telephone numbers
See addresses, campus.
temperature
When giving a temperature, use numerals, no matter how small the figure:
The average temperature is about 17.4 degrees Celsius, although that may vary by as much as 8 degrees from year to year.
When the symbol for degrees is used, abbreviate Celsius and Fahrenheit to C and F, respectively:
The sample came from water that was 125ºF, or about 51.6ºC.
that and which
Use that to introduce a restrictive clause, which to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. How to choose? Consider whether the meaning of the sentence would be changed if the clause were removed.
Restrictive: Steinbeck wrote the book that made us want to move out west.
Nonrestrictive:The Scarlet Letter, which I read in high school, has been made into a movie.
Use a comma or pair of commas to set off a nonrestrictive clause:
Of Mice and Men, which is banned by many school districts, is generally considered an American classic.
If that appears earlier in the sentence, it is acceptable to use which in place of that to introduce a restrictive clause, but use no comma.
Is that the Steinbeck book which made you want to move out west?
that and who
Use that for objects, who for people.
Avoid: He is the student that went to work in the White House.
Better: He is the student who went to work in the White House.
theatre
Use instead of the standard American spelling theater to remain consistent with university proper names:
Harrison Theatre
Samford University Theatre
Department of Theatre
Keep theater in proper names as used by non-Samford entities.
time
Write time of day as follows: 3 p.m., 2:15 a.m., 4:05 p.m. Don’t use the 24-hour method: 13:20, 23:01, etc. Avoid o’clock, except in quoted matter and some formal copy, such as invitations.
Give a.m. and p.m. when the surrounding copy doesn’t clarify that point, but avoid redundant constructions such as 12 noon, 1:15 a.m. in the morning, an afternoon nap at 3:15 p.m. In a construction such as from 2 to 4:30 p.m., it is not necessary to use p.m. twice.
Express duration with a from . . . to construction or an en dash: 2:30–4:15 p.m. If you use from, you must use to—don-t combine the two forms.
Wrong: from 2–4 p.m.
Right: from 2 to 4 p.m.
If desired in lists and schedules, give the minutes for all times: 1:15 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:20 p.m., not 1:15 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:20 p.m.
When writing a statement such as he earned 5 hours’ credit, always include the ’s or s’ with hour or hours, or use of:
You need 36 hours’ credit to graduate.
For my senior thesis, I earned 6 hours’ credit.
For the independent study, he earned 1 hour’s credit.
She earned 15 hours of credit for her work at RISE.
titles of people
Do not capitalize a title when it falls after an individual’s name or when it stands alone.
Capitalize most titles when given before the titleholder’s name; avoid abbreviating position titles; abbreviate courtesy titles such as Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Jr., Sr., II, III, etc. Punctuate as follows:
John E. Smith, Jr.
John E. Smith III
Smith, John E., Jr.
Smith, John E., III
When a surname alone follows a title, the title is never abbreviated.
Sen., Gov., Pres., etc. may be abbreviated when a full name follows, but consider the greater degree of formality that spelling out the title may convey. Congressman and Congresswoman are preferred to Representative, and there is no abbreviation for Congressman or Congresswoman.Honorable must be spelled out if the word the precedes it; it may be abbreviatedHon. if the is not used and a full name follows. Military titles may be abbreviated when a full name follows: Capt., Cpl., Gen., Lt. Col., Maj., etc. When a surname alone follows a military title, the title is never abbreviated.
In straight text, do not abbreviate professor, associate professor or assistant professor, or their capitalized forms.
titles of works
Capitalize and set in italics the titles of the following:
books
CD-ROMs
collections of poetry
long poems
magazines and other periodicals
motion pictures
newspapers
operas, oratorios, motets, tone poems and other long musical compositions
paintings, drawings, statues and other works of art
plays, regardless of length
television and radio series, including miniseries
Capitalize (but don’t italicize) the titles of the following:
book series
untitled musical compositions (e.g., Symphony in B Major); sharp, flat and natural are lowercased (e.g., Symphony in E-flat)
computer software, languages and hardware
Capitalize and enclose in quotation marks the titles of the following:
articles and parts of books
short poems
short stories
songs
television and radio programs that are not continuing series and individual episodes within a series
theses and dissertations
totaling
Not totalling.
toward
Not towards.
T-shirt