Titles
People
Rule: Capitalize titles when listed before the person’s
name. Set off long titles with commas after the person’s
name.
• EWU Professor John Smith will lecture today.
• EWU President Rodolfo Arévalo greeted students.
• Bill Jones, the dean of students, met with the
troublemakers. (Note: Don’t capitalize the title in this usage.)
Books, Films and Courses
Rule: Italicize book, film, newspaper, magazine, course
and most other titles (This house rule varies from AP style.)
• I loved the movie Finding Nemo.
• I just read Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.
• I have a subscription to The New York Times.
• She reads Time magazine.
• The band played Night of the Johnstown Flood.
Web Style
Rule: Boldface or use color to highlight Web addresses
and e-mail addresses. Do not highlight punctuation
following them. (Example: For more information, visit
www.ewu.edu.)
• online (one word)
• Internet (always capitalized). The World Wide Web or
the Web (also always capitalized).
• website (one word, not capitalized)
• e-mail
House Rules
• advisor (not adviser)
• ID (capitalized, no periods)
• Do not substitute the ampersand (&) in place of the
word “and.” Use it only if it is officially used in the
name of an organization, such as AT&T.
• telethon, phonathon
• cybersecurity (one word)
• start something big (italicized and lowercase in text)
State Names and Abbreviations
State Name Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
AP Style
Ala.
Alaska
Ariz.
Ark.
Calif.
Colo.
Conn.
Del.
Fla.
Ga.
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Ill.
Ind.
Kan.
Ky.
La.
Maine
Md.
Mass.
Mich.
Minn.
Miss.
Mo.
Mont.
Neb.
Nev.
N.H.
N.J.
N.M.
N.Y.
N.C.
N.D. Ohio
Okla.
Ore.
Pa.
R.I.
S.C.
S.D.
Tenn.
Texas
Utah
Vt.
Va.
Wash.
W.Va.
Wis.
Wyo.
Postal Style
AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
FL
GA
HI
ID
IA
IL
IN
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY
general rules for
grammar and usage
A Publication of
University Marketing
and Communications
www.ewu.edu/marketingcommunications
Introduction
Buildings and Rooms
Phone Numbers
University Marketing and Communications (formerly
University Relations) oversees grammatical standards for
printed materials that emanate from Eastern Washington
University to its various audiences. While there may
be more than one “right” way to write a sentence, it is
important to conform to one style to establish desired
consistency.
• The class is in Martin Hall.
Rule: Phone numbers are formatted with periods.
• Visit the University Bookstore. I am going to the
bookstore.
• Students use the JFK Library. Where is the reference
section in the library?
• The class meets in 204 Monroe. The class meets in
Monroe Hall, room 204. The class meets in rooms 204
and 205 in Monroe Hall. (Note: The word “room” is not
capitalized.)
• Call 509.359.6200 (or toll-free 800.359.6200) for more
information about Eastern Washington University.
Several examples of preferred usage are listed in this
brochure. They address the most common issues that
arise in text provided to University Marketing and
Communications.
When in doubt, also refer to The Associated Press Stylebook
or Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Please do not
rely exclusively upon computer spell checking.
If you have questions, please contact University Marketing
and Communications staff at 359.2396 or 359.6422.
See website for EWU’s identity standards and grammar
and style guide: www.ewu.edu/grammar
The University
• Spell out Eastern Washington University in all first
references for documents and publications intended
for outside distribution. (Second reference: Eastern,
EWU or the University.)
• For internal documents/communications, Eastern or
EWU is permissible in first reference.
• When used as a stand-alone term, University is
capitalized when used in place of the full name of
this institution. Example: It is the University’s policy
not to discriminate. (Note: Normally, the word “the”
will precede the word “University” in this usage. In
the following usage, lowercase is proper: Eastern is a
university that does not discriminate.)
Capitalization
Rule: Eliminate excess capitalization. When in doubt,
don’t capitalize.
Degrees
• He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
• She has a master’s degree in psychology.
• He holds a doctorate in chemistry.
• He has a BA degree. I have an MBA. He has a PhD.
(Note: No periods used in abbreviations of degrees.
This house rule varies from AP style.)
Course Names, Subjects
and Departments
Money
Correct
• I have $5.
• She has $1,000. He has $1 million. She has $1,673,543. He has $1.9 million.
Incorrect
• He is taking Geology 101. (Note: Course names are
italicized.) She is studying geology.
• The English Department offers a specialization in
creative writing. The Journalism Program is part of
the English Department.
• I am a professor of chemistry.
• Visit the Alumni Office (thereafter: the office); the
School of Social Work (thereafter: the school).
• University Marketing and Communications is located
in 300 Showalter.
• I have $5.00.
Seasons and Quarters
Dates
• The first meeting will be this spring, but formal
classes won’t start until fall quarter.
Numbers
Rule: Use numerals for numbers 10 or higher but spell
out single digit numbers
Time
Correct
• It is 6 p.m. (Note: a.m. and p.m. are lowercase, with
periods; there is a space after the number.)
• The event is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. The event lasts
from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Note: There are no spaces
before or after the hyphen.)
Incorrect
• It is 6:00 P.M..
• The event is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• She has $1.9 million dollars.
Commas
Series
Rule: In a series, do not use a final comma before the
word “and” or “or.”
• We offer biology, chemistry, mathematics and
physics.
• That occurred in September 1982. That happened
on Sept. 6, 1982. On Sept. 6, 1982, my daughter was
born. I miss the ‘80s. I forgot about the 1960s.
Abbreviations
State Names
Rule: Use AP style for abbreviating state names in
sentences; use postal abbreviation for state names in
addresses.
• Eastern Washington University is in Cheney, Wash.
• I live in Tennessee. (Incorrect: I live in Tenn.)
• Send the form to John Smith, 123 Main St., Cheney,
WA 99004.