Laguage Usage Guidelines

Capitalization styles

We refer to several capitalization styles in this document: uppercase, title case, sentence case, and lowercase.

Do not use uppercase capitalization for any passages, not even extreme warnings. Some legal disclaimers are written in all caps for emphasis; this is the only exception.

The only paragraphs that shall use title case are the headings of the document.

All items associated with tables and figures shall use sentence case capitalization: Only the first word and proper names are capitalized.

The following list provides sample paragraph types with the correct capitalization style:

• Headings: Title case

  • Widget Pro User Manual
  • Installing Widget Pro in a Distributed Environment

• Table titles: Sentence case

  • MPEG profile/level matrix

• Table column headings: Sentence case

  • First level of values; Second level of values, etc.

• Figure titles, callouts and legends: Sentence case

  • Widget backplane connections
  • Edit icon
  • Date/time spinbox
  • Rate of acceleration
  • Color code explanation
  • Legend

Menu Capitalization

When referring to software menu items by name, replicate the capitalization as it appears in the software menus the user will see. It is acceptable to refer to these items generically by using lowercase letters if it is clear that your reference is generic and not a specific name of a window or field on a menu, for example:

Click Edit to display the Widget Configuration window.

The widget configuration window has several advanced widget configuration options.

The second sentence could have capitalized the term “Widget Configuration window”; but there are times when you might want to refer to something with a generic descriptor and not its name. Observe the use of the ReST markup :guilabel: on the first sentence.

A few other menu capitalization rules to keep in mind:

• Use “Select File ‣ New.”
• Put the option to be selected last. “Select View ‣ Side Bar ‣ Hide Side Bar“
• Keep menu selection navigation to three steps or fewer. When more than three steps are needed, divide the steps using :guilabel: or :menuselection:. For example: “Go to File and select Print ‣ Print Preview ‣ Set Up.”

Software Version Capitalization

When referring to software or hardware versions, the letter v should remain lower-case, and end with the version number. For example:

• Widget Pro v5.0
• Widget Master v2.1.12

Hyphenated or Slashed-concatenated Terms

For hyphenated or slash-concatenated terms, capitalize only the first letter, even if they are headings. For example:

• Day/night Menu
• Follow-up Action Items

Singular vs. Plural Possessives

Here are some guidelines for singular and plural possessives:

• Use only the apostrophe to show possession for a plural that ends in s: The boys’ books.
• Use apostrophe + s to show possession for a plural that does not end in s: The men’s books.
• Use apostrophe + s to show possession for a singular that ends in a silent sibilant: Illinois’s capital.
• Use apostrophe + s to show possession for a singular that ends in a sibilant: s, x, c, z, or others.

The following table provides some examples with the correct and incorrect cases and the notes that accompanies them.

Apostrophe-s Anomalies

If a company name ends in s, x, c, or a sibilant sound, use the apostrophe-s ending for possessives:

Traktronix’s oscilloscopes

Exception: If the company name is intended as a plural, we allow the apostrophe-only ending:

Tejada Instruments’ calculators

In many cases, it is best to avoid the possessive form altogether for singular possessives that already end in s, such as for company names. Use the company name as a nonpossessive modifier instead:

Traktronix oscilloscopes Tejada Instruments calculators

We say “Intel equipment” when discussing Intel-branded products, not “Intel’s equipment”, which implies that we own it, not that we produce it. “Intel’s equipment” sounds like the equipment that Intel employees use.

Plural modifiers

Avoid plural modifiers. For example: system administrator, not a systems administrator. It doesn’t matter how many systems this person manages; it’s better to avoid using a plural of a word to modify a noun.

However, some exceptions do occur when the plural form is generally considered singular: sales, physics, operations. Ask if you are unsure.

• operations manager
• sales department
• graphics team

Parenthetical plurals

Do not parenthesize optional plurals, whether added to the end of a word, typically with the letter s, or internally. In general, think in plurals when you write, assume that the user understands that a plural could mean a singular as well. A typical user who has only one unit will not be confused if you say “connect the units.” On the contrary, using parenthetical plurals often creates more confusion.

Correct

Men, women, children, college alumni, moose, and even desert plants such as cacti should not use parentheses around plurals.

Incorrect

A m(e)n, wom(a)n, a child(ren), college alumn(i), (moose), and even a desert plant(s) such as a cact(i) should not use a parenthes(e)s around a plural(s).

