Kappa Kappa Gamma

Style Guide

Updated 2007

i

Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity

Updated 2007

Publications Chairman - Judy Stewart Ducate, Texas TechEditor/Copywriter - Lisa Baird Panos, Ohio State

Kappa Kappa Gamma

Style Guide

Table of Contents

iii

Table of Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Specific Kappa Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Style Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Grammar and Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Communication and Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Glossary of Computer Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Proofreader Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Submitting Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Foreword

Foreword

The purpose of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Style Guide is to provide clear, simple rules for effective writing . An up-to-date style guide belongs on the desk of every Headquarters staff member and Fraternity volunteer for frequent reference .

Entry words are in boldface and appear in alphabetical order . They represent the accepted word forms unless otherwise indicated . Examples of correct and incorrect usage are included in some entries . Many entries simply give the correct spelling, hyphenation and/or capitalization .

This style guide primarily reflects The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual guidelines . If questions arise, please refer to the AP Stylebook . More people write for the AP news service than for any single newspaper or broadcaster in the world . The AP Stylebook is known as “the journalist’s bible,” and is an essential handbook for all writers, editors, students and public relations specialists .

The Kappa Kappa Gamma Style Guide also includes entries that are specific to Kappa Kappa Gamma or Greek-letter organizations in general . These guidelines are known as “Kappa style” and may not necessarily agree with guidelines from other sources .

If questions arise and you do not have immediate access to an AP Stylebook or other writing reference book, feel free to contact the Fraternity Headquarters Communications Department or the Fraternity Publications Chairman for assistance .

Updated 2007

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Specific Kappa Style

1

Specific Kappa Style

Capitalization and Usage

Always capitalize the following Fraternity titles and words:

Titles of Fraternity Officers

• Members of the Fraternity Council – President, Vice President, Treasurer, Director of Alumnae, Director of Chapters, Director of Membership and Director of Standards . Do not abbreviate .

• Members of the Regional Council – Regional Director of Alumnae and Regional Director of Chapters . Do not abbreviate .

• Standing Committee Chairman titles – Advisory Board/Housing Chairman, Fraternity Bylaws Chairman, Convention Chairman, Extension Chairman and so on . Do not abbreviate .

• Special Committee Chairman titles – Education Chairman, Long-range Planning Chairman, Fraternity Nominating Chairman and so on . Do not abbreviate .

• Executive Director of the Fraternity – Do not abbreviate .

• Assistants to the Fraternity Council members – Alumna Administrative Assistant, Fraternity Risk Management Chairman, Assistant to the Director of Chapters, Assistant to the Director of Membership, Assistant to the Director of Standards and Assistant to the Treasurer . Do not abbreviate .

• Field Representatives – Leadership Consultant and Chapter Consultant . Do not abbreviate titles or Field Representatives .

• Coordinator of Chapter Development – May be abbreviated on second reference . (CCD)

• Coordinator of Chapter Support – May be abbreviated on second reference . (CCS)

• Members of the Associate Council – Province Director of Alumnae and Province Director of Chapters . May be abbreviated on second reference . (PDA, PDC)

• Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation – Officer and chairman titles of the Foundation should always be capitalized as well as the entity itself . On subsequent references the Foundation is acceptable . Also: the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation of Canada .

active – This term should be avoided except as an adjective or to distinguish between a new member and an initiated member . When referring to women in a chapter, use member or sisters . Use undergraduates for collegians, alumnae for graduate members .

active vs. alumna member – Always use this parallel construction .

adviser – Use in all cases; not advisor .

Advisory Board – Always capitalize .

Advisory Board Chairman – Always capitalize . May be abbreviated on second reference (ABC) .

alumna – Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) when referring to a woman who has attended a school . Also used as an adjective: alumna member. Never alumnae member .

Alumnae Achievement Award recipient – Always capitalize title . Not a winner .

alumnae association – Capitalize when referring to a specific alumnae association . Lowercase when used in general reference . For individual association: Columbus (Ohio) Alumnae Association on first reference, then Columbus Alumnae Association .

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Chapter Council – Always capitalize .

chapter officer and chairman titles – Are always capitalized . Chapter President Sherri Jones; the chapter President opened the meeting. Official chapter officers and chairman are as fol-lows: President, Vice President – Standards, Vice President – Organization, Vice President – Academic Excellence, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Marshal, Registrar, Education Chairman, Event Chairman, New Member Chairman, Membership Chairman, Panhellenic Delegate, Philanthrophy Chairman, Public Relations Chairman, Risk Management Chairman.

Coat-of-Arms – Always capitalize and hyphenate when reference is made to the Fraternity’s Coat-of-Arms . (Remember: crest refers only to one part of the Coat-of-Arms .)

collegian(s), collegiate – A collegian (noun) is a student in a college; undergraduates are collegians. Collegiate is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to college: a collegiate dictionary; collegiate and alumna members.

comma (,) – Commas should always be placed around the name of a college or university . We honored the members of Beta Nu, Ohio State, for their successful academic achievement last quarter. Please contact Sally Bell Snyder, Miami (Ohio), for any questions pertaining to student academics .

Consultant – Always capitalize . Use Leadership Consultant or Chapter Consultant in formal writing .

Convention and Province Meeting – Whenever there is reference to a Kappa Convention, the word should be capitalized; can also be referred to as General Convention or the 67th Biennial Convention . A year, but not a number, can precede the term General Convention . The number of the Convention should always precede Biennial Convention but not a year; same use for Province Meetings .

association officer and chairman titles – Are always capitalized: association President, Secretary, Treasurer, Hospitality Chairman, etc.

Adopt-a-Chapter – The single “a” is always in lowercase .

badge (membership pin) – The Fraternity’s official designation of membership is a badge in the shape of a gold key purchased by each new member and presented to her during Initiation . A member’s initials and date of initiation are engraved on the verso side . In informal writing and speaking, it is sometimes referred to as a “key .” It is preferred that the membership pin always be called a “badge .”

Bid Day – Always capitalize .

Blueprint for House Boards – Official manual for chapters, House Boards and House Directors .

Board of Trustees – Always capitalize Board of Trustees when it refers to the Foundation Officers: The Foundation Board of Trustees is meeting today. Lowercase when used in general reference . I would like to attend a board of trustees meeting.

Bylaws – Not by-laws or bi-laws. Capitalize when

referring to a specific set of rules by which to govern . The Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Bylaws, Standing Rules and Policies when using full title . Always italicize Bylaws, Standing Rules or Policies when referring to the documents of the Fraternity . Fraternity Bylaws, Fraternity Standing Rules, Fraternity Policies . Lowercase when used in a general sense: the bylaws state, the policy is. The chapter Bylaws and Standing Rules are reviewed every year.

Canadian provinces – See Style Guide section .

chapter – Capitalize when referring to a specific chapter . Lower case when used in general reference . Beta Alpha Chapter was formerly located at the University of Pennsylvania. Minutes from the previous chapter meeting should be reviewed at the next chapter meeting.

Specific Kappa Style

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Continuous Open Bidding (COB) – Always capitalize . COB on second reference .

Continuous Recruitment (CR) – Always capitalize . CR on second reference .

Council – Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Council on first reference, then Fraternity Council . Same for Regional Council and Associate Council .

crest – Lowercase . See Coat-of-Arms .

Deuteron – Small Greek symbol used to indicate that an inactive chapter has been reestablished: AlphaΔ Chapter . Always use Δ when possible .

event – Use instead of party .

Event Planning Form – Capitalize and no italics . May be abbreviated on second reference . See also forms in Style Guide section .

Fifty-year, 25-year, 65-year, 75-year – Always use a hyphen when referring to the anniversary . Use numerals always except when beginning a sentence .

fleur-de-lis – Always hyphenate .

former – Always lowercase . Introducing former Executive Director, Dale Brubeck. Former President Rheva Shryock was a Beta Alpha. Should always be used in referring to positions once held . Never past President Tade Kuhns .

Formal Pledging Service – Always capitalize .

Founder/Founders – Always capitalize when referring to the Founders of the Fraternity .

Founders Day – There is never an apostrophe, ever .

Fraternity – Always capitalize when referring to Kappa Kappa Gamma . The Fraternity was founded October 13, 1870 .

Fraternity, Association and Chapter Documents – Always capitalize the words Bylaws, Standing Rules and Policies as well as italicizing, e .g . the Fraternity Bylaws, Standing Rules and Policies when referring to them as documents . When referring to a single bylaw, standing rule or policy, it should be stated Fraternity Bylaw, Article X ., or Fraternity Standing Rule XX or Fraternity Legacy Policy, without the italics .

When referring to alumnae association documents, it should be written as follows: Philadelphia Alumnae Association Bylaws and Standing Rules (without italics); (Associations and chapters do not have policies, only the Fraternity) or The association Bylaws and Standing Rules have been reviewed.

When referring to chapter documents, it should be written as follows: Beta Alpha Chapter Bylaws and Standing Rules (without italics) or The chapter Bylaws and Standing Rules have been reviewed.

Fraternity Headquarters – The name for the official office location of Kappa Kappa Gamma . It is always capitalized . Use Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity Headquarters for better clarification . Fraternity Headquarters, along with The Heritage Museum, are located at 530 East Town Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 .

Heritage Museum, (The) – The Heritage Museum of Kappa Kappa Gamma on first reference . Subsequently it may be referred to as The Heritage Museum . The is always capitalized .

History of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity (The) – If a book title, capitalize and place in italics . See also composition titles in Style Guide section .

History 2000…Kappa Kappa Gamma Through the Years – The Fraternity’s historic record from 1870-2000 . A full-color coffee-table book available for purchase .

Specific Kappa Style

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History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity (The) 1870-1930 – The first complete history book .

History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870-1976 (The) – The second history book was presented in two volumes of The Key (Fall 1975 and Fall 1977) .

History of Kappa Kappa Gamma 1976-1985 (The) – The Summer 1986 Issue of The Key was written as Volume III of the history .

House Board – Always capitalize .

house corporation – Lowercase unless part of a complete name: AlphaΔ House Corporation.

House Director – Always House Director, not housemother . Always capitalize .

inactive – Used to describe a chapter or an alumnae association that is currently closed .

Initiation – Capitalize when used as a noun but not when used as an adjective . The chapter will hold Initiation on Saturday . Practice for the initiation service will be held on Friday .

Kappas – When referring to a group of members as Kappas, never use an apostrophe . It is not possessive .

Kappa Kappa Gamma – Use Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity on first reference, then Kappa Kappa Gamma or the Fraternity. Kappa is an informal nickname and should be used with discretion . Use the pronoun it when referring to Kappa Kappa Gamma (not she) .

If KKG is used, always use Greek Symbol typeface if possible .

Kappa Leadership Guide (The) – Always capitalize and use italics . Official officer manual: alumna and collegiate versions; contains officer booklets for each chapter officer and four officer booklets for associations .

