Office of the General Faculty and Faculty Council
Spell out all abbreviations the first time used, with abbreviation in parenthesis behind the spelled-out term, e.g., the Office of the General Faculty (OGF)
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e.g., (always preceded and followed by comma)
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i.e., (always precded and followed by comma)
___________
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if they precede the name:
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even if referring to more than one professor:
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but not when they follow the person's name:
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unless it is in the signature line:
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emerita and emeritus titles
Use professor emerita (plural professors emeritae) for a retired female faculty member who retains her academic rank. Use professor emeritus (plural professors emeriti) for a retired male faculty member. Use professors emeriti for a group comprising both sexes.
Other Titles are not capitalized unless they precede the individual’s name or themselves contain a proper name
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chair, Department of History
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Chair Joe Kline
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chair elect, Department of History
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Chair Elect Joe Kline ("Elect" is part of the official title here and therefore also capitalized)
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Chair-elect Joe Kline (when hyphenated)
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chairman of the board
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Coordinating Board
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director of the institute
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Fellow of the American Physical Society
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Guggenheim Fellow; Fulbright Scholar; Nobel Laureate
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hyphenated words in titles: the word after the hyphen is capitalized only if it has equal balance with the first word: Twentieth-Century
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military titles:
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commander in chief
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colonel; captain
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1st lieutenant
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Regent Dannenbaum
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The Board of Regents (referring particularly to the UT BoR)
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The University of Texas Board of Regents
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visiting professor (non-UT)
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Campus Planning and Facilities Management (CPFM)
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Office of Accounting
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Office of the Registrar, but: registrar's office
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Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs or Devision of Student Affairs, but: student affairs office
Degrees (no periods, except in formal memorial resolutions)
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BA
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BBA
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bachelor of architecture degree
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Bachelor of Arts degree
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bachelor’s degree in engineering
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BFA
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doctorate
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doctorate in philosophy
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Doctor of Philosophy
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the Honorary Degree in Horticultural Science
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honorary degree in business administration
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MA
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Master of Science degree
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master of science degree in engineering
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master’s degree
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MS
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MS degree in engineering
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PhD
Headers/Titles commonly referred to as heading caps (are capitalized in a title or subtitle, including those that follow hyphens in compound terms)
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the first word
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the last word
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all principal words
However, do not capitalize the following unless they begin or end a title, or follow a colon:
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articles: a, an, the
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prepositions: against, between, in, of , to
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conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
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infinitive: to
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a fellowship in the humanities
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Guggenheim Fellowship; Fulbright Fellowship
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Medal of Honor
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Order of the Golden Fleece
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"State" is capitalized only when it follows the name of the state or is part of the nickname:
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Austin Community College
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Department of English, Department of Classics
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Forty Acres (when referring to the original UT Austin tract of land)
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Institute of Industrial Relations
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Office of the Registrar
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Office of the Vice President
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Austin campus
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City of Austin
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compass directions: east, north, south, west
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downtown (general section of a city)
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Lakes Michigan and Huron
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Sierra Nevada
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South Austin (widely recognized name for a city region)
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South Texas (widely understood as a specific region)
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the east coast of Florida
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the eastern states
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the Hill Country (of Texas, widely understood as a specific region)
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the Panhandle (of Texas, widely understood as a specific region)
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the Midwest (widely understood as a specific region)
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the midwestern United States
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the Valley (of Texas, widely understood as a specific region)
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the West Coast (widely understood as a specific region)
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West Texas (widely understood as a specific region)
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western Texas
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a course in engineering management
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I am taking biology, History 311J: History of the Arab World, and calculus.
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the physics course
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International Conference on Family Planning
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178th Infantry
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African American, Caucasian, Asian, Native American, etc.
