|
| ||||
ILLINOIS NEWSPAPER STYLEBOOKAAARP The American Association of Retired Persons has
changed its name formally to AARP. Membership begins at age 55. a
cappella: Note space. ABATE A national group
that lobbies for motorcyclist causes. Originally an anagram for A Brotherhood Aimed Toward
Education. about, approximately,
roughly, some /span>The preferred word
is about. Examples: He earned about $33. About 400 people showed up. about-face above-ground pool, in-ground pool Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Spell
out “and” and don’t use the ampersand. Richard Norton Smith is executive
director of the Foundation as well as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
and Museum. The foundation is a private organization. The Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum is, of course, part of the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency, a state agency. AC HUMKO Edible-oil processing plant in Addressograph-Multigraph International Founded
in 1896 as the Addressograph Co. Renamed in 1931 to “Addressograph-Multigraph
Corp.” and in 1978 to “Addressograph-Multigraph International” or “AM
International” until 1985 when it filed for bankruptcy. ad-lib (n.,
v., adj.) ADM See Archer Daniels Midland Co. admit Limit the use of this word because it
connotes guilt. Try acknowledged or conceded unless writing about
confessions to police or admissions in court. Adolf Meyer Mental Health
and Advance Auto Parts Not Advanced Auto Parts. affect, effect As a verb, affect means to influence, produce a
change or have an effect upon. Examples: His
death affects us all. The vote will affect the lives of everyone in the
district. How will that affect me? As a verb, effect means to
cause, bring about or produce a result. Examples: The vote will effect change in the way we live. He hopes to effect a
compromise. As a noun, effect means the result of an action. Examples: If approved, the effect will be to lower
taxes. What effect this will have on taxes is unknown. after-hours AFSCME Acceptable
in second reference for American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees. afterward, backward, toward Not afterwards, backwards, towards. after-hours Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation Service Now defunct. In a reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
the ASCS was replaced by the Farm Service Agency, which encompasses the
commodity support and basic conservation programs of the ASCS; the
risk-management programs of the Federal Crop Insurance Corp.; and the farm
lending activities of the Farmers Home Administration. ag lab aide, aid An
aide is a person. Example: An aide to
Sen. Durbin. Aid is what is given. air bags Air Force The
Army Reorganization Act of 1920 created the Air Service (after 1926, Air Corps)
as a combatant unit within the Army. The Air Corps was supplanted on June 21,
1941, by the Army Air Force as a command within the Army. On July 26, 1947, the
National Security Act created the independent U.S. Air Force. The air show airstrike a la carte Note lowercase. a la mode Albertsons Inc. Grocery store chain. Note no apostrophe. all ready (everyone
is ready) Allis-Chalmers already (by
now) altar (n), alter (v) Altar is a platform used in a church. To alter is to change. Altar and Rosary Society Altman, Scott
Astronaut. Native of Alzheimer’s Disease
Foundation But Alzheimer’s disease. Alzina Building 100 N. AmerenCIPS
Formerly Central
Illinois Public Service Co., the utility’s parent company is Ameren Corp. Ameren Corp. The product of the merger between Union Electric Co.
and CIPSCO Inc., the companies are AmerenCIPS, formerly CIPS, and AmerenUE. AmericanConnection Airline serving some downstate cities. All one word with capitalized
‘C.’ Formerly was Trans World Express, TWE. American Farm Bureau
Federation Use the full name on
first reference. Farm Bureau is acceptable on subsequent references. Note
capitalization of Farm Bureau. American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees AFSCME acceptable on
second reference. American International Group Inc. Based in American
Telephone & Telegraph Co.: See AT&T Corp. American Trans Air Carrier serving some downstate cities. ATA is acceptable on second
reference. Ameritech This is the parent company of Illinois Bell Telephone
Co. Its other operating companies are Indiana Bell Telephone Co., Michigan Bell
Telephone Co., Ohio Bell Telephone Co. and Wisconsin Telephone Co. It has two
subsidiaries: Ameritech Services Corp. and Ameritech Publishing Corp. Although
it is not necessary to use it, the corporate name is American Information
Technologies Corp. AMVETS annual There is no first annual or second annual anything.