Kappa Notebook (The) – Always capitalize and use italics . An information resource about Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity given to all new members to be used in conjunction with the New Member Program .

Keep Safe – Always capitalize and use italics . It is a personal safety/rape awareness program of the Fraternity .

Kore group – Never capitalize each letter, only the word . A Kore is a group of four to six members who serve as mentors to a new member .

Key (The) – Always capitalize and use italics including The . The Fraternity’s quarterly publication,

continously published since 1882 .

Leadership Academy – Always capitalize .

legacy – Always lowercase . A legacy is the sister, daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of a member .

Loyalty Award recipient – Not winner . Always capitalize the title .

manual – Capitalize and place in italics when directly following the name of the manual: Kappa Kappa Gamma President’s Manual. Lowercase when appearing alone: Bring your manual to every meeting.

member – Refers to initiated members of the Fraternity . Lowercase .

Membership Recruitment – Always capitalize except when used as an adjective . (Never rush.)

membership status – New, active, associate or alumna .

middle/maiden – When requesting name information on a form, the suggested style is first, middle/maiden, last .

national – Do not use in reference to Kappa Kappa Gamma . The office in Columbus, Ohio, is the Fraternity or Foundation Headquarters . See also Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity .

Specific Kappa Style

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National Panhellenic Conference – Always uppercase; may abbreviate (NPC) on second reference .

release figures – lowercase

Release Figure Specialist – uppercase

Partially Structured Recruitment – uppercase

Minimally Structured Recruitment – uppercase

Formal Recruitment – uppercase (when used as a noun)

new member – New member is always in lowercase, just as active, associate and alumna member are .

new member pin – Always in lowercase .

Panhellenic – Always capitalize . Do not shorten to Panhel . (Panhellenic means all Greek-affiliated women.)

Parents Day/Parents Weekend – Always capitalize . No apostrophe . Not: Parent’s Day or Parents’ Day (Weekend) .

past/former – Always refer to an officer who has served in the past as former, never past President . Former President May C. Whiting Westermann edited the first History of Kappa Kappa Gamma in 1932 . Also, former Director of Chapters, former Director of Standards and so on .

Pathways – An educational program of the Fraternity . Should be capitalized and in italics .

potential member(s) – The women who are participating in Membership Recruitment are known as potential members . (Never rushee.) Use lowercase .

Province – Only capitalize when preceded by its Greek-letter name . Sarah lives in Alpha Province . Rho is the smallest province .

Province Meeting - Always capitalize . See Convention .

Region – Only capitalize when followed by a number . Emma lives in Region 1, of which Alpha Province is a part. There are six geographical regions of Kappa Kappa Gamma .

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) – Kappa’s international philanthropy . Always capitalize Is . Can be abbreviated on second reference .

Recruitment – Always capitalize except when used as an adjective . The complete name, Membership Recruitment, is preferred .

ritual – Always lowercase except when referring to the Book of Ritual (always use italics) of Kappa Kappa Gamma . Beta Chi holds a ritual review at every formal meeting. Our values can be found in our ritual.

rush/rushee – This designation is no longer acceptable . Use Membership Recruitment or Recruitment. Use potential member instead of rushee . Use event instead of party .

seal – Always lowercase when referring to the Fraternity’s official seal .

SEEK (Self-Esteem for Every Kappa) – Always capitalize and italicize . SEEK is an educational program of the Fraternity . (Alumna and collegiate versions are available from Fraternity Headquarters .)

Stewart House, (The) – Always capitalize, including The . (Located in Monmouth, Illinois, it was the childhood home of Founder Minnie Stewart and is now an official museum of the Fraternity listed on the Register of National Historic Places .)

Tradition of Leadership® – As a registered trademark, always capitalize .

Web site address (Kappa) – The Kappa Kappa Gamma Web site address is www .kappa .org .

Style Guide

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Style Guide

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A___________________________________________

a, an – Use the article a before consonant sounds, a one-year term (sounds like it begins with a w), a united stand (sounds like “you”) . Use the article an before vowel sounds: an energy crisis, an honorable man (the h is silent), an NBA record, an 1890s celebration .

abbreviations and acronyms – In general, avoid alphabet soup . Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize . See also university .

BEFORE A NAME: abbreviate the following titles when used before a full name: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Rep., the Rev., and Sen . See also courtesy titles .

AFTER A NAME: Abbreviate junior or senior after an individual’s name . Abbreviate association, company, corporation, incorporated and limited when used after the name of a corporate entity .

ADDRESSES: With a few exceptions, abbreviations should not be used in addresses in running text .

AVOID AWKWARD CONSTRUCTIONS: Do not follow an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parenthesis or set it off by dashes . If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it .

CAPS and PERIODS: Use capital letters and periods according to the listings in this guide or its preferences .

academic courses and majors – Lowercase in all uses except languages: a business major, an English class . See also languages .

academic degrees – Preferred use is a phrase instead of an abbreviation . Degrees should be lowercase: a bachelor's degree . When abbreviated, they are capitalized . When used after a name, they are set off by commas: B .A ., Ph .D .; Sue Miller, Ph.D., attended the meeting .

academic departments – Use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English, the English department. See also languages .

academic titles – Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, chairman, etc ., only when they precede a full name . Lowercase in all other uses .

Lowercase modifiers such as history in history Professor Jane Jones or department in department Chairman Ann Brown . See also titles of people.

academic years – Terms designating academic years are lowercase: freshman, sophomore, junior and senior . To refer to an academic year, use the form 2007-2008 .

accept, except – Accept is a verb meaning to receive: Jason will accept the award. Except is usually a preposition meaning to omit or exclude . Kevin ate everything except the pickles.

addresses – Spell out and capitalize words such as Avenue, Boulevard, Drive, Road and Street when used in addresses in running text . Abbreviate such words when appearing at the top of a letter or on an envelope .

The U .S . Postal Service’s two-letter abbreviations for street addresses and states should only be used on the envelope and the address appearing at the top of a letter . (Never in text) See also state and state names .

Style Guide

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adjective, article – See the Grammar section .

adverb – see the Grammar section .

adverse, averse – Adverse means harmful; hostile; unfavorable . Averse means opposed to .

advice, advise – Advice is a noun meaning suggestion . Advise is a verb meaning to suggest: I advise you to follow Jennifer’s advice.

affect/effect – Affect is usually a verb meaning to act or influence: The game will affect the standings . The drug did not affect the disease. Affect, as a noun, is best avoided .

Effect is usually a noun meaning result of action: The effect was overwhelming . The drug had several adverse side effects . Effect, as a verb, means to cause or bring about: She will effect many changes in the chapter. Only the President can effect such a dramatic change .

affective, effective – Affective means emotional . Effective means impressive or operative: Susan’s affective speech reviewed many effective leadership styles .

African-American – Always hyphenated and capitalized .

ages – Ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun, use hyphens . A 19-year-old member. The race is for 21-year-olds. See also numerals .

alcohol abuse – Two words . No hyphen .

alcohol free, alcohol-free – The absence of alcohol . Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: The event will be alcohol free . This is an alcohol-free chapter. See also hyphen and nonalcoholic, substance free, substance-free .

all-campus average – Lowercase .

all-sorority average – Lowercase .

all ready, already – All ready means completely prepared . Already means previously . Grace was all ready for the concert, but her friends had already left .

all right – Always written as two words .

alma mater – Lowercase and no hyphen .

a lot, allot – As a noun, always written as two words . We have a lot of time . As a verb: We allot two out of three .

alum – Never acceptable . Do not use .

alumna – Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) when referring to a woman who has attended a school . Also used as an adjective: alumna member . Never alumnae member.

alumnus – Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) for similar references to a man .

alumni – Use when referring to a group of men and women .

ampersand (&) – Should never be used in place of and . See the Punctuation section .

a.m., p.m. – Lowercase, with periods . Avoid the redundant 10 a.m. this morning . Also acceptable is 10:00 o’clock this morning .

among/between – Use among when referring to more than two: Among the three of us . Use between only when referring to two: Between the two of us .

annual – An event should not be described as annual until it has been held at least two successive years . Do not use the term first or second annual . The third year would be the first opportunity to use the phrase .

anyone, any one – Use anyone as a pronoun . Is anyone there? Use any one as an adjective and the noun . I’d like any one of those desserts .

apostrophe (’) – See the Punctuation section .

Style Guide

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appraise, apprise – Appraise means to set a value on; apprise means to inform .

assume, presume – Assume means to take as true without evidence . Presume means to take as true for a specific reason . He assumed nobody was home because the lights were off . He presumed nobody was home because he knocked and nobody answered .

attainable, obtainable – Synonyms . Attain means to reach, achieve or accomplish . Obtain means to come into possession of, get or acquire . Let your ear be the judge .

audiovisual – Also A/V .

awards, honors and prizes – Do not capitalize, even when referring to a specific or formal award: Greatest Scholarship Improvement award.

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B___________________________________________

baby boomer – Person born just after WWII .

baccalaureate – Usually held by an educational institution the Sunday before commencement day .

bachelor of arts, bachelor of science – A bachelor’s degree or bachelor’s is acceptable in any reference . See academic degrees for guidelines on acceptable abbreviations .

back up/backup – Use back up as a verb: Please back up . Use backup as a noun or adjective: Did you make a backup? Here is the backup file.

backward – Not backwards .

because, since – Use because to denote a specific cause-effect relationship: She went because she was told. Since is acceptable in a casual sense when the first event in a sequence led logically to the second but was not its direct cause: They went to the game since they had been given the tickets.

biannual, biennial – Biannual means twice a year . Biennial means every two years: The 62nd Biennial Convention. The committee meets biennially.

biennium – A two-year period . Capitalize a specific biennium of the Fraternity: The 2000-02 Biennium saw many changes. It happened during the last biennium.

bimonthly – Means occurring every other month, every two months . Semimonthly means twice a month .

biweekly – Means every other week, every two weeks . Semiweekly means twice a week .

board/committee – Capitalize only when referring to a specific or formal board or committee: Duke University Board of Trustees, New Member Committee, several committees.

bona fide – Not bonified . It means in good faith, without fraud: The House Board demonstrated its good faith by making a down payment. The chapter put forth a bona fide effort to recruit more women but to no avail.

bookmark, bookshelves– One word .

brackets ([ ]) – See the Punctuation section .

brand-new – (adj .) Two words, hyphenated .

Style Guide

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C___________________________________________

campuswide – One word

can, may – Can implies ability: I can (I am able to) swim . May denotes permission: May I please borrow your dictionary?

Canadian Provinces – The 10 provinces of Canada are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec and Saskatchewan. The three territories are the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut .

