Taller follows the Chicago style guide
Introduction
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) covers a variety of topics from manuscript preparation and publication to grammar, usage, and documentation, and as such, it has been lovingly dubbed the “editor’s bible.”
5 Basic Proofreading Habits for a More Productive 2019
Blog on writing: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/category/how-to/
Office of Public Relations: University Style GuideCommon Grammar and Usage Problems
active voiceIn active voice, the subject of the sentence does the acting. Sally caught the ball. In passive voice, the subject is acted upon. The ball was caught. Active voice is clearer and more direct; it is preferred in most cases. advisorNot adviser.affect, effectAffect is a verb meaning “to influence.” How will these changes affect the situation? Effect is almost always used as a noun meaning “result.” What will be the effect of these changes? alumni, alumnusAlumni and alumnus are the preferred plural and singular terms of alumni of any gender. The feminine terms alumnae and alumna may be used given the context of the publication or the preference of the subject. Do not shorten to “alum.” (-)AmericanHyphenate most ethnicity combinations when used as an adjective. Do not hyphenate noun combinations. African-American history discrimination against Irish Americans in the 19th century EXCEPTION: Latin American is not hyphenated when used as a adjective. anti( )Combines solid except before a capitalized word or the letter “i.” antihero antiwar demonstrators anti-intellectualism anti-American sentiment
bi( )Combines solid except before a capitalized word or the letter i.biannualTwice a year. May also use semiannual. For every two years, use biennial. bimonthlyOnce every two months. For twice a month, use semimonthly. biweeklyOnce every two weeks. For twice a week, use semiweekly.
compound nounsDon’t run words together unless this style guide or the dictionary (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is preferred) allows it. bookshop; noodle shop homepage; Web site compound adjectivesHyphenate compound adjectives made up of a noun and an adjective when it might be unclear which of the two nouns the adjective modifies. free-trade agreement; inner-city school; primary-care provider affirmative action program; civil rights law; home equity loan; nuclear power plant Hyphenate compound adjectives with a present participle. data-processing program; role-playing exercise; intelligence-gathering agency Hyphenate compounds with a past participle. fine-tuned machine; much-needed rest Hyphenate most compounds with a number as the first element. 20th-century art; second-highest mountain BUT 10 percent reduction; $100 million grant Hyphenate most compounds made up of more than three words. once-in-a-lifetime chance BUT Master of Arts degree Hyphenate compounds denoting color. black-and-white photo; blue-green dress; The dress was blue-green BUT The dress was bluish green. Do not hyphenate compounds formed with adverbs. very tight jeans; once reliable friend; carefully chosen words Do not hyphenate compounds that are derived from foreign expressions. ad hoc committee Do not hyphenate compounds that are chemical terms. sodium chloride solution Do not hyphenate compounds that are proper nouns. Pulitzer Prize committee BUT Pulitzer Prize-winning author Combinations that are hyphenated before nouns should not be hyphenated in the predicate—even if they are hyphenated in the dictionary—when the meaning is clear. She has a part-time job; She works part time. continually, continuouslyContinually means “repeatedly.” He continually checked his voice mail during the meeting. Continuously means “without interruption.” He spoke continuously for more than two hours. council, counselA council is “an assembly or other governing body.” Capitalize as part of a full official name; lowercase otherwise. the Psychology Undergraduate Council; the council meeting Counsel means “advice” or “a lawyer.” We valued his wise counsel. He served as the court-appointed counsel on the case. cut back (verb), cutback (noun and adjective)
dataTreat data as a plural noun and combine it with a plural verb when writing about the research meaning of the word. The data from the pilot study are inconclusive. Treat data as a collective noun and combine it with a singular verb when writing about data in the electronic, computer networking sense of the word. When working with large files, the data is often compressed. Data travels over wires, lines, networks, etc., not through them. decision making (noun), decision-making (adj.)disc, diskDisc — “an optical-storage medium designed to be written to and read by a laser.” compact disc; laserdisc; digital versatile disc Disk — “a portable piece of plastic embedded with magnetic material, or a less portable metal-encased storage disk.” a floppy disk; a hard disk
earthLowercase when referring to dirt or the ground; capitalize when personified or when referring to the planet. He needs to come down to earth. The rich, dark earth is ideal for farming He majors in earth science. The asteroid narrowly missed hitting the Earth. effect, affectSee affect, effectelectric, electrical, electronicDo not use these terms interchangeably. The IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms defines electric as “containing, producing, arising from, actuated by or carrying electricity.” electric blanket; electric light By contrast, electrical means “relating to, pertaining to, or associated with electricity but not having its properties.” electrical engineer Electronics as a plural noun suggests devices and equipment. As an adjective, electronic suggests that something is implemented on or by means of a computer. electronic filing; electronic banking emeritus, emeriti, emeritaEmeritus is an honorary rank bestowed on some retired University faculty. NOT EVERY retired faculty member has emeritus status, so do not use the terms interchangeably. Always use the construction “professor emeritus” NOT “emeritus professor.” The title should be in lowercase; avoid constructions with the title before the name. John Williams was named professor emeritus of mathematics in 1980. Emeritus and emeriti are the preferred singular and plural terms of professors of any gender. The feminine term emerita may be used given the context of the publication or the preference of the subject. The Department of History held a banquet to honor its professors emeriti. ex(-)When it means former, hyphenate. ex-president
farther, furtherFarther refers to “physical distance.” Further refers to “an extent of time or degree.” His new apartment is 10 miles farther from his workplace than his old apartment. We won’t take this discussion any further today. faze, phase, PhaseFaze is a verb meaning “to disturb or disconcert.” Nothing ever seemed to faze her. Phase is a noun meaning “a step or part of process,” or a verb meaning “to carry out in stages.” We are ready to begin the next phase of the project. We plan to phase in these changes over the next year. “Phase” is a nickname given to the Hill Court residence halls. Avoid use in formal writing. fewer, lessUse fewer for things you can count fewer calories and less for things you measure. less time Less can also be used as a adverb. less successful ideas — meaning “ideas that are less successful than others.” Fewer can only be used as an adjective. fewer successful ideas — meaning “fewer ideas that are successful.” (-)freewheat-free recipes These recipes are wheat free. full time, full-timeThey work for us full time. They have full-time jobs. fundraise, fundraiser, fundraisingAlways closed. Fundraise can be used as a verb. They are holding a fundraiser tonight. He is their best fundraiser. He attended a fundraising dinner. She came to campus to fundraise. Fundraising is prohibited in the dorms.
