STYLE GUIDECardigan Mountain School

2015-2016A Guide for Faculty & Staff

In an effort to demonstrate consistency in the use, spelling, and capitalization of certain words and phrases, as well as consistency in matters of punctuation, key points of grammar, numerical style, and Cardigan-specific terminology, we provide the following guidelines for your reference. In addition, publication guidelines for logos, fonts, and

such, are included in this document.

It is our hope that all Cardigan communications pieces (any printed piece of communication to our external constituents) conform to these guidelines. Please feel free to bring your questions or suggestions to our

director of communications, Joy Michelson.

Capitalization

I. Regarding the word “school”:Cardigan Mountain School the School (when Cardigan Mountain School is implicit),

BUT: our school the Cardigan Mountain School faculty, students,

parents the Cardigan Mountain School campus the Cardigan Mountain School Parents’ Association “The Parents’ Association supports the School,” but:

“The school year started in August.”Note: When shortening our school’s name from the full “Cardigan Mountain School,” use simply “Cardigan,” not “Cardigan Mountain.”

II. Grades, class years, and such: In a written piece (text): “The School provides an education

for boys in grades six through nine.” In an ad, it might make more sense to save space: “…provides an education for boys in grades 6–9.” (Note the use of an en dash, not hyphen, to show range. See later section on hyphens and dashes for more details.)

A sixth grader is a unique being. (n. = no hyphen)The sixth-grade math students are studying fractions.

(adj. = hyphenated)The sixth grade goes to Cape Cod. (n. = no hyphen)Tony is a member of the Class of 1993 (or:) …of the Class

of ’93.Owen loves his English class.Alex Gray, who teaches an eighth-grade English class,

told us he was happy with his students. (i.e., The class is an eighth-grade class. But we wouldn’t want to think Alex was IN the eighth grade by saying “Alex Gray, an eighth-grade English teacher…” so he can instead be listed as a Grade Eight English teacher!)

Likewise: Mark Holt, our Grade Six lead teacher, adores his 12 students; Rick Exton, a Grade Nine advisor, spoke to students about next year’s plans.

III. Names of courses(Use upper case for course titles on the subject line of a comment form; use lower case—as appropriate—in the text area of a comment form or in the body of an article, etc. Also, the general subject can be lower case in text, but a specific course title should be upper case.)

art (but: Art for Credit), athletics, biology, drama, English, French, Global Leadership, PEAKS, ESL, shop, math (but: Algebra II), Spanish, Latin, history (but: American History or World History), music (but: History of Jazz), religion (but: World Religions)…

IV. Seasons/terms, and such: (NOTE: Please remember we function on a trimester schedule—our various academic terms should not be referred to as “semesters.”)

Seasons and academic terms generally appear in lower case: winter, the winter term, and the winter trimester, unless these are headings at the top of something such as grades and comments: Winter Term Grades and Comments. BUT: I think we’ll cover that topic in the winter term. The fields should be pretty muddy this spring. Leaves fall in the fall (or autumn). He’s been working hard since the midterm; the fall midterm has come and gone.

We do now have some official names of Cardigan-specific breaks, which can be capitalized: We are approaching Spring Vacation soon, and we hope the students all return! Also: Winter Vacation, Fall Term Long Weekend, Winter Term Long Weekend, and Thanksgiving Recess. BUT: I think I’ll take a spring vacation this year instead of taking one in the heat of summer. [generic]

V. Departments, offices, and committees(generally capitalized) She is a member of the Arts Department; he works in

the Business Office (a reference to our Cardigan Business Office). BUT: He works in a business office of some sort in New London.

She teaches art. (the general subject) He works in business. (the field)

David Auerbach, chair of the Arts Department, held a meeting about course offerings with his department members. OR: David Auerbach, Arts Department chair, held a meeting about course offerings with his department members.

Kathryn Holland and Mary Ledoux are key people on the Auction Committee.

Chip Audett, who heads up the Admissions Office, will be attending. (department)

The brochures can be found in the admissions office. (location)

The students should pick up their medication at the health center. (location)

The Health Center administers medications when appropriate. (department)

This formal communication came from the Head of School’s Office. (department)

I left my umbrella in the head of school’s office. (literally the room/location)

VI. Professional titles(Use lower case unless immediately preceding the name—even with the president!)We spoke to the head of school, and he said it was fine.David McCusker, Jr. ’80, Cardigan’s head of school, is

thrilled to be back. BUT: Head of School David McCusker, Jr. ’80 loves the School.

