91探花

A

AABOG

91探花 Mudd鈥檚 Alumni Association Board of Governors.

abbreviations

Common nouns expressed as acronyms and abbreviations are not capitalized when they are written out as words; only the acronyms are capitalized, e.g., OCR for optical character reader; VLSI for very large-scale integration. Generally, acronyms derived from a single word or only two words, are not capitalized: alternating current (ac), infrared (ir), radio frequency (rf). Consult the most influential journal in a specific subdiscipline, a recent scientific dictionary or a field鈥檚 style manual.

Proper nouns are capitalized, e.g., National Science Foundation (NSF), and should be defined at first usage (abbreviation acceptable thereafter).

To make an acronym or abbreviation plural, just add the 鈥渟鈥�: AFMs (atomic force microscopes).

accept

鈥淎ccept鈥� means to receive; 鈥渆xcept鈥� means to exclude.

academic degrees

Degrees should be lowercase: bachelor of arts, a bachelor鈥檚 degree, an associate degree (no possessive), a master of arts in engineering, a master鈥檚, a doctorate in mathematics, an honorary doctorate.

Abbreviations of two letters should include periods: B.S., M.A., J.D., M.D., M.S.

No periods for abbreviations with three or more letters: BSEE, MBA, PhD

Exception: LL.M.

Preferred sentence format:

• Lexi Jones, who earned a bachelor of science degree (chemistry) from 91探花, has been appointed CEO of ABC Company.
• Brad, a biology major, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from 91探花 in 1977.
• Lexi Jones earned a B.S. in health education from Howard University.

Incorrect: Cybil earned a mathematics degree from 91探花 or Brandon has a bachelor of physics from 91探花.

All graduates of HMC earn the same degree (a bachelor of science/bachelor鈥檚 degree, not a bachelor of physics or bachelor of engineering nor a bachelor鈥檚 in computer science, etc.). The major is one component鈥攁long with the Core and HSA鈥攐f the degree.

If more than one graduate from the same family is mentioned, the preferred format is: Stan 鈥�65 and Mary Smith 鈥�82 attended the reunion.

academic departments

Official department names, followed by second reference format:

• Department of Biology; biology department or biology
• Department of Chemistry; chemistry department or chemistry
• Department of Computer Science; computer science department or computer science
• Department of Engineering; engineering department or engineering
• Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts (an exception to AP rule on series comma); HSA (preferred, on second reference)
• Department of Mathematics; mathematics department or mathematics
• Department of Physics; physics department or physics

academic grades

Capitalize (e.g., A, C+, D-) and use an apostrophe for plural instances: He has three A鈥檚 and one D.

Note: Academic grades are different than letters used as letters. See words used as words.

academic majors

Lowercase general references: She is a physics major; he is studying computational biology.

academic titles

Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, director, chair, etc., when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere. Lowercase modifiers such as 鈥渄epartment鈥澛�(AP Stylebook). Avoid using use long titles (three or more words as a rule of thumb) in front of a name.

Before name, lowercase the modifiers: Conference organizers have nominated department chair Kelly Wilder. Give the information to development staff member Leslie Bruer.

After name, lowercase job title: Zach Dodds is a professor of computer science.

Singular and plural titles are lowercase: The lab was taught by chemistry professor Ted Barnes. The talk was given by physics professors Rex Matlof and Cindy Smith.

Whenever possible, include named professorships when faculty members are named to these positions. But, since they are often long, place after the name: John S. Townsend, Susan and Bruce Worster Professor of Physics, instead of simply Professor of Physics John S. Townsend.

• 鈥� said Erik Spjut, professor of engineering and Union Oil Company Engineering Design Fellow.

a cappella

Group or solo singing without instrumental accompaniment.

accessibility

The extent to which a facility is readily approachable and usable by individuals with disabilities, particularly such areas as the personnel office, worksite and public areas.

accessible

When talking about places with accommodations for people with disabilities, use the term 鈥渁ccessible鈥� rather than 鈥渄isabled鈥� or 鈥渉andicapped鈥�: An accessible parking space.

See also disabled.

For more information, refer to the or the .

acronym

Acronym refers to a type of abbreviation formed from the initial letters or the major parts of a compound term and pronounced as a single word. Acronyms do not stand for proper nouns and should not be capitalized in their written-out forms. The acronym ATM, for example, is 鈥渁utomatic teller machine,鈥� DVD is 鈥渄igital versatile discs,鈥� CD is 鈥渃ertificate of deposit鈥� or 鈥渃ompact disc,鈥� PI is 鈥減rivate investigator,鈥� APB is 鈥渁ll-points bulletin,鈥� UHF is 鈥渦ltra-high frequency,鈥� and so on. Also, see 颈苍颈迟颈补濒颈蝉尘.听

addresses

Use abbreviations only for 鈥淎ve.,鈥� 鈥淏lvd.鈥� and 鈥淪t.鈥� and only with a numbered address: 301 Platt Blvd. All other road names鈥攚ay, alley, court, place, drive, lane, road, terrace and so on鈥攕hould be spelled out.

Spell out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Platt Boulevard.

Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Platt and Dartmouth boulevards.

All similar words (alley, drive, place, terrace, etc.) are always spelled out. Capitalize when part of a formal name without a number; lowercase when used alone or with two or more names.

Spell out and capitalize 鈥淔irst鈥� through 鈥淣inth鈥� when used as street names; use figures for 鈥�10th鈥� and above.

Abbreviate compass points: 301 E. Second St. However, do not abbreviate if number is omitted: West Foothill Boulevard.

Exception: compass points may be spelled out in formal publications, if desired.

No periods in quadrant abbreviations: NW, SE.

Admitted Student Program

A program of the Office of Admission. Wrong: Admitted Students Program or Admitted Students鈥� Program

advisor

鈥淎dvisor鈥� instead of 鈥渁dviser.鈥� (This is HMC鈥檚 preference and differs from聽AP Stylebook.)

adverbs

Words ending in 鈥渓y鈥� and the words they modify are never hyphenated when they are used as compound nouns, e.g., highly charged particles, very large fluctuations.

African American (Black)

No hyphen. People of African descent living in the United States. 鈥淏lack鈥� is an inclusive term for people of African descent, including, but not limited to, people from North and South America, the Caribbean and Africa. African Americans are black, but not all black people are African American. See Black.

Also refer to the .

afterparty

No hyphen.

afterward

Not 鈥渁fterwards.鈥�

ages

Use figures to express a person鈥檚 age but not the age of an inanimate object.

Use whole numbers only, no fractions or decimals. List ages with a comma on both sides: Sally, 12, and Randy, 10, both collect toys.

See also numbers.

aka

Lowercase, no periods.

all right (adverb)

Not 鈥渁lright.鈥�

alum(s), alumni

The shortened, gender-neutral forms 鈥渁lum鈥� and 鈥渁lums鈥� can be used in less-formal contexts.

alumni (masculine, plural, or mixed group)

alumna (feminine, singular); alumnae (feminine, plural)

alumnus (masculine, singular)

Do not place class year in parentheses or use a comma between name and class year. Keep last name and grad year together on the same line in publications (adjust tracking if necessary). If an alum is also a parent, a comma goes in between the two designations, with parent designation following graduation year.

Greg Zindfel 鈥�88. (Use a single apostrophe, slanting to the left.)

Josh Minkel 鈥�77/78. (Received a bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree from 91探花 Mudd. The College鈥檚 master鈥檚 program was discontinued in 2003.)

Bill Burns 鈥�87 and wife, Sally PZ 鈥�75, are joining us. (Abbreviations for The Claremont Colleges鈥擲CR, POM, PZ, CMC, CGU, KGI)

Karl Chan 鈥�89, P鈥�19

Alumni Weekend

Capitalize when referring to 91探花 Mudd鈥檚 event.

