User:Amgine/SG Details-A

a, an
Use a before words beginning with a consonant or diphthong such as eulogy or European. Use an before a vowel sound, including an unaspirated h such as heir or honorary.

abbreviated negatives
Can't, won't, shouldn't, and all similar forms should be avoided except in direct quotes. See general rule at contractions.

abbreviations
Spell out abbreviations or acronyms on first mention.

Avoid abbreviations of professional titles except the most common, and use these without the full-stop.

See also acronyms, social titles, military ranks

Aboriginal, aboriginal
An adjective or modifier, not a noun. Specific usage in Canada suggest it always be capitalized, though as a more general adjective in lower case elsewhere.

Aborigines
Noun form. Preferred term for the Australian Aboriginal peoples. Note: Aborigine is a back-formation, and Aboriginal person is preferred.

abortion
Do not use "pro-life" except in direct quotes, or in a title or proper name. The term is a deliberate marketing technique to imply their opponents are anti-life. Neither pro-abortion nor pro-choice are desirable terms for similar reasons; prefer a longer construction such as supporters of abortion as a health-care option or advocates of a woman's right to choose [abortion].

accents
Although uncommon, many words in English include letters which are accented. Use accents correctly. Words borrowed into English retain their original language spelling, including accents. When in doubt, use Wiktionary as reference, or use a different word.

acronyms
Most acronyms are not so well known as to be used without being spelled out or being accompanied by an explanatory phrase on their initial use. Acronyms do not include dots/periods. Some acronyms include both numbers and letters, but rarely any form of punctuation save, occasionally, a hyphen. Some are well-enough known to be used alone:

Do not use obscure or confusing jargon, acronyms for vulgarisms, or pronounceable forms of initialism (Benelux) except in direct quotes or where those terms have become official names or titles.

active voice
Use the active voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does something. The active voice is generally more direct and concise, and so is more appropriate in journalism.

AD
Anno Domini, "in the year of our Lord". Place immediately following numerals, without an intervening space. Due to its specific religious reference this term is offensive to some readers; a more-neutral term is CE - "Common Era". In general, do not use anything if superfluous.

adverbial/adjectival phrases
In general, use hyphenated forms. (This is a controversial position.)

affect
Affect and effect are often disputed in use. In general:
 * affect conveys an influence over something which already exists.
 * effect indicates a new idea, condition, or entity.

(Note: both terms derive from the same roots, and in common use the distinctions are not always clear.)

Afghan, afghani
An Afghan is a citizen of Afghanistan. An afghani is a unit of the currency of Afghanistan. The two are not interchangeable. The former is capitalized as a proper noun.

a.m.
In reference to time, ante meridiem, before noon. Place immediately following numerals, without an intervening space.

apostrophes
Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's. See possessives

Form the plural of alphabetic letters with 's, as in "mind your p's and q's".

archaeology
Not archeology. The study of human history, primarily through material remains, as opposed to paleontology.