Joy Michelson, our director of communications, will be referring to this manual daily. BUT: Director of Communications Joy Michelson has become an expert in graphic design.

Marty Wennik, the English Department chair, will join us. BUT: English Department Chair Marty Wennik will be there.

Chip Audett, our director of admissions, plays an important role in arranging student housing assignments. BUT: Director of Admissions Chip Audett looks exhausted from many late-night meetings about student housing.

Hillary Clinton, who is hoping to become the president, has worked tirelessly on her campaign. Barack Obama, who is president of the United States, is preparing for transition. BUT: It’s true that President Obama will be transitioning soon.

Burt McGillivray, chair of the Finance Committee, was here a lot this fall. AND: Our Finance Committee chair for next year has not been announced. BUT: Finance Committee Chair Burt MacGillivray oversaw many meetings on campus.

VII. Terms specific to CardiganThe faculty is an important constituency at any private

school. (singular) BUT: Members of the faculty are planning to arrive at 5:00 p.m.; the students will arrive at 6:00 p.m.

I am an advisor and I have five students in my advisor group. They are my advisees.

AOD = administrator-on-dutyPOW = Plan of the WeekAY = academic year (He’s an AY student!)Core Values... Please adhere to the Core Values.

[Cardigan-specific values are implicit.] BUT: Our core values, just like the core values of any other school, are central to our programming.

The Point = our campus’s nickname. We hope our alumni will return to The Point in the fall. (both words capitalized in this special reference)

Several things point us to the Cardigan Way when we consider the issues. (Note the italics used for “Cardigan Way” but not for its preceding “the,” which, in addition, remains lowercase.)

Cardigan Mountain School Parents’ Association or simply the Parents’ Association (if referring to Cardigan’s). BUT: …A parents’ association can provide terrific partnership in support of a school’s events. (generic reference)

Board of Trustees; Cardigan Mountain School’s Board of Trustees, Cardigan’s Board of Trustees. BUT, when alone: the trustees, the board.  SO: The Board of Trustees will meet in April. BUT: The board will meet in April, with most trustees attending. (Both are right.)

Parents’ Weekend had a tremendous turnout. The Cardigan Auction raises a lot of much-needed money for the School. ALSO: I want to donate things to the Auction [referring to Cardigan’s]… BUT: He thinks using an auction for fundraising purposes can be lucrative. [general]

All-School Meetings take place in Humann Theatre. (Note: there should not be a “the” before “Humann,” and its official name uses the British spelling of “Theatre”!)BUT: The meetings will take place in the theater.

Once again, he made both the Achievement Honor Roll and the Effort Honor Roll [referring to ours here at Cardigan]. BUT: Jimmy is pretty consistently an honor roll student [general].

Five seniors will not be with us at Commencement [official title of the graduation ceremony]. If you went through the graduation [general] process at one school, going through it again here might seem different.

Dormitories: Stowell House, French I and II, Hinman I and II, Hayward I and II, Clark-Morgan II and III (or CM II and CM III), Brewster I and II, Franklin House, Banks House, Greenwood House, Dewar, and Funnell. (Let’s stick to roman numerals for French, Hinman, Clark-Morgan, Hayward, and Brewster.)

The chapel [lower case when referring to the building itself] is in the center of campus. We attend Chapel on Thursdays. [Capitalize when it’s a reference to name of the service itself.]

Other commonly referred to places/departments/programs:Hamilton Family Foundation Student Health

Center BUT: the health center [lowercase location] or Health Center [re: department, as in “I’m filling out Health Center forms for my son.”]

the faculty room. Charles C. Gates Innovation in Design,

Engineering, and the Arts (I.D.E.A.) Shop OR: the I.D.E.A. Shop; Charles C. Gates Invention & Innovation Competition program; the Gates program; the Gates Lab; PEAKS® (Personalized Education for the Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills); Engineering Possibilities Innovation & Creativity (E.P.I.C.) Center.

Some STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) concepts have become a big part of the sixth-grade curriculum. [Note: We’ve decided on no periods for this acronym.]

