abbreviations

Do not abbreviate names of programs or schools in narrative text. Do not abbreviate the names of states or months. Also see academic degrees and dates.

academic degrees

Lowercase names of degrees in narrative text. Spell out “bachelor’s” “master’s” and “doctorate” unless space is an issue, such as in a list of faculty. Do not include “ ’s ” when “of arts” or “of science” or similar specifications are indicated. If necessary to identify the major/concentration, use parentheses.

• associate degree
• bachelor’s degree
• bachelor of science
• bachelor of arts (IAS-environmental studies)
• bachelor of arts (Urban Studies)
• master’s degree
• master in nursing

In some contexts, however, such as lists of faculty members, it may be more sensible to use abbreviations of degrees, rather than spell them out.

If more than one degree is listed, put the degrees in order of rank, highest to lowest.

• Joe Faculty, Ph.D., MBA, BA

Hyphenate “post-doctorate,” “post-graduate” and “post-secondary.”

“Doctorate” is a noun. “Doctoral” is an adjective.

• Cole has a doctorate in rocket science.
• Edward is a doctoral student.

Abbreviations for UW Tacoma degrees are listed below. For a complete list of degrees and certificates with majors or options offered at UW Tacoma, see the Academics section.

• BA, bachelor of arts
• BABA, bachelor of arts in business administration
• BASW, bachelor of arts in social welfare
• BS, bachelor of science
• BS, bachelor of science in nursing
• MAIS, master of art in Interdisciplinary Studies
• MBA, master of business administration
• M.Ed., master of education
• MN, master of nursing
• MS, master of science
• MSW, master of social work

academic year

The academic year begins with the summer quarter and continues to the autumn, winter and spring quarters. Specific academic years are denoted by the calendar years in which the academic years begin and end.

• 1999-00
• 2010-11
• ’12-’13

addresses

The university’s official address is:

University of Washington Tacoma
Campus Box 358400
1900 Commerce St.
Tacoma, WA 98402-3100

Including your campus box number is optional but can speed mail delivery. If used, the Postal Service dictates that it should appear above the street address.

Use numerals to denote house numbers and street numbers. For ordinal numbers, do not make “th” superscript.

Spell out “avenue,” “street,” “boulevard,” cities and states unless addressing an envelope or listing a mailing address. Use two-letter postal abbreviations for states only in giving a mailing address.

• The campus faces Pacific Avenue.
• Max parked on 21st street.
• Send applications to:
  University of Washington Tacoma
  1900 Commerce St.
  Tacoma, WA 98402-3100

adviser

Note we spell it with an “e.”

We have two kinds of advisers. Admissions advisers talk with prospective students. Academic advisers talk with current students.

advisory

affect, effect

“Affect” is a verb meaning “to influence.” “Effect” is most often used as a noun meaning “a result.” It can also be used as a verb meaning “to succeed in.”

• The lights created a special effect.
• It affected the mood of the audience.
• The stage manager effected a solution.

African-American

All-American

alumni

• alumnus = singular, male
• alumna = singular, female
• alumni = plural, both genders
• alumnae = plural, female
• alum/alums = slang, either gender, acceptable in all but very formal uses
  • Is Brad a UW Tacoma alum?

Denote class year and program as follows:

• Joe Dimaggio (IAS '09)
• Jay Buhner '09

ampersand, &

Do not use ampersands in narrative text. OK in charts and graphs and in the formal name of a company, such as a law firm.

appraise, apprise

“Appraise” means “to set a value or price.” “Apprise” means “to notify.”

• The land was appraised at $25,000.
• The agent will apprise the owners.

ASUWT

Associated Students of the University of Washington Tacoma (student government)

awards

Capitalize the names of awards. Do not capitalize generic references.

• Lucy won the Cute Baby of the Year Award.
• The award was presented on Tuesday.

baccalaureate

Use as an adjective, not a noun.

• Wrong: She earned a baccalaureate.
• Right: She earned a baccalaureate degree.

branch campus

Do not refer to UW Tacoma as a “branch” or “satellite” or to the University of Washington as a “system.” It is appropriate to refer to the separate “campuses” of UW Tacoma, UW Bothell and UW Seattle.

buildings

When addressing an audience outside of campus, use the full name of the building and avoid using the building code except on second reference.