Internal Plural Acronyms

Some abbreviated terms can cause trouble, particularly when the pluralized portion does not fall at the end of the phrase. These internal-plural words should follow standard English pluralization rules when abbreviated: The plural goes at the end of the term.

• Alarms acknowledged and logged: AAL, AALs.
• Attorneys-general: AG, AGs.
• Regions of interest: ROI, ROIs.

Plurals of Acronyms and Capitalized Product Names

Pluralize acronyms, initialisms, and capitalized product names by adding a lowercase s; do not use an apostrophe. If the term ends in a sibilant (s, x, z, sometimes c and others), pluralize it by adding a lowercase es. Examples:

Use TVs, DVDs, CDs, DVMRs not TV’s, DVD’s, CD’s, DVMR’s. Use OSes not OSs, OS’s. Use TRAXes, iBOXes not TRAXs, TRAX’s, iBOX’s, iBOXs. Use FAACes not FAAC’s, assuming it is pronounced “face”. Use FAACs not FAAC’s Assuming it is pronounced “fake”.

When you hear the extra syllable in the plural, add the -es suffix for the plural; if you do not hear the extra syllable, add the -s suffix for the plural.

Latin plurals

Pluralize Latin terms in body text as shown:

• Use appendixes not appendices.
• Use matrixes not matrices.
• Use indexes not indices.
• Use vertexes not vertices.

Prefix Hyphenation

Do not hyphenate the prefixes listed below. Join the prefix to the term being modified, even if this results in a double vowel or double consonant:

ante, counter, intra, mini, pro, super, anti, extra, meta, non, pseudo, trans, bi, by, infra, micro, post, re, ultra, bio, inter, mid, pre, sub, un.

Here are some words that are often inappropriately hyphenated; do not hyphenate these words either:

antitheft, multicamera, multiscreen, prepackaged, reuse, submenu, autofocus, multifamily, multiuser, pseudoscience, semiannual, subtotal, autoiris, multimedia, nonprofit, reengineered, semicircle, superuser, microarchitecture, multiposition, predefined, reevaluate, subfolder, superscript, microorganism, multiprotocol, predrilled, reinvent, submarine.

Suffix Hyphenation

In general, do not hyphenate suffixes. Here are some examples.

The suffix -wide is usually not hyphenated:

• Nationwide, worldwide, systemwide, campuswide, statewide, companywide, etc.

The suffix -wise is usually not hyphenated:

• Otherwise, businesswise, revenuewise, clockwise, counterclockwise

Serial Commas

When writing a series or items, use the serial comma before coordinating conjunctions to avoid confusion and ambiguity. For example:

• Mom, Dad, and I are going to the game.
• Mom, Dad and I are going to the game.

The first example uses the serial comma. It is clear in this sentence that three people are going to the game. The second example does NOT have a comma preceding the and. The reader may interpret this as meaning the same thing as the first sentence, namely that three people are going to the game, or that the speaker is addressing “Mom” and telling her that only two people are going to the game.

Commas in Numbers

Use commas to divide large numbers into sets of three digits. Use periods for decimal points. Do not divide decimal digits into sets of three.

Do not use a comma to separate four-digit bit/byte numbers.

Do not use a comma to separate four-digit page numbers.

Do not use a comma or other punctuation to separate decimals.

Semicolons ”;”

Here are some rules governing the use of semicolons:

• Use semicolons in long, sentence-style bulleted phrase lists.
• Use semicolons when two equal clauses are joined because of similarity of construction or meaning.
• Use semicolons in a series of items when at least one of the items itself includes a comma.

Examples of semicolon usage:

Similar construction: The prewidget comes before the widget; the postwidget comes after it.

Comma-inclusive series: We traveled through Casper, Wyoming; Boise, Idaho; and Eugene, Oregon.

Colons ”:”

If the text following a colon is a sentence, capitalize the first word after the colon. If the subsequent text is not a sentence, do not capitalize the first term unless it is a title. For example:

• This is a capitalization example: Donuts do not cause holes.
• These is a noncapitalization example: colons, semicolons, and commas.
• In a title, use title case following the colon. Example: Tires: How to Fix a Flat.
• Use a colon at the end of a sentence or phrase that introduces examples, a list, a path, user input, or code.
• Don’t use a colon to introduce graphics, tables, or sections.
• Don’t use a colon at the end of a task title or any heading.