1
The College
2
Abbreviations
3
Capitalization
4
Degrees
5
General Rules
6
Hyphenation
7
Nonsexist Language
8
Numerals
9
Plurals & Possessives
10 Punctuation
11 Spelling/Usage Adopted as Style
12 Computer Terminology
STYLE GUIDE
Does the possessive form of the word “one” need an
apostrophe? When should the word “college” be capitalized?
Which is the preferred spelling, catalog or catalogue?
Word
13 Titles
Lyndon State College
We all ask ourselves questions like this from time to time
and make decisions about use, style, and punctuation. In
this booklet we provide answers to some of these questions
and set guidelines that ensure consistency in printed material
at Lyndon. The use and style that we suggest represent
the preferred ones for Lyndon publications. We do not
intend them as general journalistic rules, although we have
followed standard practices in most cases. For additional style
information, we recommend the Associated Press Style Book,
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White,
or A Writer’s Reference, fourth edition, by Diana Hacker.
Please refer any questions or suggestions to the Office of
Communications and Marketing.
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1
The College
1.1
The formal title of our institution is Lyndon State College; this name
should be used in all material going out to the public. While the abbreviated
forms “LSC,” “Lyndon,” and “Lyndon State” are acceptable in subsequent
references after the initial statement of the title of the College, “Lyndon” is
preferred.
The reference “Lyndon, A Vermont State College” is reserved for exclusive use in
the official College logo.
1.2
Capitalize the word “College” in all references to Lyndon.
The College was founded in 1911.
1.3
Please use official building and facility names in written material, by the
abbreviated version or acronym, if desired. The following are the official (and
abbreviated) names of Lyndon buildings and facilities, recreation/sports/
athletic fields, other areas, and centers:
Theodore N. Vail Center (Vail)
Samuel Read Hall Library and Academic Center (LAC)
The Dr. Robert A. Burnham Academic Support Center (“Bob’s Place”)
Harvey Academic Center (HAC)
The Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC)
The John Marshall Welcome Area
The Passumpsic Savings Bank Interactive Classroom
The Donald and Carmella Dalton Weather Center
C. Gregory Evans Center For Meteorological Education &
Research
The Leona Culver Hurd Cirrus Foyer and Research Laboratory
The John Marshall Observation Deck
The Carol A. and Thomas E. Moore Community Room
(Moore Community Room/ASAC 100)
Stevens Dining Hall (Stevens)
Rita L. Bole Gymnasium
Rita L. Bole Complex
The S.H.A.P.E. Center
Stannard Gymnasium
Alexander Twilight Theatre (ATT)
Thaddeus Fairbanks Science Wing
The White House (formerly the Alumni House)
Residence Halls
The Brown House
The Gray House
Wheelock Hall
Crevecoeur Hall
Whitelaw Hall
Arnold Hall
Bayley Hall
Rogers Hall
Poland Hall
Stonehenge Residential Complex (Stonehenge)
The Quimby Gallery
The Student Center
The Hornet’s Nest Snack Bar
The Darrell “Skip” Pound Baseball and Softball Fields
Dudley Bell Tennis Courts
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2
Abbreviations
2.1
In general, use as few abbreviations as possible in printed material. If you
must use an abbreviation, give the full name on first reference followed by the
abbreviation. If the abbreviation uses the first letters of the full name, periods
are usually not used. Use only the abbreviation in subsequent references.
The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) forms should be
filled out promptly so that VSAC can evaluate your financial need by
September.
&: Don’t use “&” in place of “and” in printed work, unless it is part
of a proper name
The Pick & Shovel hardware store.
2.2
Do not abbreviate the words assistant, associate, association, attorney,
building, district, government, president, professor, or superintendent.
Associate Professor Harold Stone and Assistant District Attorney Dick
Tracy are active in the school government association.
2.3
Days of the week: do not abbreviate the days of the week.
Classes begin Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 8 a.m.
2.4
The months: “March,” “April,” “May,” “June,” and “July,” should not be
abbreviated. Abbreviate the names of other months only if stating a specific
date. Do not abbreviate a month used alone or with the year only:
Fall classes begin Aug. 28, 2016.
The residence halls will be ready for use in August 2016.
The first residents will arrive in August.
2.5
Junior/senior: Abbreviate “Junior” or “Senior” after a name. Do not use a comma
following the name.
Robert R. Hughes Jr. was elected class president.
2.6
State Names: Do not abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas,
or Utah. Always spell out the name of any state when it is used alone. When the
name of the state follows a city, use the Associated Press abbreviations given
below, not the postal service abbreviations:
Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan.,
Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev.,
N.H.,N.J., N.M., N.Y. N.C., N.D., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D.,
Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., and Wyo.