Full name	Common name	Building code
Birmingham Block		BB
Birmingham Hay and Seed		BHS
Carlton Center	Carlton	CAR
Cherry Parkes		CP
Dougan		DOU
Garretson Woodruff Pratt		GWP
Keystone		KEY
Library		LIB
Laborers Hall		LBH
Longshoremen’s Hall		LSH
Mattress Factory		MAT
McDonald Smith		MDS
Pinkerton		PNK
Russell T. Joy	Joy	JOY
Science		SCI
Tioga		TIO
Walsh Gardner		WG
West Coast Grocery		WCG
William W. Philip Hall	Philip Hall	WPH

bulleted lists

Keep punctuation for bulleted lists to a minimum. Do not punctuate sentence fragments unless it is necessary for the list to make sense. It is not necessary to include “and” before the last item in the list. A list that includes some items that are complete sentences and some that are not is awkward. Avoid that by using either complete sentences or parallel phrases in which the verb forms are the same. The first letter of items in a list may be capitalized if each item is a complete sentence or is lengthy.

Students should refrain from the following activities:

• swimming with sharks
• biking underwater
• jumping in canoes

Directions:

• Go a mile or so down the road.
• When you see the broken fence, turn right.
• Turn left at the barking dog.
• Go across the creek, and you’re there.
• You can’t miss it.

bus, buses

The plural of “bus” is “buses.”

capitalization

Capitalize the proper names of programs, departments, offices and units. Do not capitalize the word “program.”

• Nursing program
• Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
• Human Resources Office

Do not capitalize academic degrees when spelled out unless it’s a proper noun, e.g., English or Spanish. See academic degrees for common abbreviations.

• associate degree
• bachelor’s degree
• master’s degree
• doctoral degree
• communications degree
• degree in environmental science

Capitalize the proper name of the institution. Do not capitalize “university,” “college,” “institute” or “center” when they stand alone.

• University of Washington Tacoma
• UW Tacoma
• The university is part of the Union Station Historic District.
• The Center for Urban Waters is on Thea Foss Waterway.
• Meet at the center for class.
• The Institute of Technology is in Pinkerton.
• She works at the institute.

Lowercase these words:

• alumni
• autumn
• bachelor’s degree
• city
• director
• fall
• federal
• freshman, freshmen
• grad student
• junior (academic status)
• master’s degree
• quarter
• senior
• sophomore
• spring
• state
• summer
• winter

When in doubt, consult Webster’s Dictionary.

campus place names

• Academic building refers to GWP, BHS, BB and WCG combined (antiquated usage)
• Carwein Auditorium, named for a previous chancellor, Vicky L. Carwein, is in the Keystone building
• Grand Staircase
• Commerce Street is the sidewalk corridor that runs from the Dougan Circle to 21st Street
• Dougan Circle is the area between the Dougan and Joy buildings
• Gillenwater Plaza is between the Library and Philip Hall
• Gateway Plaza is between GWP and WG
• oUWTpost is the student lounge area on the first floor of the Mattress Factory

captions

Never, ever, ever write a caption unless you have the photo in sight. If the caption is a full sentence, end it with a period. If not a complete sentence, capitalize the first word but do not end with a period.

Catalyst

The Catalyst Web Tools are a set of web-based communication and collaboration applications designed for use in teaching, learning, research and everyday work. Use of the Catalyst Web Tools is free to anyone in the UW community.

centers

• Autism Center
• Campus Fitness Center
• Center for the Study of Community and Society
• Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility
• Center for the Study of Community and Society
• Center for Urban Waters
• Copy and Mail Center
• Diversity Resource Center
• KeyBank Professional Development Center
• Student Counseling Center
• Teaching and Learning Center

century

Do not capitalize “century” unless part of a proper name.

• 20th century
• 21st century
• 20th Century Fox

chair, chairman, chairwoman, chairperson

Use “chair” to denote the leader of a unit, regardless of gender. See endowed chair.

chancellor

Use the chancellor’s full name on the first reference in narrative text. Use “Chancellor Friedman” or “chancellor” for all other references. Do not capitalize “chancellor” unless the name goes immediately after it.

• Chancellor Debra Friedman
• Chancellor Friedman
• Debra Friedman, chancellor, spoke at the meeting.
• The chancellor introduced the speaker.

childcare

city

Lowercase unless part of a proper name. Don’t capitalize “city of.”

• The city of Tacoma is a partner in the Urban Waters project.
• The Tacoma City Council voted on the proposal.

class, course

Uppercase the principal words in the names of courses.

