G0472
Meeting 10 :
“ HOUSE STYLE “
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Learning Outcomes
The students are expected to be
able to know and understand the
function of house style in editing.
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Introduction
House Style has the simple purpose of making
publishing results easy to read by following a
consistent format — it is a style guide.
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General style guidelines can be found in the following
standard reference books (all available through the
ITDG Bookshop):
 The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (ODWE)
 The Cambridge Handbook of Copy-editing (Judith
Butcher) Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers
 The Concise Oxford Dictionary or The New Oxford
Dictionary of English
 ASSOCIATED PRESS STYLE ESSENTIALS
 ITDG HOUSE STYLE MANUAL
 Etc.
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Example: AP House Style
This AP short guide is modeled on one made
available in the past by the University of
Montana School of Journalism and by North
Idaho College. It is based on material in "The
Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on
media law,“ copyright 2002.
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CAPITALIZATION
Capitalize titles preceding and attached to a name,
but use lower case. If the title follows a name or
stands by itself. Long titles should follow the
name.
– President Karen Morse
– Karen Morse, president of Western Washington
University
– Mayor Richard Stevens
– The Mayor
– Presidents Bush and Clinton
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AP House Style
ABBREVIATIONS AND TITLES
• Never use an abbreviation that will not be easily
understood.
• Abbreviate names of states when used after the names
of cities and towns, but spell out when referring to the
state generally. The state may be omitted in references
to Washington communities and to major cities when
names alone are adequate identification (Chicago,
Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, etc.).
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AP House Style: NUMERALS
• Use figures for all numbers above nine; spell out
all numbers under 10. (Look at the exceptions
below.)
• Use figures for ages, sums of money, time of
day, percentages, house numerals, years, days
of month, degrees of temperature, proportions,
votes, scores, speeds, time of races, dimensions
and serial numbers.
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AP House Style: NUMERALS
• Spell out numbers, no matter how large,
when they begin sentences; rephrase the
sentence if long numbers are awkward.
Exception: When starting a sentence with a
year, do not write it out. 1999 was a very good
year.
• Use figures for ordinal numbers above
ninth; spell out ordinals under 10th.
Ninth 21st 156th 192nd 21st century
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Example: ITDG HOUSE STYLE MANUAL
Capitalization
Capitalize throughout acronyms (normally without
points) and sets of initials, but not contractions: e.g.
AT, USA, but Oxfam and not the very popular
examples which have become words. When referring
to ITDG, capitalize the Group as being part of the
proper name, but not the charity or organization.
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ITDG HOUSE STYLE MANUAL
Abbreviations and acronyms
No full point after metric units of measurement,
and set SI fixed spaces: 20 km, 2 g, and so on.
Plurals of abbreviated units are the same as
singular, e.g. 60 kg, 1 kg.
Abbreviations should be set close up to
numerals, i.e. Rs60, 60 kg, 23 oC.
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ITDG HOUSE STYLE MANUAL
NUMERALS
Try not to begin a sentence with a numeral (move it or
spell it out); and never with a 1 (one).
See Hart’s Rules for general guidance on when to use
numerals and when to use words in ‘journalistic’ material.
Use words up to ten, numerals above. In tables, always use
numerals.
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