3
Capitalization
3.1
Academic subjects: Capitalize an academic subject only when it is the name of
a language, part of a department name or part of a course title.
The French and German professors will host the faculty picnic.
Professor Smith is teaching Philosophy 260 next semester.
Carolyn Haines chairs the Sociology Department.
This semester, 20 students have enrolled in an introductory sociology
course.
3.2 Academic and administrative titles: Capitalize and spell out formal titles when
they precede a name. Use lowercase elsewhere:
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Professor George Howland is chair of the Business and Economics
Department.
Steven Browne is an assistant professor.
3.3
Alma Mater: Always capitalize Alma Mater in reference to Lyndon.
The Lyndon choir will close by singing our Alma Mater.
Joe Henry remembered his Alma Mater in his will.
3.4
a.m./p.m.: Use lower case letters and periods for a.m. and p.m.
3.5
Classes: Do not capitalize the words “freshman,” “sophomore,” “junior,” or “senior.”
Capitalize the word “class” only when it is part of the name of a specific group.
The Class of ’91 will meet in the Alumni Dining Room.
The freshmen attended orientation classes over the summer.
3.6
Committees: Capitalize “committee” when it is part of the proper name of a
group. Do not capitalize it on second reference, even when referring to a specific
committee.
The Curriculum Committee meets today; committee members should
bring bag lunches since the meeting will be a long one.
3.7
Departments: Capitalize the word “department” only when it is part of an
official name, such as “Department of Chemistry” or “Chemistry Department.”
The chair of the department called a meeting.
The Foreign Language Department is located in the Vail Center.
3.8
Latin honors: Use lower case (and italics) for the words “cum laude,” “magna
cum laude,” and “summa cum laude.”
3.9
Race: Capitalize the names of races such as “African American,” “Asian,”
“Caucasian,” and “Hispanic.” Do not capitalize the words “black” and “white” when
referring to races, unless they are part of a proper name.
Both black and white students celebrated Black History Month in
February.
3.10 Seasons: Do not capitalize the names of the seasons unless they are part of a
proper name.
The Spring Arts Festival used to be held after the spring semester break.
4
4.1
Lyndon State College awards the following regular degrees:
Associate of Arts – A.A.
Associate of Science – A.S.
Associate of Applied Science – A.A.S.
Bachelor of Arts – B.A.
Bachelor of Fine Arts – B.F.A.
Bachelor of Science – B.S.
Master of Education – M.Ed.
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies – M.A.L.S.
Degrees
4.2
Degree abbreviations: Academic degrees following a name are always
abbreviated and separated with commas. They require periods after the letters,
but no spaces after the periods: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D., and Ph.D. The word
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“degree” is not needed (and should not be used) after the abbreviation.
Michael Drown, B.S., will lecture on “Computer Crimes” this week.
Alexandra Smedley, M.B.A., is the assistant director of the College’s
M.B.A. program.
4.3
Degree capitalization: When referring to a nonspecific degree, do not
capitalize the first letter of the word “degree.” Use the possessive form.
Over 95 percent of the staff has master’s degrees.
Ruth Andersen earned her bachelor’s degree in 1988.
One can earn an associate’s degree in two years.
5
General Rules
5.1
Alumni identification: Identify alumni by giving their year of graduation with
an apostrophe before the year. If the person has more than one degree from
Lyndon, give both years separated by a comma. If there is no letter before a class
year, the degree is assumed to be a bachelor’s degree.
Geraldine Kittredge ’97 works in the College Relations Office.
Robert Smith ’55, ’56 is a dean at Harvey Mudd University.
Advanced degrees: Identify alumni with advanced degrees from other
institutions by stating their name, comma, advanced degree, comma, and
Lyndon class year.
Ross W. Fasick, Ph.D., ’55 enjoys playing golf.
Robert E. Harbaugh, M.D., ’74 is a neurosurgeon.
Identify recipients of Lyndon master’s degrees and honorary degrees with an
“M” or “H” before their year of graduation.
Timothy H. Ellis, M’02 works in Boston.
Jeremy Primm, Ph.D., H’96 is president emeritus of the College.
5.2
Initials: Use periods and no space when an individual uses initials instead of a
first name.
E.B. Black is a trustee of the College.
5.3
Parents of students are identified with a “P” before the class year of their
student.
Kevin and Karen Hughes P’04 are members of the Parents Council.
5.4
Passive voice: In most cases, avoid using the passive voice; the active voice
makes your material more interesting.