• Bodies of Knowledge: How We Know What We Know
• Communities and the Common Good
• Science and Technology in the Information Society

class year

Do not capitalize “freshman,” “sophomore,” “junior” or “senior.” Also see quarters, academic.

comma, serial

The UW follows the Associated Press style of not adding a serial comma, i.e., a comma before the last item in a series within a sentence.

• red, white and blue
• The panda eats, shoots and leaves.

Commencement

Uppercase when referring to the event.

complement, compliment, complimentary

“Complement” means “something that completes or perfects.” “Compliment” means “to praise or congratulate.” If you mean “provided at no cost,” the word is “complimentary.”

compositions

Italicize the principal words in the names of books, plays, magazines, newspapers, TV shows, and albums/CDs. If it appears within italicized texts, such as in a caption, do not italicize the composition name.

Use quote marks around the name of a chapter of a book, a department within a magazine or newspaper, a segment of a TV show, a song within an album/CD and any other portion of a composition.

course work

dates

Do not abbreviate months. Use numerals for day of the month and years. Do not use ordinal numbers, such 3rd, 2nd, 7th. The only exception is the 4th of July. A comma is needed between day and year, but no comma is needed with just the month and year.

• Please join us on May 23, 2010, for a swell event.
• See you in July.
• Will you come to the party on September 4?
• January 2002 was a cold month.

daylight-saving time

Notice “saving” is singular.

decision-maker, decision-making

degrees

See academic degrees.

directions

Lowercase “east,” “west,” “north” and “south” when used as compass directions. Capitalize when they indicate regions. Abbreviate when used as part of the name of a street. Spell out and capitalize if part of the name of a city, state, business or other organization.

• Turn west on E. Elm Street.
• She is from the East Coast, but she moved to the South.
• West Coast
• Midwest
• Western Washington
• South Puget Sound

doctorate, doctoral

“Doctorate” is a noun that includes “degree” in its definition. “Doctoral” is an adjective. “Doctorate” is preferred over “doctoral degree.” See academic degrees.

e-

Hyphenate where confusion might arise, e.g., e-publications, e-commerce, e-books. Do not hyphenate “email.”

e.g. and i.e.

The abbreviation “e.g.” means “for example.” The abbreviation “i.e.” means “in other words.” They are always lowercase and should have commas placed on both sides.

• The city banned excessive use of water, e.g., watering lawns.
• Wasting water, i.e., using water carelessly, is discouraged.

email

emphasis

Do not use italics, bold, underlines, capital letters or quote marks to add emphasis in straight text. These should be used only to organize the material. For stronger emphasis, rewrite the sentence.

endowed chairs, professorships, deanships

A person can be “named to” or can “hold” an endowed chair, but cannot “be” the endowed chair.

• Fred T. and Dorothy G. Haley Endowed Professor of the Humanities
• Milgard Business School Endowed Deanship
• Port of Tacoma Endowed Chair

ensure, insure

“Ensure” means “to guarantee.” “Insure” has to do with insurance policies.

• How can you ensure your results are correct?
• The university insures its property and buildings.

entitled, titled

“Entitled” means “a right to do something.” “Titled” means “named.” Use “titled” to denote the name of a composition.

• You are entitled to another turn.
• The book is titled, A Short Person’s Guide to Parade Viewing.

etc.

Use sparingly.

ethnic affiliation

Capitalize the names of ethnic groups. Hyphenate the following:

• Arab-American
• African-American
• Asian-American
• Chinese-American
• Hispanic-American

Do not hyphenate “Native American.”

faculty

The word “faculty” is collective noun and refers to a group of teachers or professors. It should not be used to denote an individual teacher or professor.

Capitalize the titles “professor,” “associate professor,” and “assistant professor” only when used directly before a name. Lowercase a job title if it comes after a name or is used without a name. Lowercase adjectives such as “history” when used before titles.

Instructors are “adjunct faculty members.”

• Each faculty member voted on the proposal.
• Professor Piffany Fosnature will give the lecture.
• She is a professor in the Nursing program.
• We spoke to history Professor Piffany Fosnature.

Faculty Assembly

The body of faculty members at UW Tacoma.

farther, further

“Farther” refers to distance. “Further” means “additionally.”