The event must have taken place twice before it becomes annual. antidepressant antiproton anti-slavery antiwar Apprendi
vs. Arc, The:
The national
organization on mental retardation no longer uses the name Association for
Retarded Citizens. Its Archer
Daniels Midland Co. This
agricultural products company is based in archaeology:
Note the second a. Army Air
Corps, Army Air Forces: The
U.S. Army Air Corps was renamed the Army Air Forces in 1941. The U.S. Air Force
was established in 1947. Army
Corps of Engineers Use
the full name on first reference. Subsequent reference is corps. (No capital in
keeping with AP style.) arrests Be
careful when writing about arrests. Do not use the term “arrested for” because
this implies guilt. Although more cumbersome, “arrested in connection with ...”
or “arrested on a charge of ...” are preferred. Also
avoid the redundancy of “arrested by police.” True, there is such a thing as a
citizen’s arrest, but the story would indicate that. Otherwise, who else does
“arresting”? It is acceptable to use “arrested by Art Institute of Chicago Art Institute OK on second reference. Associated
Banc-Corp This Green
Bay, Wis.-based bank holding company bought First Financial Corp. in 1998. It
is the parent company of Associated Bank Associated
Bank Associated
Press, The AT&T
Corp. Formerly
American Telephone & Telegraph Co. AT&T is acceptable on second
reference. Headquarters are in AT&T@home
See Insight
Communications. AT&T
Broadband See Insight
Communications. -a-thon This appendage is used for a variety of fund-raising
events such as rock-a-thon, dance-a-thon, skate-a-thon, walk-a-thon. attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder A mental disorder assessed on the basis of behavior
appropriate to a given mental age, characterized by inability to concentrate,
hyperactivity and impulsiveness. ADHD. Attorney General’s Building Automated external defibrillator AED on second reference. automated
teller machine ATM is
acceptable in all references. AutoZone Auto
parts store. One word. Note capital ‘Z.’ awards,
honors, prizes These should be
capitalized, but do not use quotation marks around the name. Examples: Joe Doe
was named Man of the Year. The Young Farmer Award went to Beany Rowe. Selected
as Outstanding Businessman was Robert Baron. awhile, a while It is two words with a preposition; one without. He will be around for a
while. It took awhile for him to decide that. Bbaby
boomers: Americans
born between 1946 and 1964. baby-sit,
baby-sitting, baby sitter Use
of the hyphen is required except when talking about the person. backcountry backhanded backward, afterward, toward Not
backwards, afterwards, towards backhoe back seat
(n.), backseat (adj.) backstabbing back street back yard (n.), backyard
(adj.) Back yard is the noun; backyard is the adjective. Example: We went to the back yard for a backyard
barbecue. Baha’i Faith
A member of the faith
can be called a Baha’i. Its founder was Baha’u’llah. Note the
apostrophes. bail,
bond Bail is 10
percent of bond, unless the judge sets a cash bond. For example, if a cash bond
of $250,000 is set, it takes $250,000 to get out of jail. If bond is set at
$250,000, it takes $25,000 to get out of jail. Examples: He was released
after posting $25,000 bail. He was released on $250,000 bond. The prisoner was
released after posting 10 percent of a $250,000 bond. bail out (v.),
bailout (n.) bandleader bank Due to
ongoing mergers, best always to check the Illinois Bank Directory. Distinguish between savings and
