A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

P

paperwork
One word

part-time (adj.), part time (n.)
Hyphenate as a compound modifier before a noun.

She is a part-time student. He works part time.

PhD
Doctor of philosophy (no periods). Only use following a name, otherwise spell out or use doctorate.

He earned his doctorate in chemistry.

phone numbers
Use hyphens; do not use parentheses or a 1 for long-distance or toll-free numbers.

301-369-2800
888-522-7486

phonathon

prefixes
Most words with prefixes such as anti-, bi-, co-, extra-, inter-, pre-, un-, post-, or mini- are formed as closed compounds -- they do not use hyphens.

There are exceptions:

Refer to the dictionary when in doubt.

prerequisite
No hyphen

professor
Do not abbreviate as Prof. Capitalize in a formal title before a name.

Professor Anderson and Professor Conner will teach the course.
The professors will teach the course.
Engineering Professor John Smith teaches the course.
John Smith, professor of engineering, gave a presentation.

punctuation
apostrophes
Possessives: in general, add 's to make singular nouns possessive; add only an apostrophe for plural nouns.

the student's book, the professor's pen; the cats' tails

This also applies to singular nouns and proper names that end in s.

Jones's diary; Kansas's laws; Thomas's muffins

Do not use an apostrophe to indicate plurals, including the plurals of acronyms and abbreviations, unless confusion would result without the apostrophe.

There are five A's on her transcript.
There are four 5s in that number.
There were three PhDs at the conference.

Dates: Do not use an apostrophe to make dates plural. But use an apostrophe to abbreviate a year or decade.

in the mid-1700s, the roaring '20s, the Class of '94

Degrees: bachelor's and master's degrees (but just associate degree)

ampersand (&)
Only use when part of a company's formal name. Otherwise, do not use in place of and. (An exception can be made for charts, tables or other graphic elements.)

bullets
Bullets are used to emphasize points in a list. Use bullets when the order of the items isn't important.

You can make two types of bulleted lists: single sentence and multiple sentence. In a single-sentence format, bullets are used to emphasize individual items of one long sentence. No additional punctuation is used because each item makes up a complete sentence by itself. Because it's not a complete sentence, the items are lowercase after the bullet. For example:

In a multiple-sentence format, list items are complete sentences, ending with a period and beginning with capitalized word. For example:

You don't always use a colon to introduce a list. In fact, too often the colon is abused and misused. Here's an example:

colons
Most commonly used at the end of a sentence to introduce lists or after an introductory statement that uses the words "for example," "that is," "such as," "as follows" or "the following." Capitalize the first words after a colon if it is a proper noun or the start of a new sentence.

He promised this: The college will not increase tuition next year.
She thanked everyone: her sister, brother, cousin and mother.
The seminar will address the following: admissions criteria, financial aid and student activities.

Do not use a colon between a verb or preposition and the rest of the sentence.

WRONG: The three types of courses are: online, on campus and on site.
RIGHT: Three types of courses are offered: online, on campus and on site.
RIGHT: The three types of courses are online, on campus and on site.

The same rules apply when making bulleted or numbered lists. Use a colon to introduce the list items only if using words "as follows" or "the following." Otherwise, do not use a colon.

commas
Use a comma

Use a comma to join complete sentences by a conjunction. Omit the comma when the sentence is not complete.

He likes to run, and she likes to watch TV.
He likes to run and bake cookies.

Do not use a comma between a name and Jr. or Sr. or III (Mark Smith Jr.)

Do not use the serial comma -- the last comma in a string -- unless there's a need for clarity.

She is taking classes in math, English and chemistry.
At breakfast, you can have waffles, pancakes, or bacon and eggs

Nonessential clauses: Set off a nonessential phrase with commas.

John Smith, who lived on campus, decided to take two summer courses.
That bike, which is a racing model, cost more than my used car.

Introductory phrases: Omit commas after short introductory phrases if there won't be confusion or if the introductory phrase ends with a date or proper noun and the main clause begins with a date or proper noun.

On April 4, President Wood will address a local veterans group.
When it's windy the fountain in the pond is fascinating to watch.

Place names: Names of states (or countries) are enclosed in commas when they are preceded by a city or state.

The conference will be in Arlington, Virginia, but the planning meeting will be in Washington, DC.

Direct quotes: Use a comma to introduce a complete one-sentence quote within a paragraph.

Albert Einstein said, "Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach."

Yes or no:

Yes, I will be there. No, I do not need directions.

Direct address:

Mother, I will be home late. No, sir, I did not take it.

exclamation point
This mark is overused and should be used only on rare occasions. Use to express a high degree of surprise or other strong emotion. Instead of an exclamation, use a comma after mild interjections. End mildly exclamatory sentences with a period.

hyphens
Hyphens are joiners. Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words.

The president will speak to small-business men.
(He's speaking to owners of small businesses, not businessmen who are short.)

Use a hyphen to link all words of a compound modifier -- two or more words that express a single concept -- that precede a noun.

You'll get a full-time job. She won a multimillion-dollar prize.

Common and unambiguous adjectives do not need to be hyphenated, such as earth science satellites

Do not hyphenate very and words ending in -ly.

We had a very good time. That's an easily remembered rule.

Do not hyphenate combinations that come after the noun.

She works full time. (The exception to this rule is if the combination comes after a form of the verb to be. For example: The man is well-known. The work was part-time.)

quotation marks
Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. Colons and semicolons always go outside quotation marks. With question marks and exclamation points, it depends: If the punctuation is part of the quotation, put it inside the quotation marks; if it's not part of the quotation, put it outside.

Use quotation marks

• to indicate the exact words that someone spoke or published
• the first time you refer to a nickname
• the first time you use a term or phrase ironically or sarcastically (don't overuse)
  

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Q

quotation marks
Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. (see also punctuation)

Question marks and exclamation points go inside only if they are part of quoted words.
When quoting direct words, capitalize the first word of a quote and precede by a comma.

"I am ready to go," he said as he put on his coat.
She said she'd rather watch "Friends" instead of "Survivor."
" What are you talking about?" she asked her confused friend.
Did you see last Sunday's episode of "The Simpsons"?
Paul Revere said, "The British are coming!"

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R

race
Capitalize names of races.

African American
Caucasian
Asian American
Native American
Hispanic, Latino

It is acceptable to use black instead of African American, but do not capitalize the word. Do not use hyphens to describe any ethnic American groups.

The scholarship is open to Asian Americans.
Six African American students participated in the summer program.

re-
Generally, do not include a hyphen if using a prefix (reunion, rewrite, readdress). There are exceptions, such as when a prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with that same vowel (re-elect, re-enter, re-establish). Refer to the dictionary if in doubt.

rooms
Capitalize only when used with a number or letter.

Meet in Room B214.

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