Marrion Athletic Center; Johnson–Wakely Fitness Center [note the en dash between “Johnson” and “Wakely”; not a hyphen]; the Johnson–Wakely Locker Room; the Wakely Center [where rink is located]; Turner Arena [the specific name of the rink]; Marrion Field; the Back 40 fields; Cotting Rock; the Quad; Williams Field; the Cave; the Upper Courts; the Edilberto C. Ramos Tennis Courts. BUT: [when generic or shortened] …meet me at the football field; the soccer fields; the gym; the fitness center; Marrion; Wakely; Turner; the gym; the rink; the courts; the fitness center; the locker room; the Ramos courts; etc.

Bronfman, Hopkins Hall, Stoddard Center, Gillette Room, the Cardigan Commons, Williams Wood Shop [BUT: the woodshop teacher], Humann Theatre [note British spelling and no “The”; BUT: “the theater” (generic)]; Kirk Library; The Pfeffer–Beach Student Store [note the en dash]. OR SIMPLY: meet me at… the health center, Humann, the theater, the library, the school store, the woodshop, the faculty room, the Commons, etc.

Admissions Office, Business Office, Development Office, Summer Programs Office, Technology Office, Student Life Office, Housekeeping, Maintenance [departments]. ALSO use caps in reference to a specific Cardigan program: The Student Life program this year made use of the Chapel program’s repeated seafaring imagery. BUT lowercase when referring to various locations or when referring to fields generically: I have worked in an admissions office elsewhere. (OR: I have worked in admissions at other schools.) Please put the candles out in the chapel. Ask Housekeeping [department] for a pail when a student is sick. See Tim Jennings in Maintenance [department] if you have an issue. BUT: A school’s maintenance staff [general] will often work overtime on snowy days.

Use the “Visitor Parking” spots [referring to designated area marked by signs] in front of the admissions office [location]. BUT: The Admissions Office [department] will invite interested families to campus and reserve a few spaces near their office where visitors may park.

Annual Fund [when referring to Cardigan’s]; a school’s annual fund [general]. Please consider giving to The Annual Fund for Cardigan [official title of Cardigan’s annual fundraising effort] or to The Campaign for Cardigan 2020 [official title of the specific capital campaign we are currently immersed in; note that we are choosing to

capitalize the “T” in “The” at the beginning of each of these titles]. We hope you will please give to both the Campaign and the Annual Fund this year [again: the fact that these are Cardigan specific is implied].

I would like to save my giving for the Auction. [a reference to the Cardigan-specific fundraiser] OR: I have saved the dates for the Cardigan Auction. [Note: This fundraiser is no longer titled the Parents’ Auction.] BUT: An auction can be helpful when you are trying to close the fundraising gap! [generic]

The Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2020 (etc.) (no italics for the title of the visionary plan itself, which is actually even longer than this)…BUT: We should all refer to pages xx–xx in The Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2020…[etc.] [Put the title in italics when referring to the name of the document.]

Summer Session (official name of the six-week summer program on campus). Cardigan Outdoor Recreation Expeditions (C.O.R.E.); this is one of our summer offerings that runs concurrently with Summer Session, at least for part of the time.Cardigan Mountain Lacrosse Camp (a separate entity/program that makes use of our facilities, but is not run by our school. It is not Cardigan Mountain School Lacrosse Camp, as people sometimes mistakenly call it).The Summer Programs Office (comprising essentially one guy: Devin Clifford!) ensures the happy intersection of all of these summer offerings.

Cardigan Teams: Varsity, Junior Varsity or JV, Thirds, Reserve. Capitalize when referring to the official Cardigan team name: He plays on the Varsity Basketball Team. Reserve Hockey will be dismissed early from lunch to be in the locker room by 1:00 p.m. BUT: He plays the sport at the varsity level. OR: He’s about a thirds-level athlete. [generic reference to level of play] Note: “JV” is always capped, but “junior varsity” when spelled out depends on the context.

Dress: class dress, Chapel dress [reference to dress worn during the Chapel program], dinner dress, town dress, travel dress, buffet dress.

VIII. Technology references

email, Internet, website, webpage, World Wide Web, the Web, online [adj., adv.], log in [v.], log-in [n., adj.], smartphone, e-newsletter.

I love to send emails late at night, and often I use the Internet.

Many boys wish they could make use of their smartphones on campus.