AM, FM

Radio transmission systems; capitalized, no periods.

a.m.

a.m., p.m. (include periods). Noon and midnight are neither a.m. nor p.m. Designate as noon or midnight.

amid

AP Stylebook and Chicago Manual of Style say 鈥渁mid,鈥� never 鈥渁midst.鈥�

among

Not 鈥渁mongst.鈥�

ampersand (&)

Avoid, including in headlines, except if it is part of a company鈥檚 official title, or in a few accepted abbreviations: B&B.

Incorrect: Humanities & Social Sciences.

annual fund

One 鈥渄鈥�

apostrophe

Indicates possessive, contraction or missing letters/numbers. Use for plural of single letters only, not to pluralize acronyms or numbers.

In printed documents, use closing/slanting left ( 鈥� ) single apostrophe in front of the class year.

Don鈥檛 use apostrophes to pluralize numerical figures or acronyms; just add s: He lived during the 1930s. Who are the VIPs? The airplanes are 747s. Temperatures will be in the high 90s. He took the SATs yesterday.

For plurals of grades and some instances of single letters, use an apostrophe: Her report card contained three A鈥檚 and five D鈥檚. Be on your p鈥檚 and q鈥檚.

See also words used as words.

apps

Titles of apps (software designed to run on smartphones or other mobile devices) are set roman (no italics or quotation marks).

ASHMC

Associated Students of 91探花

Asian American

No hyphen. Do not use 鈥渙riental鈥� for 鈥淎sian.鈥�

People of Asian descent living in the United States, including, but not limited to, people of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent. Additionally, regional descriptions can be useful: 鈥淪outh Asian鈥� for people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal; 鈥淓ast Asian鈥� for people from China, Japan and Korea; and 鈥淪outheast Asian鈥� for people from the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Also refer to the .

as well as

You don鈥檛 need a comma before 鈥渁s well as鈥� when it introduces words that are essential to the meaning of the entire sentence: The 鈥渁s well as鈥� phrase is enclosed with commas if鈥攍ike a non-restrictive clause鈥攊t can be left out without affecting the meaning of the main clause:

• I like mysteries as well as historical novels.
• The no-smoking policy applies to teachers as well as to students.
• Mysteries, as well as historical novels, rank high on my list of favorites.
• The teachers, as well as the students, must respect the no-smoking policy.

author (noun or verb), authored (verb)

awards

Capitalize them:聽Medal of Honor,聽Outstanding Alumni Award, etc.

B

baby boomer

Lowercase, no hyphen.

barbecue

Preferable to 鈥渂arbeque.鈥� 鈥淏BQ鈥� may be acceptable on space-sensitive materials.

BASIC

Acronym for Beginners鈥� All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Use of acronym on first reference is acceptable if identified as a programming language.

best-seller

Hyphenate in all uses.

biannual, biennial

鈥淏iannual鈥� means twice a year and is a synonym of the word 鈥渟emiannual.鈥� 鈥淏iennial鈥� means every two years.

big data

Do not capitalize.

biweekly, bimonthly

Biweekly means every two weeks or twice a week. 鈥淪emiweekly鈥� also means twice a week. Bimonthly means twice a month or every two months.

Black

Use uppercase in reference to persons (race and color). Do not use the term 鈥渃olored.鈥� See African American. Also refer to the .

Blind

See disabled.

board

Capitalize when an integral part of a proper name:

• 91探花 Mudd Board of Trustees
• The board of trustees met on Sunday.
• He is a member of the board.
• He serves on the Executive Committee of the board of trustees.

See also committees.

Brand names

When they are used, capitalize them: AstroTurf, Fritos.

It is not necessary to include the copyright or trademark symbols鈥� 漏 鈩� 鈥攊n conjunction with the name.

buildings, campus areas

It is recommended that the full name of campus buildings be used on first reference in most publications. If the audience is internal (alumni, students, employees), use of the formal name may not be necessary.

When including a room number, use the second-reference name with the number: Parsons 1287.

Some of the most popular spaces on campus and the formal/complete name; then second reference:

• F.W. Olin Science Center; Olin
• W.M. Keck Laboratories; Keck
• Beckman Hall; Beckman
• Norman F. Sprague Center; Sprague Center or Sprague
• Jon C. and Jean A.S. Strauss Plaza (formerly Sprague Plaza)
• Galileo Hall; Galileo
• Parsons Engineering Building; Parsons
• Jacobs Science Center; Jacobs
• Hixon Court
• Libra Complex (but, Libra deck)
• Thomas-Garrett Plaza (located within Shanahan Center)
• Booth Plaza
• Diana Li Jue Memorial Terrace; Jue Terrace (located in Shanahan Center, third floor, northeast)
• Kingston Hall; Kingston
• Braun Liquidambar Mall; Liquidambar Mall (current name, although trees have been replaced)
• Joseph B. Platt Campus Center; Platt Campus Center or Platt
• Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons; Hoch-Shanahan Dining Hall (informally known as 鈥渢he Hoch鈥�)
• Marks Residence Hall (South Hall); South Dorm or South
• West Hall; West Dorm or West
• North Hall; North Dorm or North
• Scott A. McGregor Computer Science Center; McGregor
• Mildred E. Mudd Hall (East Hall); East Dorm or East
• Ronald and Maxine Linde Activities Center; the LAC
• Garrett House
• J.L. Atwood Residence Hall; Atwood Hall or Atwood
• Frederick and Susan Sontag Residence Hall; Sontag Hall or Sontag
• Case Residence Hall; Case Dorm or Case
• Ronald and Maxine Linde Residence Hall; Linde Dorm or Linde
• R. Michael Shanahan Center for Teaching and Learning; Shanahan Center for Teaching and Learning, or Shanahan Center; Use 鈥淪hanahan Auditorium鈥� rather than 鈥淪hanahan 1430鈥� when referring to the big auditorium/lecture hall (informally known as 鈥淏ig Shan鈥�)
• Caryll Mudd and Norman F. Sprague Jr. Courtyard and Gallery; Sprague Courtyard and Gallery; Also, Sprague Courtyard OR Sprague Gallery (for use when referring to only one of these areas)
• Wayne 鈥�73 and Julie Drinkward Recital Hall; Drinkward Recital Hall
• Wayne 鈥�73 and Julie Drinkward Residence Hall; Drinkward Residence Hall or Drinkward Dorm

C

canceled

One 鈥渓.鈥�

campaign

The Campaign for 91探花 (full, formal name). Second reference: the 91探花 campaign; the campaign.

The campaign theme is 鈥�91探花 Mudd is on a mission鈥� (no period).

Lowercase 鈥渃ampaign鈥� on second reference.

car pool (noun), carpool (verb)

An arrangement in which a group of people commute together by car.

cellphone

One word.

changemaker

One word.

chair

Instead of 鈥渃hairman,鈥� 鈥渃hairwoman鈥� or 鈥渃hairperson.鈥�

Chicano/Chicana

鈥淐hicano/Chicana鈥� is a term reflecting pride in the indigenous roots of the Mexican American people.

See also Latino/Latina and Hispanic.

child care

Two words, no hyphen, in all cases.

chile, chili

Chile (chiles, plural) is the spicy pepper or the sauce derived from it. Chili is the meat and/or bean-based dish.

cisgender

Describes people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth; that is, not transgender. Not synonymous with heterosexual, which refers to sexual orientation.

cities

Place commas between the city and state and after the state name: He was traveling from Rancho Cucamonga, California, to St. Louis, Missouri, to get to his new job.

Lowercase all 鈥渃ity of鈥� phrases: the city of Claremont.

Per AP Styleguide, the following major cities (due to their popularity and singularity) do not require state or country identification: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington.

See also states.

The Claremont Colleges

鈥淭he鈥� is capitalized when referring to the entire consortium.

Effective January 1, 2018, the Claremont University Consortium (CUC) legally changed its name to The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS)

Five-College, 5-College, 5Cs, 7-College, 7Cs.