• We will research that further.
• Everett is farther than Seattle.

fewer, less

“Fewer” is used with nouns that can be counted and made plural. “Less” is used with nouns that cannot be counted or made plural.

• fewer cars, less traffic
• fewer trees, less oxygen
• fewer files, less information

Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form (FAFSA)

Exception to the rule for capitalizing forms. See forms.

first come, first served

forms

On first reference, spell out and do not capitalize the names of forms, such as “registration form.” FAFSA is an exception to this rule. Use the acronyms of well-known forms if they are spelled out on first reference.

• The application for transfer admission is due soon.
• Fill out the FAFSA to apply for financial aid.

Freshman, freshmen

Freshman is singular, freshmen is plural. When used as an adjective it is always “freshman.”

• We expect to enroll more than 300 freshmen.
• The freshman curriculum includes 20 credits of writing-intensive course work.

full time, full-time

Use a hyphen only when modifying a noun. Henry is a full-time employee. He works full time.

fundraiser, fundraising

governor

Do not capitalize unless immediately precedes the name. Abbreviate when used with a name.

• Gov. Chris Gregoire gave the speech.
• The governor arrived on campus.

GPA

Grade point average. All caps, no periods. Spell out in lowercase on first reference in narrative text.

graduation year

Alumni grad years and programs are denoted as shown below. Please note the apostrophe’s tail points toward the missing digits.

• Rick O’Connell ’91
• Peter Sellers (IAS ’11)

healthcare

Hendrix the Husky

Official mascot of UW Tacoma, named by students. Hendrix was born April 7, 2009.

historic, historical

A “historic” event is an important occurrence that stands out in history. A “historical” event is any occurrence that happened in the past.

• The founding of UW Tacoma was a historic event.
• Researchers found historical evidence of volcanic activity.

homepage

i.e.

Means “in other words,” or “that is to say.” See e.g.

I, me

Use “I” as the subject of a sentence. Use “me” as the object, even when another person is part of the object. A good test of whether you have it right is to leave the other person out of the sentence and determine whether you would say “I” or “me.”

• Sherry and I went to the store.
• The boss gave some money to Bart and me.
• The newspaper story was about Chuck and me.

imply, infer

“Imply” means “to suggest,” usually with negative connotations. “Infer” means “to arrive at a conclusion.”

• Tom implied Harold had cheated on the test.
• Harold inferred that Tom was no longer his friend.

initials

Do not put a space between two initials of a person’s name.

• I.M. Sumbudy

institute

Lowercase when used without entire name.

• Those two students are from the institute.

internet

Do not capitalize “internet” in most cases. See Internet Guide below.

italics

Do not use italics to add emphasis. Use italics sparingly to denote irony, indicate a foreign or technical word unfamiliar to the reader, for composition titles and captions. See compositions.

• Hey, Gravity Man! It’s time for supper!
• You can capture the malfattori tomorrow.
• After supper, you must practice your cavatina.
• Your music teacher wants you to learn Adagio in G minor.

it’s, its

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is.” “Its” is the possessive form of the neuter pronoun, “it.”

• It’s the first day of the quarter.
• Shelly gave the computer its nickname.

job titles

Capitalize job titles that fall immediately before a name. Do not capitalize job titles if they fall after the name or if the person’s name is not given. Capitalize the name of departments that are part of job titles.

• Chancellor Debra Friedman spoke at the meeting.
• Cedric Howard, vice chancellor of Student Affairs, gave a presentation.
• The president will attend the next meeting.
• The vice chancellor brought cookies.

legislature

Capitalize when using the full, proper name or it is clear which legislature is referred to.

• The Washington State Legislature meets in Olympia.
• The Legislature went into extra sessions.
• Most states have a legislature to make laws.

lists

See bulleted lists.

logos

The university’s logo guidelines are available online.

mission statement

UW Tacoma’s mission statement is available online.

money

Omit unnecessary zeros. Use the dollar sign and figures in all but casual references. For round amounts of more than $1 million, use the dollar sign and spell out “million,” “billion” or “trillion.” Lowercase the words “dollar” and “cents” when they are spelled out. For amounts less than a dollar, use numerals and spell out “cents.” Also see numbers.

• Incorrect: $5.00
• Correct: $5
• $1 million
• $3.5 billion
• She looked like a million bucks.
• The fee was $9.50.
• Harry gave me a dollar and Trudy gave me 50 cents.

months

Spell out the names of months. Also see dates.

more than, over

“More than” refers to numerical relationships. “Over” refers to spatial relationships.