Names of provinces are set off from community names by commas, just as the names of the U .S . states are set off from city names: They went to Toronto, Ontario, on their vacation. Do not capitalize province when it stands alone: They visited the province of Nova Scotia. Do not add Canada when referring to a province .

cannot – Not can not .

capital, Capitol – Capitol refers to a building only . When used in a financial sense, capital describes money, equipment or property used in a business by a person or corporation . Also, Columbus is the capital of Ohio

Capitalize U.S. Capitol and the Capitol when referring to the building in Washington, D .C .

caregiver – One word .

Centennial – Always capitalized .

cents – Spell out the word cents, using numerals for less than a dollar: 5 cents, 12 cents . Use the $ sign and decimal system for larger amounts: $1.01, $2.50 .

chairman – Capitalize when used as a formal Fraternity or occupational title: Recruitment Chairman, Chairman of the Board, the Event Chairman . Avoid chair, chairperson or chairwoman as they are not accepted titles by the National Association of Parliamentarians .

chaperone – Suggested spelling .

chapter – Capitalize only with the full name of a specific chapter: The chapter sponsored a workshop; AlphaΔ Chapter sponsored a workshop. However, when listing a chapter for the first time in an article, use this style: AlphaΔ, Monmouth, sponsored a workshop. (Chapters are listed in bold with school italicized - Key style, only .) For concise writing, use Gamma Gamma alone: Gamma Gamma at the University of Idaho. The chapter is growing. It now numbers 43 members.

charted, chartered – Charted means put on a chart or map . Chartered means receiving the document defining the formal organization of a chapter or corporate body .

childcare – One word, no hyphen .

citywide – One word, no hyphen .

class year – Lowercase freshman, sophomore, junior, senior . Don't use freshmen as an adjective, use freshman members .

clauses – See the Grammar section . collected, raised – Collect means to gather or

accumulate . Raise means to elevate, increase or grow . Our chapter collected 10,000 pounds of food .

collective nouns – See the Grammar section .

collegian(s), collegiate – A collegian (noun) is a student in college; undergraduates are collegians . Collegiate is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to college: a collegiate dictionary; collegiate and alumna members.

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colon (:) – See the Punctuation section .

comma (,) – See the Punctuation section .

committee – Capitalize only when referring to a specific or formal committee or board: The chapter’s Event Committee planned the retreat. Lowercase when used in general reference .

compliment, complement – Compliment, as a noun, means flattering, as a verb means to praise; complement means something that completes .

composition titles – Italicize books, movies, television shows, videos, radio programs, plays, poems, programs, songs, works of art . Reference works: Webster’s New World Dictionary .

conjunction – See the Grammar section .

continual, continuous – Continual means to happen in steady succession . Continuous means uninterrupted . The alarm’s continual beeping was driving me crazy. The chapter teeter-tottered for 24 continuous hours.

contraction – See the Grammar section .

co-sponsor – Use hyphen .

council, counsel – A council is a deliberative body . To counsel is to advise .

counselor, councilor – A counselor is one who advises . A councilor is one who is a member of a deliberative body .

country/continent – Use of continent instead of country is inclusive of Canada . Kappas across the continent are coming to General Convention.

courtesy titles – In general, use the courtesy titles Miss, Mr., Mrs. or Ms. on first and last names of the person: Mr . Fred Suggs, Mr . Suggs . They are invariably abbreviated in written references while other titles, such as doctor, representative or senator, may be either written out or abbreviated .

MARRIED WOMEN: The preferred form on first reference is to identify a woman by her own first name and her husband’s last name: Mary Tharp . On second reference, use Mrs . unless a woman initially identified by her own first name prefers Ms.

If married and using Mrs ., the correct form is

Mrs. John Tharp. A divorced woman is Mrs. Mary Tharp. If unsure of marital status, use the term Ms .

UNMARRIED WOMEN: For women who have never been married, use Miss, Ms. or no title on second reference .

criteria – Criteria is the plural of criterion, which means a standard rule or test on which a judgment or decision can be based . The only criterion for the job is a willingness to work overtime.

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D___________________________________________

dance-a-thon – Always hyphenate .

data, datum – Data is the plural of datum .

database – One word .

dates – Always use Arabic figures without th, st, and nd .: March 22, not March 22nd . No comma between month and year if the day is omitted: November 2004 . Include a comma after the year if the full date is given: Nov. 2, 2004, will be the day of the food drive. Abbreviate month when full date is used .

day care, day-care – As a noun: day care . As a compound modifier: day-care center .

dean’s list – Lowercase in all uses: Jen is on the dean’s list. Jen is a dean’s-list student. Always use apostrophe .

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decades – Use figures to indicate decades of history . Use an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out; show plural by adding s: the 1890s, the ’90s, the 1920s, the mid-1930s . Not the mid 1930’s or 1920’s .

directions and regions – In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc ., when they indicate a compass direction .

Capitalize these words when they designate regions: Southwest, Northwest, Southern Central, Northern Central, Northeast, Southeast and Great Lakes.

disabled, handicapped – Handicap should be avoided in describing a disability . See The Associated Press Stylebook for more information .

dollars – Always lowercase . Use figures and the $ sign in all except casual references or amounts without a figure: The book cost $4; Dad, please give me a dollar .

For specific amounts of more than $1 million, use the $ sign and numerals up to two decimal places . Do not link the numerals and the words by a hyphen: He is worth $3.25 million. The project cost $100 million.

The form for amounts less than $1 million: $4, $25, $500, $1,000, $650,000. Do not add .00 when the amount is round .

dorm – Residence hall is preferred .

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E___________________________________________

each other, one another – Two people look at each other . More than two look at one another .

easygoing – One word .

e.g. and i.e. – Words and phrases derived from Latin are commonly abbreviated in contexts where readers can reasonably be expected to recognize them . They are punctuated, not capitalized, and usually not italicized .

Exempli gratia (e.g.) means for example and id est (i.e.) means that is .

e-learning, e-book, e-commerce, e-business – Always use hyphen .

ellipsis ( . . . ) – See the Punctuation section .

e-mail – Always use hyphen .

em dash (––) – See the Punctuation section .

emcee – Not M .C . or MC . Better to use mistress of ceremonies .

enclose – Not inclose .

enclosure, enc. – Used in formal letters in which you are including additional information .

en dash (–) – See the Punctuation section .

ensure, insure – Use ensure to mean guarantee: Steps were taken to ensure accuracy . Use insure for references to insurance: The policy insures Pete’s life .

entitled – Use it to mean a right to do or have something . Do not use it to mean titled . He was entitled to the promotion. The book was titled “Oh! The Places You’ll Go.”

étagère – Cabinet of tiered shelves open on all sides: The étagère was donated to The Heritage Museum by Sally Smith.

etc. – Et cetera (etc.) means and so forth . Avoid ending a list with etc. It is more emphatic to end with an example, and in most contexts readers will understand that the list is not exhaustive .

ex officio – No hyphen . Always italicize . Means by virtue of office or position .

Style Guide

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F___________________________________________

fax – Acceptable as short version of facsimile or facsimile machine .

fewer, less – Fewer refers to how many; use when counting something . Less refers to how much; use when referring to a collective amount . I had less than $50 in my pocket. (An amount .) But: I had fewer than 50 $1 bills in my pocket. (Individual items .) or Fewer people are living in the house.

501(c)(3) – The Internal Revenue Service Code for a tax-exempt public foundation operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes . See also nonprofit .

first lady – Not a formal title . Do not capitalize, even when used before the name of a chief of state's wife .

follow up (v .), follow-up (n . or adj .) – Please follow up on my request. The follow-up questionnaire has not been completed.

forms – All forms should be capitalized and not italicized: Please submit an Event Planning Form by tomorrow.

forward – Not forwards . fractions – Spell out amounts less than one in

stories, using hyphens between the words: two-thirds, three-eighths. Use figures for precise amounts larger than one, converting to decimals whenever practical .

frat. – Never use this term, even as an abbreviation .

Fraternally – Appropriate as an informal complimentary closure in a letter to a member of any fraternity or sorority: Fraternally yours, Hannah Smith. See also interfraternally .

fraternity members – The plural does not take an apostrophe: four Kappas, not four Kappa’s.

freshman, freshmen – Do not use freshmen as an adjective . It’s freshman Democrats, not freshmen Democrats, just as it’s sophomore biology majors, not sophomores biology majors .

full time, full-time – She works full time. Jane has a full-time job.

fundraising, fundraiser – One word in all uses.

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G___________________________________________

get-together – Hyphenate when used as a noun .

girl – Do not use . Undergraduate females are considered women or young women .

good, well – Good is an adjective, well is an adverb . Tom has felt good about his golf game since he played well last Saturday.

grade point average – Usually in lowercase and in long form: The chapter’s grade point average exceeds the all-women’s average. When directly following a number, it may be abbreviated . Capitalize and omit periods: 2.25 GPA.

graduate – Graduate is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from the university. It is correct, but unnecessary, to use the passive voice: She was graduated from the university. Do not, however, drop from: Sara Brownlee graduated from Bowling Green State University. Not Sara Brownlee graduated Bowling Green State University.

Greek – Capitalized in all references to Greek life .

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Greek Adviser – Capitalize only if it directly precedes a name . Greek Adviser Lisa Fedler came to the meeting. The Greek adviser visited the chapter house.

Greek-letter – Greek-letter if it precedes a noun, Greek letter if it follows a noun . Kappa Kappa Gamma is a leader in the Greek-letter community. Organizations with Greek letters must work together.

Greek life – Two words, no hyphen .

Greek Week – Always capitalize .

group/committee – Take singular verbs and pronouns: The group is viewing its position. The committee made its recommendation (not their).

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H___________________________________________

halfway – Always one word .

historic – Always use the article an, not a, with the word historic .

homecoming – Lowercase .

hometown – One word .

hyphen – Do not use in place of a dash (–) . When two adjectives are used in combination, hyphenate them: a first-place finish, an age-old saying . See the Punctuation section .

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I___________________________________________

infer, imply – To infer is to deduce or conclude from the evidence at hand . To imply is to hint or suggest .

initials – Use periods and no space when an individual uses initials instead of a first name: E.B. Wilson, B. Hume Morris.

Interfraternally – Appropriate as an informal salutation to a member of any fraternity of sorority .

Interfraternity Council – Always capitalize . Not Inter-fraternity Council . Abbreviated IFC .

Internal Revenue Service – IRS is acceptable on second reference .

in, into – In indicates location or condition; into indicates movement or a change in condition . They found the lost letters in a box after moving into the house.

intramural – Always lowercase . Never intermural .

its, it’s – Its is the possessive form of the neuter pronoun: The Fraternity won its first award. The chapter held its annual dance. It’s is a contraction for it is or it has: It’s up to you . It’s been a long time. It’s the first time we held the event.