Acceptable abbreviations for each of The Claremont Colleges: HMC, SCR, POM, PZ, CMC, CGU, KGI: Bob Jones POM 鈥�92 represented Pomona College alumni at the event.

Example: Also, there are many clubs at the other Claremont colleges. (Lowercase 鈥渃olleges鈥� when an adjective precedes Claremont.)

class

Capitalize alumni classes: Class of 1963; Class of 1990.

Do not capitalize class years: sophomore; junior; senior.

Preferred term for entering students is 鈥渇irst years鈥� instead of 鈥渇reshman/men.鈥� She is a first-year student. They are first years. He is a first year.

class years

Place an apostrophe before the class year after the name of an alumnus. Brock Spinwheel 鈥�65.

Put the college abbreviation after the name of the student or alumna/us from one of the other Claremont colleges: Sharon Real POM 鈥�18. (Abbreviations for The Claremont Colleges鈥擲CR, POM, PZ, CMC, CGU, KGI.)

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS)

The intercollegiate athletic program of 91探花, Scripps and Claremont McKenna. Women鈥檚 teams are known as the Athenas, men鈥檚 as the Stags.

C-level

C-level jobs are the top executive or highest level corporate positions in a company. For example, a CEO (chief executive officer) holds a C-level job. Other C-level job titles include CTO (chief technology officer), CFO (chief financial officer).

Clinic Program, Clinic

A nationally recognized program begun at 91探花 in 1963.

• 91探花 Mudd Clinic Program
• Clinic Program
• Clinic fee
• Clinic project
• Engineering Clinic
• Global Clinic
• Physics Clinic team
• He is a Clinic director
• Clinic Director John Smith
• Clinics

See also Projects Day.

co-author; co-edit(or)

Hyphenate when a prefix ends in a vowel and the word it鈥檚 modifying starts in a vowel.

See also hyphenation.

College, the

On second reference, 鈥渢he College鈥� is acceptable terminology for 91探花: 91探花 is located in Claremont, Calif. The College is known for its honor code.

college names

Spell out college names in most instances, especially on first reference. The following well-known abbreviations are acceptable, even on first reference: Caltech (not CalTech), UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC.

See also 91探花.

colon

Any structure can follow a colon: a complete sentence, a single word or word groups. If a complete sentence follows a colon, it is initial capped. Otherwise, for lists and single words, the first word should be lowercase (unless it is a proper noun).

• She needed three things from Home Depot: a hammer, nails and plywood.
• The answer to the Jeopardy question was obvious: World War II.
• He wasn鈥檛 sure: Should he go to France or to Spain?

Use one space only after a colon.

Place colons outside of quotation marks unless they are part of the quotation itself.

comma

Commas are always placed inside quotation marks: 鈥淚t is time to go,鈥� said Sam.

Use commas with identifiers if the identifier is 鈥渢he only one.鈥�

Example without commas: I went to see the movie Shrek 2 with my friend Hannah. There is no comma before Shrek 2 because it is not the only movie in existence. There is no comma before 鈥淗annah鈥� because she is not the speaker鈥檚 only friend.

Example with commas: I think Prince is awesome, but my wife, Mary, disagrees. [The speaker has only one wife.]

Her first book, Money Rules, is a best seller.

Where exclusiveness or uniqueness is implied, use commas.

commencement

Uppercase when referring to full name of 91探花 graduation ceremony; lowercase when used in the general sense. 91探花鈥檚 56th Annual Commencement; The commencement ceremony was spectacular.

committees

Capitalize official names of committees:

• Admission Committee
• Dormitory Affairs Committee
• Executive Committee

compose, comprise, constitute

鈥淐ompose鈥� means to create or put together.

鈥淐omprise鈥� means to contain, to include all or embrace.

鈥淐onstitute,鈥� in the sense of form or make up, may be the best word if neither 鈥渃ompose鈥� nor 鈥渃omprise鈥� seems to fit.

Core, Common Core, Core Curriculum

Lowercase the word 鈥渃urriculum鈥� when used in a general sense and when it does not refer to 91探花 Mudd鈥檚 official Core Curriculum. Lowercase HMC majors before the word when referring to each area鈥檚 required courses: physics Core, engineering Core.

COVID-19, coronavirus

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the official name given by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

cross country, cross country team

Adopt style that Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics uses (no hyphenation)

course load

Two words.

course numbers

Do not include a space when referencing Claremont Colleges courses: E79, E80, HSA10

course titles

Course titles should be capitalized, with no quotes or italics: Introduction to Biology.

Spell out full course title on first reference, even for courses that are well-known internally: Introduction to Writing (Writ 1, second reference).

Generally, do not include course numbers along with the course title in news items and articles for the general public unless it is included in a quote or the course number is necessary for clarification or historical purposes.

course work

Two words.

cue, que, queue

Cue: a signal to do something.

Que: French word meaning than, to, what or which OR a Spanish word meaning than, that, which, who or whom

Queue: A line of people or traffic waiting for something.

cybersecurity

One word

D

dashes

Use an en dash (option-hyphen on Macintosh; Alt + 0150 on PC) to indicate a range between numbers or dates. No spaces appear before or after an en dash.

Examples:

• The test will be held Feb. 4鈥�8.
• Fiscal year 2006鈥�2007
• Her schedule consists of 15鈥�16 credit hours.

A regular keyboard dash is used for email addresses聽(e.g., students-l@hmc.edu).

Use an em dash (shift-option-hyphen on Macintosh, Alt + 0151 on PC) without spaces on either side for:

• Interruptions in thought: Victor knew the answer鈥攚hich was rare for him鈥攁nd raised his hand.
• A series within a phrase: He gave his reasons鈥攕afety, security, fear鈥攆or locking his door.

The em dash (鈥�) is the most common dash and is used to set off information in sentences, instead of a comma, a colon or parentheses.

data

From 2019 AP Stylebook: 鈥淭he word typically takes singular verbs and pronouns when writing for general audiences and in data journalism contexts:聽The data is sound. In scientific and academic writing, plural verbs and pronouns are preferred.鈥�

dates

Write out March, April, May, June and July. Abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. But do not abbreviate months when they stand alone or appear with only a year:

• The anniversary was Sept. 3, 2030.
• She will perform in August 2020.

For a range of dates with months, use 鈥渢hrough鈥� in body copy; use an en-dash in calendar listings.

For a range of years, write out both years and use an en-dash: 2005鈥�2006.

In some instances, usually programs and invitations, writing out the month is acceptable and often preferred.

Use the day of the week with the date for clarification when possible: The lecture will be Friday, June 23, at 8 p.m. in Galileo Hall.

Do not add an ordinal (鈥渟t,鈥� 鈥渘d,鈥� 鈥渞d,鈥� or 鈥渢h鈥�) after the number in a date. Incorrect: June 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 15th. Correct: June 1, 2, 3 or 15.

Use numerals for centuries (e.g., 18th century). Add a dash when it鈥檚 used as an adjective (e.g., 21st-century style).

It is not necessary to refer to the year in body copy unless the date is in a different calendar year than the present one, or unless the year is needed for clarification.

day care

Two words, no hyphen, in all uses.

daylong

One word.

deaf

See disabled.

dean of the faculty

Include the word 鈥渢he鈥� for 91探花 Mudd title.

degrees

See academic degrees.

departments

Capitalize academic departments when using the full formal title. Lowercase informal title, the preferable usage in body copy.

Use 鈥渄epartment鈥� for academic departments; use 鈥渄ivision鈥� or 鈥渙ffice鈥� to refer to administrative departments. See also, academic departments.

dimensions

Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc., to indicate depth, height, length and width.