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but: African diaspora, Jewish diaspora, Diaspora (when referring to the Jewish diaspora), diaspora (when referring to any refugee population)
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"black" or "white" when referring to race
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Class of 2011; Class of '03 (class is capitalized here)
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Congress (when referring to the U.S. Congress)
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Ex-Students Association (before 1914: Alumni Association)
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Foreign Relations Committee
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state government; federal government
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the regents
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The Board of Regents (UT)
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the Texas State Legislature
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United States Army; US Army; Army Corps of Engineers; United States Marine Corps; the Armed Forces
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Veterans Administration
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In general, sharply delimited period titles are capitalized:
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Archaic
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Baroque
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Early and High Renaissance
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Early Christian
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Gothic
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Greek Classicism of the fifth century (otherwise, classicism)
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Imperial
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Impressionism
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Islamic
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Mannerist
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Middle Ages
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Modernism
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Neoclassicism for the late-eighteenth-century movement (otherwise, neoclassicism)
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Post-Impressionism
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Pre-Columbian
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Rococo
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Roman
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Romanesque
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Romantic period
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Xth Dynasty
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Large periods and terms applicable to several periods are not:
Seasons are lower case, unless personified
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fall
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fall 2011
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fall semester
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spring
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summer
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summer program
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winter
Holidays are upper case if they are are specially designated days
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All Fools' Day
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Christmas Day
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Halloween
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Holy Week
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Indenpendence Day
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Passover
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Ramadan
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commencement
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Council, Faculty Council, General Faculty
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Catholic, Catholicism, Jew, Jewish, etc. (capitalize when referring to the religion)
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Department of English
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Fax/fax: call or fax me...
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federal, e.g., federal government, federal court
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homecoming
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HOP [note: italicized]
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minutes (lc) in documents, even when referring to the minutes of the General Faculty or Faculty Council
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the dean's list
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The University of Texas at Austin (Capitalize the word “the” when used with any UT System component or with The University of Texas System (e.g., The University of Texas System [no “s” at the end of System], The University of Texas at San Antonio, The University of Texas at El Paso )
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but: the University of Texas, the University (capitalize University when referring to The University of Texas at Austin)
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note: before 1967, UT Austin was called the University of Texas
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UT Austin (instead of just UT)
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not: U T Austin
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not: U. T. Austin
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not: U.T. Austin
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not: UT-Austin
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Use small caps for PM and AM, and omit periods
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Inclusive years: 1997-85; 2011-13; but: 1997-2011(when the century changes); 1901-5 (from 01-09); 2012-2013 (when used in a title - per Sue Greninger)
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When using the word "from" also use the word "to" as in from 1950 to 1963
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September 2011 (no comma) (See also Commas.)
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fall 2011
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Sept. 2011 (no comma)
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September 2, 2011 (comma)
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2 September 2011 (European style)
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Sept. 2, 2011, was a beautiful day (comma before and after year)
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Monday, September 2, 2011
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Classes begin Sept. 2 in Austin.
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Classes begin in September 2011 in Austin.
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Class begins at 10 AM (or: 10:00 AM) Monday, Sept. 5, 2011, in Austin.
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Class begins at 10 AM (or: 10:00 AM) Monday in Austin.
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Class begins at 10 AM (or: 10:00 AM) Sept. 5, 2011, in Austin.
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Class begins at 10 AM (or: 10:00 AM) Sept. 5 in Austin.
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Class begins Sept. 5, 2011, (at) 10 AM (or: 10:00 AM).
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There will be no class October 5–8 (en-dash when using for a range).
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There will be no class Oct. 5 through 8.
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book titles
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collections of poems and longer poems
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films
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Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP)
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honors (italics and lower case): cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude
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letter grades (A-, B, D+, etc.)
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journals
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long musical compositions
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names or titles of artworks
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newspapers
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His article, “Why I Write,” appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
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plays
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ship names
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science terms: genus and species
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course topics are italics: I am taking biology, History 311J: History of the Arab World, and calculus.
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or: I am taking biology, History of the Arab World, and calculus.
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note: course titles are not capitalized unless specific
Direct Quotations
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capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence (e.g., He said, "Tomorrow, we will continue the story.")
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do not capitalize when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the original material's complete sentence (e.g., He said that he would "continue the story" tomorrow.)
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if a direct quotation is interrupted mid-sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation (e.g., "Tomorrow," he said, "we will continue the story.")
