The new york times manual of style and usage 2015 edition the official style guide used by the writers and editors of the w

2015 Three Rivers Press Ebook Original Copyright © 2015 by The New York Times Company All rights reserved.Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Pu

2015 Three Rivers Press Ebook Original Copyright © 2015 by The New York Times Company All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

This is a revised edition of a work originally published in hardcover by Times Books, New York, in 1999 Cover based on a design by Mimi Park.

eISBN 978-1-10190322-3

v3.1

paper” seem a bit dated now

An online version, accessible only to Times employees, has been updated ad hocsince 1999 But with the chance to produce a new e-book version for general

readers, my colleagues and I decided it was time for a more systematic look

We’ve added scores of new entries, deleted many outdated ones and revisedhundreds more But we found no need for a fundamental change in course, andoverall the Siegal-Connolly guidance remains firmly in place Despite all the

upheaval in the world of communications, we realized that the basic goals of

Times writing had not changed

We are journalists — not scholars or poets, entertainers or advocates In TheTimes, our goal is clear, precise, literate prose that effectively conveys importantinformation to busy readers Those readers should not be misled by error,

distracted by sloppiness or annoyed by pedantry, polemic, slang, jargon or heedlessincivility In fact, the only time they should notice our writing at all is if,

occasionally, they pause to admire it

The tone we seek in The Times is thoughtful and civil There should always beroom for humor, personality and surprise But at its heart journalism is a seriousundertaking, and we go about it seriously Our language should reflect that

It should also reflect widely accepted usage among educated English speakers

We do not seek to be in the vanguard by adopting the newest usage or the latestbuzzwords But we must also guard against a reflexive traditionalism that wouldmake The Times seem fusty or out of touch Language changes, and we shouldcarefully and judiciously reckon with those changes Above all, the guidelines in

earlier version of the manual put it this way: “The rules should encourage

thinking, not discourage it A single rule might suffice: ‘The rule of common sensewill prevail at all times.’ ”

Based on errors we have seen repeatedly in our years of editing, we added newwarnings about sources of frequent missteps: eponymous; anniversary; forbid and

Beyond usage rules, The Times’s stylebook offers guidance on broader issues ofjournalistic standards — for example, in the entries on anonymity and on obscenity,

Baranger has provided invaluable technical support and suggestions Of course,the revolution in communication of recent years has not stopped or even slowed

Philip B CorbettNew York, 2015

a, an, the Use the article a before a word beginning with a consonant sound,

including the aspirate h: a car; a hotel; a historical Also use it before words like

union, euphonious and unit Use an before a word beginning with a vowel sound: onion; uncle; honor The choice of article before an abbreviation, a numeral or a

symbol depends upon the likely pronunciation: an N.Y.U student; a C.I.A officer; an

11-year-old girl.

Avoid the journalese practice of dropping A or The at the beginning of a sentence.

If several consecutive sentences or paragraphs begin with the same article, recastsome to break the monotony

An article should appear before each parallel noun in a series or a pair: The

ambulance carried a nurse, a paramedic and a doctor; The hero and the heroine received medals Make an exception if the nouns convey a single idea: a bow and arrow; a hook and eye.

In the title of a literary, artistic or musical work — in English or a foreign language

— omit the opening word a, an or the when it follows another article: An “Old

Curiosity Shop” character If the opening article in a title is necessary information,

rephrase the surrounding sentence to avoid direct juxtaposition with a secondarticle

If a foreign-language expression begins with an article and appears in an English-language passage, translate the article: at the Arc de Triomphe But if the article forms part of a title, uppercase it, untranslated: Le Monde; La Scala.

Also see the

A.A for Alcoholics Anonymous.

AAA (without periods) The former American Automobile Association has

A.&P for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, the supermarket chain In

a headline, insert a thin space after the ampersand, to balance the appearance ofthe preceding period

The U.A.W and the U.M.W supported the complaints made by the W.H.O., Unicef and the F.A.O., but A.F.L.-C.I.O leaders did not.

When abbreviations are highly familiar, though, long or cumbersome expressionsmay be shortened even on first reference, and especially afterward Examples

abbreviations; subway lines; television networks

ABC for the former American Broadcasting Companies, now a subsidiary of the

Walt Disney Company ABC operates the ABC Television Network ABC News and

television stations, among them WABC-TV Any of these names, as well as ABC,

may be used in a first reference (Do not attribute an ABC News production to

ABC Television.) ABC may stand alone in later references and should stand alone when several networks are mentioned together: ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC will

abortion is an undisputed modifier, but pro-abortion raises objections when applied

to people who say they do not advocate having abortions Abortionist carries

overtones of stealth and illegality In copy about abortion, woman and fetus are more neutral terms than mother (for a pregnant woman) and baby (for a fetus).

absence See lack

absolutely necessary A redundancy.