Style Guide

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J___________________________________________

junior, senior – Abbreviate as Jr . and Sr . only with full names of persons . Do precede and follow with a comma, although it is accepted by most style guides to omit: Kurt Suggs, Jr., talks like his dad . The Roman numerals I, II, III, IV, V may be used if an individual prefers . Do not precede or follow their notation with a comma: John Paul III is a holy man . If necessary to distinguish between father and son in second reference, use the elder Smith or the younger Smith .

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K___________________________________________

kids – Avoid if possible; children is preferred .

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L___________________________________________

languages – Capitalize the proper names of languages and dialects: Greek, English and Spanish.

lay, lie – See Grammar section .

lead, led – Lead, as a present tense verb, means to be a leader, to go first: She leads her chapter with the highest grade-point average. Lead, as a noun, is a heavy metal . Led, as a past tense verb, means went first: Sally led the chapter to victory in the relay race.

liaison – Always lowercase .

lifelong – One word, no hyphen .

lifestyle – One word, no hyphen .

lifetime – One word, no hyphen .

like, as – Use like as a preposition to compare nouns and pronouns . It requires an object: Hannah plays soccer like a pro. The conjunction as is the correct word to introduce clauses: Caroline guards the goal as she should.

long distance, long-distance – Hyphenate in reference to telephone calls . In other uses, hyphenate only when used as a compound modifier: She made a long-distance trip. She traveled a long distance.

long range, long-range – Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier . His thought process was long range. The Long-range Planning Committee met last Friday.

long term, long-term – Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: We will win in the long term. He has a long-term assignment.

long time, longtime – They have known each other a long time. They are longtime partners.

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M___________________________________________

marathons – Most marathon-type events are spelled without hyphens: bikeathon, walkathon, telethon.

maybe, may be – Maybe is an adverb meaning possibly . May be is a verb phrase . Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow. Tomorrow may be a brighter day.

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media, medium – Media is the plural of medium: Of all the media that cover the Olympics, television is the medium that best captures the spectacle of the events.

monthlong, yearlong, daylong – Always one word .

months – Capitalize the names of months in all uses . When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas: November 2004. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas: Nov. 7, 2004, is when we held the food drive.

mottoes – The plural of motto is mottoes, although mottos is also correct .

Mr., Mrs. – The plural of Mr . is Messrs .; the plural of Mrs . is Mmes . These abbreviated spellings apply in all uses, including direct quotations .

Ms. – This is the spelling and punctuation for all uses of the courtesy title for women, including direct quotations . There is no plural .

myriad – An adjective . Means very large, indefinite numbers . Not a myriad. They had myriad opportunities.

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N___________________________________________

names – Member names are listed using first/maiden/ last with school name following in italics: Susie Jones Brown, Ohio State, won the Oustanding Greek Woman award . (If no maiden name just use first and last .) Nicknames may be used after first name in parentheses: Susannah (Susie) Jones Brown, Ohio State . Do not use middle names or middle initials unless needed to distinguish one person from another . In The Key, members names are placed in a special bold-faced font .

name tag – Two words .

North-American Interfraternity Conference – Always capitalize . Abbreviated: NIC .

North-American Interfraternity Foundation – Always capitalize . Abbreviated: NIF .

National Panhellenic Conference – Always capitalize . Abbreviated: NPC . See also sorority .

National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. – Always capitalize . Abbreviated: NPHC groups are historically African-American.

nonalcoholic – One word, no hyphen . Use only as a description of a beverage that does not contain alcohol . See also alcohol free, alcohol-free .

noncompetitive – One word, no hyphen .

nonmember – One word, no hyphen .

nonprofit – One word, no hyphen . See also 501(c)(3) .

numerals – Spell out whole numbers below 10, or when beginning a sentence . Use figures for 10 and above: nine, 10 . For numbers higher than 999, use commas: 1,234. Place a hyphen between the numeral and the year when used as a modifier, 35-year tradition.

Plural numbers do not get an apostrophe: The tradition began in the 1920s.

Write a member’s year of graduation after the school year and with an apostrophe facing left: Sue Olver, Central Michigan ’98, is a staff member. Write a span of years with an en dash and no apostrophe: Sue attended college from 1994–98.

LARGE NUMBERS: When large numbers must be spelled out, use a hyphen to connect a word ending in y to another word: twenty-one; one hundred twenty-two.

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For very large, round numbers exceeding 999,999, use a figure followed by million, billion or trillion . We collected 1.2 million pounds of food this year.

TELEPHONE NUMBERS: The preferred format is 614-228-6515, ext. 228.

Exception 1: Use numerals for dates, addresses, and sports scores . Exception 2: A year is the only number that may begin a sentence as a numeric figure . 1996 was a good year.

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O___________________________________________

ongoing – Not on-going . Means continuing without termination or interruption .

OK, O.K., okay – All three spellings are acceptable, but avoid in formal writing .

only – Only should appear as close as possible to the word or phrase it modifies .

over, more than – Over generally refers to spatial relationships: The plane flew over the city . It can, at times, be used with numerals: He is over 50 . But more than should be used with quantity amounts: The chapter collected more than 2,000 pounds of food.

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P___________________________________________

page numbers – Use figures and capitalize when used with a figure .

parentheses ( ) – See the Punctuation section .

part time, part-time – Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier . She works part time. She has a part-time job.

people, person – Use person when speaking of an individual: One person got out of line. The word people is preferred to persons in all plural uses: Hundreds of people attended the Convention. There were 17 people at the workshop.

percent – One word; do not use % unless it appears in a graph or listing . Percent takes the singular verb standing alone or when singular words follow an of construction: The teacher said 60 percent was a failing grade. He said 50 percent of the membership was there. It takes the plural verb when a plural word follows end of construction: He said 50 percent of the members were there.

percentages – Use figures: 1 percent, 3.5 percent . For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.7 percent.

periodical titles – Use italics or underlines to identify newspaper, magazine or periodical names . Use quotation marks to identify article names . “Greek Smarts” was printed in the fall issue of The Key .

postcard – one word .

prepositions – See the Grammar section .

principal, principle – Principal is a noun and adjective meaning someone or something first in rank, authority, importance or degree: She is the school principal . She was the principal player in the trade. Principle is a noun that means a fundamental truth, law, doctrine or motivating force: The rules exist to protect the principles and integrity of the Fraternity.

professor – Never abbreviate . Capitalize when used as a formal title before a full name . Do not continue in second reference unless part of a quotation .

pronoun – See the Grammar section .

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Q___________________________________________

quotation marks (“ ”) – See the Punctuation section .

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R___________________________________________

raised, reared – Animals and plants are raised, people are reared . See also collected and raised .

recur, recurred, recurring – Not reoccur .

re-elect, re-election, re-elected – With hyphen .

reinstall, reinstallation – To bring an inactive chapter into operation .

regime/regimine – Regime is a noun meaning a form of government: a fascist regime . Regimine means a regulated system: I am on a diet and exercise regimine.

regions – See also directions and regions .

resume, résumé – Resume is a verb meaning to continue, résumé is a noun .

ringtone – One word .

roommate – One word, no hyphen .

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S___________________________________________

seasons – All seasons are lowercase: spring, summer, fall, winter and derivatives such as springtime unless part of a formal name: Summer Olympics.

second-rate – With a hyphen in all uses .

semesterly – Never use .

semiannual – Twice a year, a synonym for biannual . Do not confuse it with biennial, which means every two years .

semicolon (;) – See the Punctuation section .

semimonthly – Every half month or twice a month .

semiweekly – Twice a week .

semiyearly – Semiannual, twice a year, is preferred .

send-off – Noun: Come to the senior send-off .

shall, will – Use shall to express determination: We shall win Greek Week. Either shall or will may be used in first-person constructions that do not emphasize determination: We shall hold a meeting. We will hold a meeting. For second-and third-person constructions, use will unless determination is stressed: You will like it. He will not be pleased.

sidebar – A short article or informational piece placed near a longer related article .

“Something of Value” – A National Panellenic Conference program for collegians, which emphasizes values-based decision making and risk management .

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sorority – Fewer than half of the 26 NPC members use sorority in their official name; most use fraternity . Refer to the Interfraternity Directory or the Fraternity Executives’ Fraternity/Sorority Directory to properly reference all NPC members . If in doubt, refer to all NPC members as a women’s fraternity .

state – Lowercase in all state of constructions: the state of Maine . Do not capitalize state when used simply as an adjective to specify a level of jurisdiction: the state Transportation Department, state funds. See the Mechanics section .

stationery, stationary – Use stationery when

referring to writing paper; use stationary when referring to something that does not move .

stepparent – Also stepbrother, stepsister, etc .

student body – Lowercase .

subject-verb agreement – See the Grammar section .

substance free, substance-free – Means in absence of alcohol, drugs and tobacco . Both uses are correct . See also alcohol-free and hyphen .

such as – Use such as rather than like when referring to examples . She enjoyed Italian food such as pizza, lasagna and spaghetti.

syllabus, syllabuses – Not syllabi .

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T___________________________________________

tax exempt (n .), tax-exempt (adj .) – The organization is tax exempt. The Foundation is a tax-exempt organization.

team building (n .), team-building (adj .) – Team building is an objective of our committee. The team-building workshop was a great experience for us.

teammate – One word, no hyphen .

teamwork – One word, no hyphen .

teenage, teenager – Teenage is an adjective used for those aged 13-19 . Teenager is a noun used for those aged 13-19 .

telephone numbers – Use the form 614-228-6515; 866-KKG-1870 . If extension numbers are given: 614-228-6515, ext. 240, is Jennifer Allen’s phone number. The numeral “1” is assumed when placing a long-distance call, including a toll-free number, and need not be written . See also numerals .

telethon – One word, no hyphen .

than, then – Than is a conjunction used in comparisons; then is an adverb denoting time . That pizza is more than I can eat . Paula laughed, and then we recognized her.

that (conjunction) – Use the conjunction that to introduce a dependent clause if the sentence sounds or looks awkward without it . That may be omitted when a dependent clause immediately follows a form of the verb to say: The president said he had signed the bill. That should be used when a time element intervenes between the verb and the dependent clause: The president said Monday that he had signed the bill. When in doubt, include that . Omission can hurt . Inclusion never does .

their, there, they’re – Their is a possessive pronoun: They went to their house. There is an adverb indicating direction: We went there for dinner. There also is used with the force of a pronoun for impersonal constructions in which the real subject follows the verb: There is no food on the table. They’re is a contraction for they are.

then, than – See also than, then.

third-party vendor – Always hyphenate .

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time – The exact time of day an event has happened or will happen is not necessary in most stories . When using exact time, however, use figures except for noon (12:00 p.m.) and midnight (12:00 a.m.). Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. Avoid redundancies: 10 a.m. this morning. See also numerals.

timeline – Not time-line .

time share – Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier - a time-share resort.

titles of people – In general, confine capitalization to formal titles used directly before an individual’s full name with the exception of Fraternity, chapter and association officers and chairmen .

