An Ever-Evolving Web Page on Language

TIP#1: Internet should be uppercase in all usages

TIP#2: Web page and Web site should always be two words with the W uppercase

TIP#3: Avoid GUYS when talking to a group of girls or a mixed group of students or faculty

TIP#4: Use FLIER with an I not with a Y

TIP#5: When referring to a Chapin class, please use the number value

TIP#6: E-mail should be spelled with a dash.

Diane Spillios-fs on Friday, May 12, 2006 at 2:07 PM wrote:

Here are some capitalization guidelines:

the Varsity Soccer Team
the Badminton Team
the team
Class 9
Dance Club president

Complete Style Guide From Nicole Gesualdo and Peggy High (Sept 2005)
Click here for PDF version

One Space or Two? Click here

CHAPIN STYLE GUIDE
compiled by Peggy High and Nicole Gesualdo
Revised September 2005

A
adviser -- follow AP style and use Ðer unless referring to Chapin advisor program
after-school (adj.)
ages -- always use figures
age group (no hyphen)
Alumnae Association (capitalize when referring to Chapin association only)
Alumnae Board
Alumnae Reunion
Alumnae Office
a.m., p.m.
Alzheimer's disease
Annual Fund (capitalize when referring to Chapin fund only)
Annual Giving (capitalize when referring to Chapin giving only)
archaeology, archaeological
Archives (capitalize when referring to Chapin only)
Art Case Committee
Art Students League
a lot (always 2 words)
a while (always 2 words)

B
baby-sit, baby-sitting
bachelor's degree, or BA / BS
Bankers Trust
bed-and-breakfast (hyphenate when both noun and adjective)
Beijing
Benefit (capitalize only when referring to Chapin event)
bell ringers
bestseller
birdwatching
Board of Trustees, the Board (capitalize for Chapin only)
Book Fair (capitalize for Chapin only)
Botanic Garden (Brooklyn), Botanical Garden (New York)
Boys Club (New York)
Boy Scouts
Buckingham Brown & Nichols (school)

C
cafŽ (always use accent)
California, northern and southern (no caps for these regions)
car pool (noun), carpool (verb)
catalog, cataloging
child care (noun), child-care (adjective)
Class of 1923 (except lowercase without year, i.e. "our class")
Class 4, Class 12
Class Notes
Class Representative
Clubhouse (capitalize name of Chapin after-school program) 
Columbia Presbyterian, but Columbia-Presbyterian Eastside
cross-country (hyphenate both noun and adjective)
the church (religious organization), the Episcopal Church, St. John's Church
cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude (no italics)

D
day care (noun), day-care (adjective)
daylight saving time, Eastern standard time
department: science department, English department, history department
descendants
Development Office (capitalize for Chapin only)
dialogue (not dialog)
Disney World (Florida), Disneyland (California)
Dog Breeds:
	Bernese mountain dog
	Boston terrier, also called Boston bull
	cocker spaniel
	dachshund
	Dalmatian
	Doberman pinscher
	Labrador retriever, but golden retriever
	schnauzer
	Scottish terrier, Scottie (use these terms instead of Scotch terrier)
	springer spaniel
	West Highland terrier, Westie
	wirehaired terrier

E
East Coast, West Coast
East Hampton, Southampton
The East, Eastern (when referring to geographic region)
east (when referring to direction)
Eastern standard time
[Ed. note] -- accepted style for editor's note
elder, eldest or older, oldest
Elderhostel
e-mail (always hyphenate, never capitalize unless to start a sentence)
e-mail addresses: always italicize (i.e., "send notes to alumnae@chapin.edu")
never use "entitled" -- always use "titled"

F
Family Benefit (when referring to the Chapin event)
farmhouse
federal (when referring to government), Federal (architectural style)
figure skating
filmmaking, filmmaker
Fishers Island (no apostrophe)
fjords
folksinging
the foreign service
fox-hunting (noun), foxhunt (verb)
freelance, freelancing
fund-raising (noun and adjective), fund-raiser

G
garden club (generic)
goddaughter (never capitalize)
goodbye (no hyphen)
granddaughter, grandniece
gray
great-aunt, great-grandmother
grownup (noun)

H
half brother
Head of School (capitalize for Chapin, except lowercase "the head")
headmistress, headmaster, head of school (when referring to other schools)
health care, health care system
Hemispheres: Northern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
homeroom
Home Secretary (UK)
Hong Kong
host -- do not use as a verb
Hubble Space Telescope

I
ice-skating (noun and verb)
Individual Study (refers to Upper School independent projects at Chapin)
inpatient, outpatient
in vitro (do not italicize)

J
jobholder
job hunting
job-hopping
Jr. (do not precede by a comma)
junior varsity, JV (i.e. junior varsity soccer, JV soccer)

K
kid, kids -- avoid and use child/children or students instead
Kindergarten (capitalize only when referring to Chapin Kindergarten)
kindergarten (for all other kindergartens outside of Chapin)
Kilimanjaro
Kips Bay Boys Club

