Post on 16-Dec-2015
transcript
UWF WRITING LABRULES OF THUMB FOR FAULTY CAPITALIZATION,
ITALICIZATION,
HYPHENATION, AND QUOTATION TECHNIQUE
From Real Good Grammar, Too
by Mamie Webb Hixon
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Created by April TurnerRevised by Mamie Webb Hixon
June 30,2010
To capitalize or not to . . .When Amazon launched its Kindle book
reader, Oprah announced on NBC that this e-reader is one of her favorite things.
CAPITALIZE trademarks/product names: Kindle
CAPITALIZE corporations: AmazonCAPITALIZE certain initialisms/abbreviations:
NBCCAPITALIZE people’s names: Oprah
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DO NOT CAPITALIZEThe first letter of some trademark/product names
eBayeLearningiPhone and iPad
Music genresjazzhip-hoprock ‘n roll music
Ideologies
capitalismsocialismexistentialism
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DO NOT CAPITALIZENames that have no association with their origin
sandwichpasteurizationleotards
Slang namesdorkgeek
Common religious termsa priestholy
• Types of transportationplanes and boats and trains
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DO NOT CAPITALIZESeasons
winter, spring, summer, or fall
Compass directionsnorth by northwestwest of the Mississippi
Majors or disciplinesspecial educationsocial work
Professional titles or occupational descriptionsmath teacher actor Kevin Baconlawyer former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemisonbank teller the sheriff
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DO NOT CAPITALIZEAcademic classifications
freshman year senior
Common nouns used in place of proper nounsa junior collegethe interstate
General eventsa civil wara proclamation
General names of organizations, agencies, and officesan insurance agencya social security check
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DO NOT CAPITALIZECommon nouns
hurricanea large city
Names of animalsbald eaglemockingbird
Academic degreesa doctoratebachelor’s degree
Military titlesretired admirala U.S. marine
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Which words have capitalization errors? retired admiral David Brewer, U.S. navySex And The CityMarketing Communications department
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CAPITALIZATION
(NOTE: The list below includes but is not limited to proper nouns that should be capitalized; when in doubt, consult a dictionary.)
Words in a title except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions The Wizard of OzSex and the City
Professional titles preceding or following names Doctor Frank Jones
Titles with rank Chief Petty Officer KumwaltzRetired Admiral David Brewer, U.S.
NavySpecific departments
Foreign Languages DepartmentMarketing Communications
DepartmentDivisions of the militaryArmy, Air Force, Navy
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Which words have capitalization errors?english skillsMBA degreeMaster’s degreewest of the Mississippion the west coastThe Gulf Coast
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CAPITALIZATION
Geographical areasWest CoastThe South
Names of businesses and institutionsFirst National Bank
Languages KoreanEnglish
Courses followed by a numberEnglish Composition
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Names of specific degreesBachelor of Arts degree BUTbachelor’s degree
master’s degreeSpecific rather than
generic course titles Western Civilization Philosophy of Love history philosophy
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Which words have capitalization errors?
Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, and Atheists
the league of women votersblacks, whites, and latinos
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Which words have capitalization errors?Summer vacationFacebook, MySpace, and LinkedInGoogle appsWaiting to ExhaleGone With The Wind
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CAPITALIZATION
Religions, churches, denominations Catholicism
Organizations Boys and Girls Club League of Women Voters
Historical events, periods the Harlem Renaissance
Familial terms such as mother and father if they are not preceded by a possessive word Aunt Judy is my favorite
aunt.Races, nationalities
Mexican-American African-American
BusinessesAT&TSears
Do NOT capitalizeNeologistic or other
terms used to refer to races and nationalities whites Blacks (usage is
divided) a native American
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CAPITALIZATION
Calendar names and eventsIndependence Day
Personal names and nicknames Michael “Air” Jordan
Ships, trains, planes Air Force One
Abbreviations acronyms and initials
AA, NRA
TrademarkseBay iPhoneBlackBerryWi Fi
Seasons accompanying event namesSpring Festivalsummer
vacationBUT
winter, spring, summer
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When in doubt about the capitalization of a word, consult a dictionary.