Abstract Expressionism Capitalize when referring to the postwar American art

movement Recognized Abstract Expressionists include Willem de Kooning,Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko See arts terminology

(protégé, résumé); others lose them (cafe, facade) The dictionary governs spellings,

except for those shown in this manual

In the name of a United States resident, use or omit accents as the bearer does;when in doubt, omit them (Exception: Use accents in Spanish names of PuertoRico residents.)

ô The circumflex, in French, may modify vowel sounds (Rhône) or signify the evolutionary disappearance of an s that existed in Latin (hôtel) In Portuguese the circumflex usually marks syllable stress (Antônio).

ç The cedilla beneath a c, in French or Portuguese, produces the soft sound of s in front of certain vowels that would otherwise dictate a hard k sound (garçon; français).

name, to avoid this awkwardness: Acting Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare

Hilary B Miel.

actor, actress While actor can refer to a woman as well as to a man, actress remains

widely used and seems exempt from most objections to grafted feminine endings.See men and women

A ratified amendment to the United States Constitution is capitalized in a

reference to its formal title (including the number): the Fifth Amendment; the 18th

Amendment But lowercase an informal title (the income tax amendment), except

B.C., for before Christ, always follows the date: founded in 128 B.C or The town dates from the second century B.C.

adage The word means an old saying So old adage is redundant.

addresses For the names of streets, avenues, etc., in ordinary copy, spell out and

capitalize ordinal numbers: First through Ninth Also spell out and capitalize

Avenue, Street, West, East, etc.: First Avenue; Fifth Avenue; Park Avenue; East Ninth Street Use figures for 10th and above: 10th Avenue; West 14th Street; 42nd Street; West 113th Street When an address includes a compass point, abbreviate it without

periods: 818 C Street SE; 1627 I Street NW.

Use the plural (Streets or Avenues) when and appears in a location: between 43rd and

44th Streets But use the singular in a to phrase: along Fifth Avenue, from 43rd to 44th Street For “decades” of numbered streets, use figures: the 60s; the East 60s; the West 80s; the 130s; etc.

Generally give specific addresses for places in the New York metropolitan area But

in writing about a person whose family might face harassment or harm, consider ageneral neighborhood reference instead If an exact address seems newsworthybecause of a crime or other visible event, carefully consider the potential for harmbefore publishing it

Lamm was averse to going to court because she thought the ruling would be adverse.

advocate As a verb, it should take a direct object: She advocates mandatory recycling

laws Not She advocates for mandatory recycling laws or, worse, She advocates against mandatory recycling laws In noun constructions, do not use anti-, as in anti-sweatshop advocates and anti-abortion advocates.

aesthetic (not esthetic).

affect, effect The verb affect means influence or change (Her attitude affected the

outcome), stir emotions (His departure affected the staff), enjoy using (He affected cowboy boots, spurs and a fedora) or feign (She affects an unlikely expertise) The verb effect means

Permissible techniques include goals and timetables, as well as preferences forwomen or minority candidates Also see preferences; quotas; set-asides

air(-) Some compounds formed with air are one word, some are hyphenated and

some are two words: airbag, air ball, air base, airborne, air brake, airbrush, airbus,air-condition, air-conditioned, air-conditioner, air-conditioning, air-cooled,

aircrew, airdrop, air express, airfield, airfoil, airframe, airfreight, air gun, air lane,airlift (n., v., adj.), airline, airmail (n., v., adj.), airman, airplane, air raid (n.), air-raid (adj.), air rifle, air shaft, airship, airsick, airspace, airspeed, airstrike, airstrip,airtight, airwaves, airworthy Also see Air Force

air base, Air Force base The United States uses air base for overseas bases and Air

Force base for bases in the United States and its possessions See military bases

Air Chief Marshal Alex L Miel; the air chief marshal Like other titles in the air

forces of countries with British-influenced systems, this one cannot properly beshortened

Air Force bases are not the same as air bases: the United States uses Air Force base for

explanation

Chief Master Sgt Lauren T Kikondoo; Chief Master Sergeant Kikondoo; the chief

AK-47 for the ubiquitous 7.62-millimeter military rifle Also see bullet; cartridge;

handguns; rifles; shell; shotguns

akvavit Use aquavit instead.

expressed in proof In the American system, the proof equals twice the alcohol percentage; a 100-proof liquor is 50 percent alcohol Also see whiskey, whisky and

Alice Tully Hall (at Lincoln Center).

alien Avoid this term for a foreigner or an immigrant See illegal immigrant

Allah is the Muslim name for God Lowercase he, him, his, thee, thou, who and whom

in references to the deity of any faith

all-around (adj.) Not all-round Also see round

Allegany is the spelling for a county in New York; a town, an Indian reservation

and a state park in Cattaraugus County, N.Y.; a county in Maryland; a town inCoos County, Ore.; and a township in Potter County, Pa Also see Alleghany and

someone in power, who does not necessarily forgive the offense Also see parole,probation

among (not amongst).

