Style Guide by Category

UMW & Academic Terms

Computer Terms & E-mail Etiquette

Inclusive Language

Protocol & Forms of Address

Formal Invitations

Letter Styles & Forms

Proofreading Guidelines

AP Style Guide

FAQs & Updates

Resources

Graphic Standards Manual for communications about UMW

View All University Policies

Style Guide Entries on Commonly Misused Words

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

a, an
For words that begin with a pronounced h, long u or eu, or a consonant, use the article a. For other words beginning with a vowel sound, use an. Note examples below; both articles are acceptable for historic.

Examples:

a hotel, a university, a eulogy
an honor, an heir, an M.Ed.
an historic study, a historic study

academic degrees
On most references, use associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctorate in place of degree abbreviations. Do not use the terms associate, bachelor’s or master’s alone, since they are adjectives modifying the word degree. It is preferable to use a degree, not his degree or her degree.

Examples:

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English.

Use abbreviations only when necessary to distinguish the specific type of degree or when the use of full terms would prove cumbersome, such as in a list. The word degree should not follow a degree abbreviation. See honors concerning terms of academic distinction used with degrees.

Examples:

Correct: He has an M.S. as well as a Ph.D. in chemistry.
Incorrect: She has a Ph.D. degree.

The following abbreviations are used to identify earned degrees. Abbreviations for two-word phrases include periods and no spaces. Three-letter (or more) abbreviations do not include periods.

Associate in Applied Studies AAS
Associate in Liberal Arts ALA
Bachelor of Applied Studies BAS
* Bachelor of Arts B.A.
Bachelor of Liberal Arts BLA
* Bachelor of Liberal Studies BLS
* Bachelor of Professional Studies BPS
* Bachelor of Science B.S.
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration BSBA
Bachelor of Music B.Mus.
Juris Doctor (doctor of law) J.D.
Master of Arts M.A.
* Master of Arts in Liberal Studies MALS
* Master of Science M.S.
Master of Liberal Arts MLA
* Master of Business Administration MBA
* Master of Education M.Ed.
Doctor of Education Ed.D.
Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D.

* Indicates degree offered at UMW

adviser, advisor
Either is acceptable; advisor is preferred, and the correct spelling for a notice is advisory. (For AP Style, see adviser in Appendix XII).

affect, effect
Affect is almost always a verb, and effect is most often a noun.

Examples:

Her good study habits will affect her grades.
What effect will good study habits have on grades?

African American
Preferred to black. The hyphen is necessary in the second example because the term modifies students.

Examples:

He is an African American. They are African-American students.

afterward
Not afterwards. Same rule applies (no “s”) for anyway, backward, forward and toward.

aide
Student aide.

all right
Never alright. Hyphenate only as unit modifier.

Example:

He is an all-right student.

alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae
Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a man (or group of men) who attended the University. Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a woman (or group of women). Use alumni when referring to mixed groups of men and women. Alumnus can be used for
single person, gender neutral. Do not use alum.

American Indian
American Indian is the preferred term. Where possible, be precise and use the name of the tribe. Use a hyphen only when term is used as an adjective.

Examples:

John Smith is an American Indian. He is a Navajo commissioner.
He is proud of his American-Indian heritage.

Native American is acceptable when used in quotations and for names of organizations.

among, between
Use among when more than two objects are involved. Use between to show relationship between two objects.

Examples:

The funds were divided among Ford, Carter and McCarthy.
The funds were divided between Ford and Carter.

anyway
Not anyways. Same rule applies (no “s”) for afterward, backward, forward and toward.

artwork
Preferred as one word.

as, like
Use like as a preposition to compare nouns and pronouns; it requires an object. The conjunction as is the correct word to introduce clauses.

Examples:

Jim blocks like a pro. Jim blocks the linebacker as he should.

Asian American
No hyphen unless used as an adjective. Preferred term for Americans of Asian descent.

associate degree
Use instead of abbreviations for most references. Note there is no “s” at the end of associate. See academic degrees.

assure, ensure, insure
Assure means to convince or give confidence, and it generally has no object. Ensure means to guarantee. Insure means to establish a contract for insurance of some type.

Examples:

I can assure you that the grades will be in the Office of the Registrar on time.
Can you ensure that the grades will be in the Office of the Registrar on time?
The car was insured by the student.

backward
Not backwards. Same rule applies (no “s”) for afterward, anyway, forward and toward.

beside, besides
Beside means alongside or at the side of; besides means in addition to.