L
Law firms:
	Davis Polk & Wardwell
	Dewey Ballantine LLP
	Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
	Shearman & Sterling (NOT Sherman)
	Sullivan & Cromwell
	Cravath, Swaine & Moore
laypeople
lifestyle
Lord & Taylor
LPNs
Lower School (capitalize for Chapin only)
lower school (lowercase for those outside of Chapin)
Ltd. (do not precede by a comma)
long-term (adjective)
longtime (adjective)

M
Mass (note: not "held" and do "take place"; they are "offered" or "celebrated")
master's degree or MA
MBA
McDonald's
MD
mental health (noun and adjective)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the Metropolitan Museum, the Met
Middle School (capitalize only when referring to Chapin)
middle school (lowercase when referring to other schools)
minuscule (NOT miniscule)
Morgan Guaranty Trust
Mount (always spell out, i.e. Mount Kisco, Mount Desert Island)

N
Nobel Prize
The New York Times, but alone the Times

O
oceanfront, oceangoing
OK, okay (both acceptable)
Oral History Committee (only capitalize when referring to Chapin organization)
the Orient Express
orthopedic

P
Parsons School of Design (no apostrophe)
PS 145 (no periods)
Ph.D.
Philippines
phonathon (lowercase), but October Phonathon, Alumnae Phonathon
Pikes Peak (no apostrophe)
Planned Giving (capitalize only when referring to Chapin)
Pooled Income Fund (capitalize only when referring to Chapin)
President of the Alumnae Association
public relations (noun and adjective)
public television

Q
QE2 (do not use Roman numerals)
Quogue

R
the RAF (no periods)
rain forest (two words)
real estate (noun and adjective)
Republican Party, Democratic Party
rŽsumŽ (use accent on both e's)
Reunion Class Representatives
Reunion Luncheon
Reunion Year
Reunion, 65th Reunion (always capitalize Reunion when referring to Chapin)
RN (can be used in place of "registered nurse")
Romania
royal yacht Britannia

S
Safety Patrol (capitalize only when referring to Chapin)
St. John the Divine
St. James' Church (for the one in NYC, note position of apostrophe)
St. Louis
Saint Simons Island
school (always lowercase "s" when referring to Chapin)
Science Fair (capitalize when referring to Chapin)
secondhand
sizable
Sneden's Landing
Social Security (noun and adjective)
south of France (lowercase "s")
stepdaughter, stepgrandchildren (no hyphens)

T
tape recorder
Teachers College (at Columbia University)
teddy bears
television (avoid TV abbreviation if possible)
theater (not Ðre, but use Ðre if it's in the proper name of a specific company)
Thirtysomething Party (not 30something Party)
traveling, traveled
travelogue (not travelog)
Tucson

U
University of St. Andrews
U.S. (adjective), United States (noun)
Upper East Side, Upper West Side
upstate New York, going upstate (always use lowercase "u")
up-to-date (adjective)
Upper School (capitalize only when referring to Chapin)
upper school (lowercase for other schools)

V
VCR
vestry
Veterans Administration
veterans hospital
vice president, vice presidential (no hyphens)
volcanos

W
watercolor
Web site, Web browser
Web site addresses: always italicize (i.e., "check out www.chapin.edu for info")
the West, Western (when referring to region)
west (when referring to direction)
women's movement, women's rights
workforce
work-study opportunities

XYZ
x-rays
yoga
Young Alumnae Party (capitalize when referring to Chapin)
Yucatan


ABBREVIATIONS
--Use abbreviations sparingly. When used, try to avoid periods.
--Common acronyms are OK without explanation: MIT, IBM, ASPCA, AIDS
--Spell out streets, cities, and states when used within text. 
When used in addresses, use postal abbreviations (NY, MA) without periods.
--Generally "Company," not "Co." unless business chooses to use "Co."

AGES
--Always use numerals: 8 months old, 5 years old, age 3, 4-year-old 
 (hyphenate for both noun and adjective). David, 5, and Susan, 17, are going to the park.

ALUMNAE NAMES
--Jane Smith Brown '47
--Jane Smith Brown's ('47) trip to Europe (not that apostrophe and s are not bold)
--The apostrophe before the class year is a backward-facing apostrophe that is made by 
holding down shift, option and the close-bracket ] key on a Mac.
--In general, alphabetize alumnae entries by last name within the Class Notes. the alumna is referred to by her full name. If name is used in another alumna's news, 
the shortened form is perfectly acceptable.
--Boldface any alumnae names referenced in another alumna's news.
--An alumna may refer to her daughter as simply Emily '99.
--Alumna and husband are to be mentioned as follows: Margaret Jones Smith '56 and Tom went to the Bahamas.
--No space between initials: E.B. White, not E. B. White

COMMAS WITH NAMES
--Use commas to set off the name of a person ONLY if he or she is the only one in a category 
(i.e. does not have siblings): My only son, Robert, is at Harvard. My husband, Michael, needs a new car. 
My granddaughter Julie is at Harvard and my granddaughter Stephanie is at the University of Missouri.
--Do not use commas if there is more than one child, or if you are not absolutely positive 
that there is only one child, cousin, aunt, grandchild, etc.

