User:Chaetodipus/AmEn SG

Style Guide for American English


 * “Omit needless words.”


 * William Strunk, Elements of Style, 1918

To be filled up soon eventually, as a blatant copy/paste of Amgine's adopted to American English, to be done with alphabetical pages.

0-9

 * 9/11
 * Can be used to refer to the events of September 11, 2001.


 * &c.
 * Do not use. Instead, use etc.

A

 * a/an
 * A should be used before a noun with a first syllable beginning with a consonant,, , etc. , the exception is for unsounded Hs (e.g. ). An goes before words with a vowel as the first letter. Purdue says, "When U makes the same sound as the Y in you, or O makes the same sound as W in won, then A is used."


 * abbreviations
 * Generally should be spelled out on first mention. Exceptions to this rule are honorifics such as Dr., Mr., M., Messrs., Ms., Miss, and Mrs. These are generally understood and should always end with a period (.).


 * aboriginal
 * Refers to indigenous peoples of an area. It is always an adjective, but never a noun.


 * acronym
 * Many acronyms are easily known to a reader, but it is preferred to spell out the full name on its initial use. Periods should not go in between each character. Common and well-known acronyms are:
 * BBC
 * CIA
 * EU
 * FBI
 * GOP
 * NATO
 * NASA
 * POTUS
 * UK
 * UN
 * US or USA
 * WHO


 * AD
 * “Anno Domini,” (Latin: “In the year of the Lord”). Term used for referring to this calendar era. Due to religious implications, some readers may take offense to AD. CE (“common era”) is the preferred term to those such readers.


 * a.m.
 * “Ante meridiem,” (Latin: “Before noon”). Place after a time, with one space in between. Spell with a dot after the a and m. Example:


 * America
 * Often used to refer to the United States of America and rarely the Western Hemisphere.


 * American
 * Term for the inhabitants of the United States or the adjective to describe someone or something of or relating to the US.


 * Americas
 * Term for the combined entity of North America, Central America, and South America. Often referred to as "the Americas."


 * and
 * A conjunction. It may start a sentence, but not often.


 * archeology
 * Never spelled archaeology or archæology (these are the British English spellings). Archeology is the study of human history through the observation of human remains. Do not confuse archeology with paleontology.