Examples:

He walked to class beside his friend.
Besides walking to class, the friends often ate lunch together.

between
See among, between.

black
See African American.

bring, take
Keep direction in mind when using these words. Bring generally indicates something coming toward; take indicates something going away or departing from.

campuswide
One word. Also citywide, countywide, statewide, nationwide, worldwide.

can, may
Can is used to indicate ability to do something; may to ask, grant or deny permission to do it.

Examples:

Mary can type 120 words per minute.
May Mary use your computer to take a typing test?

capital, Capitol
A capital is a city or town that is the official seat of government. A Capitol is a building occupied by the legislature. Capitalize references to the State Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia, or the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. Congress holds its sessions.

Examples:

Virginia’s State Capitol building is in Richmond. The students toured the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and Washington, D.C. is the nation’s capital.

chair
A person in charge of a department or committee is a chair, not a chairman, chairwoman or chairperson. See capitalization.

Example:

She is the chair of the Department of English, Linguistics, and Speech.

classroom
Should be used as one word.

cleanup, clean up
One word as a noun or adjective, but clean up as a verb.

Examples:

The club organized a cleanup activity after the dance.
The club volunteered to clean up the river.

co
When adding "co" to the beginning of a word, a hyphen is not necessary in most cases. The only exception is when the word begins with an "o."

Examples:

cochair, cocurricular, codirect, coauthor, co-owner

coed
University of Mary Washington is a coeducational institution, and some of the residence halls can be referred to as coed residence halls. However, do not refer to a female student as a coed.

collective nouns
The collective nouns faculty and staff can be used in singular and plural senses. Use singular when the term refers to the whole unit.

Examples:

The French faculty meets regularly with the other language faculties.
The staff is scheduled to vote Thursday.

Use plural form when the term refers to individual members within the collective.

Examples:

The faculty are divided on the issue.
The staff sometimes disagree among themselves.

complement, compliment
Complement is a noun denoting completeness or a verb denoting the process of supplementing something. Compliment is a noun denoting an expression of courtesy or a verb denoting praise.

Examples:

The complement of courses enhanced her major. Study abroad programs complement the curriculum. The University receives many compliments on its extensive study-abroad opportunities.

comprise, compose
The phrasing comprise of is always wrong. Comprise means contain, include or embrace, and it must be used in the active voice. It can also be used informally to mean form or constitute. Compose means to create or put together, and it can be used in either the active or passive voice.

Examples:

The whole comprises the parts. The whole consists of the parts.
This nation comprises 50 states.
That set of history books comprises 30 volumes.
The class is composed of sophomores, juniors and seniors.

continual, continuous
Continual means regular, but not constant. Continuous means constant.

Examples:

Continual maintenance keeps machinery running smoothly.
Our business has implemented continuous printing so that we can supervise print jobs around the clock.

convince, persuade
People are convinced that something will occur or convinced of something. People are persuaded to do something.

Examples:

The professor persuaded the students to turn in their lab work early.
The students were convinced that by turning in their lab work early they would receive good grades.

course work
Two words.

courtesy titles (Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, etc.)
In business correspondence, always use a courtesy title. See Appendix VIII. Protocol and Forms of Address for special circumstances such as addressing correspondence to a couple, both of whom have doctorates. (For AP Style, see courtesy titles in Appendix XII.)

Use the courtesy title Dr. for faculty who hold doctorates.

Examples:

Dr. Anne Jones is former Chair of the English, Linguistics, and Speech Department. Dr. Jones is the author of two books.

Use the courtesy title Mr. for male faculty who do not hold doctorates. (For AP Style, see courtesy titles in Appendix XII.)

Examples:

Mr. Francis L. Brown is Chair of the Department of Business Administration.
Mr. Brown has been employed at the University for several years.

Use the courtesy title Ms. for women who do not hold doctorates; only use Miss or Mrs. if it is requested by the individual.

Examples:

Ms. Anna Jones, Associate Professor of Art, received a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Ms. Jones was thrilled to be one of only five recipients of the prestigious award.

For more information on using proper forms of address and titles, see A Guide to Virginia Protocol and Traditions, pages 5-12. It can be viewed on the Commonwealth’s web site at http://hodcap.state. va.us/publications/Protocol.pdf.

cross country
No hyphen unless used as an adjective. Cross country, the sport, has no hyphen.