NOT: Numerous contributions have been received.
INSTEAD: The College received numerous contributions.
5.5
Professor vs. instructor: A person is a lecturer or instructor IN a subject, but a
person is a professor, associate professor, or assistant professor OF a subject.
Alexander Greene, lecturer in English…
James McMahan, professor of business administration…
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6
Hyphenation
6.1
Compound words: 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. Generally, a compound modifier is hyphenated if the hyphen
helps the reader differentiate a compound modifier from two adjacent modifiers
that modify the noun independently. Consult a dictionary for specific questions
not covered here.
On campus vs. on-campus
Most students live on campus the first year.
On-campus housing is available.
Part time vs. part-time
She attends Lyndon part time.
He is a part-time student.
-ly: Do not hyphenate compound words with the adverb “very” or those ending
in “-ly.”
The newly renovated Bole Gymnasium
Prefixes and suffixes: Hyphenate compound words beginning with “self” and
“all”; “ex” as in former and not in the sense of out of, and with the suffix “elect.”
self-restraint
all-inclusive
ex-governor
president-elect
7
Nonsexist
Language
Standard usage is “nonprofit” and “not-for-profit.”
7.1
Mankind: The word “man” has come to indicate an adult male rather than any
member of the human race. To avoid sexist language, instead of using words like
“mankind” or “the common man,” use “humanity,” “human beings,” “people,” or
“the average person.”
7.2
Masculine pronouns for indefinites: Avoid using the masculine pronoun to
refer to the indefinite pronouns “one,” “everyone,” “someone,” “no one,” “anyone,”
“anybody,” “everybody,” “somebody,” “nobody,” “each,” “either,” and “neither.” Recast
the sentence in the plural or rewrite it in another form.
NOT: Anyone who cuts class shall have his grade lowered.
INSTEAD: Cutting class will result in a lower grade.
7.3
Masculine pronouns: Avoid using the pronoun “he” to refer to both males
and females. You could say “he or she,” each time, but this can get tiresome.
Try rewriting the sentence using a plural pronoun or eliminating the pronoun
entirely. Do NOT resort to the “slash method” of “he/she” or “s/he.”
NOT: Each student should turn in his room key.
INSTEAD: Students should turn in their room keys.
OR: Students should turn in room keys.
OR: Each student should turn in his or her room key.
7.4
Occupations: Avoid using masculine terms to describe occupations that could
be held by either a man or a woman. Instead of “chairman,” use the word “chair”
or “chairperson” or a similar gender-neutral term. Instead of businessman,
fireman or mailman, say business executive, manager, fire fighter, mail carrier.
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8
Numerals
8.1
Centuries: Spell out the first through ninth centuries. Use numbers for 10th
century and above. Do not capitalize “century.”
As we move into the 21st century, the future is bright.
8.2
Dates: Do not use “nd,” “st,” “rd,” “th,” with dates.
NOT: You must turn in your room key by April 1st.
INSTEAD: You must turn in your room key by April 1.
Do not use the word “on” with a date unless it is needed to avoid confusion. Use
the word “to,” not a dash (-), to describe a series of dates or times.
The seminar runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
The conference starts June 1.
8.3
Dollars: When mentioning whole dollar amounts, simply use a dollar sign and
the numbers; do not use a decimal point and zeroes. For amounts over $999, use
a comma to separate digits. For amounts over a million dollars, use the dollar
sign and numerals up to two decimal places.
Tickets to the play cost $10 each.
She estimates that repairs will cost $1,500.
This year’s campaign netted $14.2 million.
8.4
Fractions: Spell out amounts less than 1 in written material. Hyphenate them
when they are used as adjectives or adverbs; do not hyphenate fractions used as
nouns. Use figures for precise amounts larger than 1, using decimals whenever
practical.
One fourth of the students live in apartments.
The renovation is almost three-fourths completed.
8.5
Measurements: Use numerals for measurements. Spell out “inches,” “feet,”
“pounds,” and other units of measurement.
8.6
Numbers and decimal amounts: In general, spell out numbers below 10 and
use numerals for 10 and above. Spell out numbers for school grades; spell out
numbers at the beginning of a sentence. Use numerals and periods for decimal
amounts.
She teaches twelfth grade.
Eleven or 12 of her friends traveled five miles to be at her slumber party.
Letterhead is 8.5 by 11 inches.
Ages, however, are always written with numerals.
Laura is 6 years old.
8.7
Percent: Use numerals for percentages, and spell out “percent.”
Only 6 percent of the resident students came to the social.
8.8
Telephone numbers: When giving a campus phone number, use the
abbreviation “Ext.” for extension, followed by the four-digit number.