• He is 4 feet 6 inches tall.
• The 5-foot-2-inch woman.
• The polo team signed a 6-footer.
• The carpet is 6 feet by 10 feet.
• The building has 70,000 square feet of floor space.

disabled, disability

In general, do not describe an individual as disabled unless it is clearly pertinent to a story. If a description must be used, try to be specific. Use people-first language, such as 鈥渟tudents with disabilities鈥� instead of 鈥渄isabled students.鈥�

Avoid descriptions that connote pity, such as 鈥渁fflicted with鈥� or 鈥渟uffers from a disease.鈥� Rather, 鈥渉as a disease.鈥� Don鈥檛 use the terms 鈥渉andicapped,鈥� 鈥渄ifferently abled,鈥� 鈥渃ripple/crippled,鈥� 鈥渞etarded,鈥� 鈥減oor,鈥� 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� or 鈥渟pecial needs.鈥� Don鈥檛 say 鈥渧ictim of,鈥� 鈥渟uffering from鈥� or 鈥渟tricken with鈥� a disability; instead, say the person 鈥渉as a disability.鈥�

鈥淏lind鈥� describes a person with complete loss of sight. For others, use terms like 鈥渧isually impaired鈥� or 鈥減erson with low vision.鈥�

鈥淒eaf鈥� describes a person with total hearing loss. For others, use 鈥減artial hearing loss鈥� or 鈥減artially deaf.鈥� Do not use 鈥渄eaf and dumb.鈥�

Capitalize both Deaf and Blind when referring to people. Reserve the use of 鈥渄eaf鈥� for when it is not referring specifically to people. For example: 鈥淪he was deaf to his pleas鈥�. 鈥淒eaf parallels capitalizing African American, Jewish, Hispanic, and so on, with each of these capitalized designations referring to a group of people with their own culture and physical characteristics (i.e., skin color, bloodline, hearing status).鈥� 鈥�

鈥淢ute鈥� describes a person who physically cannot speak. Others with speaking difficulties are 鈥渟peech impaired.鈥�

Wheelchair users: People use wheelchairs for independent mobility. Do not use 鈥渃onfined to a wheelchair鈥� or 鈥渨heelchair-bound.鈥�

See also accessible.

For more information, refer to Ability Magazine鈥檚 and to the .

dollar amounts

Use a dollar sign followed by a numeral. Do not use 鈥�.00鈥� with dollar values:

• $500 (not $500.00)
• $17,200
• $8.9 million
• Incorrect: $1 million dollars (the word 鈥渄ollars鈥� is redundant)

For large numbers, spell out: $1 million instead of $1,000,000.

dorm, dormmate(s)

Can be used in place of 鈥渞esidence hall鈥� when referring to 91探花 Mudd student housing (e.g., 鈥淪ontag Dorm鈥� instead of 鈥淪ontag Residence Hall,鈥�). The proper name is preferred in formal usage.

dot com (n), dot-com (adj)

• She was hired by the dot com last year.
• The effects of the dot-com bust have been devastating.

doughnut

Preferred over 鈥渄onut鈥� (unless part of a business name)

directions

Lowercase when they indicate compass direction: Drive north on Indian Hill to Foothill Blvd.

Capitalize when they designate regions:

• They live in Southern California.
• He was born in the Lower East Side of New York.
• It is the biggest city on the West Coast. (denoting entire region)
• It is snowing in the eastern United States.

Dr.

Do not use courtesy title 鈥淒r.鈥� before a name鈥攅ven on first reference鈥攖o refer to PhD recipients, or append the PhD to the end of the name. The exception is when a person has a medical or veterinary degree. On second reference, use last name only.

E

each other鈥檚

Include apostrophe.

Earth

Capitalize when used as the proper name of the planet:

• The astronaut returned to Earth.
• She planned to move heaven and earth to complete her degree.

e-blast, e-newsletter, email

Digital communications.

editor in chief

No hyphens.

e.g.

Abbreviation meaning 鈥渇or example.鈥� Followed by a comma. Do not confuse with 鈥渋.e.鈥�, which means 鈥渢hat is.鈥�

elements

Elements are not capitalized when they are written out as words (oxygen, lead) even when named after a person or place that would normally be capitalized (californium, curium). However, abbreviations for chemical elements are always capitalized (V, Am, Cf). The same rules apply for units of measure, e.g., curie (Ci), watt (W), joule (J), tesla (T).

ellipses

Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and a space on either side. Use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts and documents. Avoid deletions that would distort the meaning.

Create the ellipsis on a Mac with option+semicolon. (Word will also automatically create an ellipses by hitting space, period x 3, then space.)

Leave one regular space on both sides of an ellipsis: She ate 鈥� until she was full.

If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a grammatically complete sentence, place a period at the end of the last word before the ellipsis. Follow it with a regular space and an ellipsis:聽He was a man of many talents. 鈥� One of them was ice sculpting.

When the grammatical sense calls for a question mark, exclamation point, comma or colon, the sequence is WORD, PUNCTUATION MARK, REGULAR SPACE, ELLIPSIS. 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.

Quotations: In a story, do not use ellipses at the beginning and end of direct quotes.

email

Do not hyphenate. Do not underline email addresses in body text in printed publications.

Exception: The underline format is considered a visual aid in email and e-newsletter communications.

emeritus

Emeritus (male singular), emerita (female singular), emeriti (plural, includes both male and female).

ensure

鈥淓nsure鈥� means to guarantee. Use 鈥渋nsure鈥� for references to insurance.

entitled/titled

Preferred use is 鈥渢itled鈥� when referring to titles of works. Often the word can be omitted entirely.

• Preferred: The paper is titled 鈥淢y Best Research.鈥� (no comma before titled)
  

EPUB

EPUB is the abbreviation for electronic publication. It is a file format for publishing books and other types of content in a reflowable fashion: The book is available in the EPUB file format.

F

faculty

The word 鈥渇aculty鈥� takes a singular verb. Use 鈥渇aculty members鈥� and 鈥渟taff members鈥� to avoid awkward singular constructions.

Family Weekend

Capitalize when referring to 91探花 Mudd event.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions. Don鈥檛 use periods or apostrophe.

farther, further

鈥淔arther鈥� refers to physical distance: He walked farther into the campus.

鈥淔urther鈥� refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the problem.

First Amendment

Capitalize. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference.

first come, first served

Hyphenate when modifier comes before a noun: first-come, first-served basis. Otherwise omit punctuation.

Not 鈥渇irst serve.鈥�

firsthand

Adjective and adverb.

first-year, first year(s)

Use to refer to students beginning their first year of college. Preferred over use of term 鈥渇reshman/men鈥�:

• She is a first-year student.
• The event is open to first years.

See also class.

fiscal year

Usually described as a span of years: The new director will begin sometime during fiscal year 2020鈥�2021.

flier

Preferred term for handbill/poster or an aviator.

forward

Not 鈥渇orwards.鈥�

Founders Day

As in 91探花 Founders Day.

fundraising, fundraiser

No hyphens.

G

gay

Used to describe men and women attracted to the same sex, though 鈥渓esbian鈥� is the more common term for women. Preferred over 鈥渉omosexual鈥� except in clinical contexts or references to sexual activity.

Include sexual orientation only when it is pertinent to a story, and avoid references to 鈥渟exual preference鈥� or to a gay or alternative 鈥渓ifestyle.鈥�

See also sex and transgender. Helpful reference: .

Gender-neutral language

Use gender-neutral language when possible.

鈥淭hey鈥� replaces 鈥渉e/she鈥�

鈥淪iblings鈥� instead of 鈥渂rothers and sisters鈥�

鈥淧eople鈥� instead of 鈥渕en and women鈥�

First-year student (instead of freshman), humankind (instead of mankind), spokesperson, mail carrier

GPA

No periods. Spell out on first reference: grade point average.

grades

See academic grades.

H

handicapped

鈥淒isabled鈥� is the preferred term. See disabled.

91探花, HMC, the College

Use 鈥�91探花鈥� on first reference. In subsequent references, use 鈥�91探花 Mudd鈥� or 鈥渢he College.鈥� 鈥淗MC鈥� is appropriate for social media and internal audiences.