Examples:

The cross country team often wins first place in competition.
She drove cross country last summer.
She took a cross-country trip last summer.

curriculum
Curricula in plural form.

curriculum vitae
Academic equivalent of a résumé. Do not use CV or vita. Plural is curricula vitae.

degrees
See academic degrees.

desert, dessert
Desert as a noun is a dry, barren sandy region. Desert can also mean something that is deserved, usually punishment. Desert as a verb is to forsake, leave or abandon. Dessert is a sweet food such as fruit, ice cream or pastry.

Examples:

The Mojave Desert is a portion of Nevada, Utah and California.
After being so mean to everyone, he certainly received his just deserts.
She left by herself and deserted the other travelers.
He had ice cream and pie for dessert after dinner.

disinterested, uninterested
Disinterested means impartial. Uninterested means indifferent. They are not interchangeable.

Examples:

Disinterested auditors serve stockholders well.
Uninterested auditors may have to look for new clients.

doctorate
A noun meaning doctoral degree; not doctorate degree. Use instead Ph.D. for most references. See academic degrees.

Examples:

Correct: He has a doctoral degree. He has a doctorate.
Incorrect: He has a doctorate degree.

dormitory
Use residence hall rather than dormitory or dorm.

each, everyone
Each and everyone take a singular verb and a singular pronoun. Often a better construction is obtained by changing the indefinite pronoun to plural.

Examples:

Preferred: All of the professors have good reasons for forgetting their parking stickers.
Correct: Each of the professors has a good reason for forgetting his or her parking sticker.
Preferred: All employees in George Washington Hall bring canned goods from their pantries.
Correct: Everyone in George Washington Hall brings canned goods from his or her pantry.

The same rule applies to either, everybody, anyone, and nobody.

effect
See affect, effect.

e-mail
Acceptable on all references for electronic mail. Note use of hyphen and lower-case e. When typing e-mail addresses, do not use capital letters or parentheses, slashes or any other punctuation to set email addresses apart from other text. Avoid dividing e-mail addresses between lines. Preferred use as a noun rather than as a verb. Use contact … by e-mail at, send an e-mail to … , reply by e-mail to…. See Appendix VI. Computer Terms and E-mail Etiquette.

Examples:

Contact Jones by e-mail at jjones@umw.edu.
Send your reservation request by e-mail to jjones@umw.edu.
Please reply by e-mail to Ms. Smith at jsmith@umw.edu.

emeritus, emeriti, emerita, emeritae
Used to denote individuals who have retired but retain their rank or title. Emeritus is singular masculine adjective; emerita is singular feminine adjective; emeriti is plural masculine or mixed gender group adjective; emeritae is plural feminine adjective. Uppercase when part of a title. Place emeritus after the formal title. Lowercase when not part of a title. (For AP Style, see titles in Appendix XII.)

Examples:

Distinguished Professor Emeritus John W. Jones.
John W. Jones, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy
UMW Professor Emeritus John W. Jones lectured in Italy.
The department’s faculty included two professors emeriti.

ensure
See assure.

entitled, titled
Entitled means one has the right to something. Use titled to introduce the name of a publication, musical composition, seminar, etc.

Examples:

She is entitled to the inheritance.
John W. Jones’ book is titled Mathematics for the Beginner.

everyday, every day
Everyday is an adjective meaning ordinary or daily. Use it only as a modifier. Every day is not an adjective; it means each day.

Examples:

You’ll soon master the everyday routine of the job.
He has called every day this week.

farther, further
Use farther to indicate distance. Further means in addition to.

Examples:

She traveled farther than anyone to attend the seminar.
She needed no further invitation to attend the seminar.

fax
Fax is an abbreviation for facsimile. Lowercase unless first word of a sentence, phrase or line. Be consistent in format when listing fax and  telephone. Fax may be used as a noun or a verb. Preferred format with parentheses: (540) 654-1164. Acceptable format: 540-654-1164.

Examples:

The Office of Human Resources received the fax yesterday.
The Executive Vice President will fax a response.
Please contact me by telephone (540) 654-1000 or by fax (540) 654-1164.
Telephone: (540) 654-1000 • Fax: (540) 654-1164

fewer, less
Use fewer in reference to a number of separate items. Use less for an amount, degree or value.

Example:

Fewer people means less applause after the play.

first come, first served
Note lack of hyphens and use of comma. This is the correct way to use this phrase according to The Gregg Reference Manual.

first-year
Preferred over freshmen for reference to first-year students after matriculation.

Example:

The first-year students participated in orientation.

flier, flyer
Flier is an aviator. A variation of the word flier is flyer. When referring to an advertising circular, the usual spelling is flyer. Flyer is also the proper name of some trains and buses. (For AP Style, see flier in Appendix XII.)