• More than 50 people arrived at once.
• The plane flew over the campus.

names

See compositions and job titles.

Native American

Not hyphenated.

non-

In general, a hyphen is not needed to form compound words with the prefix “non” unless used with a proper noun or if it not having it is awkward.

• non-accessible
• noncompliance
• nonconformist
• nonentity
• non-Euclidean
• noninvasive
• nonmatriculated
• nonpartisan
• nonprofit
• nonviolence

noon

Not capitalized. Preferable to 12 p.m.

NSO, New Student Orientation

numbers

Usually, spell out numbers from zero to nine and use figures for 10 and above. When a number begins a sentence, spell it out, but it is preferable to rewrite the sentence to avoid beginning with a number. Do not use unnecessary zeros in money figures or times.

Exceptions: do not spell out ages, dates, money, percentages, numbers that are not whole, scores, house numbers or years. Street numbers of nine and below are sometimes spelled out for a more elegant effect. Spell out large, round figures, such as ‘hundreds” or “a million.”

• The concert begins at 8 p.m.
• The ticket is $5.
• The 3-year-old house is on the market.
• Cut the cards four times.
• Jerry sold 3.5 cartons.
• Seventy-eight trombones led the big parade.
• He lives at 36352 9th Street and Eleventh Avenue.
• Since it was a nice day, 80 percent of the voters turned out.
• The Huskies beat the Cougars 10 to 3.

In ordinal numbers, spell out first through ninth, and use the numeral for 10th and above, followed by the appropriate suffix. Do not use ordinal numbers in dates. See time.

• Right: April 1
• Wrong: April 1st
• 21st century
• the second son
• the 14th concert

off campus, off-campus

No hyphen, unless modifying a noun.

• The meeting is off campus.
• It’s an off-campus site.

office

Capitalize “office” when part of the formal name.

• Jan works in the Finance Office.
• The professor’s office is on your right.

OK

Not “okay.”

on- and off-campus

online

part time, part-time

Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier before a noun.

• Roger works part time.
• He is a part-time employee.

percent

One word. Use numerals for the amount, and spell out “percent” unless in a chart or graphic where space does not allow.

• Wrong: More than 38% of the students voted “no.”
• Wrong: More than thirty-eight per cent of the students voted “no.”
• Correct: More than 38 percent of the students voted “no.”

phone numbers

Use the format below. Do not split phone numbers between two lines. A “1” is not needed before an “800” or other long-distance number.

• 253-692-4881
• 692-4881
• 2-4881 (on campus)
• 800-555-1234

post-

Use a hyphen to join “post” to a noun.

• post-graduate
• post-doctorate
• post-mortem
• post-baccalaureate

pre-

Hyphenate the prefix “pre” when the root word begins with an “e” or when needed for clarity.

• prearrange
• prehistoric
• pre-major
• pre-eminent
• pre-empt
• pre-dawn

president

Use the president’s full name on the first reference in text. Use “President Soandso” for all other references. Do not capitalize “president” unless the person’s name goes immediately after it.

• President Michael Young
• President Young
• Michael Young, president of UW, started the meeting.
• The president arrived at 2 p.m.

principal, principle

“Principal” means “chief” or “most important,” such as the administrative head of a school or one of the owners of a business. In financial references, “principal” is the amount of a debt minus the interest. “Principle” is a rule, code or law.

program

Do not capitalize “program.”

• Urban Studies program
• a program of study

problem-solve

quarters, academic

Lowercase “spring,” “summer,” “fall,” “autumn” and “winter” quarters.

re-

Use a hyphen to join the prefix “re-” to a word only when the root word begins with an “e” or if needed to retain the sense of the word.

• re-examine
• re-engineer
• re-emerge
• redesign
• reallocate
• re-create (as in creating again)
• recreate (have fun)
• re-cover (cover again)
• recover (acquire again)
• resign (to quit)
• re-sign (sign again)
• re-admission (to prevent being read “read-mission”

regime, regimen

“Regime” means “a political system” or “a government in power.” “Regimen” is “a course of diet or exercise.”

• The dictator’s regime ended in bloodshed.
• Julie is following a strict regimen to get in shape. '

residence hall

Do not use “dorms.”

résumé, resume

If you like the accents, use ’em. If you don’t, we’re OK with that.

room

Lowercase the word “room,” unless it has a name. If the room number is preceded by the name of the building, the word “room” is not needed. In narrative text, spell out the name of the building for the sake of those who are not familiar with our campus.