Corporate, professional and governmental titles are capitalized only when they immediately precede a person’s full name . President Marty Smith likes race cars. Secretary Mary Becker gave the speech.

EXCEPTION 1: In formal usage, such as acknowledgments and lists of contributors, titles following a personal name are usually capitalized . Ladies and gentlemen: the President of the United States.

EXCEPTION 2: Titles used in place of names in direct address are capitalized: The ship can’t take it anymore, Captain!

titles of publications – Titles of books, magazines,

newspapers, manuals, movies and videos are capitalized and italicized or underlined only if italics is not available . All Fraternity publications are capitalized and italicized .

The initial article that is part of a title may be

omitted if it would be awkward in context . When it is included it is capitalized and italicized .

Use quotation marks, not italics, to identify

articles: “Alpha Beta Chapter receives the Scholarship Award.” Carol Helmbock’s “Insights” was well written.

to, too, two – To is a preposition; too is an adverb meaning also or a lot; two is a number .

toward – Not towards .

T-shirt – Capitalize the t .

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U___________________________________________

United States – Spell out when used as a noun . Use U.S. (no space) only as an adjective .

university – Capitalize only when used with the actual school name: DePauw University, the university swim team. When abbreviating university or college names, do not use periods: UCLA, not U.C.L.A . University names are usually abbreviated after they have been spelled out on their first occurrence in a text, unless the abbreviation is expected to be instantly recognizable .

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V___________________________________________

versus – Abbreviate as vs. in all uses .

vice president – Use two words; no hyphen . See also titles of people .

VIP, VIPs – Acceptable in all references for very important person(s).

voicemail – Recordings collected by an electronic messaging system or answering machine . Unlike messages left on an answering machine, voicemail can be forwarded, replied to or stored .

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W___________________________________________

Washington, D.C. – A comma should follow D .C . when used in the middle of a sentence . Our meeting in Washington, D.C., was canceled.

weather, whether – Weather means the physical elements such as snow and rain . Whether is used to introduce the first of two or more alternatives .

Web site – Two words and Web is always capitalized . The collection of electronic pages on the World Wide Web that all originate from a single domain name and home page . Web site addresses should always be written in lowercase . It is permissible to omit http:// when citing an address in most instances .

Not website or Website .

Also:

Web-based

Web page

Web log (two words, although blog is one .)

webcast, webinar, webmaster, webcam – one word in all cases .

who’s, whose – Who’s is a contraction for who is: Find out who’s out there. Whose is the possessive case of who: I don’t care whose it is .

will – Lowercase when meaning shall or referring to a financial legal document .

within – Avoid within as a substitute for in: There is good morale in the Fraternity .

workplace – One word, no hyphen .

workshop – One word, no hyphen .

work-study program – Hyphen .

worldwide – No hyphen .

World Wide Web – Always capitalize . It is preferred to use WWW or Web . See also Web site.

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X___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Y___________________________________________

Yahoo – Not Yahoo!

year book – Two words .

year-end – Always hyphenate .

yearlong – One word, no hyphen .

year-round – Always hyphenate when used as an adjective . When used after a noun do not hyphenate .

years – Use figures, without commas: 1975 . Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries: the 1970s, the 1800s . Use an apostrophe for omitted numbers: The house burned in ’56. Do not use an apostrophe if the remaining number is preceded by a hyphen: The 2006-07 fiscal year. See also dates and numerals .

your, you’re – Your is the possessive case of you: Your study habits are improving . You’re is the contraction for you are: You’re right on time for the chapter meeting.

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Z___________________________________________

Grammar and Usage

21

Grammar and Usage

alumna/alumnae – Alumna is feminine singular . In all cases, use alumna when it is immedi-ately followed by a noun . Sally is an alumna of Ohio State . We are alumna members of Indiana University. Mary is an alumna member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. Alumnae is feminine plural . It can only be used as a noun . Sally and Mary are alumnae of Ohio State.

clauses – An essential clause, also called a restrictive clause, (see also who/whom, which/that) cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning of a sentence . It must not be set off by commas . The new girl whom you recently hired will be in this afternoon.

A non-essential clause, also called a non-restrictive clause, can be eliminated without altering the basic meaning of a sentence . It must be set off by commas . The girl, whom I know, has brown hair.

An independent clause sounds complete and makes sense when it stands alone . Every simple sentence is an independent clause . I found the book.

A dependent clause, though it contains a subject

and a verb, can’t stand alone grammatically . What makes it a dependent clause is a connecting word linking it to an independent clause . Although I work full time. (The word although makes it so this sentence can’t stand alone; it is missing a complete thought .) This dependent clause must be connected to an independent clause for it to be correct . Although I work full time, I go home at 3 pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

* When a dependent clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, it must have a comma following it . Because my mom was a Kappa Kappa Gamma, I wish to be one too. When a dependent clause comes at the end of a sentence, no comma is needed . I wish to be a Kappa Kappa Gamma because my mom was a Kappa Kappa Gamma.

conjunctions – Conjunctions join words, phrases

or clauses, and they indicate the relationship between the equal elements .

The following coordinating conjunctions

connect grammatically equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet

I am going to the chapter meeting, and I am going to class on Monday night.

The following correlative conjunctions are

pairs of conjunctions that connect grammatically equal elements: either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also, whether…or, both…and

Not only am I going to the chapter meeting Monday night, but also I am going to class.

The following subordinating conjunctions introduce a subordinate (dependent) clause (non-complete sentence) to the rest of the sentence: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even though, if, in order that, rather than, since, so that, than, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whether, while

Although I have a chapter meeting on Monday night, I will still be able to attend my class right after it.

The following conjunctive adverbs are used to indicate the relation between independent clauses: finally, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, similarly, then, therefore, thus

Note: the punctuation in this sentence includes a semicolon before the conjunctive adverb and a comma after it . See also Transitions .

I have a chapter meeting on Monday night; however, I will be able to attend my class as well that evening.

Grammar and Usage

22

contractions – Contractions reflect informal speech and writing . Avoid excessive use of contractions . In quoted material, contractions should be written as the person speaks, giving the reader the perception of listening to the speaker’s actual words .

dangling modifiers – The dangling modifier is usually a verb form and seems to modify the wrong word . Modifiers dangle when they have to modify or when they grammatically appear to modify an absurd subject . Wrong: Using the computer, calculations were made. Better: She used the computer to make calculations.

lay, lie – The action word is lay . It takes a direct object . Laid is the form for its past tense and its past participle and is only used when referring to inanimate objects . Its present participle is laying . Lie indicates a state of reclining along a horizontal plane . It does not take a direct object . Its past participle is lain and is only used when referring to the living . Its present participle is lying .

When lie means to make an untrue statement, the verb forms are lie, lied and lying .

Some examples:

PRESENT OR FUTURE TENSES: Right: I will lay the report on your desk.

The senior tried to lay the blame on the freshman. Wrong: He lays on the beach all day. I will lay down. Right: He lies on the beach all day. I will lie down.

IN THE PAST TENSE: Right: I laid the report on your desk. The senior has laid the blame on the freshman.Right: He lay on the beach all day. He has lain on the beach all day. I lay down. I have lain down.

WITH THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE: Right: I am laying the report on your desk. The senior is laying the blame on the freshman.Right: He is lying on the beach. I am lying down.

parallelism – All items in a list must be in parallel form . Wrong: On weekends, my family spends time hiking, visiting friends, and they go out to dinner. Correct: On weekends, my family spends time hiking, visiting friends and going out to dinner. (all verbs end in –ing)

For pairs of ideas linked by connecting words such as and or or (or either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also) each side needs to be parallel . Either we are going to New York or we are going to Chicago. Not only do I work at Fraternity Headquarters but also I volunteer at the local sorority house.

When using the words than and as together, the

two items being compared must contain the word “to” plus the basic form of the verb . It is often nicer to tell a partial truth than to reveal the whole truth.

prepositions – A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence . The prepositional phrase nearly always functions as an adjective or as an adverb .

The motto for Kappa was created with good intentions. For Kappa functions as an adjective modifying the noun motto; with good intentions functions as the adverb modifying the verb created .

Note: Never end a sentence with a preposition . Where is she going to?

There are many prepositions in the English

language, including: about, above, across, after, against, along, among,

around, as, at, before, behind, below, beside, besides, between, beyond, but, by, concerning, considering, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, next, of, off, on, onto, opposite, out, outside, over, past, plus, regarding, respecting, round, since, than, through, throughout, till, to, toward, under, underneath, unlike, until, unto, up, upon, with, without.

Grammar and Usage

23

pronoun-antecedent agreement – All pronouns must agree with their antecedents .

The following indefinite pronouns are always singular, so any pronoun that refers to one of them will also be singular:

anyone, everyone, no one, someone, anybody, everybody, nobody, somebody, anything, everything, nothing, something, each, one, none .

None of the students brought her books. Everyone in the chapter studied for her exam .

The following indefinite pronouns are always plural: both, several, many, few . Few understand all their rights under the law.

The following indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural: any, all, more, most, some .

All of the class finished their research paper.

pronoun reference Subjective Case Objective Case I me we us you you he him she her it it they them who, whoever whom, whomever

Use subjective case with double subjects . She and I signed the papers.

Use objective case with double objects . Kate telephoned both Jim and me .

Use subjective case for sentences beginning with a pronoun . We girls are very practical.

pronoun shifting – Do not shift pronouns within a sentence .

First person: I, me, my, we, our Second person: you, your, yours Third person: he, him, she, her, it, one, they,

them, their If one tries hard enough, you can master any

task. (incorrect) If one tries hard enough, she can master any

task. (correct)

subject-verb agreement – The subject and verb must always agree . Collective nouns refer to persons or things thought of as one unit . The following nouns are always considered singular:

audience, band, class, committee, couple, family, group, herd, jury, society, team, council .

The Fraternity Council gave its (not their) approv-al. The committee scheduled its next meeting .

that, which (pronouns) – Use that and which in referring to inanimate objects and to animals without a name: That has long been regarded as introducing a restrictive clause; which introduces a nonrestrictive clause . It was a dog that bit him. The report, which was well documented, was reviewed by the board. See also who, whom (pronouns) and essential clauses, nonessential clauses.

transitions – Certain works and phrases signal connections between ideas . In sentences and in paragraphs, using transitions helps with the flow of a piece of writing . The following transitions are listed under their meanings, helping a writer to use the appropriate word(s) .

To show addition: and, also, besides, further,

furthermore, in addition, moreover, next, too, first, second.

To give examples: for example, for instance, to illustrate, in fact, specifically.

To compare: also, in the same manner, similarly, likewise, such as.

To contrast: but, however, on the other hand, in contrast, nevertheless, still, even though, on the contrary, yet, although.