Examples:

Flyers (or fliers) with information about campus events are posted on the bulletin board. American Flyer trains are popular among collectors.

foreign expressions
Some foreign expressions contain short words, some of which are abbreviated and some of which are not. Note use of periods only for abbreviated words. For formal correspondence, the preference is to spell out the English word or phrase. If the foreign expression must be used for brevity, abbreviate where appropriate but do not italicize.

Examples:

She is qualified for the job; e.g., she has had 10 years’ experience as a research chemist. John says he will help; i.e., he will help if you ask him.

foreign words
Some foreign words retain their accent marks in English:

résumé
entrée
à la carte
café
à la mode

Accent marks should be used now that PCs provide that capability. To change your computer settings in MS Word so that these phrases will always appear with the accents, select Format, select AutoFormat, select Options, select the AutoCorrect tab, check the box beside Replace Text As You
Type, in the Replace box type in the phrase or word without accents, copy the phrase or word with accents from a Word document and paste it into the With box, select OK, select OK.

Insert an international character by using a shortcut key in MS Word

Mac users, for international character keystroke shortcuts, see: http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codemac.html.

Fort
Do not abbreviate for cities or for military installations. See also Mount and Saint.

Examples:

Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Bragg

forward
Not forwards. Same rule applies (no “s”) for anyway, afterward, backward and toward.

freshman, freshmen
Class designation level based on the number of credit hours on a student’s academic record. Students with fewer than 30 credits are freshmen. Note use of singular and plural terms. See first-year, the preferred term.

Examples:

Preferred: A group of first-year students was walking to the dining hall.
Correct: freshman hall, freshman class
Correct: A group of freshmen was walking to the dining hall.

fund-raising, fund raising, fund raiser
Fund raising and fund raiser are nouns; only when fund raising is used as an adjective is a hyphen needed. (For AP Style, see fund raising in Appendix XII.)

Examples:

It was a fund-raising event. The event was planned for fund raising.
The students held a fund raiser to help pay for fees to attend a national conference.

good, well
Good is an adjective that means something is as it should be or is better than average. When used as an adjective, well means suitable, proper or healthy. When used as an adverb, well means in a satisfactory manner or skillfully.

Examples:

The bread smells good. The trumpet sounds good.
The computer works well. She did well on her exams.

grade-point average (GPA)
Spell out grade-point average on first reference; note use of hyphen. GPA is acceptable on second reference.

Examples:

University of Mary Washington grade-point averages are based on a 4.0 scale. A 3.0 GPA is required to maintain the scholarship award.

graduation
Commencement is the preferred term. See commencement.

groundbreaking
Always used as one word, whether it is a noun or adjective.

Examples:

The Board of Visitors was present for the groundbreaking ceremony.
The Office of Events is planning the groundbreaking.

Hispanic
People whose culture is Spanish. See also Latina/Latino.

if, whether
The word if expresses a condition. The word whether expresses an alternative. Do not use the phrase or not following whether.

Examples:

If you come to the meeting, I’ll bring food.
Then we’ll decide whether to include instructions with the software.

imply, infer
To imply is to suggest or express indirectly. To infer is to deduce from the evidence at hand.

Examples:

John’s criticism of Mary’s performance implied that she had not met expectations. After listening to John’s comments, Mary inferred that her job was at risk.

Indian
Use Indian for people who are native to India. Use American Indian for people of tribes indigenous to the United States, and use specific tribe names when possible. See American Indian.

insure
See assure.

its, it’s
Never use an apostrophe to show possession for it. It’s always is a contraction for it is or it has.

Examples:

It’s up to you. It’s been a long time. The company lost its assets.

Jr., Sr.
Always precede with a comma. Numerals never take a comma. (For AP Style, see junior, senior in Appendix XII.)

Examples:

John Jones, Jr.; John J. Smith III

junior
See student classifications.

Latin references
See foreign expressions for such examples as i.e., e.g., and others.

Latin words
Many Latin words and phrases are common to academic life and do not need to be translated for audiences familiar with academia.

Examples:

alumnus, cum laude, emeritus, curriculum vitae

Consult a dictionary when using the plural form of Latin words. For words that end in –us, substitute –i to form the plural; for words ending in –um, substitute –a. See also honors for use of Latin terms of academic distinction, such as cum laude.