• Port of Tacoma Room
• The meeting is in Mattress Factory 316.
• The demonstration is in room 209.

RSO: Registered Student Organizations

R.S.V.P. or r.s.v.p.

Abbreviation for réspondex s’il vous plait, French for “please respond.” It is redundant to write “please” with “r.s.v.p.”

SAB: Student Activities Board

seasons

Lowercase “spring,” “summer,” “fall,” “autumn” and “winter.” Do not use a comma between season and year. See quarters, academic.

• The Joy building will be finished in spring 2011.

state

Spell out the names of states. Do not capitalize the word “state” unless it is part of a proper name.

• Washington state borders Canada.
• Idaho is on Washington’s eastern border.
• The Washington State Legislature makes the laws.
• The state agency enforces the laws.
• This university is in Tacoma, Washington.

subjunctive mood

Use for verbs that indicate something contrary to fact, a wish, doubts or regrets.

• If I were a rich man, I wouldn’t have to work hard.
• If I were you, I’d turn around.
• I wish it were true.

system

Do not refer to the UW as a “system.” The UW is made up of three campuses at Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma.

TLC: Teaching and Learning Center

T-shirt

TTY/TDD

TTY (TeleType) and TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) are the same thing — a system that allows people who are hearing-impaired to communicate over the telephone. In print references, use "TTY." UW Tacoma's TTY number is 253-692-4413.

TV

under way

university

Do not capitalize when used without the entire proper name.

• Which university do you attend?
• The University of Washington Tacoma is a terrific school.
• It’s the university of choice for many.
• The university policy does not allow students to appeal their grades after one quarter.

University of Washington, UW

Use “University of Washington” or “UW” to refer to the entire, three-campus university. When specifying the Seattle campus, use “University of Washington Seattle” or “UW Seattle.”

University of Washington Tacoma, UW Tacoma

Use full name on first reference and “UW Tacoma” afterward. Do not abbreviate as “UWT.” Never use a hyphen or a comma between “Washington” and “Tacoma” or between “UW” and “Tacoma.”

Internet Guide

e-

Hyphenate e-words such as “e-document” except for “email.”

email

e-newsletter

Facebook

homepage

Internet

MySpace

URL

Italicize in printed text or in e-documents where the address is not hyperlinked. It is not necessary to use “http://” in the visible address, only in the hyperlink. Whenever possible, request a shortened URL for use in visible addresses — a short, easy-to-remember URL that substitutes for long and complicated ones

web

webpage

website

World Wide Web

 

Misc. writing advice

Trim the fat

Eliminate unnecessary words. For every word you cut, one more reader stays with you. Too many prepositions usually means there are not enough working words in a sentence, according to Henriette Anne Klauser, author of Both Sides of the Brain. Try to cut as much as 50 percent of the words — you’ll be surprised how many words you don’t need.

Down with capitals

Resist the urge to capitalize words that you think are important. Capital letters anywhere except at the beginning of the sentence cause readers to stop or slow down. It’s faster and easier for them to read with fewer capitals.

Slaughter, throw out, strike, remove, destroy and mutilate passive verbs

Use active verbs rather than passive verbs. Do this by eliminating the various forms of “to be” and replacing them with action verbs.

• Passive:
  • The center is directed by him.
  • Art is her subject of study.
  • There is a plan that’s ready.
  • The award was given for courage.
• Active:
  • He directs the center.
  • She studies art.
  • We developed a plan.
  • The hero received an award for courage.

Borrowing again from Klauser: “In active-voice sentences, the subject comes first, so you know up front who is doing the action of the verb. The passive voice hides the subject; the reader has an uneasy sense that there are no people around.”

• Passive:
  • It has come to my attention
  • It has been reported
• Active:
  • I noticed
  • The manager reports

Redundancies over and over again

Avoid redundancies such as “12 noon,” “please R.S.V.P,” “past history,” and “soupe du jour of the day.”

Don’t write in academic-ese

It’s difficult at a university to step away from the prose we use in academic journals, research papers, curriculum proposals and other pedagogical writing. For reaching audiences other than professional academics, however, less-formal language is much more effective. Write the way you talk. Use good grammar, but go for a casual tone.