among, between In general, between applies to two things, and among to more

than two But between is correct in reference to more than two when the items are related individually as well as severally: Trade between the United States, Canada and

others elsewhere The administrative arm is the Anglican Consultative Council.Every 10 years the bishops of the Anglican Communion gather for the LambethConference Also see Church of England and Episcopal Church

Anglo (n and adj.) originated in the Southwest as a term for a non-Hispanic white

American While its use is spreading, the word remains most suitable for articlesabout people in the Southwest and the West, or articles reflecting their points ofview Also see Latino

Maryland)

anniversary Note that “year” is represented in the word’s Latin roots Thus, make

it 10th anniversary, not the redundant 10-year anniversary, and avoid constructions like six-month anniversary.

anonymity is a last resort, for situations in which The Times could not otherwise

publish information it considers newsworthy and reliable Reporters should notoffer a news source anonymity without first pressing to use a name or other

helpful identification

If concealment proves necessary, writers should tell readers as much as possible —without violating the promise of confidentiality — to help them assess the source’scredibility In particular, how does the source know the information? And does he

or she have a stake in the issue?

In some cases it may also be valuable to explain why the source will not speak forattribution Does she fear for her job or her safety? Does his company forbid

workers to speak to reporters? Is the information classified? But be wary of rotephrases that convey little information and suggest an autopilot approach to

attribution It provides little insight merely to say that a source “was not

authorized” to speak, or sought anonymity because the topic was “sensitive.”

Blind attribution — sources said, for example — is more a tease than a signpost Trail markers should be as detailed as possible United States diplomat is better than

Western diplomat, which is better than diplomat Still better is a United States diplomat who took part in the meeting And a lawyer who has read the brief or an executive close to the XYZ Company is far better than a person familiar with the case, a phrase so vague

Antichrist Other anti words are solid: antiaircraft, antibiotic, antibody, anticancer,

Also: a year’s worth; five days’ worth; money’s worth; a million dollars’ worth; a penny’s

worth But, with the currency symbol: $5 million worth.

The expression months pregnant does not take an apostrophe; it is similar to years

old.

apparent Do not confuse the adjective with the related adverb, which needs to be

positioned precisely People do not die of apparent heart attacks and they are not shot in apparent robbery attempts Only real heart attacks and robbery attempts are dangerous But someone can die apparently of a heart attack, and someone can be shot apparently in a robbery attempt.

apparent temperature See heat index

Appellate Division.

apposition is a useful device in which one word or phrase is placed beside another

to define or explain it In the sentence Her husband, Chris, was late, the first term (her husband) is explained by the second (Chris) The word or phrase in apposition

expression of the pair, and see if the remaining sentence makes sense: He said he

was the stage name of the soap opera star A possible repair: He called himself Chris Lamb, using the stage name of the soap opera star.

appraise, apprise Appraise means evaluate: Have the house appraised for the insurance

company Apprise means notify or inform.

Gebel, Gisr and Marg appear in Egyptian place names instead of Burj, Jebel, Jisr and Marj.

French transliterations have become standard for North African names; thus Djebel and Ouadi instead of Jebel and Wadi.

But see geographic names for the order in which references should be consulted onspelling

Arabist.

Arab names and titles Arab names are usually Arabic words governed by

grammatical rules Many names incorporate the definite article al But the vowel may take the form of a, e or u, or disappear entirely as a result of elision The l may appear as d, dh, n, r, s, sh, t, th or z The article may be joined with the previous or the next word, or both Except where other usage has become established (Abdel

Nasser; Abdullah), use al hyphenated with the next word: al-Sabah; al-Azhar Many

Arabs drop the definite article from their names in English: Ismail Fahmy, not al-Fahmy Omit the article in a personal name after the first reference: Anwar el-Sadat;

Mr Sadat (But capitalize the article in a publication title and omit the hyphen: Al Ahram.)

Compound names should be left intact The commonest are composed with the

word Abd (Worshiper of): Abdullah (Worshiper of God); Abdel Nasser (Worshiper of the Victorious One); Abdur Rahman (Worshiper of the Merciful One).

Another compound is completed by al-Din (the Religion), which may appear in forms like ed-Din, ed-dine, uddin, etc.: Kamal ed-Din (the Perfection of the Religion);

references, use Mr or the official title before the last name and treat it as a family

name When in doubt, repeat the full name in later references

The Arab titles Pasha and Bey, both of Turkish origin, have been abolished Royal titles, as in English, are used with the first name: Prince Sultan ibn Abdel Aziz; Prince

Sultan Sheikh is the title of the rulers of the Persian Gulf principalities: Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah; Sheikh Abdullah The title and the first name alone are

enough in first references to rulers (kings, imams, emirs and sheikhs) unless thefull name is needed to distinguish between people with the same title and the samefirst name