To summarize or conclude: in other words, in short, in summary, in conclusion, to sum up, that is, therefore.

To show time: after, as, before, next, during, later, finally, meanwhile, then, when, while, immediately.

Grammar and Usage

24

To show place or direction: above, beyond, farther on, nearby, opposite, close, to the left.

To indicate a logical relationship: if, so, therefore, consequently, thus, as a result, for this reason, since.

vague pronoun reference – A pronoun must refer clearly to its antecedent, the word, or the words for which it stands . If a pronoun’s antecedent is uncertain, the sentence will be confusing . Wrong: I wrote a to-do list with my purple pen and now I can’t find it. (What does it refer to?) Correct: I wrote a to-do list with my purple pen and now I can’t find the list.

who/whom – Use who when someone is the subject of a sentence, clause or phrase or when referring to people . The member who makes the best grade will get an award. Who is there? Fans wondered how a tennis player who had a sprained ankle could play tennis.

Use whom when someone is the object of a verb or preposition . Use whom for things or when referring to a group or class of people . The member to whom the room was rented left the door open. Whom did you see?

* Use who and whom when referring to people

and animals with a name .

which/that – Use which to introduce a non-restrictive modifier . The copy machine, which was broken, is being fixed. (Adds a fact about the only copy machine in question) .

Use that to introduce a restrictive modifier .

The copy machine that is broken is being fixed. (Tells which one .)

*Use that and which when referring to

inanimate objects and animals without a name .

Punctuation

25

colon (:) – A colon is used to introduce a list follow-ing an independent clause (omit the period at ends of items in vertical list, whether or not the items are composed of sentences) . On the first day of work, Emma did three things: cleaned her desk, answered her e-mail and organized her paperwork.

Do not use a colon after a verb when introducing a list . The two things we strive for are: excellence and uniqueness. (incorrect) The two things we strive for are excellence and uniqueness. (correct)

Do not use a colon after a preposition: Jamie lives with: a cat and a dog.

Do not use a colon after the words “including,” “for example” or “such as .”

Use a colon after a statement which introduces a direct quotation of one or more paragraphs .

Use after the greeting of a business letter: Dear

Sir or Madame:

comma (,) – Use when joining two independent sentences with a conjunction . Make sure both sides of the comma are related .

Conjunctions: but, or, yet, for, and, nor, so She called her boss, yet her boss was unavailable to

talk to her at that time .

If a sentence is short and clarity isn’t an issue, comma may be omitted: Nancy arrived early and Martha came an hour later.

Don’t use a comma to separate parts of a

compound predicate (two or more verbs having the same subject): She read the book intently and then decided the critics had been right.

A series of three or more words, phrases or clauses take a comma between each of the elements but NOT before the conjunction separating the last two, unless clarification is necessary: Books, pencils and notebook paper are the essentials she needed.

Punctuation

apostrophe (’) – Used to form possessives of proper and common nouns: Sophie’s book.

Used to indicate where a letter has been omitted to form a contraction: it’s = it is.

Used to form plurals of letters, numerals, abbreviations or other “non words” if there would be confusion otherwise: There are three n’s in Cincinnati. Her phone number has five 0’s in it.

Plural numbers do not have an apostrophe: The tradition began in the 1920s.

An apostrophe only is used to indicate that the century is missing: Jill graduated in ’98.

In writing, do not use an apostrophe to create a conjunction to mean “is .” Amanda’s the best employee. (incorrect) Amanda is the best employee. (correct)

Used to show possession: The girl’s book. (singular) The girls’ books (plural) .

Its/It’s: Its shows possession . It’s is the contraction for it is . Put the book in its place . Never it’s place.

Never use an apostrophe when referring to a group of Kappas . It is Kappas, not Kappa’s.

brackets ([ ]) – Brackets work like parenthesis to set off inserted material but function within quoted material: “Sometimes she [Stacey] will do volunteer work.” Brackets can also be used for parentheses within parentheses .

Brackets are also used if a word is changed

within a direct quote . “I was a [new member] many years ago.” (New member substituted for pledge .)

Punctuation

26

Place a comma before “etc .” In the park there is swimming, boating, hiking, etc. Also place a comma after “etc .” if it is the last of a series of three or more words, phrases or clauses: Her brain was overflowing with campaigns, candidates, issues, dates, etc., after she left her history class.

Do not use a comma to separate the month or season of the year: March 2005

Do use a comma to separate a date with the year: March 19, 2005

Do use a comma after the year in a sentence: October 13, 1870, was considered the date the Fraternity was founded.

Commas always go inside quotation marks but follow a parenthesis if the context requires it . As part of the agenda (see below), the attendees will take a break for one hour.

Use a comma to separate city from state or province: The University of Toronto, located in Toronto, Ontario, is home to Beta Psi Chapter.

Use a comma after a state following a city when used in a sentence: The General Convention was held in Kansas City, Missouri, this year.

Use a comma to set off direct address: Please get the order ready, Pam, because I will be there at noon to pick it up.

Use a comma between the name of a chapter and the name of a college or university . We honored the members of Beta Nu, Ohio State, for their successful academic achievement last quarter. Please contact Sally Bell Snyder, Miami (Ohio), for any questions pertaining to student academics .

dash – em dash (––) – is used to mark a sudden break or abrupt change in thought: We will fly to Paris in June––if I get a raise. She offered a plan––it was unprecedented––to raise revenues.

When a phrase that otherwise would be set off by commas contains a series of words that must be separated by commas, use an em dash: Sarah listed the qualities––intelligence, humor, independence––that she liked in a consultant.

To make an em dash, you can use the symbol font on Word –– Option and hyphen (hit twice) key on Mac .

en dash (–) – Use in combination of figures, capital letters, figures and capital letters and in the absence of the word to when denoting a period of time: 1955–62, Monday–Friday.

To make an en dash, you can use the symbol font on Word –– Option and hyphen key on Mac .

ellipsis (…) – Any omission of words, phrases or paragraphs in quoted matter is indicated by

ellipsis points, which are three period dots ( . . . ) . In general, treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, with a space before and after . They are always placed within the quotation marks . If the omission comes after the end of a sentence, the three dots follow the terminal punctuation . When material is deleted at the end of one paragraph and at the beginning of the one that follows, place an ellipsis in both locations .

•Inconclusionshestated,“Whatwedesiretobe taught . . . is to be our own teachers .”

•“Whydon’treadersread?...”hequoted. •Thecriticismread,inpart,“Allthisisnotin

the best tradition . . . . ”

hyphen (-) – Hyphens are joiners . Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words .

AVOID AMBIGUITY: The president will speak to small-business men. (Business men normally is one word . But the president will speak to small businessmen is unclear .) Others: He recovered his health . He re-covered the leaky roof.

COMPOUND MODIFIERS: When a compound modifier––two or more words that express a single concept––precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound except the adverb very and all adverbs that end in -ly: a full-time job, a know-it-all attitude.

Punctuation

27

Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are not hyphenated when they occur after a noun: Year-round Recruitment is important for the chapter. The chapter relies on recruiting year round.

Never hyphenate a person’s name or proper name .

parentheses ( ) – Used to set off matter not intended to be part of the main statement or not a grammatical element of the sentence yet are important enough to be included . According to Dr. James (my doctor), I am in excellent health.

Used around numbers or letters that list items within a sentence . Rachel’s work for this evening is as follows: (1) file papers, (2) organize desk, and (3) make photocopies.

quotation marks (“ ”) – Use open-quote marks (“) and close-quote marks (”) .

RUNNING QUOTATIONS: If a full paragraph of quoted material, or a paragraph that does not start with quotation marks but ends with a quotation, is followed by a paragraph that continues the quotation, do not put close-quote marks at the end of the first paragraph . Do, however, put open-quote marks at the start of the second paragraph, using close-quote marks only at the end of the quoted material .

QUOTATIONS MARKS SHOULD BE USED around the following: Articles in periodicals, captions, chapters of books, dissertations, editorials, essays, headings, headlines, lectures and novellas that are published in a collection, papers, radio and television programs, short poems, short stories and songs .

QUOTES WITHIN QUOTES: Alternate between double quotation marks (“ or ”) and single marks (‘ or ’) . If two quoted elements end at the same time, put the period between the single mark (’) and the double mark (”): Peyser said, “Mason told me it means ‘Naught without labor’.”

PLACEMENT WITH OTHER PUNCTUATION: The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks . The dash, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only . They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence: “It’s an excellent fraternity education program.” Was their float theme “Beat the Wolverines”?

semicolon (;) – Use to separate clauses containing commas and statements that are too closely related in meaning to be written as separate sentences . In general, it indicates a greater separation of thought and information than a comma but less than a period . The Alpha Province Meeting will include delegates from PsiΔ Chapter, Cornell University; Beta BetaΔ Chapter, St. Lawrence University; and Zeta Rho Chapter, Colgate University.

Mechanics

28

Mechanics

Abbreviations and Spellings

Write out Kappa Kappa Gamma and other Greek organizations on first reference . Nicknames or Greek letters in second or informal references (KKG or Kappa) are acceptable .

Spell out the name of a college or university the first time it appears, i .e . Louisiana State University, unless following a member's name or a chapter name (see school abbreviations Page 30); subsequent reference may be Louisiana State or LSU .

Spell out the name of an organization the first time it appears, i .e . National Panhellenic Conference; subsequent reference may be NPC . (It is not necessary to use periods in such abbreviations .)

Do not abbreviate the titles of officers, i .e . President, Secretary .

Never use the word “Panhel” or “alum .”

Panhellenic should be spelled out . Women graduates are alumnae; the singular is alumna . Men graduates are alumni; the singular is alumnus . Men and women are alumni .

Abbreviate the names of states when they

follow cities, but never when they stand alone: Nashville, Tenn . (use postal abbreviations

only in addresses .) Tennessee is called the Volunteer State. Do not abbreviate days of the week or months

of the year .

Do not use nicknames, or abbreviate given names, such as Eliz ., Wm ., Chas ., etc .

Use percent, not % .

Spell out “cents”; don’t use “¢” . If figures are used, “$” is proper: $9 .25 . If it is necessary to spell out the number, use “dollars”:

Nine dollars is a fair amount. The book costs $10.

Use the abbreviations Sr ., Jr ., II, III following a full name . Never use the spelled out words or the abbreviations with the surname alone . A comma precedes Jr . and Sr ., but not II, III:

Joseph P. Turner, Sr. Robert B. Johnson III

Spell out a civil, military, professional or religious title when it precedes the surname alone: Senator Snow, General Fairweather, Professor Barry, Father Kennedy.

But use the appropriate abbreviation before a full name: Sen. Olympia Snow, Gov. Jane Smith, Prof. Joan Barry.

Add “s” to form the plurals of all proper names except those ending in s, x, z, ch, or sh to which “es” is added: the Andersons, the Pattees, the Costellos, the Rosses, the Coxes, the Marches.

