Punctuation and Formatting | Quotation Marks | Numbers | Word List
Writing a Letter to the Editor?
Start Here with this LTE generator.
It will help you organize your letter. It also has helpful examples from the New York Times and other notable publications.
Writing an Op-Ed?
1) Touch base with the Marketing Director and let her/him know first.
2) Check out this good advice from M+R. The most important part: “Work smarter, not harder. Because of the uncertainty of op-eds, there’s no harm in reaching out to the editor with an idea for an op-ed and asking her if she’s interested before you go through the trouble of writing it. If the editor is interested, move ahead with the writing.”
3) Find the outlet’s limits before submitting (ask MarCom if you can’t find them).
4) Never attach a word document. Paste into the body of your email. The only attachments to send or upload via the outlet’s form, should be images.
Tips for writing clearly
- Use short, direct sentences.
If using a conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) this is a natural place to end the sentence and start a new one, reducing length. - Avoid acronyms. If you must, spell out the full name on the first reference.
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) projects that the region will grow. ABAG’s projections also say… - Use simple, accessible language.
homes people can afford not affordable housing
neighborhoods near train stations and bus stops not transit-oriented development - Use active voice and direct language choices to strengthen points.
Many residents attended the town hall meeting not The town hall meeting was attended by many residents.Uncontrolled logging is destroying rain forests not Rain forests are being destroyed by uncontrolled logging. - Avoid large blocks of text; help readers to scan the text and get the main points with:
Bullets
Bold (more effective for emphasis than italics or underlining.)
Subheadings - If you absolutely have to use technical terminology (jargon) explain it immediately with simple language.
An inclusionary housing policy, which requires new residential developments to include affordable homes…Although different audiences require different language, it’s always good to be as clear and as succinct as possible. This is especially true for elected officials—make it very clear what we want them to do without making them read a lot of text. - Avoid clichés.
example, good: Greenbelt Alliance is working locally to reach the state’s greenhouse gas targets.
example, cliché: Greenbelt Alliance is working on greenhouse gas reduction on the ground.
More Tips
Punctuation and text formatting rules
Colons
See Periods, below.
Commas
Use serial comma
One, two, and three things. [include comma after “two”]
not One, two and three things.
Dashes
Use em-dashes with no surrounding spaces in text. Use en-dashes only for ranges of times or numbers and use with surrounding spaces.
- Em-dash:—(shortcut: option-shift-hyphen)
- En-dash: – (shortcut: option-hyphen)
- Hyphen –
Em-dashes often surround parenthetical remarks—like this one—but create less of a break than parentheses. Or they can denote a pause—a long pause. There is never a space on either end of an em-dash—never.
En-dashes are used to indicate ranges, and always have a space on both sides:
600 – 900 acres
7 – 4 p.m., Wednesday, June 10
Dates and times
Use this order: time, day, date.
example: 6-9:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 10
Directions
See Places/Directions, below.
Hyphenation
Use for compound adjectives. Don’t use if the first word is an adverb ending in –ly, or if it’s “very.”
poorly planned development
nine-county region
very tall buildings
Footnotes
Superscript number goes outside the period and outside any quotation marks.
Home prices doubled between 2005 and 2006.1
The mayor said they “positively skyrocketed.”2
Lists/bullets
Initial cap after bullets and numbers.
If it’s a list of items that are not sentences, omit periods and semicolons.
- Dog
- Bat
- Monkey
Generally use bullets instead of numbers. Numbers are OK if it’s a sequence of things to do or clearly numerical.
example:
The City should do three things immediately:
- Adopt an urban growth boundary to protect surrounding farmland
- Provide homes people can afford with an inclusionary housing ordinance
- Use design standards to make streets safe and pleasant for walking
Use parallel usage in lists (all past tense/present tense/etc.—be consistent).
example:
- Protecting open spaces
- Creating vibrant places
- Creating walkable neighborhoods
example, not:
- Protecting open space
- Vibrant places
- Made neighborhoods walkable
Citations, references
Italicize the names of newspapers and journals, and magazine titles.
Periods
Use only one space after periods, exclamation points, question marks, and colons.
do not double space after punctuation
Parentheses
If an entire sentence is inside parentheses, the punctuation should go there too. If only the thought inside the parentheses is a question or exclamation, put the exclamation point or question make inside parentheses. Otherwise, the punctuation goes outside. Try to avoid parentheses in formal documents.
examples:
Greenbelt Alliance has been around a long time (since 1958).
Greenbelt Alliance has been around since 1958 (a long time!).
It’s been a long time. (Greenbelt Alliance was founded in 1958.)
Quotation marks
Do not use quotation marks when referring to voting.
examples:
Vote yes on Proposition A!
not Vote “yes” on Proposition A!
Periods and commas go inside quotation marks. The dash, semicolon, the question mark and the exclamation point go within the quotation when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.
examples:
“Blah blah,” he said.
The program is called “Fun With Density.”
“Fun With Density” is a great TV show for kids.
