services. Donât capitalize those words, however, when describing the general function or work of a group.
Also, lowercase the common (or generic) name part of the full name when using only that part of the name: the department, the division, the section. Be sure the context makes clear the organizational unit the common name is mentioning. See cities and towns, county, governmental bodies, office.
AâB | CâD | EâL | MâO | PâR | SâZ
Introduction | Punctuation | Commonly Confused Words