More and more, the boys need to cite various websites as their sources for information.

The best place to find information is on the World Wide Web.

I often refer to the Web when I need to know something. We can find great deals online [adv.] all the time; the online

[adj.] information updates are the most accurate. When I log in, I have trouble seeing the icons; maybe my

log-in procedure needs to be looked at. e-newsletter. [electronic newsletter]

IX. Publications (Note italics for many publication titles or titles of works)Cardigan Chronicle [official]. When mentioned in

shortened form in text: “This will appear in the next issue of the Chronicle…” When making a reference to the official (longer) title in text, be sure to keep the “the” in roman type (not italicized) and lower case: “That picture you took is worthy of an appearance in the Cardigan Chronicle, I think!”

The Family–Student Directory, the Student Handbook, the Blaze, To the Point [e-newsletter], and so on.

In general, titles of larger or serial publications (newspapers, magazines, books, etc.) are in italics. Specific article or chapter titles in those publications are in quotes: His article, “Reading for Fun,” in the last issue of Newsweek was terrific.

Names of TV series, movies, plays, CDs (a.k.a. albums) appear in italics. Song titles, play scenes, episodes, and so

on, would be in quotes: The upbeat song “Mary’s Place,” on one of Springsteen’s more recent CDs, The Rising, is an all-time favorite. I wasn’t fond of the Law & Order (TV series) episode titled “Never Again.” Tom Cruise is the star of the film Risky Business.

X. Academic credentials She has her master’s degree in elementary education.He has a Master of Science in Chemistry [official title].

(BUT: He has a master’s in chemistry.)Abbreviations: BA (or AB), PhD, MS, MAT, MBA, MEd

XI. Postal abbreviations, geography, and such In all text, spell out names of states completely, or use

abbreviations meant for text, such as Mass., N.H., Conn., Vt. (as opposed to the two-letter postal abbreviations, such as MA, NH, CT, VT, which should only be used when addressing envelopes or listing mailing addresses).

Be consistent about either spelling out or appropriately abbreviating within one letter, one section of a magazine, one article, and so forth:

She joins us from Bethel, Maine, where she played on a polo team, but her family resided in Houston, Texas, when she was a little girl.OR: He hails from Dorset, Vt., where the maple syrup is incredible, and she comes to us from Dorchester, Mass., where she spent many years.

BUT: Address listings should always makes use of the two-letter postal abbreviations...Please mail your checks to our school address:

Cardigan Mountain School62 Alumni DrCanaan, NH 03741 [Note use of the state’s two-letter postal abbreviation in this case.]

Refer to table that follows for both types of state abbreviations:

Abbrev. Two-letterState [or territory] in text postal abbreviationAlabama Ala. ALAlaska Alaska AKArizona Ariz. AZArkansas Ark. ARCalifornia Calif. CAColorado Colo. COConnecticut Conn. CTDelaware Del. DE[District of Columbia] D.C. DCFlorida Fla. FLGeorgia Ga. GA[Guam] Guam GUHawaii Hawaii HIIdaho Idaho IDIllinois Ill. ILIndiana Ind. INIowa Iowa IAKansas Kans. KSKentucky Ky. KYLouisiana La. LAMaine Maine MEMaryland Md. MDMassachusetts Mass. MAMichigan Mich. MIMinnesota Minn. MNMississippi Miss. MSMissouri Mo. MOMontana Mont. MT

Abbreviation Two-LetterState [or territory] in text postal abbreviationAlabama Ala. ALAlaska Alaska AKArizona Ariz. AZArkansas Ark. ARCalifornia Calif. CAColorodo Colo. COConnecticut Conn. CTDelaware Del. DE[District of Columbia]

D.C. DC

Florida Fla. FLGeorgia Ga. GA[Guam] Guam GUHawaii Hawaii HIIdaho Idaho IDIllinois Ill. ILIndiana Ind. INIowa Iowa IAKansas Kans. KSKentucky Ky. KYLouisiana La. LAMaine Maine MEMaryland Md. MDMassachusetts Mass. MAMichigan Mich. MIMinnesota Minn. MNMississippi Miss. MS