he/sheReword sentences to avoid the awkward construction of he or she, his or her, or he/she. A student may pick up his or her materials tomorrow. can be rewritten asStudents can pick up their materials tomorrow. historic, historicalHistoric means “history making.” Columbus’s voyage was a historic moment. (NOTE: not “an historic”) Historical means “pertaining to the study of history.” The report is a historical analysis of the Cold War. (NOTE: not “an historical”) Names of individual, easily recognized historic events should be capitalized. If in doubt, lowercase. World War II; Boston Tea Party home schoolinghome schooling (noun) He is opposed to home schooling. home-schooling (adjective) We have devised a new home-schooling curriculum. home-school (verb) They home-school their three children. home-schooled (verb or adjective) She was home-schooled until high school. He is a home-schooled student.
its, it’s“Its” is the possessive form of the pronoun “it.” “It’s” is the contraction for “it is.” To fix the computer malfunction, we had to replace its motherboard. “It’s just not possible at this time,” she explained.
less, fewerSeefewer, lesslog on, log in, logon, loginLog on and log in are verbs. You log on to access a computer or network. When you are finished, you log off. Logon and login are nouns. You use your login to log on to your computer. long-standingAlways hyphenate. Our organizations have had a long-standing partnership. long-termAlways hyphenate, as both a noun and adjective. We plan to change our policy in the long-term. Our long-term policy will change. longtimeNot hyphenated. His longtime friend nominated him for the award.
media, mediumThe media are plural. Medium is the singular form of the noun, used to indicate one type of media. The media are partly responsible for increases in teen violence. Radio is a useful medium for advertisers. multi( )Combines solid except before a capitalized word or the letter “i.” multipurpose; multi-institutional
noneWhen referring to an abstract quantity that is taken as a whole, use a singular verb. None of the music selected was appropriate for the occasion. When referring to items that can be counted, use a plural verb. None of the cars were damaged in the accident.
onlyGenerally, “only” should be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies. Changing its placement in a sentence can change the meaning of the sentence: Only I pushed the new car yesterday. I only pushed the new car yesterday. I pushed only the new car yesterday. I pushed the only new car yesterday. I pushed the new car only yesterday. I pushed the new car yesterday only.
passive voiceSee active voice. phase, faze, PhaseSee faze, phase, Phase. plurals CAPITALIZED TERMS: Lowercase the generic word when it is last. Yale and Harvard universities the Universities of Michigan and California FIGURES: Add s. 1940s, B-52s LETTERS: Add s to multiple letters. ABCs, PACs, HMOs, Ph.D.s, M.A.s Add ‘s to single letters. She got all A’s this semester. PROPER NAMES: When a name ends in a sibilant, add es. the Joneses, the Cashes Otherwise, add s. the two Marys; the two Germanys BUT the Rockies; the Alleghenies pre( )Combines solid when used as a prefix except before a capitalized word or the letter “e.” predawn patrol; pre-existing conditions pre-judicial hearing [before a judicial hearing]; prejudicial practices [causing prejudice]; preeminent [pre is not a prefix in this case] premier, premierePremier, as a noun, means “the chief official, as in government.” The French premier campaigned vigorously in favor of the referendum. As an adjective, premier means “first in distinction, or foremost.” She was the premier soprano of her day. Premiere is a noun meaning the first performance. The movie premiere was attended by all the Hollywood elite.
re( )Combines solid except before the letter “e” or a capitalization, or in confusing combinations. regenerate; re-evaluate re-create (“to create again,” as opposed to recreate, meaning “to relax”) resume, resuméResume is a verb meaning “to return to or to begin again.” Resumé is a noun meaning “a summary of one’s work and education experiences.”
semi()Combines solid except before a capital letter of the letter “i.” semicircle; semi-involved semiannualTwice a year. May also use biannual. semimonthlyTwice a month. For once every two months, use bimonthly. semiweeklyTwice a week. For once every two weeks, use biweekly. spellingUse this style guide as your first reference for treatment and spelling of individual words. As a second resource, Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is preferred. Whichever dictionary you use as a spelling resource, be sure to use it consistently throughout your publication.
that, whichDescriptive (nonrestrictive) clauses are set off by commas and take a “which.” The musical, which was performed by the student drama club, was sold out on its opening night Defining (restrictive) clauses are not set off by commas and usually take a “that.” The musical that debuted last night will run for at least two weeks. their, there, they’reTheir is a plural possessive pronoun. I really admired their work on the project. There is an adverb meaning “at or in that place.” Put it over there on the table. They’re is the contraction of “they are.” We are going to the movies, but they’re going bowling instead. thenWhen used to mean “former,” do not hyphenate. The then CEO was charged in the scandal, along with the current board of directors. towardNot “towards.” She drove toward Buffalo.
which, thatSee that, which. ()wideUsually combines solid as an adjective, except after a proper noun. a University-wide poll the poll was University wide Stanford conducted a universitywide poll campuswide poll