loan associations and banks. bank
holding company No
hyphen. Bank One
Corp. Formerly called
Banc One Corp., it is now based in bank robber bankruptcy
Do not write that
businesses or individuals have gone bankrupt when they actually are filing for
debt reorganization through bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy carries
connotations of going out of business; a company filing for debt
reorganization under Chapter 11 may continue to operate. Businesses and
individuals file under different chapters of the bankruptcy code. The chapter
listed tells what action is being taken. Chapter 7 is bankruptcy, meaning the
company or individual is liquidating assets and distributing proceeds to
creditors; Chapter 9 is a municipal bankruptcy; Chapter 11 is debt
reorganization for a business; Chapter 12 is debt reorganization for a farm;
and Chapter 13 is debt reorganization for an individual. Check bankruptcy in
the Business Guidelines section of the Associated Press Stylebook for
more details. barbershop barhop, bar hopper Barnes & Noble Booksellers Barry A
town in barstool basket case bated breath Not baited. Bated means held or abated. “battle star” Beardstown Ladies Club Investment
group in Beardstown that earned fame and infamy in the 1990s. because of, due to Use because of to match cause to effect. It is used when the sentence
answers the question why: The market fell because of panic selling. Due to
should never be used in anything but a linking verb construction. Due is an
adjective; its preposition to relates to the condition of a subject: The stock
market drop was due to panic selling by nervous speculators. Bergner’s
The parent company of
this department store, founded in Berry A
town in Bertelli, Roy. “Mr. Accordion.” Has a mausoleum just inside gates of best-selling Big
Ten The college conference is
referred to as the Big Ten, not the Big 10. big time (n.), big-time (adj.) Biotechnology
Research and Development Corp.: Based at the bird watching bird’s-eye (n.,
adj.) Blackhawks
The Chicago team in the National Hockey League. Hawks on second reference. blacktop Besides
being a bituminous material used for surfacing roads, it also is used as part
of a name of a road. When used generally it should be lowercased. However, when
used with a name, it should be capitalized. Example: Curtis Blacktop or Shipman Blacktop or Goofy Ridge-Manito Blacktop. Blagojevich, Patti Wife of Rod. Blagojevich, Rod Governor. Inaugurated Jan. 13, 2003. blizzard A
storm with wind speeds of 35 m.p.h. or more, maximum temperature of 30 degrees
and considerable falling and/or blowing snow with visibility near zero. A
severe blizzard, according to the National Weather Service, has winds of 45
m.p.h. or more and temperatures of 10 degrees or less. blow-dryer blow up (v.),
blowup (n.) bluegrass,
boardinghouse body builder booby trap bookdealer, bookseller bookstore boomtown Borg-Warner
Corp. Use the full name on first
reference. Borg-Warner
Field Sports facility on the south
side of Boy
Scouts Capitalize Scouts on second
reference. Braun The
presidential candidate (and former break dancing (n.), break-dancing (adj.) breakdown (n.) breast-feed breath
tester: Test results
should be reported this way: A breath tester showed a blood-alcohol level of
0.08 percent. Breathalyzer is a brand name and should be capitalized. bridge work, Bridgestone/Firestone
Inc. The tire manufacturer formerly
known as Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. In headlines, Firestone is acceptable.
