Marketing and Public Relations

Style Guide P-R

Page numbers - Use figures and capitalize page when used with a figure. When a letter is appended to the figure, capitalize it but do not use a hyphen: Page 1, Page 10, Page 20A.

part time, part-time – Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: She works part time. She is a part-time employee.

percent - Spell out, except in headlines. Always use figure with percents (2 percent).

parentheses – The temptation to use parentheses is a clue that a sentence is becoming contorted. Try to write it another way. Period outside, unless the phrase within the parentheses is a sentence. Do not capitalize the first word or end in a period. The author is a faculty member. She is the author (a faculty member).

Ph.D.

planets - Capitalize proper names of planets (Jupiter, Mars, etc.). Capitalize Earth when used as the proper name of our planet. Lowercase when referring to it in a general sense. She is down to earth. The astronauts returned to Earth.

pore/pour - Pore means to gaze intently. (She pored over the books.); pour means to flow in a continuous stream.

president – Capitalize president only as a formal title before a name. Lowercase all other uses: The president spoke at a luncheon. President Ashley will attend the class.

presidents of Worcester State College:

Elias Harlow Russell (1874-1909)

Francis Ransom Lane (1909-1912)

William B. Aspinwall (1912-1939)

Clinton Carpenter (1940-1946)

Eugene A. Sullivan (1947-1970

Robert E. Leestamper (1970-1975)

Joseph J. Orze (1975-1982)

Phillip D. Vairo (1982-1991)

Kalyan K. Ghosh (1992-2002)

Janelle C. Ashley (2002-

principal/principle - principal is a noun meaning someone or something first in rank, authority, importance of degree. Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force.

Professor – never abbreviate, as in Prof.

Professors emeriti/professor emeritus/professor emerita – plural/masculine/feminine

quotation marks - Always put the period inside the end quotation marks, regardless if the quoted words make up a sentence.

ratio – Use figures and a hyphen: the ratio was 2-to-1, a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio. As illustrated, the word to should be omitted when the numbers precede the word ratio.

recur, recurred, recurring - Not reoccur.

Reluctant, reticent – Reluctant means unwilling to act; reticent means unwilling to speak.

renown/renowned - Renown is a noun. Renowned is an adjective.

residence halls – not dormitories

Rockwood Field – see City of Worcester

Room numbers – Capitalize the word room when used with the number of the room: Room 200, Sullivan Building.