Apostrophe

1. Use to form a contraction.
   He won't cooperate; therefore we should leave him out.
   
   
2. Use to show possession of nouns.
   The man's will power was incredible. (singular)
   The workers' enthusiasm came from their positive attitude. (plural)
   Many Sacramento City College students transfer to CSU's journalism program to complete their bachelors' degrees.
   The stock market decline rivals the 1920's lows.
   
   
3. Use to show plural of a single letter or numeral.
   We could not believe the A's won! Put the 4's in the column.
   
   
4. Do not use in the following examples:
   Many Sacramento City College students transfer to CSUs and UCs.
   The recent stock market decline rivals the lows of the 1920s.
   
   
5. Use to show something has been left out.
   The war was not popular in the '60s.
   
   

Comma

1. Use after a long introductory clause or phrase.
   After the department secretary prepared the packets, he distributed them to the supervisors.
   
   
2. Use after words in a series. The comma before the and is dropped unless it would be confusing to the reader to leave it out.
   They voted on attendance, quorum and membership.
   They voted on attendance, quorum, elections and membership.
   Add to be sure there is no confusion: They voted on what constituted regular attendance, how many made up a quorum, when elections should be held, and what the optimum membership would be.
   
   
3. Use to separate two independent clauses joined by a common conjunction.
   Mary brought the donuts, and John made the coffee.
   
   
4. Use to separate a nonessential clause, phrase or modifier from the rest of the sentence.
   The president, needing to assure the unity of the group, praised the members for their work in the charity drive.
   
   
5. Use to separate modifiers of equal rank.
   It was a bright, sunny day.
   
   
6. Use to set off an appositive or an aside comment.
   Her mother, the attorney, will be handling all the legal work.
   This is the policy we voted on last year, you may recall.
   
   
7. Use after the attribution to introduce a direct quote.
   Professor Sullivan said, "This is the introduction to the lecture on hybrid plants."
   
   
8. Use between the city and state.
   We held the convention in Honolulu, Hawaii.
   
   
9. Use in dates after the day and after the year.
   On February 14, 1993, he married his childhood sweetheart.
   
   
10. Use to set off transitional words.
    They planned, however, to consider all their suggestions.
    Consequently, the group morale was greatly improved.
    The employees worked harder on the project; as a result, they finished it in half the time.
    
    

Abbreviations

1. Use periods for most one- or two-letter abbreviations.
   1600 B.C., 4 p.m., U.N., N.Y., 344 W. Elm St. Some exceptions are: TV, IQ, 3M
   
   
2. Symbols: Spell out and, percent, and cents. Use $ before the figure for dollars.
   
   
3. Don't abbreviate the days of the week, or the month unless it is within a date. (Jan. 3, 1997) March, April, May, June and July are never abbreviated.
   
   
4. Courtesy titles - Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms. - are only used in quotations. Do not use them in news articles. Formal titles - Dr., Professor, Gov., Sen., Rev. - are used on first reference before the name and then referred to by the full title on later reference (business style only).
   Rev. Mark James led the benediction. The Reverend cited numerous verses from the New Testament.
   
   
5. The names of organizations are written out at first reference with the initials in parentheses after the name (business style only). Later references use just the initials or acronym.
   The U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) has had some significant problems in the last few years. Congress has now put tighter controls on HEW.
   
   
6. States are only abbreviated if used after a city. Never abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Maine, Ohio, Texas or Utah unless you are using them in postal addresses before the zip code.
   
   

Capitalization

1. Titles and proper names of people, locations, religions, races, groups, languages, trademarks, etc., are capitalized.
   Dr. Laurel Dickens, New York City, Mormon, Caucasian, Democratic Party, French, Jell-O
   
   
2. Capitalize a substitute title (business style only).
   The Department of Justice investigates activities of the Mafia.
   The Department indexes those involved in any criminal activity.
   
   
3. Capitalize most initials and acronyms.
   The IRS distributes forms for filing taxes.
   WEAVE is an organization that helps women and children escape a violent environment.
   
   
4. Capitalize the first word of a sentence and the first word of a direct quotation.
   The minister said, "Honor thy father and mother."
   
   
5. Professional titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a personal name.
   Vice President Deborah Travis
   
   
6. In formal usage, such as acknowledgements and lists of contributors, titles following a personal name are also usually capitalized.
   The college wishes to acknowledge its indebtedness to C.R. Dowdell, President of Acme Industrials.
   
   
7. In text, a title used alone, in place of a personal name, is not capitalized.
   This responsibility belongs to the area dean.
   
   
8. In text, titles are generally lowercased when they follow a personal name or are used alone in place of a name, or the full official title is not used.
   Deborah Travis is vice president of Sacramento City College.
   The vice president requests your cooperation.
   Please contact the vice president's office.
   
   
9. Full, official titles are capitalized only when they immediately follow a personal name in a formal document, or precede the name.
   Deborah Travis, Vice President, Sacramento City College
   Sacramento City College Vice President Deborah Travis
   
   
10. Academic degrees and honors should be capitalized when following a personal name, whether abbreviated or written in full.
    Clyde M. Haverstick, Ph.D.
    Mary R. Barnett, Ed.D.
    Frank Smith, M.S.
    
    
11. A person's job classification is normally not capitalized except in personnel matters.
    Please contact the public information officer.
    We need to hire an instructional assistant.
    The committee is made up of representatives of faculty, classified staff, and management.
    but:
    Jane Doe has been promoted to a Clerk III.
    
    
12. The college and district names are not capitalized unless used in their entirety.
    Sacramento City College finds itself in this position.
    This is the Los Rios Community College District.
    But
    She works at the district office.
    The district is responsible, not the college.
    The college finds itself in this position.
    
    
13. The names of areas, departments, offices and buildings normally are not capitalized unless stated in the full, official form.
    the administration building
    the library
    She is an instructor in the child development center
    but
    Rodda North
    Learning Resource Center
    Berneice L. Clayton Child Development Center
    
    
14. The names for semesters or sessions are not capitalized. In general, in all writing, the names of the seasons (spring, fall, summer, winter) are not capitalized.
    The course will be available during the spring semester.
    Continuing students must submit a supplemental application for the fall and summer sessions.
    
    
15. When the college catalog or class schedule is mentioned in text, it normally is not capitalized.
    The course is listed on page 34 of the spring class schedule.
    Each student should purchase a copy of the college catalog.
    She asked for both a catalog and schedule.
    
    
16. Always refer to SCC as "the college," not "the campus," except when referring to the grounds.
    The college community shows a strong support for students.
    The college has a large number of student organizations.
    But
    The campus is beautifully landscaped.
    
    
17. Use the term "staff" when referring to faculty, classified and managers as a whole-for example, in addressing a memo that goes to all employees, or in a reference to all employees in a letter, memo or publication.
    A survey was sent to all staff, asking them for their input.
    In general, SCC staff seem to be satisfied with the plan.