Quotation marks are often used with technical terms, terms used in an unusual way, or other expressions that vary from standard usage. In these cases, use the same rules as above.
examples:
It’s an oil-extraction method known as “fracking.”
He did some “experimenting” in his college days.
I had a visit from my “friend” the tax man.
For article titles or quoting a person, question marks and exclamation points go outside of the quotation marks unless they’re part of the title or the quote.
example:
Was that article called “Sprawl Mayhem”?
I think it was called “Who’s Next?”.
If a quote would normally end in a period, and is followed by something like “he said,” end the quote with a comma instead of a period, inside the quotation marks. If there is no attribution after the quote, use a period. For questions and exclamations, however, use question marks and exclamation points, not a comma. If the attribution is first, put a comma after it.
example:
“That article was incredibly dull,” she said.
“Really?” I asked.
“It was stultifying!” she exclaimed.
I said, “I found it riveting.”
“That’s odd.”
Spacing
see Periods, above
Tense
Use present tense unless referring specifically to a past (in which case use past tense) or future event (in which case use future tense).
Titles
Use title case, not sentence case.
example: This Is the Title to My Blogpost
example, not: This is the title to my blogpost
Not sure? Use this: titlecapitalization.com
Numbers
Numbers one through nine are spelled out. Above nine, use numerals. For numbers above 999, use commas.
example: Although the mayor said nine houses would be built, there were actually 10.
We request a grant of $100,000.
The new development would cover 4,600 acres.
Exceptions to this rule: measurements (acres, feet, inches, miles, etc.), numbers in millions and greater, and percentages—in those cases, use numerals at all times.
examples:
Today, 1 out of 10 acres are at risk.
That’s 10% of all the land in the entire region.
Oakley’s Atlantis development will be 5 feet below sea level.
The region’s population will grow from 6.5 million to 9 million people over the next generation.
Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are always spelled out.
example: One out of every 10 acres is at risk.
Percent
Use a number and a percent symbol. Don’t spell out “percent.”
example: Cities are doing only 34% of what they should be to prepare for growth.
Phone and fax numbers
Use hyphens between area code and number, hyphen, x for extension
examples:
415-543-6771 x301
not (415)543-6671
not 415.543.6771 ext.301
Places/Directions
Bay Area is always capitalized.
Subregions are capitalized.
examples:
North Bay
Sonoma-Marin
East Bay
South Bay
Peninsula
Do not capitalize west, north, western, southern, etc. unless they are part of a proper name.
examples:
The East Bay and Solano County
In eastern Contra Costa County
To the east of San Jose
Our programs
Program names, such as “Greenbelt Outings” and “Greenbelt Alliance Endorsement Program,” are capitalized with title case.
Report titles
Italicize report titles. In places where italics are not available, use quotation marks instead.
Websites
URLs should not begin with “http://” or “www.”
Our website is greenbelt.org not www.greenbelt.org
Word list
A word list tracks our decisions about word choice, helps us maintain consistent writing standards, and saves time. This is the place for words and phrases that appear frequently in Greenbelt Alliance’s materials, or are those hard-to-remember capitalizations, rules, or spellings.
A good word list is never finished. If a word or phrase you need to use isn’t here, please contact the Marketing and Communications staff to decide how to spell/use it. We will add it here.
A to F
A
affordable housing
better to use phrases such as:
homes people can afford
ensuring that teachers, firefighters, and workers can live in the communities they serve
helping families find homes they can afford
allies
use partners
acknowledgment
agriculture
agricultural land
not ag or ag land
At Risk and the At Risk Map
At Risk is a proper noun when referring to our report. It should be capitalized and italicized.
Land at risk of development is not a proper noun.
The At Risk Map refers to the regional map of lands at risk. It is a branded entity and should be capitalized when referring to that map. Because the At Risk Map is not a publication on its own, it should not be italicized.
B
bikeable
not bikable
Board
capitalized when referring internally to our Board of Directors. Use the full Board of Directors for external reference.
not capitalized when referring to board meeting or board member
C
City / County
City and County capitalized when talking about governments, not the broader community
example: Working with the City and other partners, Greenbelt Alliance spearheaded the adoption of the plan to guide the city’s growth.
city and county – Not capitalized when talking about places
example: The City drew an urban growth boundary far outside the existing city, opening up acres of land to development.
City and County as governments are singular, so use it
example: We told the County that it can’t do this without consulting the voters.
when talking about a single county by name, capitalize County
example: Sonoma County’s farmland is threatened.
when listing multiple counties by name, do not capitalize county.
example: Sonoma and Santa Clara counties are the biggest in the Bay Area.
capitalize names of government bodies
examples:
The City Council and Planning Commission will vote on this.