Examples:

alumnus, alumni; syllabus, syllabi, colloquium, colloquia; symposium, symposia

Latina/Latino
An American citizen or resident of Latin American or Spanish-speaking descent. Often Latino and Hispanic are used interchangeably to the dismay of Latinos. Technically, Hispanic refers to people whose culture is “Spanish.” Many Latino activists, writers, and politicians find the term Hispanic to
be derogatory since it homogenizes people who are otherwise racially and culturally very diverse. When it comes to self-identification, Latinos most often refer to themselves by more culturally specific identifiers like Cuban-American, Mexican-American, Central American, Guatemalan, etc. Like
many racial terms, these words and their usage are constantly undergoing change and are embroiled in controversy. When in doubt, if possible, ask the person being referred to about their preference in terminology. [Latina is feminine; Latino is masculine; Latinos is plural for both male-only groups and for mixed-gender groups; Latinas is plural feminine.]

lay, lie
Lay is an action verb meaning to place or put, and it takes a direct object. Past tense is laid; present participle is laying. Lie indicates a state of reclining, and it does not take a direct object. Past tense is lay; present participle is lying.

Examples:

Correct: I laid the blanket on the bed. Yesterday I lay on the bed for a short nap.
Incorrect: I laid down for a nap.

lifelong
One word, no hyphen.

like
See as, like.

make up, makeup
When used as a verb, make up is two words. When used as a noun, makeup is one word. It is hyphenated when used as an adjective.

Examples:

He will make up the class he missed.
Theater students learn about stage makeup.
She is taking a make-up exam.

master’s degree
Use instead of abbreviations for most references; always requires an apostrophe. See academic degrees.

mathematics
Always spell out; do not use math.

matriculate
To enroll as a member of a body, especially of a college or university.

Examples:

She will matriculate in the fall. After matriculation, first-year students can use the Fitness Center.

media
Singular form is medium. When used as a subject, media always takes a plural verb.

Example:

The media are often the target of public criticism.

more important, more importantly
Use more important. In sentences beginning with importantly or significantly, recast the sentence to eliminate the construction.

Mount
Spell out in all uses, including the names of communities and of mountains. See also Fort and Saint.

Examples:

Mount Airy, Mount St. Mary’s College, Mount Everest, Mount St. Helens

Native American
The preferred term is American Indian. Native American is acceptable when used in quotations and for names of organizations. See American Indian.

nickname
Use in text only after the use of a proper name. May also use in quotes. When referring to someone in text, ask whether they want their nickname to appear.

Examples:

Kalnen Inn is named in honor of Elizabeth “Becky” Kalnen ’37.

non
Prefix meaning not. Many compounds may be formed with non. In forming compounds, non is usually joined with the leading word without a space or a hyphen. However, if the leading word begins with a capital letter, it is separated with a hyphen. Follow Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 2004, or the most current edition of this dictionary in print.

Examples:

non + degree = nondegree
nonpayment, noncredit, nonprofit, nontenured, nonresident, nonacademic,
noncash, nonadmitted, nondeductible, nonexclusive, nonexempt, nonexpense,
nonfederal, nonpublic, nonstate, nontraditional
non + French = non-French

nor, or
Use or after negative expressions. In correlative construction, use or after either and nor after neither.

Examples:

He cannot read or write. But I think he refuses either to read or to write.
Don’t you think it’s sad that he can neither read nor write?

not-for-profit, nonprofit
There is a difference between these two terms. A not-for-profit organization can realize a profit; a nonprofit organization cannot realize a profit. When referring to an organization, it is important to use the term that the organization itself uses.

over, more than
Over refers to spatial relationships, more than to numbers or amounts.

Examples:

The shelf is over my head. The group raised more than $60.

part time, part-time
Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier.

Examples:

She works part time. She has a part-time job.

people, persons
People is preferred to persons in all plural uses. Use persons only in quotes, official names, or in the singular.

Examples:

People of all races participated. More than 20 people gathered for the event. One person waited for the bus.

Ph.D.
Use doctorate for most references. See academic degrees.

postscript
A postscript is an optional feature in the closing part of a letter that presents a final idea or an afterthought. It can be effectively used to express an idea that has been deliberately withheld from the body of a letter; stating this idea at the very end gives it strong emphasis. It appears on the second line below the copy notation (or whatever line was typed last). If the paragraphs are indented, indent the first line of the postscript. Otherwise, begin it at the left margin. Type PS: or PS. and leave one or two spaces before the first word of the postscript. (The abbreviation
can be omitted if preferred.)

Note: The abbreviation P.S. or p.s. (with an internal period after the P) is no longer used because the word postscript is now spelled as one word. For an additional postscript, use PPS: or PPS. (or no abbreviation at all), and treat this postscript as a separate paragraph.

