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Grammar

 
Bias free communication
  • Avoid sexism in your writing by using either the correct gender or language that incorporates both sexes.
    • Examples:
      • Use people instead of mankind;
      • workforce instead of manpower;
      • to operate instead of to man (verb);
      • the best person (or candidate) for the job instead of the best man for the job; and
      • department chair (not chairperson) instead of department chairman.
Capitalization
  • Having too many capitalized words is distracting to readers. When in doubt, use lowercase. Do not use words in all capital letters for emphasis; use italics instead.
    • Example: The professors bemoaned the fact that their students never come to class prepared.
Academic Degrees
  • When referring to degrees, lowercase the name of the degree.
    • Examples:
      • Roger grew a beard after he received a doctoral degree in psychology.
      • She is using her bachelor of science in accounting at one of the top firms in the country. (not bachelor's of science)
         
  • The names of academic degrees and honors should be capitalized when following a personal name, whether abbreviated or written in full.
    • Examples:
      • Jane Doe, Ph.D.
      • Clyde M. Haverstick, Doctor of Law
Proper Names
  • Capitalize complete and proper names of universities and colleges, governmental units, companies, and their major subdivisions, but not partial forms.
    • Examples:
      • Northern Arizona University; the university
      • College of Health Professions; the college
      • NAU Foundation; the foundation
Regional Destinations
  • Capitalize recognized geographical regions of the country but not general directions.
    • Examples:
      • Ellen, who grew up in the East, never thought she'd move west until she visited Arizona.
      • West Coast
      • Northern Arizona
Seasons
  • Do not capitalize seasons of the year, even when applied to semesters.
    • Example:
      • He enrolled in four classes for the fall semester.
Student Classifications
  • Do not capitalize student classifications.
    • Example:
      • freshman, sophomore, junior, senior
Titles
  • Capitalize titles that precede names but not those following names or standing alone. (Titles may be capitalized in lists.)
    • Examples:
      • NAU President Clara M. Lovett
      • Clara M. Lovett, president of NAU
      • Clara M. Lovett became president in 1994.
         
  • Sometimes terms denoting roles, such as nurse, citizen, or historian, are used preceding a name; in publications, it is preferable not to capitalize such words.
University
  • Do not capitalize "university" when the word is used alone referring to Northern Arizona University or any other university.
Academic Departments
  • Capitalize names of academic departments only when the complete name is used.
    • Examples:
      • Department of History, history department
Internet Address and Electronic Mail
  • Write "e-mail" when referring to electronic mail addresses, not E-mail, Email, or email. When listing an internet address, begin with www. "Http://" usually isn't needed.
Cities with States
  • Spell out the state name after a city in text; the state name is set off by commas.
    • Example:
      • NAU is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the base of the San Francisco Peaks.
Collective Nouns
  • A collective noun denotes a unit, e.g., faculty, staff, orchestra, group, etc. Collective nouns take singular verbs and pronouns. If the construction is awkward, rewrite the sentence.
    • Examples:
      • The faculty has voted in favor of a new major.
      • The faculty voiced its approval of the new major.
      • Faculty members are prepared to vote on a new building.
      • (Instead of: The faculty are prepared to vote on a new building)
Italics
  • To emphasize words, use italics instead of all capital letters or boldface type.
    • Example:
      • The professors bemoaned the fact that their students never come to class prepared.
Foreign Words and Phrases
  • There is no need to italicize foreign words and phrases, except those that are the most familiar or have become a regular part of English usage.
    • Examples:
      • fait accompli, cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, fiesta
Numbers
  • The preferred style is to spell out numbers from one through ninety-nine and to use figures for larger numbers. (See the exception for credit hours below.)
    • Example:
      • The twenty-three residence halls on campus were filled.
      • The residence hall was filled with 450 students.
         
  • Always spell out the number at the beginning of a sentence.
    • Example:
      • Two hundred children participated in the campus police's Bike Rodeo on Saturday.
         
  • Numbers applicable to the same category should be treated alike within the same context. Do not use a number for some and spell out others.
    • Example:
      • There are 12 students in the philosophy department, 125 in the modern languages department, and 212 in the biology department.
         
  • When spelled-out numbers would be cumbersome in a sentence or paragraph, it's better to use numerals.
    • Example:
      • The ages of the five committee members are 35, 42, 49, 53,and 60.
Centuries
  • Spell out references to centuries but do not capitalize.
    • Example:
      • The university is preparing to enter the twenty-first century.
Credit Hours
  • Credit hours may be expressed as numerals.
    • Example:
      • She enrolled for 9 credit hours.
Days of the Month
  • Do not use rd, th, st, or nd with days of the month.
    • Example:
      • Classes begin on August 28. (not August 28th)
Decades
  • Decades may be spelled out or expressed in numerals; if decades are identified by their century, numerals are used.
    • Examples:
      • Most of these students were born in the eighties.
      • John thrived during the '80s but fell out of favor during the '90s.
      • NAU experienced enrollment growth during the early 1990s.
Spelling
  • A number at the beginning of a sentence should be spelled out. If the spelled-out number would be awkward because of its length, rewrite the sentence.
    • Examples:
      • One hundred first-year students entered the college last year.
      • Last year 867 first-year students enter the college (instead of: Eight hundred sixty-seven students entered the college.
Time of Day
  • When giving the time of day, use numerals, including zeros.
    • Example:
      • Commencement begins at 2:00 p.m.
         
  • Do not use zeros with o'clock.
    • Example:
      • Commencement begins at 2 o'clock.
 
© 2012 Arizona Board of Regents.
Northern Arizona University, South San Francisco Street, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011