The 91探花 Mudd Promise

The College鈥檚 鈥渘o loans鈥� initiative.

headlines

Capitalize words in headlines that are longer than three letters (including prepositions), or that begin or end a headline, regardless of length. Don鈥檛 use punctuation unless it鈥檚 a question mark or (sparingly) an exclamation point.

health care

Two words, noun and adjective, no hyphen.

Hispanic

A term grouping all people of Spanish-speaking descent. This is the preferred inclusive term in some regions, especially in the Southwest.

When known, a more specific identification should be used: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican American (people of Mexican descent living in the United States).

See also Chicano/Chicana and Latino/Latina. Also refer to the .

home in, hone in

Home in聽means 鈥渢o move or be aimed toward a destination or target with great accuracy.鈥� Missiles home in on targets. If you need the phrase 鈥渋n on鈥� after the verb, it鈥檚 most likely 鈥渉ome.鈥� Or, use 鈥渮ero in.鈥�

Hone means 鈥渢o sharpen or make more acute,鈥� as in honing a talent.

home page

Honor Code, 91探花鈥檚

Capitalize unless referring to an honor code in general.

• The 91探花 Honor Code is well known.
• She reported the infraction because she is bound by our Honor Code.
• A college honor code is an important feature.

hourlong

No need for a hyphen in words that end with 鈥渓ong.鈥� For example: hourlong, daylong, yearlong

hyphenation, word division

Hyphens (-) are used only to break a word at the end of a line of text or to join compound modifiers. Dashes (鈥�) are used as punctuation. Hyphens should not be used in place of dashes, nor should they be used as minus signs. The purpose of the hyphen is clarity. Use if there is a danger of mistaking which two words go together.

Close up prefixes and words when possible: nonconsecutive.

Hyphenate when a prefix ends in a vowel and the word it鈥檚 modifying starts in a vowel: co-editor.

If a word could be mis-read, hyphenate for clarity; e.g., co-create.

Compound adjectives formed with 鈥渨ell鈥� (well known, well fed, well dressed) are hyphen

At the end of a line, do not break a word following a short vowel: trans-ition, not transi-tion.

Hyphenations should follow a vowel only if it has a long sound: communica-tion.

Avoid three or more consecutive end-of-line hyphens.

When jumping to another page, do not hyphenate a word.

Avoid breaking first or last names, names and class years, dates and numerical units (e.g. $500 million; keep the figure together).

Hyphenate re- words when they contain an 鈥渆鈥�: re-examine.

(Also, see em dash [鈥擼 )

I

i.e.

Latin term 鈥渋d est鈥� meaning 鈥渢hat is.鈥� Followed by a comma. Do not confuse with 鈥渆.g.,鈥� meaning 鈥渆xample given鈥� or 鈥渇or example.鈥�

ID

Identification (no periods): Bring your ID to the disco.

immigrant, immigration

Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use 鈥渋llegal鈥� only to refer to an action, not a person: 鈥渋llegal immigration,鈥� but not 鈥渋llegal immigrant.鈥� Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.

Do not describe people as violating immigration laws without attribution. Specify wherever possible how someone entered the country illegally and from where. Crossed the border? Overstayed a visa? What nationality?

Except in direct quotations, do not use the terms 鈥渋llegal alien,鈥� 鈥渁n illegal,鈥� 鈥渋llegals鈥� or 鈥渦ndocumented.鈥�

People who were brought into the country as children should not be described as having immigrated illegally. For people granted a temporary right to remain in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, use 鈥渢emporary resident status,鈥� with details on the program lower in the story.

Inc.

Abbreviate and do not precede with a comma: Time Inc.

Indigenous

Capitalize 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� when referring to a specific person or group. For generic purposes, leave lowercase, e.g., 鈥淟os Angeles has the largest indigenous population of any U.S. city.鈥�

infinitives, split

From 2019 AP Stylebook: 鈥淚n many cases, splitting the infinitive or compound forms of a verb is necessary to convey meaning and make a sentence easy to read. Such constructions are acceptable.鈥� But: 鈥淚f splitting a verb results in an awkward sentence, don鈥檛 do it.鈥�

initialism

An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of a compound term and pronounced as a series of letters鈥擟DC (Centers for Disease Control), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), OMB (Office of Management and Budget).聽Also, see acronym.

initials

Do not separate with a space, regardless of length: R.C. Cola; J.R.R. Tolkien.

internet

It is acceptable to begin Web addresses without 鈥渉ttp://鈥� or 鈥渨ww.鈥� Example: hmc.edu.

Consider the audience when deciding whether or not to add 鈥渨ww.鈥� It is best practice to test any web address before publishing.

Capitalize 鈥淲orld Wide Web.鈥�

Lowercase web, website, web page, webcast, webmaster. As of 2016, these are now generic terms ().

internet of things (IoT)

Refers to internet-connected devices that are able to connect with other devices and can be controlled remotely through a device or app.

italics

See also quotation marks and titles.

Use italics鈥攏ot boldface, underlining or caps鈥攆or general emphasis: She was absolutely聽not聽going to attend.

Punctuation following an italicized word is also italicized, including a possessive: 贵辞谤迟耻苍别鈥檚 list of 500 influential leaders.

But open and closed quotes and parentheses always match, even if the last word is in italics: 鈥淒id you read聽Glamour?鈥� she asked.

Works that exist as a smaller part of a larger work are placed in quotation marks.

Italics are used for certain scientific names (e.g. species names), court case names and named vessels, vehicles and aircraft.

its, it鈥檚

鈥淚ts鈥� is possessive. 鈥淚t鈥檚鈥� means 鈥渋t is.鈥�

J

junior, senior

Abbreviate as 鈥淛r.鈥� and 鈥淪r.鈥� and do not precede with a comma: Manny Smith Sr.

K

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI)

Refer to this school as Keck Graduate Institute on first reference, not as Keck Graduate Institute for Applied Life Science (former name).聽KGI has two schools: School of Applied Life Sciences (established in 1997) and School of Pharmacy (established in 2015).

L

Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine

Refers to people of Latin American origin. It is the preferred inclusive term for people from North America, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, but excludes Spain.

鈥淟atinx is a gender neutral term that is being used as a means of being more inclusive and moving away from the gendered term. It is pronounced 鈥楲ah-teen-ex,鈥� and allows for the Spanish language to move beyond gender binaries 鈥� Latinx is a term that allows for our non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid and trans hermanos and hermanas to feel included.鈥� 鈥揅ourtesy of

Latine is also a gender-neutral term for Latino.

See also Chicano/Chicana and Hispanic. Also refer to the .

lay, lie

Lie indicates a state of reclining along a horizontal plane (does not take a direct object). Its past tense is lay. Its past participle is lain. Its present participle is lying.

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

lecture or speech title

Set off with quotes. Do so with academic article titles, also.

lidar

Light detection and ranging. Not capped per New York Times.

life-size

Not life-sized.

lightbulb

Per AP Stylebook.

LIGO

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Pronounced 鈥渓ie-go鈥�

living-learning community (LLC)

When referring to 91探花 Mudd鈥檚 student group.

longstanding

One word.

lockup (n)

As in 91探花 Mudd logo lockup.

login/logon/logoff (n, adj)

As related to computing.

log in/log on/log off (v)

As related to computing.

longstanding

One word.

long term, long-term

We are planning for the long term.

This is a long-term plan.

long time, longtime

They have known each other a long time. They are longtime partners. (AP Stylebook)

M

Mach number

Capitalize: Mach 1, Mach 2.

maiden/birth names

Loren (Shay) Ross; Loren Shay Ross if used as full name.

majors

91探花 Mudd offers six traditional majors and four joint/specialized programs.