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note that commas and periods usually go inside the quotations marks
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"It won't be necessary to inform the president," said the provost.
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The vice provost replied, "The president does need to be informed."
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exclamation or question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks when they are part of the quote; otherwise they are placed outside:
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Before deciding, Farnswell asked the electrician, “Will it work?”
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Why was Farragut trembling when he said, “I’m here to open an inquiry”?
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use a colon instead of a comma to introduce a quote that is more than one sentence (e.g.: He said: "We will continue the story tomorrow. It will be concluded then. Please bring your print-outs to follow along."
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indentation: quotations longer than four lines should be indented one inch on either side and are preceeded by a colon; single-space indented quotations; no quotations marks are used
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ellipses (...) are used to indicate that text was omitted from the quote; if there is a period before or after the ellipses, four dots are placed instead of three
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His article, “Why I Write,” appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
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quotes consisting of more than one paragraph have quotations marks at the beginning of each paragraph and at the end of the last paragraph:
“The mission of the Office of the General Faculty is to support the General Faculty and its elected representative body, the Faculty Council, in their roles in the governance of the University.
“The responsibilities are those of the secretary of the General Faculty, who is also the secretary of the Faculty Council and who is responsible for the Office of the General Faculty. Specific functions are set forth in the Handbook of Operating Procedures 2-1010, D.3 (formerly HOP 1.1) and 2-1120-PM (formerly PM 1.301) of The University of Texas at Austin.”
Indirect Quotations
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Place the following in quotation marks:
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direct quotations
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poems
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short songs
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titles of articles
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theses
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unpublished materials
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not in quotation marks unless more than twenty words long:
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conference titles
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courses
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seminars
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commas and periods usually go inside the quotation marks (See also Quotations.)
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colons and semicolons go outside the quotation marks
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question- and exclamation marks: inside if the question or exclamation is part of the quotation and outside if the question or exclamation is not part of the quotation
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numbers (except in dates) between one and ninety-nine are spelled out
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avoid starting a sentence with a number. If you have to, spell out the number, unless it is a date:
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use numerals for page numbers
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percentages:
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use numerals for very large numbers followed by million, billion, etc.
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round numbers (or approximations) are generally spelled out:
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fractions:
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one-half
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two-thirds
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1.5 liters
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money:
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always use commas to separate thousands, except in years:
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chairs elect (the OGF does not hyphenate the term; "chair" is pluralized)
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use possessive before a gerund:
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possessive for multiple "owners":
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Some common traps:
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upper-case shared part:
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dos and don't s
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MAs and PhDs
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S's, A's, and I's
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SOS's
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1950s
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‘40s and ‘50s
___________
Use only one space after period, colon, etc. Two spaces were used in the typewriter years only. Word created awkwardly long spaces, especially when left and right justified.
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Use a colon to introduce a list:
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Do not use a colon to introduce a list when the verb or preposition would be separated from the direct object:
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Use a colon to introduce a longer direct quote. Use a comma to introduce a complete, one-sentence quote within a paragraph:
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She said, "I don't want to go."
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She said: "I don't want to go. I am tired. The car is not working, and I do not like the movie."
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Do not use a comma to introduce a partial or indirect quote:
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If a sentence starts with an independent clause, use a comma to separate it.
If the sentence starts with the main clause, no comma is used.
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A comma separates two strong clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet). The comma can be omitted if the clauses are both short.
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No comma goes before "as well as" at the end of a sentence.
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Commas are used before and after "etc."
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No comma is used before and after a suffix, except before degree indicators):
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She said, “I don’t…”
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She said: “I don’t”
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No comma is used in indirect quotes:
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His article, “Why I Write,” appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
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The article is titled “Why I Write.”
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Writing the book entitled him talk about it.
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Robert Redford of Sundance, Utah
(directly following the noun it modifies, containing supplemental rather then essential information)
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The committee chair, John Doe, called for a resolution.
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John's wife, Jane, was a university student.
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His older sister, Mary, was also a student.
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John's book What is it all About was presented by his sister (John wrote several books).
