7th Floor Style Guide
ACRONYMS
ACRONYMS
UNSYG
UN Secretary-General
Which is correct:
o The government of Wakanda agreed. The government agreed.
o PM Jones said he liked Washington. The Prime Minister would like to visit again.
o The Copenhagen Accord was a success. The accord will win hearts and minds.
o The Ministerial meeting will be held next week; states parties will attend.
o The Copenhagen Accord was a success. The accord will win hearts and minds.
How would you write out a fraction
one-third, two-fifths
CBW
chemical and biological weapons
When drafting, do you need to spell out:
Department of State bureaus and offices (e.g., BP, OES, S/SRS, WHA)
U.S. missions to international organizations
U.S. combatant commands
NO
NO
NO
SACFO
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Provide a sentence with the appropriate use of the oxford comma
I like oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and sea salt/chocolate chunk cookies.
I don't like rice krispie treats, cookies with nuts, or brownies with nuts.
When do you spell out numbers vs. writing the number
For cardinal numbers, spell out numbers zero through nine; use numerals for 10 or greater. For ordinals, spell out first through ninth and use numbers for 10th or greater.
GNP and GDP
gross national product; gross domestic product
When drafting, do you need to spell out:
CBP, CDC, DEA, DHS, DoD, DOC, DOE, DOI, DOJ, DOL, DOT (Transportation), EPA, FBI, FCC, FTC, GAO, GSA, HHS, HUD, NASA, NSA, ODNI, OPM, TSA, USAID, USCIS, USDA, USTR, VOA
NO, except for Commerce and Labor
(also spell out Treasury and Energy)
DPRK
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (i.e., North Korea)
Which statement is correct & WHY?
1. We activated the alarm, but the intruder was already inside.
2. We activated the alarm, but were already inside.
3. We activated the alarm but we were already inside.
1. We activated the alarm, but the intruder was already inside.
2. We activated the alarm but were already inside.
3. We activated the alarm but we were already inside.
Which is incorrect and why?
o 5 %
o 5 degrees
o Five percent of people like cookies
o 5 percent
Always use numerals for percentages, temperatures, and lists of data (e.g., 5 percent).
o Do not start a sentence with a numeral. Spell out (“Forty-six people were involved…”) or rephrase the sentence so the number is not at the beginning.
She is a FSO who used to be the DCM at UNVIE, but now she works in the FOIA office
Foreign Service Officer
Deputy Chief of Mission of International
U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna
Freedom of Information Act
Never use contractions
NO
Contractions are acceptable (and often preferred) in talking points. Generally avoid them in background and memo text. Do not use contractions in formal correspondence
ALDAC
cable to all diplomatic and consular posts
Which is correct?
o U.S. Bankers provided a USD 200 million loan.
o U.S. Bankers provided a $200 million USD loan.
o U.S. Bankers provided a $200 million loan.
o U.S. Bankers provided a 200 million USD loan .
o U.S. Bankers provided a $200 million loan.
When do you use a hyphen (-) vs. en dashes ( – ) vs. double hyphen (--)
Always use a hyphen (-) within and between words. Use en dashes ( – ) only to set off a phrase within a sentence. Do not use the double hyphen (--).
o He indicated – but we disagree – that the decision will advance the U.S.-Germany relationship.
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
Is this correct?
The Administration of PM Macron is coordinating with the Administration of President Trump.
Capitalize when referring to the current U.S. Administration. Use lower case for former U.S. and all foreign administrations
HRVP
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission
Which is incorrect?
o They last met in November 2018.
o They last met on November 18, 2018.
o They last met on January 18 (assuming today is December 28, 2018).
o They last met on January 18, 2018 (assuming today is December 28, 2018).
o They last met on January 18, 2018 (assuming today is December 28, 2018).
How many spaces after a
1. SEMICOLON
2. COLON
3. PERIOD
1
2
2
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
I work at DOS, but my BFFAEAEAEAE works at DoD
Do not use DOS
“Department of State,” “State Department,” “the Department,” and “State” are all acceptable in internal documents. . Use “State” for clarity in interagency documents and/or when discussing multiple agencies. Use “Department of State” in legal or public documents and in external correspondence.