COMMAS IN GENERAL
--We DO NOT use final commas in series: "The recipe requires milk, eggs, sugar and butter." (no comma after sugar)
--Always use commas to set off state names: "The weather in Storrs, Connecticut, is absolutely terrible this winter."
--Always use commas to set off years in dates: "My daughter got married on September 19, 2005, in South Carolina." 

DATES
--The 1960s, or the sixties
--1928-1929 (not 1928-29)
--March 10, 1997
--March 10 (never 10th)
--1989, not '89 (unless used following an alumna's name, i.e. Peggy High '55)
--Class of 1928, but Jane Brown Smith '38 reports É
--March 1999, not March, 1999 (no comma between month and year)

DEATHS
For the death of a class member, use a separate paragraph either at the beginning or the end of the class's news. 
Death notices are usually placed at the end, but this is a decision for the Class Representative to make. 
For reporting the death of a mother or husband, etc., usually put this at the end of a class member's news. 
Boldface all names of deceased alumnae.

DEGREES (COLLEGE)
--Use capitals if a degree is abbreviated (MA, BBA)
--Use lowercase if it's spelled out (bachelor of arts, master of science, master's, bachelor's). 
Please note possessive apostrophes are only used when the "of arts" and "of science" (etc.)
 are not present, i.e. NEVER "bachelor's of science"

DEPARTMENTS OF SCHOOLS, AND COLLEGE MAJORS
--Whether at Chapin or otherwise, only names of languages (the English department, 
the Russian department) are capitalized. The word "department" should always
 carry a lowercase "d" when referring to an academic department. 
--Names of all other departments and majors (biology, sociology, government, early childhood education) should be lowercase. 
--Sometimes you will run into capital-lowercase hybrids (post-colonial Japanese studies, comparative French literature).

GENERIC VS. SPECIFIC TERMS AND NAMES
--Capitalize names of organizations when they are specific (the Seattle Garden Club)
 but not if they are generic ("I am starting up a local garden clubÉ")
--We do not typically capitalize titles or generic names of organizations if they are not Chapin-related. 
For example, we would say that someone "served as president of the board of trustees of the Cleveland Museum." 
(Note lowercase "p" in president and lowercase "b" and "t" in the board of trustees; 
however, capital "C" and "M" for the proper name of the museum.)
--We do capitalize titles and names of Chapin-based organizations. but we would say that 
"President of the Board of Trustees Ella M. Foshay will represent Chapin."
 (Note caps for President, Board of Trustees, etc.) 
--There are exceptions to this rule, probably more so than most rules. See the section on Titles for more information.

ITALICS
--Use for books, newspapers, periodicals, names of ships, plays, movies, television programs, 
Web site addresses, e-mail addresses.
--DO NOT use for song titles, short musical selections, names of television episodes, article titles 
within magazines, chapter titles. For these, use quote marks.

NUMBERS
--With some exceptions (i.e. ages) spell out all numbers from zero through nine, and use digits for numbers 10 and above.
--School grades in institutions OTHER THAN CHAPIN: spell out according to rules above,
 as in fifth-grade (adjective), 10th-grader (noun), seventh grade (noun).
--FOR CHAPIN GRADES, always use "Class" (note capital C) with a numeral: Class 2, Class 6, Class 12.
--Spell out measures up to nine (usually): 20 miles, six feet, 24-food boat, one-and-a-half liters, 3-by-5 index cards
--EXCEPTIONS:
--	Ages: Always use numerals (8 months old, 7-year-old boy, etc.)
--	Birthweight: 6 pounds 9 ounces (no commas)
--	Height: 5 feet 6 inches (no commas)
--	Time: 2 a.m., 30 minutes
--	Percent: always use digits, i.e. 5 percent, 88 percent
--	Millions: always use digits, i.e. $21 million, 3 billion people
--Phone numbers should be in this format: 212.XXX.XXXX. 

PUNCTUATION, SPELLING AND SPACING
--Always use only one space after a period, never two.
--Spellings should be American rather than British; alter if necessary as long as it does not 
disrupt or change the proper name of an organization, place, etc.
--We capitalize the T, C and S in "The Chapin School" when all three words are together. 
--We don't capitalize the S in school when it's by itself (i.e., "Dr. Hayot invites all alumnae 
 back to the school for Reunion 2006.")

REFERENCES SPECIFIC TO CHAPIN
Admissions Office, Admissions
Alumnae Reunion
Alumnae Office
Class Notes
Class Representative
Class 5
Class 11
Head of School, the head
Headmistress (only used when referring to Mrs. Berendsen and prior)
Kindergarten
Lower School
Middle School
Upper School
President of the Alumnae Association
President of the Board of Trustees
Reunion
Reunion Gift, Reunion Luncheon, 50th Reunion
school (when not with "The" and "Chapin," i.e. we at the school send best wishes)
The Chapin School

Last updated 9.23.05

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