Production at the Bronze Star, Bronze Stars Medal given for meritorious service, particularly in
combat. Capitalized. (Funeral homes often confuse the Bronze Star medal with
the common battle star, now known as the service star. bullet hole bulletproof bundt cake bungee cord, bungee jump Bunn-O-Matic Corp. bus line bushelbasket businesslike businesspeople
(to be consistent with
“businessman,” “businesswoman”). button-tone
Use this as a generic
adjective to describe push-button telephones with the tone characteristic
necessary for use in some applications. Touch-Tone is a trademark of
AT&T Corp. for its push-button dialing service. Ccabby,
cabbies, cabdriver Cabinet As a part
of government, is always capitalized. cabinetmaker Caesarean
section cakewalk CALEA Commission
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, an international organization
that sets standards for police work. CALEA acceptable on second reference. Calvary, cavalry
Calvary is the place near camp-out An
occasion when a group camps out cancel,
canceled, canceling, cancellation candleholder, candlemaker candymaker cannabis Call it marijuana in all cases
to avoid confusion. Capital Development Board Capitol The
state Capitol. Capitol complex Capitol Visitors’ Center car bombing No
hyphen when used as noun. cardiopulmonary
resuscitation CPR is
acceptable in most references. carjack (v),
also carjacker (n.), carjacking (n.) card maker carport carryall carry over (v.),
carry-over (n., adj.) car seat carwash cast member CAT
As an abbreviation for Caterpillar
Inc., CAT is acceptable ONLY in headlines. Caterpillar
Inc. The world’s
leading manufacturer of earthmoving equipment, with headquarters at Catholic
Diocese of Catholic
Social Service Not Services. CEFCU: This trademarked acronym is acceptable
in all references to Citizens Equity Family Credit Union, the largest
credit union in central cement/concrete
The powder in a bag is
cement. Concrete is the substance made from cement, water, sand and gravel. Central
Illinois Light Co. Use
CILCO on second reference or on first reference to avoid a cumbersome
lead. It is a Peoria-based subsidiary of AES Corp., which acquired CILCORP on
Oct. 19, 1999. Also see AES Corp. Central
Illinois Public Service Co. See AmerenCIPS. Central/Southern
chairman,
chairwoman Use chairman or spokesman
if referring to a man or the office in general. Use chairwoman or spokeswoman
if referring to a woman. Do NOT use chairperson or spokesperson unless it is in
direct quotations or is the formal title for an office. The Illinois General
Assembly has officially changed titles to chairperson. Avoid using “chair”
alone. cheapskate Cheddars cheese maker CEO
Short for
chief executive officer; permissable
without being spelled out — but spell out CFO (chief financial officer) and COO
(chief operating officer). Chicago
& North Western Railway On second reference, C&NW is acceptable. Chicago Mercantile Exchange The terms Merc and the Merc are acceptable on second
reference in financial copy and in financial headlines. Mercantile Exchange is
acceptable in all second references and headlines. Chicago River The river's current was reversed in 1900, causing it to flow from, not
into, Lake Michigan. Chicago Skyway On second reference and in headlines, the skyway and skyway are
acceptable. Chicago Symphony Orchestra CSO is acceptable on second reference and in
headlines. Chicago Transit Authority CTA is acceptable in all references. Children’s
Hospital of Illinois at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center: This is the name of the pediatric
center at OSF Saint Francis
Medical Center. chili The
thick soupy food, should not be confused with chile, the pepper, or Chile, the
country. The plural form of the pepper is chiles, not chilies. Chili’s A restaurant chain. chiropractors
Do not use Dr. before their
names. ChoicePoint
Inc.: This publicly
traded company based in Alpharetta, Ga.,
is the parent of ChoicePoint Direct in Peoria, formerly Customer Development
Corp. ChoicePoint acquired CDC in November 1998. The company provides
information to businesses and goverments through identification, retrieval,
storage, analysis and delivery of data. chowhound Chuck E. Cheese’s
Restaurant where kids can be
kids. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Mormons. CILCO See Central Illinois Light Co. CILCORP
Inc. See AES Corp. CIPS
See: Ameren Corp. Citizens
Equity Federal Credit Union See CEFCU. Citizens
Utility Board CUB is acceptable on second reference and
in headlines. city,
village, town Whether a community is
designated a city, village or town depends not on population but on the form of
government chosen by voters at the time of incorporation. A full explanation of
the differences and various forms of government is available in the local
government section of the Illinois Voters Handbook. Any named place which is
not incorporated should be called a town. City Colleges of Chicago Not College. City Colleges and the City Colleges are