To reserve tickets for the concert, call Ext. 6299.
When giving a number outside of the College area code, include the area code
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followed by the seven-digit phone number in the format below.
Call Professor Tom Jones at 555 555-5555.
For toll free long-distance numbers requiring a 1, add hyphens at all breaks.
Call Professor Harry Blackship at 1-800-555-5555
8.9
Time: When stating time, use “a.m.” or “p.m.” Do not use “:00.” or “o’clock.” Instead
of saying 12 a.m. and 12 p.m., use the words “noon” and “midnight” for clarity but
do not put a 12 in front of noon or midnight.
The reception started at 7 p.m.
The committee will meet for lunch starting at noon.
9
Plurals &
Possessives
9.1
Alumni: A female graduate of a college is an alumna; the plural is alumnae. A
male graduate is an alumnus; the plural is alumni. Use the term “alumni” for a
group that includes men and women.
9.2
Decades: Do not use an apostrophe to form the plural when referring to a
decade as a single period of time.
The 1960s were a time of radical change.
9.3
It’s and its: Do not confuse “its” with “it’s.” “Its” is the possessive form of the word
“it.” “It’s” is the contraction for “it is.”
It’s time to take action to help Lyndon achieve its goals.
9.4
Letters, numbers, symbols: Form plurals of letters, numbers, symbols, and
abbreviations by adding an apostrophe and an “s.”
Mind your P’s and Q’s.
9.5
Names: To form the plural of names ending in “s,” add “es.”
We’re keeping up with the Woodses.
9.6
Nouns not ending in “S”: Form the possessive of singular or plural nouns that
do not end in “s” by adding an apostrophe and an “s.”
the book’s cover
the horse’s tail
John’s pool
9.7
Nouns ending in “S”: For plural nouns ending in “s” form the possessive by
adding an apostrophe after the “s.”
the books’ covers
the horses’ tails
the Joneses’ pool
9.8
Collective nouns: Nouns that denote a unit take singular verbs and pronouns:
faculty, class, committee, crowd, family, group, herd, jury, orchestra, team. In
some cases, the collective noun refers to members acting individually; in that
case, the verb is plural.
The faculty is meeting to set its agenda.
The faculty are happy with each other’s decisions.
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9.9
Pronouns: To form the possessive of indefinite pronouns, but not of personal
pronouns, add an apostrophe and an “s.” The possessive forms of personal
pronouns DO NOT have apostrophes:
somebody’s book
everybody’s friend
his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours
9.10 Singular nouns: Form the possessive of singular nouns ending in “s” by adding
an apostrophe at the end of the word.
the campus’ buildings
the princess’ fairy godmother
10
Punctuation
10.1 Commas in series: Use a comma before the last item in a series.
In honor of Independence Day, all food in the dining room will be red,
white, or blue.
10.2 Commas with conjunctions: Use a comma before the words “and,” “but,” “for,”
“or,” “nor,” and “yet” when they join the clauses of a compound sentence. Do not
use a comma in a simple sentence with a compound verb. (Never separate a
subject from its verb.)
Lysle Chisholm returned from the conference in Honolulu, and he
promply submitted a travel voucher.
Lysle Chisholm returned from the conference in Honolulu and promptly
submitted a travel voucher.
10.3 Commas in introductory phrases: A comma is used to separate an
introductory clause or phrase from the main clause.
In 2020, Carmella Rider will run for governor.
After he had tired of the mad pace of New York, he moved to Annville.
10.4 Parentheses: Place the period inside the parentheses when the material inside
the parentheses forms an independent sentence; otherwise place the period
outside.
You may purchase concert tickets at the door (until 8 p.m.).
The concert begins at 8 p.m. (Refreshments will be served at 7:30.)
10.5 Quotations: Periods and commas go inside quotation marks; colons and
semicolons go outside quotation marks. Place exclamation points and question
marks inside the quotation marks when they are part of the quotation,
otherwise they should be placed outside. In long quotations of several
paragraphs, the preceding paragraph ends with no closing quotation marks, and
each new paragraph begins with open quotation marks.
I am reading “The Lottery”; it’s a short story by Shirley Jackson.
“Where is my copy?” he asked.
Where is my copy of “The Lottery”?
10.6 Titles (books, works of art, television programs, movies, etc.)
Note: It is rarely necessary to use italics and quotation marks together in titles.
Collections of poetry and long poems: italicize the names of poetry
collections and the names of long poems when published separately. Mark the
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titles of short poems with quotation marks.
Leaves of Grass
“When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”
Paintings, statues, and other works of art: italicize.