Abbreviation Two-LetterState [or territory] in text postal abbreviationMissouri Mo. MOMontana Mont. MTNebraska Neb. or Nebr. NENevada Nev. NVNew Hampshire N.H. NHNew Jersey N.J. NJNew Mexico N.Mex. NMNew York N.Y. NYNorth Carolina N.C. NCNorth Dakota N.Dak. NDOhio Ohio OHOklahoma Okla. OKOregon Ore. or Oreg. ORPennsylvania Pa. PARhode Island R.I. RISouth Carolina S.C. SCSouth Dakota S. Dak. SDTennessee Tenn. TNTexas Tex. TXUtah Utah UTVermont Vt. VT[Virgin Islands] V.I. VIVirginia Va. VAWashington Wash. WAWest Virginia W.Va. WVWisconsin Wis. or Wisc. WIWyoming Wyo. WY

Numbers

I. In text In text (generally), spell out numbers under 10: one, two,

three…nine. (There were four students who made it to the final round of the geography bee.) Use Arabic numerals (generally) for numbers 10 and above. (There are 49 desks available for use in the Gillette Room.)

In a list of items, if one requires a numeral (because it is 10 or more), then others in the same category (i.e., referring to the same noun or same implied noun) should be numerals regardless (I have 12 orange blouses, 4 red blouses, and six black sweaters.). Note here that “sweater” is a different noun than “blouse,” so the “six” is spelled out thanks to the regular “under 10” rule.

II. As numeralsExpress numbers with numerals when they are years, addresses, dates, measurements, decimal values, and other numbers-as-identifiers. (He lives at 278 Delaware Avenue. The slab of wood he used is for 4’ x 8’ and very thick.)

III. Commas inUse a comma with figures in thousands, except for years, addresses, and page numbers. (I counted 1,497 jelly beans in 2007. On page 4876 of the Guinness Book of World Records, there are some incredible pictures of the world’s tallest man, who lives at 1285 Delaware Avenue, Washington, D.C.)

IV. Phone numbersPhone numbers “CMS style”—use periods when possible: 603.523.4321 If there is an extension listed, follow phone number with a comma and “ext.”: 617.867.5309, ext. 2

V. TimesTo show a “from–to” range in time, use an en dash (–), rather than a hyphen (-) or em dash (—). ALSO: Use lower case and periods for a.m. and p.m., and only use a single “a.m.” or “p.m.” if the same is implied for the first number in the range: 4–6 p.m. Otherwise, use both the “a.m.” and the “p.m.”: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.In a range situation, the words from and to may also be used, but don’t mix this option with the en dash.

These are OK:The program runs from 10:15 a.m. to about 4 p.m.They allow children ages 6–12.BUT NOT:It runs from 40–50 feet in length. (The range should be expressed as EITHER “from 40 to 50 feet” OR “40–50 feet”!)

VI. DatesUse a comma in dates containing month, day, and year (July

4, 1992, was a beautiful day), but not in a date with a month and year only (December 1992 was a good month). Note the additional comma after the year in the first example; this is necessary when a day is included and the sentence continues after the year.

Registration is on September 12, 2015, for all returning students. OR: It will take place on the 12th of September. But NOT: September 12th, 2015.

On an invitation:Please join us for dinner and dancing at the Cardigan CommonsMonday, June 6 OR:Please join us for dinner and dancing at the Cardigan Commonson Monday, the sixth of June (OR: the 6th of June) But NOT:Monday, June 6th

VII. YearsThe 1990s (or the ’90s—watch apostrophe direction),

BUT: in the Roaring Twenties (a special designation for that decade).

VIII. Fractions Spell out fractions (use hyphen: three-fourths), centuries

(twentieth century) unless numerals are part of an organization’s official name (20th Century Fox), and numbers that begin a sentence (Fourteen of those teenagers were participating in the Walk for Hunger.).

IX. Percents Spell out the word percent in text (He was 90 percent

accurate about the eight percent tuition hike), rather than using a percent symbol (%). In a table, however, the symbol is appropriate.

Punctuation

I. Commas John L. Hall II (no comma); Mr. John Q. Public, Jr.Tim Fleming ’70; David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80 (comma

before “Jr.” or “Sr.,” but no comma before an alumnus’s class year; be sure the apostrophe faces the correct way).

Use a comma with figures in thousands, except for years, addresses, and page numbers. (I counted 1,497 jelly beans in 2007. On page 4876 of the Guinness Book of World Records, there are some incredible pictures of the world’s tallest man, who lives at 1285 Delaware Avenue, Washington, D.C.)