acceptable on second reference and in headlines. city
of, village of, county of, state of ... Lowercase ALL “city of” and so on phrases. Example: The city of Decatur
filed suit against 12 landlords. civil
defense See Emergency
Services and Disaster Agency. Class
of... “Class of 1999,” for example,
uses a capital C. coconut coffee grinder coffee maker coffee pot coffee table (n.), coffee-table (adj.) coleslaw ComEd The Chicago-area utility company
formerly known as Commonwealth Edison. ComEd
is acceptable in all uses. Commerce
Bancshares Inc. The
parent company of Commerce Bank, Peoria. Commerce, based in Kansas City, Mo.,
purchased the former First Peoria Corp., parent of First National Bank of
Peoria. Commerce
Bank, Peoria Formerly
First National Bank of Peoria. Commonwealth
Edison See ComEd. communion community colleges and universities The state’s public universities and community
colleges are administered by 10 boards: the Board of Trustees of the
University of Illinois that oversees three campuses at Chicago, Springfield
and Urbana-Champaign; the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees that oversees campuses at Carbondale and Edwardsville; the Boards of Trustees of Chicago
State University, Eastern Illinois University,
Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University,
Northern Illinois University and Western Illinois University; and
the Illinois Community College Board, which plans and coordinates the
programs and activities of the 48 public community colleges. Community
Development Block Grant On
second reference, call it the grant or the federal money. composed, comprised No such construction as “comprised of.” con man concertgoer concrete/cement
The powder in a bag is
cement. Concrete is the substance made from cement, water, sand and gravel. If
you’re not writing about a powder, don’t use cement. Conservation World At the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Controlled substance A controlled substance is not a synonym for illegal drug. Controlled substances include narcotics (cocaine, heroin) and illegal stimulants (crystal methamphetamine, ketamine), but not cannabis (marijuana, hashish).
Cooperative
Extension Service Local
offices that are part of the College of Agriculture at the University of
Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Illinois and
the state pay for its operation. cop-out corned beef corn dog cornfield cost-effective counter top (n.),
counter-top (adj.) country and western music country-western
Use a hyphen for the musical
reference. county
engineer The title county
superintendent of highways was changed Jan. 1, 1992, to county engineer.
The title should be lowercase unless it is used before a name. All county
engineers must hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering, have four years’
experience in engineering and pass a state test before they can be appointed to
the position. county
superintendent of highways: See county engineer. crack down (on) (v.), crackdown (n.) crawl space credit
unions These are
not-for-profit organizations. crewman, crew member CrimeStoppers
One word in all uses. crowbar Cub Foods Not Cub Food or Cub’s Foods. Cummins
Engine Co. Inc. The
only company bigger than Caterpillar Inc. in the heavy-duty diesel engine
business. Headquarters are in Columbus, Ind. curveball custom-made CVS
Pharmacy This national
drug store chain based in Rhode Island with many Illinois locations, many of
which used to be known as Revco drug stores, which previously were SuperX
outlets. DDaley Bicentennial Plaza At 337 E. Randolph Drive. To avoid confusion with
the Daley Center Plaza, do not refer to it as just Daley Plaza. Lowercase plaza
standing alone. Daley Center
Formerly the Chicago Civic Center, it is bounded by Randolph, Dearborn,
Washington and Clark. Daley Center Plaza, Daley Plaza Immediately south of the Daley Center. Daley Plaza
is generally acceptable in all references and in headlines, but use the full
name if needed to avoid confusion with the Daley Bicentennial Plaza. Lowercase
plaza standing alone. Richard J. Daley Richard J. Daley was the Chicago’s 39th mayor, from 1955 to 1976, and
is the father of the current mayor. He died in office on December 20, 1976,
during his sixth term. Richard M. Daley Richard M. Daley, former Cook County State's Attorney, was elected
Chicago's 45th mayor in 1989. In 2005, he was in his fifth term. He is the son
of Richard J. Daley (see above). Dana-Thomas House 301 E. Lawrence Ave., Springfield, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. DARE: See Drug Abuse Resistance Education. day care (n.), day-care (adj.) daylong DCFS Acceptable in second reference for the Department of
Children and Family Services. Deere
& Co. Makes
products sometimes labeled John Deere, the name of its founder. Headquarters
are in Moline. DeKalb One
word, no space with a capital K. Delevan, Delavan
Delevan is in Illinois.