Mona Lisa
Domes of the Yosemite
Motion pictures, television, and radio programs: italicize
Saturday Night Live
Gone with the Wind
Book titles, pamphlets, periodicals, plays, and newspapers: italicize
Romeo and Juliet
All Quiet on the Western Front
The New York Times
Computer software and commercially recorded tapes and records: italicize
WordPerfect
The White Album
Titles of articles in newspapers and periodicals, chapter titles, and the titles of
essays and short stories: use quotation marks
“A Rose for Emily”
“The Lottery”
“A Modest Proposal”
11
Spelling/Usage
Adopted as Style
11.1 Adopted as usage.
adviser NOT advisor
advisory NOT advisery
aesthetic NOT esthetic
appendixes NOT appendices
catalog NOT catalogue
symposiums NOT symposia
vice president NOT vice-president
toward NOT towards
traveling NOT travelling
canceled NOT cancelled, but use cancellation
11.2 Theater vs. theatre: When used in the name of Lyndon’s theater, the word is
spelled with –re: Alexander Twilight Theatre. Otherwise, the word is spelled with
–er.
11.3 Consult a dictionary for other spelling questions.
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12
Computer
Terminology
12.1 Internet and intranet: Internet is always capitalized, while intranet is only
capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.
Access to the Internet is available on most College computers.
Faculty and staff can access the College’s intranet via their office
computers.
12.2 Web: Capitalize Web when it stands alone or is included in the phrase, “World
Wide Web.”
When surfing the Web, you may come across many websites that you
may find interesting.
12.3 URLs: The URL for Lyndon should be represented as LyndonState.edu. Do not
include WWW when giving the College or other URLs, and use capital letters for
L and S. (The WWW is assumed.)
Visit LyndonState.edu for complete information.
12.4 Email is one word and is acceptable in all references to electronic mail.
Sometimes I receive more than 200 emails per day.
12.5 E-business: When using terminology that defines electronic services such
as e-business, e-commerce, e-book, etc., use a hyphen after “e” and use all
lowercase letters except in titles or the first word of a sentence. Most writers use
“dot-com” to refer to companies that do business mainly on the Internet.
E-business is more efficient than sending a letter via the postal service.
12.6 Cyber: Cyberspace refers to the digital world of computer networks. It spawned
numerous words with the “cyber” prefix and all should be avoided if possible.
One notable exception is the word cyberbully — one word with no hyphen.
12.7 Usage adopted as style:
dot-com NOT dotcom
home page NOT homepage
online NOT on line
website NOT web site
web page NOT webpage
webmaster NOT web master
12.8 Other concerns/questions: Please contact [email protected]
by email for help with other terminology.
13
Titles
13.1 Courtesy titles: Do not use courtesy titles (Miss, Mr., Mrs., Ms.) before a name in
printed material. Instead, use the first and last names with middle initial on first
reference. On subsequent references, use the last name only.
13.2 Abbreviating academic and formal titles: The following titles may be
abbreviated outside direct quotations:
Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., Sen., the Rev., Pfc., Cpl., Sgt., 1st Lt., Capt.,
Maj., Lt. Col., Col., Gen., Cmdr., and Adm.
Spell out all the above, except Dr., when used before a name in direct
quotations.
Govenor Shumlin will speak on campus next Wednesday.
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13.3 Capitalizing titles: Capitalize titles only if they immediately precede a name.
Do not capitalize titles that follow a name. The exception to this rule is the word
“president,” which is always capitalized when it refers to the President of the
United States.
Lyndon State College President Joseph Bertolino welcomed the Class of
2015.
The president has his office in the Humanities Center.
The President has his office in the White House.
Stephen MacDonald, dean of the College, presided.
13.4 Clergy: The word “the” must precede “Reverend” or “Rev.” as a title.
The Rev. Mr. John A. Jones preached the sermon.
13.5 Emerita/emeritus/emeriti: An honorific bestowed on meritorious professors
upon or after their retirement. The words emerita” (for a woman) and “emeritus”
(for a man) are associated with and should follow the title, not the name, of a
person. “Emeriti” is used for a group, which includes both men and women.
William Blake, president emeritus
Gertrude H. Wagner, professor emerita of German
Professor Dame is a member of our emeriti faculty.
13.6 Faculty: The title “professor” may be used for persons with the rank of professor,
assistant professor and associate professor, but not for those with the rank
of instructor. Lowercase before a name but capitalize Professor Emeritus as a
conferred title before a name:
Professor Emeritus Martin Williams was honored at a recent gathering.
Never abbreviate “professor” as “prof.”
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