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ITALICIZATION &UNDERLINING
Italicize longer works (for handwritten work, underline):Books, novels, plays, movies, newspapers, magazines, paintings, sculptures, ships, trains, TV programsA Streetcar Named Desire, The New Yorker,
Pensacola News Journal, The Amazing Race
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USE QUOTATION MARKS FOR
Shorter works: TV episodes, short stories, songs, poems, chapters in a book, essays, speeches “The Gettysburg Address” “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John
Keats “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty
Direct quotations: Place periods and commas inside closing quotation marks; semicolons and colons, outside; question marks and exclamation marks are placed according to whether the mark accompanies the sentence or the quotation. Cameron exclaimed, “That dog’s
barking was not music to our ears!”
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USE DOUBLE QUOTATION MARKS
TO SET OFF: Words and expressions that need to be emphasized or that the writer wants to call attention to:
Marco is a career student – he has been enrolled eight years already because he believes in the mantra “stay in school.”
The celebrity couple are not married to each other; they have an “LTA,” a “living together arrangement.”
Both children have cancer, but neither of them is “out of the woods” yet.
I remember “Mommilies” such as “Things aren’t always as bad as they seem.”
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USE DOUBLE QUOTATION MARKS
• TO SET OFF: Words used as words
The report will use the word “aborigine” to refer only to the primitive tribes now living in Australia.
• TO SET OFF:Words used satirically or words that
should not be taken literally
The librarian righteously cleansed the library of all "dirty literature" such as Catch 22, Huckleberry Finn, and The Color Purple.
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USE SINGLE QUOTATION MARKS
TO QUOTE SOMEONE WHO IS QUOTING SOMEONE ELSE: A quotation within another quotation or a title within a quote
Dr. Feinstein opened his lecture by saying, “Albert Einstein reminded us that ‘Great spirits always receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.’”
The intro to Lit student naively remarked, “The nurse in Eudora Welty’s short story ‘A Worn Path’ calls the protagonist Phoenix Jackson ‘aunt,’ so are the two characters related?”
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Place commas and periods inside closing quotation marks.
Place semicolons and colons outside closing quotation marks.
“Do your own thing, an expression coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is found in his 1841 edition of “Self Reliance,” and it is considered a “philosophical gem.”
The graffito on a bathroom wall reads “ESP should be outlawed”; underneath this quote is “I knew you’d say that!”
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Place question marks and exclamation points inside closing quotation marks when the quoted material asks a question or makes an exclamation.
My personal anthem is Tina Turner’s song “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
The captain shouted, “Halt!”
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Place question marks and exclamation points outside closing quotation marks when the sentence, not the quoted material, asks a question or makes an exclamation.
Which philosopher said, “I think; therefore, I am”? (René Descartes)
I know that “misery loves company,” but please save us from his “misery”!
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HYPHENATION
Words with a fixed hyphen (use a dictionary)
Compound modifiers preceding a noun: a three-hour movie
Words beginning with the prefixes self-, all-, and well-: self-evident, all-encompassing, well-intended
Prefixes before a proper noun: pro-American 28
HYPHENATION
Fractions used as modifiers: one-third voter turnout
Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine Multiword adjectives: out-of-state checks Some compound nouns: mother-in-law
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LET’S PRACTICE!!!
Eighty year old actress Betty White said that “Facebook” is a waste of time.
Eighty-year-old actress Betty White said that Facebook is a waste of time.
The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s greatest novel.
The Grapes of Wrath…My Aunt attends the local Junior College.
My aunt…junior collegeBeth said that “Tony is a teacher’s pet.”
No quotation marksUWF boasts a low student teacher ratio.
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LET’S PRACTICE A LITTLE MORE!!!Joe Smith is a member of the I have a
dream foundation.…I Have a Dream Foundation
Doesn’t everyone love Elvis’s song called Jailhouse Rock?
…“Jailhouse Rock”?Her paper is extremely well written.
…well-writtenJessie has never read Much Ado About
Nothing, but she did watch the movie.…Much Ado About Nothing…
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