Hyphens
Capitalization
Political Terms
Tech Terms
Potpourri
100
The UPS (drop off / drop-off) is located on Sansome St.
What is "drop-off"? Rule: Use a hyphen in the adjective and noun, but NOT in the verb (I will drop off my car).
100
Mendocino and Lake (Counties / counties) offer great wines.
What is "counties"? Rule: Lowercase the common noun elements of names in plural uses.
100
A recent Pew survey found that Obama is no longer the (front-runner / front runner) in the 2012 presidential campaign.
What is front-runner?
100
You can find hotel bargains on (www.jetsetter.com / jetsetter.com).
What is "www.jetsetter.com"? Rule: Include "www" in the website address.
100
The company treats (its / their) employees well.
What is "its"? Rule: Company is a collective noun and takes a singular verb.
200
I joined Allison+Partners when it was a (start-up / startup).
What is "startup"? Rule: Startup is one word (n. and adj.) to describe a new business venture. This is an exception to Webster's preference.
200
I've stopped wishing strangers (merry Christmas / Merry Christmas).
What is "merry Christmas"? Rule: Greetings like happy holidays, season's greetings, etc. are lowercase, though Christmas is always capitalized).
200
(Representative / Rep.) Nancy Pelosi and (Senator / Sen.) Barbara Boxer hail from California.
What are "Rep." and "Sen."? Rule: Use Rep., Reps., Sen. and Sens. as formal titles before one or more names. Spell out and lowercase representative and senator in other uses.
200
(IPhones / iPhones) are being stolen on San Francisco public transportation.
What is "IPhones"? Rule: Capitalize the "I" when the word starts a sentence or headline.
200
My music taste is stuck in the (80s / 80's / '80s).
What is "'80s"? Rule: Use an apostrophe to indicate omission of figures ("19" is omitted in this case).
300
The (newly-elected / newly elected) president should make Big Bird a member of his cabinet.
What is "newly elected"? Rule: No hyphen with adverbs ending in -ly.
300
I plan to visit (Central / central) Louisiana this winter.
What is "central"? Rule: Lowercase compass point unless it's a widely know section such as Southern California or South Florida.
300
Twitter activity spiked during the Democratic (Convention / convention).
What is "convention"? Rule: Lowercase except in a formal name (Democratic National Convention).
300
I've become addicted to (twitter / Twitter).
What is "Twitter"? Rule: Capitalize despite the company's lowercase logo.
300
Scott left the office at (5:30 PM / 5:30pm / 5:30 p.m.) to have dinner with his family.
What is "5:30 p.m."? Rule: Lowercase with periods and a space. Avoid the redundant "5:30 p.m. this evening."
400
Plastic bags have been banned in San Francisco because they have a (500 to 1,000 year / 500 to 1,000-year / 500- to 1,000-year) lifespan.
What is "500- to 1,000-year"? Rule: Suspend use of year with a hyphen to avoid repetition.
400
After receiving a (Bachelor of Arts / bachelor of arts) in English, he plans to pursue a (Bachelor's / bachelor's ) in psychology.
What are "Bachelor of Arts" and "bachelor's"? Rules: Capitalize the formal academic degree but not the descriptive term (e.g., bachelor's, doctorate).
400
I saw (first lady / First Lady) Michelle Obama's wonderful speech at the Democratic National Convention.
What is "first lady"? Rule: First lady is not an official title and is therefore not capitalized (even when preceding a name).
400
The author used (e-mail / email) to promote his new (e-book / ebook).
What is "email" and "e-book"? Rule: No hyphen for email; hyphen for other e- terms (e-commerce).
400
(Cathy and Phil's / Cathy's and Phil's) joint presentation at AU was fun and interactive.
What is "Cathy and Phil's"? Rule: Joint ownership requires just one apostrophe.
500
I live in a (three year old / three-year-old / 3-year-old) house.
What is "3-year-old"? Rules: Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun. Use figures when denoting age for people, animals and objects.
500
We were tipsy after drinking a bottle of (Chardonnay / chardonnay), followed by a bottle of (Bordeaux / bordeaux).
What are "chardonnay" and "Bordeaux"? Rule: AP uses lowercase for wine varietals, unless they refer to specific regional proper nouns, such as Bordeaux. Chianti fits that category, merlot does not.
500
I'm anxiously awaiting (Election Day / election day) and hope to hear Romney's concession speech on (Election Night / election night).
What is "Election Day" and "election night"?
500
Today, you don't need to hire a (webmaster / Webmaster) to have a solid presence on the (web / Web).
What is "webmaster" and "Web"? Rule: Webmaster (and other compounds like website, webcast and webcam) are one word, lowercase. Web is capitalized as a short form of World Wide Web. Bonus rule: Web page and Web feed are two words, with Web capitalized.
500
Did you catch (The TODAY Show / the "TODAY" show / "The TODAY Show" / the "TODAY Show") this morning?
What is the "TODAY" show? Put TV and radio show titles in quotations, but only the official name.
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