“Adviser” is the preferred spelling for the noun . “Advisory” is the preferred spelling for the adjective .

State Abbreviations – Standing alone: spell out the names of the 50 U .S . states when they stand alone in textual material . Never use postal abbreviations in textual material .

Eight Not Abbreviated: the names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

Mechanics

29

Abbreviations: Never use postal abbreviations in text . Abbreviations should appear as follows:

Ala . Md . Okla .Ariz . Mass . Ore .Ark . Mich . Pa .Calif . Minn . R .I .Colo . Miss . S .C .Conn . Mo . S .D .Del . Mont . Tenn .D .C . Neb . Vt .Fla . Nev . Va .Ga . N .H . Wash .Ill . N .J . W .VaInd . N .M . Wis .Kan . N .Y . Wyo .Ky . N .C . La . N .D .

Canadian Province Abbreviations. Never use postal abbreviations in text . The 10 Canadian provinces (states) are abbreviated as follows:

Alta . Nfld .B .C . Ont .Man . P .E .I .N .B . Que .N .S . Sask .

PUNCTUATION: Place one comma between the city and the state/province name, and another comma after the state/province name: Monmouth, Illinois, is where Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity was founded. Lisa Jones hails from Toronto, Ont. The obscure ones should be spelled out in a story: Trudy visited Prince Edward Island.

Select Canadian Postal Abbreviations for Addresses only: (Never use in text)

Alberta –– ABBritish Columbia –– BCManitoba –– MBNew Brunswick –– NBNewfoundland and Labrador –– NLNova Scotia –– NSOntario –– ONPrince Edward Island –– PEQuebec –– QCSaskatchewan –– SK(Territories)Northwest –– NTNunavut –– NVYukon –– YT

Select U.S. Postal Abbreviations for Addresses only: (Never use in text)

Alabama — ALAlaska — AKArizona — AZArkansas — ARCalifornia — CAColorado — COConnecticut — CTDelaware — DEDistrict of Columbia — DCFlorida — FLGeorgia — GAGuam — GUHawaii — HIIdaho — IDIllinois — ILIndiana — INIowa — IAKansas — KSKentucky — KYLouisiana — LAMaine — MEMaryland — MDMassachusetts — MAMichigan — MIMinnesota — MNMississippi — MSMissouri — MOMontana — MTNebraska — NENevada — NVOhio — OHOklahoma — OKOregon — ORPennsylvania — PATennessee — TNTexas — TXUtah — UTVermont — VTVirginia — VAWashington — WAWisconsin — WIWyoming — WY

Note: States with two words are always abbreviated with the first letter of each word when using postal abbreviations: New Hampshire – NH .

Mechanics

30

School Abbreviations (In italics when listed with member or chapter name . Only abbreviate as indicated .)

Adelphi*Adrian*AkronAlabamaAlleghenyArizona Arizona StateArkansasArkansas, Little Rock*AuburnBabsonBarnard*BaylorBoston*Bowling GreenBritish ColumbiaBucknellButlerCal State NorthridgeUC BerkeleyUC DavisUC IrvineUCLAUC RiversideUC San DiegoUC Santa BarbaraUC Santa CruzCarnegie-MellonCentral FloridaCentreCincinnatiClemsonColgateCollege of IdahoColorado CollegeColorado Colorado StateConnecticutCornellCreighton DartmouthDenisonDePauwDickinsonDrakeDuke

EmoryFlorida Florida StateFresno StateFurmanGeorge WashingtonGeorgiaGeorgia SouthernGoucher*HarvardHillsdaleIdahoIllinoisIllinois WesleyanIndianaIowa Iowa StateJohns HopkinsKansas Kansas StateKentuckyKnox LafayetteLawrenceLoyolaLSUManitoba*MaristMaryland*MassachusettsMcGillMiami Miami (Ohio)Michigan Michigan StateMiddlebury*MinnesotaMississippiMississippi State*MissouriMonmouthMontanaNebraskaNew MexicoNorth CarolinaNorth Dakota State*North TexasNorthwesternOhio State

Mechanics

31

Ohio WesleyanOklahoma Oklahoma StateOregonOregon StatePenn StatePennsylvania*PepperdinePittsburghPrincetonPuget Sound*PurdueRichmondRockford Seminary*RollinsSan DiegoSan Jose State*SimpsonSMUSouth CarolinaSt . LawrenceSt . Mary’s*StanfordSwarthmore*SyracuseTennesseeTexas Texas A&MTCUTexas TechTorontoTrinityTulaneTulsaUSC (Calif .)UtahValparaisoVanderbiltVermont*VillanovaVirginia Virginia Tech Wake ForestWashington Washington and JeffersonWashington and Lee Washington StateWashington Univ . (St . Louis)Waterloo

WestminsterWest VirginiaWhitmanWilliam and MaryWisconsinWooster*WyomingYale (* indicates inactive chapters)

Numerals

Spell out numbers under 10 . Use numerals for 10 or more: The committee is composed of five members. The secretary counted 40 members who volunteered to help with the children’s party.

Never begin a sentence with a numeral . Spell

out or reword: Forty members volunteered to help with the children’s party.

Spell out ordinal numbers first through ninth; but write 10th, 21st, etc .

Use numbers to indicate: •Ages(alwaysusefigures):20yearsold, 3-year-old •Dates:October13,1870 •Hoursoftheday,butdonotuseneedless

ciphers: 7 p .m ., not 7:00 . Spell out if you use “o’clock,” i .e . eight o’clock

•Degreesoftemperature:68degrees •Measurement:4feet,128volts •Percentages:89percent •Electionresultsandgamescores: The Kappas won, 8 to 6 .

Use figures for numbers bearing fractions, but spell out fractions standing alone: 2 1/4, three-fourths.

Use figures for all sums of money of six digits or less (less than a million): $6 .75, $500,000 . Use a combination of figures and units of millions or billions if the sum exceeds six digits: $30 million, $1 billion. Carry decimals to two places: $4.35 million.

Use “more than” or “less than” instead of “over” and “under .” (See fewer/less on page 12)

Mechanics

32

Capitalization

All proper nouns (names of persons and places) .

Formal and complete names of organiza-tions: Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, Women’s Student Government Association.

Official names of administrative bodies, boards,

committees, etc .:

Oklahoma State University Board of Regents, House Ways and Means Committee, City Planning Commission

Lowercase committee or board in titles and standing alone . The committee report was accepted unanimously. The board adopted the resolution.

Both common and proper nouns when referring to universities and colleges:

Illinois Wesleyan University, Colorado College

Lowercase when standing alone: the university.

Do not capitalize official names of colleges, schools, departments: college of commerce, school of journalism, history department.

Exception: do capitalize language departments (French department, English department) .

University customs and functions: Homecoming,

Commencement, Parents Weekend Names of college classes when referring to the

class as a whole: Senior Class, Class of 2000. Lowercase senior, junior, etc ., when they

designate a year in school rather than a particular class, such as senior year .

College degrees when abbreviated: B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Lowercase if the degree is spelled out, such as bachelor of arts, master of arts .

Nicknames of athletic clubs and teams: The Ohio State Buckeyes, the Hoosiers

Both the common and proper noun in official names of buildings, memorials, etc .: Orton Hall, Administration Building, Ford Theatre, Camp Randall Stadium

Names of streets, avenues, etc .: High Street, Northwest Boulevard

Formal geographical names: Atlantic Ocean, Lake Erie, Mojave Desert

Names and nicknames of geographical divisions: Colonial Hills, Sunshine State

States when used as component part of a proper name but not preceding a proper name:

New York State, state of North Carolina

Points of the compass used to designate specific geographical areas: The South, the Northwest. Lowercase north, southwest, etc . when indicating directions in general .

Names of holidays: Fourth of July, Thanksgiving

Historic events: Fall of Rome, the Crusades, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Depression

Decorations, awards, etc .: Medal of Honor, Nobel Peace Prize

Names of nationalities and races: French, African-American

Names of political parties and members, but not the word “party”: Republican party, the Democrats.

United States armed forces: Air Force, Navy,

Coast Guard, National Guard, etc.

Room, route, no ., fig ., etc . when followed by a number or letter: Room 202, Route 66, No. 8, Fig. 5, Economics 401

Mechanics

33

The first word of a quotation preceded by a comma or a colon: Alexander Pope said, “A little learning is a dangerous thing.”

The first word after a colon if it introduces a formal speech or quotation, or dialogue set in dramatic form .

Each first word following the numbers or letters in a vertical list .

Titles of books, plays, poems, songs, etc . The words “a,” “the,” “in,” “of,” and other articles (articles, most prepositions, and conjunctions) are capitalized only at the beginning or ending of a title .

Verbs in titles are always capitalized even if they consist of fewer than four letters . Be certain to always capitalize “is.”

“The” when used with the full title of a publication: The Secret Garden.

Titles when they precede a name: Governor Sue Smith

Also when used in direct discourse in place of a name: “Good morning, Major.”

Lowercase otherwise: Sue Smith, governor of California

Styles of furniture and architecture: Colonial, Early American

References to specific pages in a publication: Page 4, Pages 4-6, Pages 5 and 10, Page 20A.

Exception: It’s a Page One story .

Lowercase The words office, officer, chairman .

Seasons, such as spring, fall, etc .

Time of day (with no space between the periods and letters), such as a .m ., p .m ., noon, midday, midnight .

Hyphenated compound words ordinarily capitalized remain so in hyphenated

compounds: East-West relations.

Prepositions are always lowercase in titles if they consist of four or fewer letters . Capitalize when they consist of more than four .

Communication and Etiquette

34

Communication and

Etiquette

E-mail – E-mail is an acceptable method of communicating as it shows an ease with telecommunication styles of the 21st century, although it is not always the best means .

Subject line needs to be chosen carefully; it helps recipients prioritize . Provide a subject line for each message you compose .

“Dear” and “Sincerely” are appropriate . Use first names only if you are familiar with

the person . Write in complete sentences . Spelling and punctuation do count . Forwarding messages without permission is

inappropriate . If the information being sent is crucial, ask

recipient to inform you when e-mail has been received .

Watch tone: before sending e-mail read it from

reader’s point of view . Organize sentences in short, single-spaced

paragraphs for easy understanding .

Don’t indent opening line of each paragraph; leave one blank line between paragraphs .

Proofread message: it’s easy to make mistakes in

grammar, usage, spelling and style . Format e-mail message much like that of

simplified memo .

If forwarding a message, strip all extraneous information and characters from it first as a common courtesy .

Don’t rely on recipients having the capacity to open all messages; a fancy HTML-formatted message may not come across clearly to someone with a non-compatible e-mail program .

Use text as default message for guaranteed compatibility .

Be careful not to send a huge file as an attachment (30K is okay) without first getting permission from recipient; huge files can lock recipient out of mailbox .