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Mathematics
• Physics

Interdisciplinary majors: Chemistry and Biology; Computer Science and Mathematics; Mathematical and Computational Biology; Mathematics and Physics; Computer Science and Physics

Names of majors are not usually capitalized, except when presented in a list (as above) or for some Admission publications where emphasis is desired.

makerspace

Lowercase, one word. Collaborative spaces where people gather to get creative with DIY projects, invent new ones and share ideas.

master of ceremonies, mistress of ceremonies

Not 鈥渕aster of ceremony.鈥� More than one host, regardless of gender: masters of ceremonies.

Capitalize as formal title when preceding a name; lowercase otherwise.

math, maths, mathematics

鈥淢aths鈥� is typically used in the U.K. Use when it is part of the formal name of something. Otherwise, follow the standard U.S. usage of 鈥渕ath鈥� as either singular or plural when used in place of the word 鈥渕athematics.鈥�

meetups

One word

microelectromechanical

Also referred to as MEMS. Do not hyphenate; one word.

mid

Do not hyphenate unless preceding a capitalized word or a figure: midday; mid-September; mid-1940s.

Middle Easterners

An inclusive term referring to people from a region in western Asia and northeast Africa that includes but is not limited to the nations of the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. The term 鈥淎rab鈥� traditionally refers to a person from the Arabian Peninsula. Persians (Farsi speakers) from Iran are not Arab.

midnight

Use instead of 鈥�12 a.m.鈥� or 鈥�12 midnight.鈥� Capitalization is not necessary, unless at the beginning of a line or sentence.

minority, minorities

Avoid using 鈥渕inority鈥� and 鈥渕inorities鈥� when describing nonwhite communities. Depending on the context, options include 鈥渦nderrepresented,鈥� 鈥減eople of color,鈥� 鈥渃ommunities of color,鈥� 鈥渕arginalized communities,鈥� 鈥渦nderpriviliged鈥� or 鈥渕inoritized.鈥�

model, modeling

A single 鈥渓鈥� for both words.

money

For amounts of $1 up to $999,999.99, use the dollar sign with a decimal point to separate dollars from cents.

• $20.15

Leave the decimal point and zeroes off of even dollar amounts.

• $30

For even amounts of $1 million or more, omit zeroes and use 鈥渕illion,鈥� 鈥渂illion,鈥� etc.

• $7 million
• $2.2 billion

For amounts less than a dollar, spell out the word 鈥渃ents,鈥� lowercase and use numerals.

• 78 cents
• 10 cents鈥� worth

months; monthlong

Spell out March, April, May, June and July.

Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.

Do not abbreviate months when they stand alone or appear with only a year:

• The anniversary was Sept. 3, 2002.
• She will perform in August 2005.

See also dates.

more so

Two words.

Mudder

Capitalize. Refers, in particular, to alumni and students鈥攂ut can also refer to faculty and staff鈥攐f 91探花.

The dictionary defines 鈥渕udder鈥� as 鈥渁 race horse that performs especially well on a wet, muddy track.鈥�

N

names

In general, use last names on second reference for news articles and news releases, magazine articles and speaker publicity (on fliers, brochures and websites). For the College鈥檚 annual programs (Nelson, Annenberg, Commencement) involving well-known speakers, use last name on second reference for all communications.

First names on second reference of HMC community members (alumni, faculty and staff members) may be used in informal communications, such as emails to alumni, parents and other key College audiences. Emails publicizing the College鈥檚 annual programs should follow the above-mentioned format.

When two or more people use the same last name, use the first name.

nanoelectromechanical

One word.

Native American

Indigenous people who inhabited the Americas and Caribbean prior to the European conquest. Many Native Americans use 鈥渢ribe鈥� or 鈥渘ation鈥� in referring to their people. Recommended usage is to refer, whenever possible, to a particular people or nation by name: Iroquois, Navajo, Cherokee, Sioux, etc.

Capitalize 鈥淣ative鈥� when referring to a specific person or group but use lowercase for generic uses, e.g., 鈥渟he is a native Southern Californian.鈥�

newspapers

Italicize the names of newspapers. Capitalize 鈥渢he鈥� in a newspaper鈥檚 name if this is the publication鈥檚 official name (per AP Stylebook): the Los Angeles Times; The New York Times.

See also titles.

nicknames

Use quotations when inserted into the identification of an individual. Eric is known as 鈥淪coop.鈥� Mrs. Mary 鈥淭rigger鈥� Smith.

Commonly used nicknames may be substituted for a first name without the use of quotation marks: Pinky Nelson is an astronaut.

Capitalize without quotation marks such terms as Sunshine State, Old Glory.

9/11

Refers to terrorist events on Sept. 11, 2001.

nonfiction

Not non-fiction.

nonprofit

One word.

noon

Use instead of 鈥�12 p.m.鈥� Capitalization is not necessary, unless at the beginning of a line or sentence.

numbers

Spell out numbers from one to nine, use numerals for numbers 10 and above. This rule also applies when numbers above and below ten are used in the same context: The event was for students in grades four through 12.

Spell out any number at the beginning of a sentence or expressed in quotations.

Use figures to express a person鈥檚 age, but not the age of an inanimate object.

Use decimals, not fractions, in body text.

Use commas with numbers in the thousands: 5,234.

Ordinals follow the number rule: Spell out 鈥渇irst鈥� through 鈥渘inth,鈥� use figures for 鈥�10th鈥� and higher. Do not superscript the ordinal.

When writing dates, do not include the ordinal: His birthday is October 4, 1944 (not October 4th, 1944). The day is written as a cardinal number.

Use numerals for percentages regardless of whether the number is above or below 10 (except to start a sentence).

Capitalization: Room 24, Group 2.

Spell out the word 鈥減ercent,鈥� but not the numeral preceding 鈥減ercent.鈥� (e.g. 99 percent, 4 percent). Use the symbol 鈥�%鈥� in charts and tables. Precede decimal with a zero for amounts less than 1 percent (0.3 percent). The verb used with percent depends on whether its entity is singular or plural:聽Nearly 20 percent of the class is sleeping; Only 15 percent of the teachers are camping.

Scholastic credit hours use numerals: To be considered a full-time student, you must take 12 semester hours of credit.

鈥淣o. 1鈥� is preferred in body text over 鈥渘umber one,鈥� unless quoted.

Use 鈥淣o.鈥� as the abbreviation for 鈥渘umber鈥� in conjunction with a figure to indicate position or rank: No. 1 woman, No. 3 ranking.

Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc., to indicate depth, height, length and width. Hyphenate adjectival forms before nouns.

• He is 4 feet 3 inches tall; the 6-foot-1-inch woman; the 7-foot man; the basketball team signed a 6-footer.
• The car is 17 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet high.
• The rug is 6 feet by 12 feet; the 6-by-12-foot rug.
• The storm left 5 inches of snow.
• The building has 70,000 square feet of floor space.

O

Often and oftentimes

Often and oftentimes have the same meaning. Often is generally preferred.

OK

Not 鈥渙kay.鈥�

office

Non-academic areas are offices or divisions.

• Office of Advancement, advancement office
• Office of the Dean of the Faculty, dean of the faculty; Office of Career Services, career services
• Office of Title IX, Title IX office (Title IX is a proper noun and remains capped in second reference)
• Division of Student Affairs; Office of Dean of Students (no apostrophe); dean of students office
• Note: Office of Admission (not Admissions), admission office

See also departments.

online, offline

One word.

over, more than

Can be used interchangeably. (AP Stylebook)

P

Pacific Time

Use PT (Pacific Time) instead of PST or PDT. Pacific Standard Time (PST) is a聽standard time zone聽in use from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March鈥攚hen聽Daylight Saving Time is not in effect.聽Pacific Daylight Time聽(PDT) is used during the remainder of the year.

Pacific Islander

People of the islands in the Pacific Ocean including three major ethnic groups: Polynesians (Tahitians, Samoans, Native Hawaiians and others); Micronesians (U.S. Trust Territories, Guam, Wake Island, Bikini and Kwajelin); and Melanesians (New Zealand, Australia and the Solomans).

page number

Use figures and lowercase: The article is on page 5.