Use commas to separate nonessential words or phrases:
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John's sister, however, was much older.
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John, hoping to sell many copies of his book, was happy about his sister's support.
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John, who recently wrote a book, has three brothers.
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Dr. Powers, president of The University of Texas at Austin, spoke at the meeting.
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William Powers, PhD, president…
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not: Dr. William Powers, PhD, president…
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not: Dr. Powers president of The University of Texas at Austin, spoke at the meeting.
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not: Dr. Powers, president of The University of Texas at Austin spoke at the meeting.
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Executives, such as Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith, also attended.
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Executives such as Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith also attended.
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not: Executives, such as Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith also attended.
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not: Executives such as Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith, also attended.
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She drove from Austin, Texas, to Seattle, Washington.
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She drove from Austin, TX, to Seattle, WA (though spelling out names of states is preferred).
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not: She drove from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington.
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not: She drove from Austin, TX to Seattle, WA.
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The car, which was silver, raced down the road.
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not: The car, which was silver raced down the road.
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not: The car which was silver raced down the road. In general, there is a comma before "which," but not before "that" (unless it's a longer sentence and the part starting with "that" is inserted between two other sentence parts."Which" is used when the sentence could stand without the part that follows it.
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"That" is used when the sentence would not make any sense without the part after "that."
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Hyphenate modifyers when they precede the noun:
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first-rate book
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but: the book is first rate
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not the book is first-rate
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but: do not hyphenate if the first item ends with -ly: nationally known author
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Hyphenate a series as follows:he wrote 10- and 20-page papers
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Hyphenate compound numbers: thirty-three
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Hyphenate compounds with:
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Correct forms for some commonly used terms:
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Names with two initials or first and last name initials have two periods and a space between the two initials: J. F. Kennedy
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The abbreviations "Jr" and "Sr" are followed by a period: Jr. and Sr. (but not preceeded by a comma): John F. Kennedy Jr.
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Middle initials (MI) are followed by a period: John F. Kennedy
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The period after a middle initial (MI) goes with the letter (and is included in hyperlinks).
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The period to end a sentence is treated separately (and is not included in hyperlinks).
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and -> plural, e.g., Tom and Mark are going to the game.
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or -> singular, e.g., Tom or Mark is going to the game.
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One of the students is sick today.
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The teacher, as well as his students, is sick today.
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The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb:
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Each of these students is sick today.
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Either is correct.
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Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, money, and news require singular verbs:
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Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs:
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In prose text, "percent" is spelled out.
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In scientific or statistical text, the symbol "%" is used.
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Percentages are always given in numerals:
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email
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home page
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website
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avoid:
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given the fact that
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in order to
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involve (substitute active verbs, such as participate, contribute to, engage in)
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very, rather (use precise terms, such as high, extremely, distant, wide)
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Each participant should send his or her (not: their!!) writing sample.
Often confused words:
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a or an before "h" or other nouns/words: "an" before a noun that starts with a consonant sound and "a" before a vowel sound (e.g., an hour, a house, he is an MD, he is a Ugandan citizen)
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by accident or on accident (both are correct, though "on" seems to be more old-fashioned)
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advice (noun meaning to give advice) or advise (verb meaning to advise somebody)
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affect (verb: to influence), e.g., the grade affected the student and the effect was tremendous or effect (noun: result; rarely verb: achieve)
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alltogether (the whole group together) or altogether (in its entirety)
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alot (not a word!) or a lot (many, a large amount/number) or allot (to assign, give, ration)
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amongst (more old-fashioned) or among
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assure (to promise or guarantee) or ensure (to make sure/certain) or insure (pertaining to insurance)
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backward (adjective) or backwards: both are correct, just be consistent, EXCEPT: backward, when it is used as an adjective
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bad (I feel bad) or badly (only when it modifies a verb: I feel badly, i.e., pertaining to feeling, something wrong with your feeling/touch)
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between (relating to two things only) or among (relating to more than two things)
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bring (bring to where somebody else is) or take (to a place you are going)
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bring to bear (not bare)
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capital (financial reference, capital letter, city, i.e., the Capitol is in the capital) or Capitol (the building, spelled with a capital letter)
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compliment (give a compliment) or complement (to complement each other)
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continuously (without interruption, ongoing) or continually (over and over, frequently)
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deceased (no longer alive) or diseased (having a disease)
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discrete (distinct, separate) or discreet (to show discretion or good judgment)
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effect (noun: result; rarely verb: achieve) or affect (verb: to influence), e.g., the grade affected the student and the effect was tremendous
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note: in effect (effectively), e.g., in effect, the student was very happy
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entitled (to have a right to something or to give a title to something) or titled (having a title): the professor entitled his book "Grammar Uses," but: the professor's book was titled, "Grammar Uses."