Use a comma in dates containing month, day, and year (July 4, 1992, was a beautiful day), but not in a date with a month and year only (December 1992 was a good month). Note the comma after the year in the first example; this is necessary when a day is included and the sentence continues after the year.

Use a series comma. This means that in a list or series, you should include the final comma: We had chicken, rice, and salad for lunch. Pick one, two, or more.We went to the dining hall, ate lunch quickly, and headed to the locker room.

II. Apostrophes Pay close attention to the direction of the apostrophe in

class years or when shortening decades; these apostrophes should look just like possessive apostrophes [’]: Richard Clancy ’67 returned to teach here in the in the ’70s. [NOT: ‘67 or ‘70s]

Possessive apostrophes: Henry’s shoe; Charles’s book; the people’s gathering [people is already plural]; the members’ rules [referring to the rules of more than one member]; Parents’ Weekend; the puppies’ tails; the Joneses’ cat [yes, it’s true—that is the way you would spell and punctuate it when the cat belongs to the many members of the Jones family!]. With joint possession: my aunt and uncle’s house [both own same house]; my daughter’s and son’s friends [each has a separate group of friends].

Examples of unique plurals (some with apostrophes, most without): CDs; DVDs; SSATs; SOCs; the 1990s; the ’90s; He earned A’s and B’s last term; Mind your p’s and q’s! I’m tired of all of his “maybes”! [There is no longer an apostrophe encouraged when making a quoted word plural.]

III. Semicolons Semicolons can be used when two sentences are very closely

related—like cause and effect, for example. The semicolon should take the place of a period and capital or replace the combination of a comma and an “and” (or similar conjunction). For example: Wim didn’t want any more ice cream; he was too full. Virginia wasn’t too happy with the way she’d written the first chapter; however, she decided to move forward with the second chapter regardless.

Semicolons may also take the place of commas when a list is full of complicated items that already have commas within them. For example: Ryan thought about all the things he had to do: take out the garbage; empty the sink of plates, cups, and silverware; scrub the floors; and do the laundry.

IV. PeriodsLists (bulleted lists, for example) should have each item begin

with a capital letter and end in a period (even if the item is not a complete sentence), unless all list items have fewer than four words each (in which case no end punctuation is necessary). Example:

We need to take these steps before leaving:-Tie our shoes-Start our cars-Thank our parentsBUT:We need to take these steps before leaving:-Tie our shoes.-Start our cars.-Say thank you to our parents.

RSVP (not R.S.V.P.). Also, it’s redundant to say “Please RSVP”; use “Kindly RSVP” (which is only a little less redundant) or simply: “RSVP by March 21”

V. EllipsesWhen using . . . to indicate a lapse or break in quotation (or

someone’s speech trailing off midsentence), use three dots and four spaces—or four dots (with no space prior to the first) to indicate a period at the end of the sentence. . . .

VI. Parentheses and quotation marks (If words inside parentheses form a complete sentence,

put the period—or other end punctuation—inside the closing parenthesis.) Otherwise (like right now!), the parenthetical punctuation depends on context.

With quotations, commas and periods always fall inside the closing quotation mark, regardless of context. With other punctuation, it depends on whether the punctuation is part of the quote or not:

His final instructions included making sure “all books are put away before leaving.” If you like jelly beans, “whoopie pies,” and apples, this is the picnic for you!He said “Darn it!” before she could stop him. (Note the exclamation point inside quotation mark in this case, but:)I will not tolerate your so-called “words of frustration”! (Note the exclamation point outside the quotation mark.)Here are the questions we are considering regarding Cardigan’s “student culture”: Where does our program fall short? What are we doing well? [etc.] (Note the colon outside the quotation marks.)

VII. Following bold or italic textAll punctuation following an italic or bold word or phrase

is also italic or bold: He used the term variable, and then explained its meaning. (Note that the comma following “variable” is italicized.)

VIII. Hyphens and dashesDo not hyphenate words beginning with prefixes such as

non, pre, co, re, over, post, semi, sub, super, and multi (multilateral, nonathlete, prereading, etc.). Exceptions: if the word looks awkward without a hyphen (co-worker, non-nuclear, co-owner) or if the word that follows is capitalized (trans-Atlantic, non-European allies) or is a numeral (pre-1990).