Do not hyphenate when letters are added: page 4B.

parents

91探花 parents are noted as such by a 鈥淧鈥� and the year their student will graduate/graduated following a parent鈥檚 name. There is an apostrophe before the year but no space: Sam and Mary Smith P鈥�08 are happy to volunteer. Brent Roundtree 鈥�70, P鈥�23.

For parents with twins, there should be one 鈥測ear鈥� designation for each student separated with a comma: Carl Watson P鈥�20, P鈥�20 is chair of the committee.

PDT and PST

Pacific Standard Time (PST) is a standard time zone in use from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March鈥攚hen Daylight Saving Time (DST) is not in effect. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is used during the remainder of the year.

peak, peek, pique

Peek: to take a brief look or catch a glimpse: I peeked at my ex-girlfriend鈥檚 Facebook page to see if she was married.

Peak: the most extreme possible amount or value: The storm surge will peak on Wednesday.

Here鈥檚 a mnemonic device to keep them straight courtesy of : The peak of a mountain is shaped like an A. But to peek you need your eyes, which has two E鈥檚.

Don鈥檛 confuse either word with 鈥減ique,鈥� a French word meaning 鈥渢o stimulate鈥�: My interest was piqued鈥攊s he really not wearing pants at work?

percent, %

Use use of 鈥�%鈥� with figures is acceptable instead of writing 鈥減ercent.鈥�

The word takes a singular verb when standing alone or when a singular word follows an 鈥渙f鈥� construction: The professor said 60% was a failing grade. He said 10% of the membership was present.

It takes a plural verb when a plural word follows an 鈥渙f鈥� construction: She said 30% of the members were there.

Use figures for percent and percentages: 5%, 10.2% (no fractions), 6 percentage points.

A range: 10 to 14%; between 40 and 55%.

For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.3 percent.

period

Use one space after a period in running text.

phone numbers

Preferred format: 909.621.8011.

Write extensions as extension 234 or ext. 234 not x234.

P.O. box

Use periods.

postdoctoral, postdoc

One word. no hyphen.

prefixes

Generally do not hyphenate when using a prefix with a word starting with a consonant. Some exceptions:

• Except for common usage like 鈥渃ooperate鈥� and 鈥渃oordinate,鈥� use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel.
• Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized.
• Use a hyphen if the word my be visually difficult to read or may be mistaken for a word with different meaning: The co-donors were happy to help. The tennis player re-served the ball.
• Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes: sub-subparagraph

premiere

A first performance.

Presentation Days

Not 鈥淧resentations Day.鈥�

problem-solving

Use a hyphen only when the compound modifies a following noun (鈥減roblem-solving skills鈥�).

Projects Day

Not 鈥淧roject Days.鈥� See also Clinic.

pronouns (gender & sexuality)

Use pronouns (she/her/hers, they/them/their, etc.) a person uses for themselves. See gender-neutral language.

Q

Q-and-A

Acceptable abbreviation for a question and answer session.

que, queue

Que: French word meaning than, to, what or which OR a Spanish word meaning than, that, which, who or whom

Queue: A line of people or traffic waiting for something.

Also, see cue.

queer

An umbrella term that can refer to anyone who transgresses society鈥檚 view of gender or sexuality.

quotation marks

Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. Place semicolons outside of quotation marks. Place colons outside of quotation marks unless they are part of the quotation itself.

When ending a sentence with quoted material inside of other quoted material such as dialogue, the single and double quote always stay together: 鈥淵ou know what they say: 鈥榃hen in Rome.'鈥�

Quotation marks are used for the following:

• Individual episodes of a TV series
• Individual songs on an album
• Poems, stories, book chapters, essays
• Dissertations
• Lectures, speeches, presentation titles
• Musical compositions

See also titles.

R

R&D

Stands for 鈥渞esearch and development.鈥� Omit spaces.

race

Identify a person鈥檚 race or ethnicity only if it鈥檚 relevant to the story. Do not use the word 鈥渄iverse鈥� as a synonym for nonwhite individuals.

radio/TV call letters

Use all caps: WBZ-AM, ABC-TV.

residence hall

Can be used when referring to 91探花 student housing. 鈥淒orm鈥� is also acceptable.

resume

No accents (AP Stylebook).聽

reunion

Lowercase 鈥渞eunion鈥� unless part of an official name or headline: the reunion; the reunion dinner; 50th reunion; 40th Reunion Gift Fund.

RSVP

Use without periods. An abbreviation of the French phrase 鈥渞espondez s鈥檌l vous plait,鈥� or, in English, 鈥淩espond if you please.鈥� Never use the redundant phrase 鈥淧lease RSVP鈥�; you are then saying 鈥淧lease respond if you please.鈥� It鈥檚 better to just say 鈥淩SVP by 鈥︹�� or 鈥淩SVP to 607.8335.鈥�

runner-up, runners-up

A competitor finishing behind the winner in the specified position.

S

seasons

Lowercase when used informally: fall semester; summer 2010; spring break.

Capitalize as part of a formal name: Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics.

semicolons

Used to indicate a greater separation of thought than a comma can convey but less than the separation a period implies. Semicolons are also used to clarify complicated series: His favorite bands are Hall and Oates; Earth, Wind and Fire; and Hootie and the Blowfish.

Place semicolons outside of quotation marks.

service learning

Noun, two words.

sex

Biological classification of male or female (based on genetic or physiological features); as opposed to gender.

See also gender.

singalong or Singalong (n)

Capitalize when part of an event title (Alumni Singalong), otherwise make lowercase. (Oxford Dictionary)

smartphone

A computer/phone combination.

solid state

Two words.

Stage 0, Stage 4

Capitalize when referring to cancer diagnoses (source: City of Hope).

state

When referring to the physical location, both the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style indicate that the word 鈥渟tate鈥� is not capitalized in cases like 鈥渢he state of California鈥� and 鈥渢he state of Missouri.鈥� The word 鈥渟tate鈥� would be capitalized, however, when referring to the governmental body. For example, 鈥淭he State of New York filed to dismiss the motion.鈥�

states

The names of the 50 U.S. states should be spelled out when used in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base.

Use postal codes only with full mailing addresses that include zip code: 301 Platt Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711.

stationary, stationery

To stand still is to be stationary. Writing paper is stationery.

startup

Noun and adjective.

strategic vision, 91探花 Strategic Vision

When referring to 91探花鈥檚 official document and its six themes, write out completely on first reference: the 91探花 Strategic Vision. Lowercase the words 鈥渟trategic vision鈥� on second reference or when referring to a strategic vision in general.

student roster, Student Roster

Capitalize when used in relation to the 91探花 Mudd Honor Code. Otherwise, lowercase.

student-to-faculty ratio

Summer Undergraduate Research Program

It is acceptable to use 鈥渟ummer research program鈥� on second reference.

T

T-shirt

television

鈥淭V鈥� is acceptable as an adjective or noun. For formatting television programs, see titles.

tenets, tenants

A聽tenet is a principle held as being true, especially by an organization or a group of people.

A聽tenant聽is (1) someone who pays rent to occupy property; (2)聽a dweller in a place; and, (3) in law,聽one who holds or possesses lands, tenements or property by any kind of title.聽 鈥�

that, which

When the idea is essential to the sentence鈥攈elps identify the main idea鈥攗se 鈥渢hat鈥� without a comma: This is a day that I will never forget.

When the idea is added information鈥攇ood but not essential鈥攗se 鈥渨hich鈥� and commas: Potato chips, which are high in salt, are not part of a heart-healthy diet.

Hint: Clauses using 鈥渨hich鈥� are usually separated from the main idea by a comma or commas. If you can remove the clause and not alter the meaning of the sentence, 鈥渨hich鈥� should be used.

the

Always lowercase 鈥渢he,鈥� except in newspaper or book titles where the first word has been designated by the publication as part of the title: the Los Angeles Times; the New York Post; The Washington Post; The New York Times.