Try to respond to e-mails within a couple of days .

Include full name and address .

Do not use all caps (unless shouting) .

Neatness counts .

Always sign first and last name .

Limit e-mail message to one screen .

Letters and Memos (or memorandum) – Interoffice memos are intended to expedite the flow of written communication within an organization .

A memo may be as “terse” as an e-mail, as impersonal as a formal announcement or as warm or casual as a personal note .

Always include the date on a memo .

Depending on the circumstance, you can determine whether a memo should contain a salutation or signature line .

If a memo is being addressed to two or three people, try to fit all names on the same line; if there are too many people, list in one or more single-spaced columns alongside “To:”

Communication and Etiquette

35

If the subject line is too long, type in two or more single-spaced lines of equal length .

Begin the body of the memo on the second or third line below last line in heading .

If the memo is confidential, type CONFIDENTIAL in bold, all-capitals in the center below the last line of the memo heading .

Although there is no correct format for memos, templates can be found through Microsoft Word for Windows .

Sample professional memo format: To: From: Date: Re:

Sample contemporary memo format: To: CC: From: Date: Re: Sample elegant memo format: To: From: Subject: Date: CC: Telephone

Person who originates a phone call terminates it .

Person who places call is one to call back if call is disconnected .

Terminate calls if you have a visitor at your desk .

Formatting

36

HQ--Generic

Fraternity Headquarters

530 East Town Street, P .O . Box 38Columbus, Ohio 43216-0038Toll-Free 866/KKG-1870Tel . 614/228-6515Fax 614/228-7809www .kappa .org

Fraternity Headquarters

530 East Town StreetP .O . Box 38Columbus, Ohio 43216-0038 HQ--Generic

Formatting

®

®

Formatting

37

Fax To _______________________________________________________

Company _______________________________________________________

Fax No . _______________________________________________________

From _______________________________________________________

Page __________________ Time _____________ Date _____________

❒ URGENT ❒ PLEASE COMMENT ❒ PLEASE REVIEW

Comments _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

This fax transmission is intended for the use of the addressee only and may contain confidential information . If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use or dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited . If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately at the number listed above .

HQ--Generic

Fraternity Headquarters

530 East Town StreetP .O . Box 38Columbus, Ohio 43216-0038Toll-Free 866/KKG-1870Tel . 614/228-6515Fax 614/228-7809www .kappa .org

Date

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mr . and Ms . Business communicator

FROM: Employee name, Title

SUBJECT: Memo writing

________________________________________________________

HQ--Generic

Fraternity Headquarters

530 East Town StreetP .O . Box 38Columbus, Ohio 43216-0038Toll-Free 866/KKG-1870Tel . 614/228-6515Fax 614/228-7809www .kappa .org

Glossary of Computer Terms

38

Glossary of

Computer Terms

application (also called app) – A program designed to perform information processing tasks for a specific purpose or activity (for example, desktop publishing and database management).

archive – A file compressed for more efficient use of storage space .

backup – Storage of duplicate files, diskettes, or some other form of magnetic medium .

blog – Short for web log .

browser – See Web browser .

bug – Defect in the software that causes the software/program to malfunction or cease to operate . Some writers now use the bug to refer to hardware problems as well .

bulletin board system (BBS) – An online information system, usually set up by an individual (called a system operator, or SYSOP) on a nonprofit basis for the enjoyment of other individuals with similar interests .

CD-ROM – (pronounced cee-dee-rom) . An acronym derived from the compact disk read only memory . A form of optical storage . One compact disk can hold up to 250,000 text pages; it can also be used to store graphics, sound and video .

check box – A small box that appears on screen alongside each option displayed in a dialog box . When an option is selected, an X or a check mark appears inside the box .

cookie – A device that permits a Web site to identify and collect information about every user who visits that site .

copy – To reproduce information elsewhere . The original information remains in place .

cursor – A special character (usually a blinking underline, dot or vertical line) that indicates where the next typed character will appear on the display screen . Also refers to the mouse pointer (arrow) or I-beam pointer . Microsoft Word refers to the cursor as the insertion point .

cyberspace – One word, no hyphen .

data compression – Information consisting of letters, numbers, symbols, sound or images – in a form that can be processed by a computer .

default settings – The preestablished settings (for margins, font, type size, tab stops and so on) that a program will follow unless the user changes them .

desktop – The electronic work area on a display screen .

dialog box – A message box on the screen that supplies information to –– or requests information from –– the user .

directory – A list of the files stored on a disk .

disk drive – The component of a computer into which a disk is inserted so that it can be read or written on .

diskette – A small, nonrigid disk with limited stor-age capacity (normally 30 to 200 pages) . Also known as a floppy disk .

document – Any printed business communication –– for example, a letter, memo, report, table or form .

double click – To quickly press and release a mouse button twice while the cursor is positioned over a specific item on the screen .

drag-and-drop editing – A software feature that allows the user to (1) highlight text to be moved and (2) use a mouse to drag the text to a new location .

Glossary of Computer Terms

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editing – The process of changing information by inserting, deleting, replacing, rearranging and reformatting .

e-mail – The term e-mail (short for electronic mail) refers to the transfer of messages or documents between users connected by an electronic network .

e-mail, e-learning, e-book, e-commerce, e-business – Always use hyphen .

e-marks – Three dots (…) that appear as part of a menu option . Ellipsis marks indicate that a dialog box will appear if that option is selected .

Excel – Trademarked word . Always written in this manner .

file – A collection of information stored electronically and treated as a unit by a computer . Every file must have its own distinctive name .

format – The physical specifications that affect the appearance and arrangement of a document –– for example, margins, spacing and font .

hard return – A command used to end a paragraph, end a short line of text, or insert a blank line in the text .

home page – The main page for a Web site established by an organization or an individual; it usually serves as the entrance for a series of related pages .

icon – A symbol (such as a picture of a trash can or a file folder) that represents a certain function . When the user clicks on the icon, the appropriate function is executed .

Internet, intranet – Internet is capitalized because it is a proper name; intranet is generic .

iPod

kerning – The varying of space between letters to create a balanced appearance on the page; specific to layout and design .

leading – Spacing between lines of type; specific to layout and design .

line spacing – The ability of a program to automatically change vertical line spacing (for example, from double to single to double again) . Also known as leading . (Pronounced “led ing”)

Listserv – Not terminal "e" and always capitalized

log in (v .), login (n .), log on (v .), logon (n .) – Log in and log on are used interchangeably . To gain access to a network, you must log in (or log on). You must execute a login (or logon) to gain access to the Kappa Web site.

log off (v .), logoff (n .) – You must log off when you leave a secure Web site. Please execute a logoff before you leave the Kappa Web site.

mail merge – The process of taking information from a database and inserting it into a form letter or other document in order to customize the document for an individual recipient . For example, mail merge can be used to create the inside address and the salutation for a form letter .

menu – A list of choices shown on the display screen . For example, a format menu would include such options as the type style and the type size to be selected . A menu is often referred to as a pull-down menu or a pop-up menu because it appears on the screen after the user clicks on the menu bar or on some other item on the screen .

MP3 – Always capitalize .

offline – Referring to the state in which a computer is temporarily or permanently unable to communicate with another computer . The term offline is also humorously referred to as “real life .”

online – Referring to the state in which a computer is turned on and ready to communicate with other computers .

Glossary of Computer Terms

40

pica – The measurement used for a font; equal to 1/6 inch or 12 points .

pixel – The shortened form of “picture element” for dots that make up an image or character on a computer or TV screen . The more pixels, the better the resolution .

podcast – One word .

PowerPoint – Trademarked word . Always written in this manner with no space in between .

screenshot – One word .

smiley – In e-mail messages, a facial expression constructed sideways with standard charac-ters . Also referred to as emotional icons . For example:

:-) I’m smiling :-( I’m sad

Do not use these symbols unless recipient would appreciate them .

tool bar – An on-screen element that offers instant access to commonly used commands . The commands are represented by icons on a row of buttons at the top of the screen .

Web address – The Fraternity Web site address is www.kappa.org.

Web site, Web page, Web-based, Web log, webcast, webinar, webmaster, webcam

Web site navigation – Use the following format: Resources>Chapter Resources>Forms

Proofreader Marks

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Proofreader Marks

Submitting Copy

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Submitting Copy

• Alwaysrundiskettesthroughavirus-detectionprogram.

• Alwaysincludeahardcopywithadiskette.

• Maildiskettesinappropriatepackagingtoavoiddamage.

• Singlespacetext.Useonlyonespacebetweenparagraphs. • Don'tusetabsorindents.Indentonlywhennecessarytoindicatelists. Don’t use the space bar to indent .

• Useonlyonespaceafterpunctuationattheendofasentence.

• Onlyuseahardreturnattheendofaparagraph.

• Donotunderlineoruseallcaps.Manuallymarkthehardcopyiftheseareneeded.

• Donotcentertext.

• Keepformattingsimple.Indicatespecialformattingorartideasonthehardcopy.

• Listfirst,maiden,lastnamesandschoolsformembers.Ifpossible,confirmwiththeMembership Services department at Fraternity Headquarters .

• Indicatetheendofanarticlewith“30”or“end.”

• Alwaysproofreadcarefullyandrunspellcheck.Remember—spellcheckcan'tuncover usage mistakes (there vs . their) .

• UsetheKappa Kappa Gamma Style Guide and AP Stylebook .

• Donotusepaperclipsonphotographs.Donotwriteonthebackofphotographs.Use a sticky note instead .

• Keepcomputerdiskettesawayfrommagneticfieldssuchasmagneticpaperclipholders and clips that have been in a magnetic holder .

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Bibliography

Bibliography

–– The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. New York, N .Y .: The Associated Press, 1998 .

–– Chicago Manual of Style. Chicago, Ill .: University of Chicago Press .

–– The College Fraternity Editors Association Style Guide, 1997.

–– A Practical Style Guide for Authors and Editors. Margaret Nicholson . New York, N .Y .: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971 .

–– Random House Word Menu, New York, 1997 .

–– The Style Manual. Shirley Lipson and Anne Abrams . Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University, 1964 .

–– “Style Sheet for Kappa Publications” by Clara 0 . Pierce, Ohio State, Executive Secretary, Kappa Kappa Gamma, 1929-1969 .

–– Original Kappa Kappa Gamma Style Guide compiled by Catherine Schroeder Graf, Ohio State, 1974 .

–– Beta Theta Pi Fraternity (Ahaas @wooglin .com)

–– Sabin, William . The Gregg Reference Manual; Nineth edition. Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2001 .

–– Hacker, Diana . A Writer’s Reference. New York, N .Y .: St . Martin’s Press, 1989 .

Note: Recommended changes to this style guide should be submitted to the Director of

Communications and the Publications Chairman .