Examples:

PS: Instead of dashing for the airport as soon as the meeting is over, why don’t you have dinner and spend the night with us and go back Saturday morning?
PPS: Better yet, why don’t you bring Joyce with you and plan to stay the whole weekend?

pre
Prefix meaning before. Many compounds may be formed with pre. In forming compounds, pre is usually joined with the leading word without a space or a hyphen. Follow Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 2004, or the most current edition of this dictionary in print.

Examples:

pre + pay = prepay
preenroll, preexist, preprofessional, prerequisite, preoccupy, prepackage,
preeminent, premed, prescience, preregister, preplan, preelection

principal, principle
Principal can be a noun or an adjective meaning first in importance or rank or a noun designating money on which interest is computed. Principle is a noun meaning doctrine, law, essential element or characteristic.

Example:

The principal showed he had principles when he requested a conference.

race/ethnicity/ethnic groups
Capitalize names of races; lowercase black and white when used to refer to races. See individual entries (African American, Asian American, American Indian, Latina/Latino) for rules regarding proper references to races and ethnic groups.

Examples:

Caucasian, Hispanic

re
Prefix meaning again. Many compounds may be formed with re. In forming compounds, re is usually joined with the leading word without a space or a hyphen. Follow Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 2004, or the most current edition of this dictionary in print.

Examples:

re + apply = reapply
readmission, readmit, reenroll, reinstate, reschedule

ribbon cutting, ribbon-cutting
Two words when used as a noun. Requires a hyphen when used as an adjective. Capitalize only when referring to a specific event. (For AP Style, see ribbon cutting in Appendix XII.)

Examples:

The Director of Events provided the scissors for the ribbon cutting.
Many donors attended the Jepson Alumni Executive Center Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony. The opening of a new University building is traditionally celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Saint
Abbreviate as St. in the names of saints, cities and other places. See also Fort and Mount.

Examples:

St. Jude, St. Lawrence, St. Paul, Minnesota,
Mount St. Helens, Mount St. Mary’s College

seasons
Lowercase seasons and all derived words. Capitalize when part of a formal name or specific event.

Examples:

fall, winter, spring, summer, springtime, fall semester,
Winter Olympics, Fall Break, Spring Break, Winter Break, Summer Solstice
She graduated in the spring semester.
The students participated in a volunteer project during the fall semester.
The students went to Mexico for Spring Break.

stationery, stationary
Stationery refers to paper or writing materials for correspondence. Stationary means fixed or not moving.

take
See bring, take.

that, which
That should be used for introducing an essential (restrictive) clause. Which should be used to introduce a nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause and must be preceded by a comma.

Examples:

I’m returning this book, which I enjoyed.
Do you remember the book that you let me borrow?

theater, theatre
Theater is the preferred spelling unless theatre is the formal name of a particular group, program or location.

Examples:

Virginia is home to many outdoor summer theater programs.
University of Mary Washington’s Klein Theatre and the Department of Theatre and Dance are located in duPont Hall.

their, there, they’re
Their is a possessive form of they. There is ordinarily an adverb. They’re is a contraction of they are.

Examples:

Their classes were cancelled. There is no explanation for their refusal to register online. They’re planning to register early for classes.

titled
See entitled, titled.

toward
Not towards. Same rule applies (no “s”) for afterward, anyway, backward and forward.

under way
Under way is always two words, except in the rare cases when it is used as an adjective. "Underway flotilla" is practically the only time it is used as one word.

web site; web page
The location of information on the World Wide Web. See Appendix VI. Computer Terms and Email Etiquette. (For AP Style, see Web in Appendix XII.)

well
See good, well.

which
See that, which.

who, whom
Use the subjective case (who) for subjects of verbs. Use the objective case (whom) for objects of a verb or preposition.

Examples:

Who is the new philosophy instructor?
Dr. Jones is a man who we know is dependable.
He had admiration for whoever taught before him.
(Who is the subject of the clause “whoever taught before him.” The complete clause, not whoever, is the object of the preposition “for.”)
For whom are the regulations written?
With whom are the students planning to study?

whose, who’s
Whose is the possessive form of who. Who’s is a contraction for who is or who has.

Examples:

Whose computer is located in Lee Hall?
Who’s going to claim the computer located in Lee Hall?

your, you’re
Your is possessive. You’re is the contraction for you are.

Examples:

Is your computer new? You’re likely to need a new computer next year.

back to top