Another exception: The Claremont Colleges, Inc.

theater

Unless referring to a proper name spelled 鈥渢heatre.鈥�

their, they

It is appropriate to use 鈥渢hey鈥� and 鈥渢heir鈥� as a singular pronoun in place of 鈥渉e/she,鈥� 鈥渉im/her.鈥� ()

Third World

Both noun and adjective, no hyphen.

3D

Referring to three-dimensional items.

times

Always use 鈥渁.m.鈥� and 鈥減.m.鈥� with periods. Use an en-dash, no spaces, to separate ranges of time.

Except for noon and midnight, all time should be expressed numerically, omitting zeros for tops of hours: 8 a.m.; 6:22 p.m.; 11 a.m.鈥�3:30 p.m.; 9鈥�10:15 a.m.

Do not repeat 鈥渁.m.鈥� or 鈥減.m.鈥� if within the same time period: 8鈥�10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.鈥�10 a.m.

For formal invitations, programs and similar documents, authors may opt to use zeros: 8:00 a.m.鈥�3:00 p.m.

If using the word 鈥渇rom,鈥� use the corresponding 鈥渢o鈥� instead of an en-dash: The event lasts from 9 a.m. to 3:12 p.m.

The word 鈥渙n鈥� is seldom needed when referring to a time or date: She arrived Monday.

See also Pacific Time (PT)

titles, professions

Capitalization varies based on usage.

For articles, news items and reports: If a title is not just a job description, but rather an actual job title, and it comes before a person鈥檚 name, make it upper case. Titles after names are lowercase since these are appositive phrases serving as identifiers. For general job descriptions, use lowercase, regardless of their placement before or after a name. If someone has a lengthy title, it is best to follow his/her name with the title, lowercase (unless the title is a named chair or other official endowed position).

For lists of names (e.g., in a program, on a web page), capitalize a person鈥檚 title after their name so that the list is visually consistent.

Honorifics, such as 鈥減rofessor鈥� and 鈥渄ean鈥� that directly precede a name, should be capitalized.

• The team was headed by administrator Mary Crawford. (used as a description, not as her title, so it鈥檚 lowercase)
• President Harriet Nembhard spoke at the event.
• Harriet Nembhard, president of 91探花, signed the agreement. (title follows the name)
• Mary Beakin, chair of the department and professor of economics, is on vacation. (title follows the name)
• Professor of Chemistry Lester Jones developed a new class. (full title in front of name)
• She has an appointment with chemistry professor Lester Jones. (one of many chemistry professors)
• He has an appointment with Shelly Smith, Peter Pan Professor of Physics. (named chair, so title after name is capitalized)
• They hired physics professors Joe Toblin and Linda Montoz.
• English department chair Raul Smith was absent from the meeting. (one of many department chairs)
• The dean agreed with the committee.

See also academic titles.

titles, works

TV programs, movies, music albums, books, plays, video game titles, magazines, and newspapers should be italicized: Who鈥檚 the Boss?; Braveheart; Michael Jackson鈥檚 Thriller; the Los Angeles Times; The Sun Also Rises; 91探花 Magazine; Hamlet.

Online magazines, journals and scholarly publications also should be italicized: Salon; Bloomberg.

Works of art (paintings, drawings, sculptures) are italicized (Chicago Manual of Style): Rodin鈥檚 The Thinker; Mona Lisa.

For social media, any work that would normally be italicized can be placed in quotes.

Titles of apps are set roman (no italics or quotation marks).

Do not italicize the name of a newspaper or periodical when it is part of the name of a building, organization, prize or the like: Los Angeles Times Book Award, Tribune Tower.

Use quotation marks for:

• Individual episodes of a TV series
• Individual songs on an album
• Poems, stories, book chapters, essays
• Dissertations
• Lectures, speeches, presentation titles
• Musical compositions

transgender

Describes people whose gender does not match the one usually associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Identify people as transgender only when relevant, and use the name by which they live publicly.

The shorthand trans is acceptable on second reference and in headlines. Do not use the outdated term 鈥渢ranssexual鈥� unless a source specifically asks to be identified as such.

transsexual

Some people who have undergone gender-confirmation procedures refer to themselves as transsexual; use the term only if a person requests it.

toward

Not 鈥渢owards,鈥� which is more common in British English.

traveled, traveling

Standard U.S. usage is with a single 鈥渓.鈥�

trustee

Capitalize only if used before the name of a member of 91探花 Mudd鈥檚 board of trustees: 91探花 Mudd Trustee Norman Sprague; Sprague was a trustee of 91探花.

Twitter

Capitalize 鈥淭witter鈥� in reference to the website only. 鈥淭weet鈥� can be a noun or verb; lowercase: The instructor tweeted a link to the article; the athlete sent a late-night tweet using Twitter.

U

Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee

A flying disc team sport.

underway

One word in all uses. (AP Stylebook)

United States

Spell out when used as a noun. 鈥淯.S.鈥� should be used only as a preceding adjective. 鈥淎merican鈥� typically refers to citizens of the United States and should rarely be used as an adjective in place of 鈥淯.S.鈥�

University of California, CSU system institutions

Spell out on first reference in most instances. Exceptions are well-known universities that cannot be confused with any other college: UCLA, Caltech.

unmanned

From NASA History Program Office Style Guide: All references referring to the space program should be non-gender specific (e.g. human, piloted, un-piloted, robotic). The exception to the rule is when referring to the Manned Spacecraft Center, the predecessor to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, or any other official program name or title that included 鈥渕anned鈥� (e.g., associate administrator for manned spaceflight).

URL

The use of 鈥渉ttp://鈥� 鈥渉ttps://鈥� and 鈥渨ww.鈥� is not usually necessary in running text. Web addresses should be set roman, no italics or underlines: Visit hmc.edu for more information.

Avoid breaking URLs across multiple lines of text, if possible.

Well-known websites do not require URL identification and are also set roman: Facebook; Google; Buzzfeed.

Check the address, especially when omitting 鈥渨ww鈥� or 鈥渉ttp://.鈥�

See also internet, web.

V

voice mail

Two words.

versus, vs.

Spell out in ordinary speech and writing. Abbreviate in short expressions (with period).

vice versa

Two words.

video game titles

Italicize video game titles.

W

web, website, webmaster, web page, World Wide Web

Lowercase 鈥渨ebsite,鈥� 鈥渨ebcam,鈥� 鈥渨ebcast鈥� and 鈥渨ebmaster.鈥� Only capitalize in reference to 鈥淲orld Wide Web.鈥�

Website names are set roman without quotes or italics. Example: She suggested we view ted.com and Facebook.

See also internet, URL.

wellbeing

West Coast, the West

Lowercase if used as a directional indicator. See also directions.

White

While the term 鈥淐aucasian鈥� is commonly used in place of White, neither a common ancestry related to the Caucasus Mountains region, nor an assumption that all Whites are culturally or ethnically homogeneous, should be assumed.

white paper

Two words, lowercase, when used to refer to a special report.

Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi-enabled

A technology for wireless local area networking with devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

words used as words

Use quotation marks for words used as words and letters used as letters: Please use the term 鈥渄isabled鈥� in place of 鈥渉andicapped鈥�; I鈥檇 like to buy an 鈥淔,鈥� Pat Sajak.

works of art

See titles.

work-study (adj), work study (n)

Hyphenate when using as an adjective preceding a noun (the region鈥檚 work-study program). Do not hyphenate when used as a noun.

X

X-ray

Short for x-radiation.

Y

yearlong, yearslong

One word.

year-round (adj., adv.)

Hyphenate.

years

Use an en-dash when expressing a range of years.

Preferred format is to express a range of years fully: 1996鈥�1998, 1985鈥�2001, not 1996鈥�98.

See also dates.

YouTube

No space.

Z

ZIP code

Do not separate the state from its ZIP code. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701.

zip line

Two words.