The measure goes before the Board of Supervisors on Monday.
climate-friendly
climate-resilient
climate-smart
Use climate-smart anytime you are not referring specifically to our climate SMART development program.
example:
The Bay Area needs to consider climate-smart growth when planning for the future.
climate SMART development
All caps SMART when talking about Greenbelt Alliance’s Climate SMART Development program. When introducing SMART for the first time in your writing, be sure to define what it means: Sustainable, Mixed, Affordable, Resilient, Transit-Oriented
example:
Greenbelt Alliance is addressing how our region grows by advocating for climate SMART—Sustainable, Mixed, Affordable, Resilient, Transit-Oriented—development.
community separator
councilmember
only capitalize when using as a title
example:
Councilmember Liccardo enjoys bicycling. The councilmember bikes to work.
countywide
Countywide Park and Open Space District
Countywide Park and Open Space District capitalized when talking about the entity, not the broader community
example: The Solano Countywide Park and Open Space District will be on the ballot.
Lowercasing when referring to it as a general thing or place.
example: Countywide park and open space districts are good for the environment.
D
decision maker
E
east
East Bay
eastern
east and eastern are not capitalized unless part of a name
not e-mail
environmental impact report (EIR)
if you need to reference it multiple times, spell it out on the first time followed by the acronym in parentheses
F
farmland
farmworker
floodplain
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
G to L
G
general plan / General Plan
see plan / Plan
greenbelt / Greenbelt
Greenbelt is capitalized only in the name of Greenbelt Alliance, not in talking about the greenbelt of open spaces.
Greenbelt Alliance
The organization’s name should always be Greenbelt Alliance, not The Greenbelt Alliance, Greenbelt, GA, GBA or any other abbreviation.
Greenbelt Alliance Endorsement Program
not development endorsement
not DEP or CDT or any other acronym
not The Greenbelt Alliance Endorsement Program
greenhouse gases
greenhouse gas emissions
greenhouse gas pollution
not GHG
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
groundwater
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
H
hone
hone means to sharpen; the phrase is home in on, not hone in on
houses / homes / units
when they’re in a good place (smart growth), use homes
when they’re sprawl, use houses or units
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
examples:
providing 400 new homes near the BART station
not a sprawling new development of over 3,000 houses outside the city
not a 200-unit proposed development on coastal wetlands
housing element
I
infill
not in-fill
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
Internet
J
judgment
L
land use / land-use
land-use planning
land-use is only hyphenated if modifying a subsequent noun, see section on hyphenation
examples:
land-use attorney
land-use planning
deals with land use and planning
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
livable
not liveable
not livable communities
better to use descriptive phrases such as:
creating vibrant, walkable neighborhoods
making cities and towns better places to live
creating more vibrant neighborhoods
revitalizing downtowns
guiding growth into existing cities and towns
directing growth into already urbanized areas
providing homes for all, at all income levels
promoting well-planned growth
mixed-use development is not preferred because it’s jargon; instead, use something like a mix of jobs, shops, and homes
N to Z
N
nonprofit
not non-profit or not-for-profit
north
North Bay
northern
north and northern are not capitalized unless part of a name
O
online
not on-line
P
Planning
rather than planning process, it is better to use descriptive phrases such as:
helping residents decide the future of their communities
mobilizing citizens
giving local residents a voice
policymaker
Planning Commission is capitalized.
examples:
The City Council and Planning Commission will vote on this.
plan / Plan
plan is capitalized only when used as part of the name of a plan
examples:
El Camino Real Specific Plan
Diridon Station Area Plan
San Jose’s general plan
poorly-planned development
see sprawl
priority development areas
not PDAs, and not capitalized
not progressive
do not use this term, Greenbelt Alliance is non-partisan
R
ranch land
rangeland
Find a more plainspoken term where possible.
region-wide
runoff
noun
S
Solano-Napa
Sonoma-Marin
south
South Bay
southern
south and southern are not capitalized unless part of a name
sprawl
poorly-planned development
sprawl development
sprawling development
suburban sprawl
not urban sprawl (urban is not bad!)
statewide
subregion
T
transit-oriented development
not preferred because it’s jargon; instead, use something like homes, jobs, and shops close to public transportation
U
underway
units
see houses and homes
urban growth boundary
lower case and on subsequent use, it’s the boundary, not UGB
Capitalize when referring to a specific Urban Growth Boundary
This is the most commonly used term in the North Bay. Other regions use a mix of terms based on the specific policy. Always look up the specific policy to be sure.
Always define on first use.
Example:
Sonoma County is the only Bay Area county with urban growth boundaries—which designate where a city can and cannot grow and are one of the most effective policies for open space protection—around each of its incorporated cities.
Urban growth boundaries—which designate where a city can and cannot grow—are one of the most effective policies for open space protection.
We must renew the city of Sonoma’s Urban Growth Boundary to protect critical open space lands.
urban limit line
lower case and on subsequent use it’s the line, not ULL
Capitalize when referring to a specific Urban Limit Line
Always define on first use. See urban growth boundary for examples.
Different cities use a mix of terms based on the specific policy, i.e. urban growth boundary, green line, etc. Always look up the specific policy to be sure.
W
walkable
the web
webmaster
website
west
western
west and western are not capitalized unless part of a name
West Oakland
wetlands
wildland
workforce
work plan