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despite or in spite of (interchangeable)
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farther (more far, not as near) or further (in addition to, also)
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fewer (used for people or things in the plural) or less (for things that can't be counted or has no plural (e.g., money, time, etc.)
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good (adjective, modifies a noun) or well (adverb, modifies a verb, adjectives, or other adverbs)
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graduate (a school graduates students) or graduate from (a student graduates from a school)
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hanged (from a noose) or hung (items are hung)
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in spite of or despite (interchangeable)
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incident (separate and individual occurance or event) or incidence (frequency, e.g., the incidence of student absences this year is amazing)
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into (directional preposition, e.g., she walked into the classroom) or in to (two independent words used together, e.g., she came in to take a test)
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lay (something; conjugated: lay, laid, lied, laying) or lie (oneself down; conjugated: lie, lay, lain, lying); neither of them to be confused with lie, as in not telling the truth (lie, lied, lied, lying)
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lead (a heavy metal; or verb relating to leadership or guidance) or led (past tense of lead)
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less (for things that can't be counted or has no plural (e.g., money, time, etc.) or fewer (used for people or things in the plural)
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listserv, not list serv
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may (likely to happen, or to ask permission) or might (not as likely to happen, only a small possibility)
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mediocracy ( government or rule by a mediocre person or group) or mediocrity (the state or quality of being mediocre)
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nauseous (to cause nausea) or nauseated (to feel nausea)
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past (noun relating to previous times) or passed (verb relating to walking or driving by someone or something)
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pled or pleaded (both correct, pleaded is more common)
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take (to a place you are going) or bring (bring to where somebody else is)
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that (introduces a class that, if left off, would render the sentence incomplete; no comma required) or which (introduces a clause that is not needed for the sentence to be complete; follows a comma)
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titled (having a title) or entitled (to have a right to something; or to give a title to something): the professor entitled his book "Grammar Uses," but: the professor's book was titled, "Grammar Uses."
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try and (less formal) or try to
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toward or towards (both are correct; toward is considered more formal)
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well (adverb, modifies a verb, adjectives, or other adverbs) or good (adjective, modifies a noun)
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which (introduces a clause that is not needed for the sentence to be complete; follows a comma) or that (introduces a class that, if left off, would render the sentence incomplete; no comma required)
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while or whilst (more old-fashioned)
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who (who sees you) or whom (whom do you see)
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whose (possessive of who) or who's (contraction of who is)
All memorials are edited and formated to clarify content that is unintentionally ambiguous and to maintain consistent style for all resolutions.
Memorial resolutions should:
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be limited to approximately 750 words (this is about two pages)
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be typed, double-spaced
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be left and right justified (the numbered document is not right justified)
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be written in font Times, 12 pt.
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have all numbers spelled out, excluding dates
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acronyms (e.g., PhD, BA) have no periods, EXCEPT in memorial resolutions
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states are spelled out (e.g., Austin, Texas), except Washington, DC
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include a digital picture of the deceased faculty, if available
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have a centered heading:
IN MEMORIAM
FIRST NAME MI. LAST NAME
(12 pt, all caps, bold)
Professor of (discipline)
Birth Date - Death Date
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Other:
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Chair Elect (when "Chair" is capitalized, so is "Elect")
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(The) General Faculty and Faculty Council (under the secretary's signature)
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Graduate School or Office of Graduate Studies (either one is considered the official title and therefore capitalized)
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website
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