Delavan is in Wisconsin. Departments, state of Illinois Department on Aging Aging
acceptable on second reference. Department of Agriculture Agriculture
acceptable on second reference. Ag Department also is OK. Department of Central Management
Services CMS acceptable on second reference. Department of Children and Family
Services DCFS acceptable on second reference. Department of Commerce and Community
Affairs Became Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity on Jan. 30, 2002. Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity Formerly Department of Commerce and Community
Affairs. DCEO acceptable on second reference. Department of Corrections Use
Corrections on second reference. Department of Employment Security Employment
Security acceptable on second reference. Department of Financial
Institutions Financial Institutions acceptable on second
reference. Department of Human Rights Human
Rights acceptable on second reference. Department of Human Services Human
Services acceptable on second reference. Department of Insurance Insurance
acceptable on second reference. Department of Labor Labor
acceptable on second reference. Department of the Lottery Lottery
acceptable on second reference. Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities On second reference, use Department of Mental Health. Department of Military Affairs Military
Affairs acceptable on second reference. Department
of Natural Resources As of July 1, 1995, the departments of Conservation,
Energy and Natural Resources, and Mines and Minerals; the Department of
Transportation’s Division of Water Resources; and the Abandoned Mined Lands
Reclamation Council were merged into this one agency. DNR acceptable on second
reference. Department of Nuclear Safety Nuclear
Safety acceptable on second reference. On July 1, 2003, this department was
abolished and its staff and resources folded into the Illinois Emergency
Management Agency. Department of Professional
Regulation Professional Regulation or DPR acceptable on second
reference. Department of Public Aid Public
Aid acceptable on second reference. Department of Public Health DPH
acceptable on second reference. Department of Revenue Revenue
acceptable on second reference. Department of State Police Composed of the Division of State Troopers; the
Division of Forensic Services and Identification; and the Division of Criminal
Investigation. Department of Transportation. IDOT
acceptable on second reference. Department of Veterans’ Affairs … Veterans’ Affairs acceptable on second reference. de Paul,
DePaul: In most cases,
capitalize and make one word: DePaul University. However, in some
applications, especially when it is not the beginning of a proper name, it is
two words and lowercase: St. Vincent de Paul Church. Follow the
preference of the individual business or organization. derring-do desk top (n.),
desk-top (adj.) DeWitt County Diamond-Star
Motors Corp.: See Mitsubishi
Motor Manufacturing of America. Dickson
Mounds Museum Diocese
of Peoria, Peoria Diocese: See Catholic Diocese of Peoria. directions
and regions West side, north side,
etc., are two words as nouns, one word as adjectives. Examples: He lives on the
west side. He owns a westside business. When used with a modifier, the form is:
He lives on the near westside; he owns a near-westside business. DirecTV Dirksen
Congressional Research Center: A non-partisan, not-for-profit repository of historical
congressional documents and research, as well as an active political research
center. Located within Pekin Public Library, it is named for Everett McKinley
Dirksen, a Pekin Republican who served in the U.S. House and Senate from 1933
to 1969, including the final 10 years as Senate minority leader. Though named
after Dirksen, it also includes collections on former U.S. House Minority
Leader Bob Michel, R-Peoria, and other congressional leaders. Dirksen Parkway A main drag in Springfield. Disabled American Veterans DAV
acceptable on second reference. docudrama doghouse dollhouse Domino’s Pizza Donnellson A town in Montgomery County. Douglas, Stephen
Debated Lincoln. Thus the
famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. Douglass, Frederick
Noted black abolitionist. down-home downdraft Downers Grove Downstate
Medical Center of Illinois: This is a loose association formed by Peoria’s three hospitals,
area physicians and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. It
is not a place. Dri-Roads drier, dryer Drier means less moist. A dryer is a device for
drying things. drive-in (n.,
adj.), drive in (v.) driver’s education driver’s license
Not drivers license or driver
license. Plural is driver’s licenses. Drug
Abuse Resistance Education: DARE is
acceptable on first reference to avoid a cumbersome lead, but provide the full
name in the body of the story. dump truck DuPage One word, no space. Du Quoin The town is two words. DuQuoin State Fair | ||||