Always hyphenate words beginning with self (self-evident, self-confidence).

Do not hyphenate words ending in wide or hood (nationwide, schoolwide, motherhood).

Do not precede like with a hyphen unless the letter l will be tripled (businesslike, but doll-like).

Do not hyphenate care words as either adjectives or nouns (day care, health care, child care).

Hyphenated adjectives: Liam is staying at school this afternoon because he has after-school sports. BUT: He has sports after school. That student is the most-loved boy on the floor. BUT: That boy is the one on the floor who is most loved.

Do not hyphenate an -ly word: The barely felt tremor only registered 1.5 on the Richter scale.

To indicate a range, use an en dash (–), which is smaller than an em dash (—), but bigger than a hyphen (-): 30–40 feet in length. A hyphen will suffice if an en dash doesn’t exist in your computer program; however, dashes do exist in Microsoft Word in the “Symbols” palette (edit>insert>symbol).

To indicate a relationship of equally important parts, use an en dash: The Johnson–Wakely Fitness Center (both names important; a hyphen might suggest simply a hyphenated last name). The student–faculty ratio here is exceptional. (en dash) The Family–Student Directory is a valuable resource. (en dash)

Hyphenate the “name” of an academic year: The 2015-2016 school year. BUT: Use an en dash to indicate a range of years, such as the length of time someone has been working here: Coach Marrion worked here 1977–2014.

In a range situation, use an en dash alone, OR the words from and to, but don’t mix the two options. These are OK:

The program runs from 10:15 a.m. to about 4 p.m.They allow children ages 6–12.BUT NOT:It runs from 40–50 feet in length. (The range should be expressed as EITHER “from 40 to 50 feet” OR “40–50 feet”!)

Use an en dash for teams’ records, but a hyphen for game scores: Our season ended 14–3 (wins–losses), and our best game was our 2-1 victory against Eaglebrook.

An em dash (—) is bigger than both the hyphen and the

en dash. It is essentially the equivalent of two consecutive hyphens: --This longer dash typically precedes (or a pair of em dashes can enclose) a parenthetical-type phrase or an “aside.”

Wim Hart—fond of playing the bass whenever he has the chance—might just have the answers to all of your rock’n’roll questions.OR:We have all the tools for supporting students who need organizational assistance—if they want the help, that is.

If you cannot get your software program to create an em dash (for example, in the body of an email message), a double hyphen (two consecutive hyphens) will suffice.

Our style is to close up the spaces before and after en and em dashes:

The boys enrolled here are most typically ages 11–16.Sunny days—if not too hot—really lift my spirits.

BUT NOT:The boys enrolled here are most typically ages 11 – 16.AND NOT:Sunny days — if not too hot — really lift my spirits.

Other random things to watch out for

• Avoid misspelling judgment and acknowledgment [no “e” after “g”], as well as accommodations [use two “m’s”].

• Type all Latin and foreign phrases in italics (magna cum laude).• The l is preferably not doubled in canceled, traveled, scheduled,

totaled, and so on.• When an acronym is used in text, give the full form at first use in the

text, followed by the acronym in parentheses. From then on, it would be appropriate to use the acronym alone:

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will take over the case. The CIA has a somewhat-controversial reputation in these matters. If you want to know which location you should be supervising, you should check the Plan of the Week (POW). All of the weekend activity offerings on the POW are now accurate.[An exception for us would be PEAKS®. Let’s use the trademarked acronym first and offer its full name one time in parentheses following.] Every student here reaps the benefits of having PEAKS® (Personalized Education for the Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills) as a course on his schedule.

Commonly misused terms to watch out for

• The changes may greatly affect (v.) you, or they may have a minimal effect. (n.)

• It’s is short for it is; its is actually possessive. (It’s raining out. The sign was large, and its message was clear.)

• None is singular. We hope none of the boys gets in trouble this winter.• Further/farther: Farther means physical, measurable distance. (Boston is

farther from here than is Lebanon.) Further is more figurative. (He is curious and would like to pursue the matter further.)

• Less/fewer: Fewer refers to numbers so is generally used when things can be counted individually. (Fewer than nine students showed up. There

was less snow than usual last December.) Note: Snow can’t be counted, but feet of snow can: Fewer feet of snow fell last year, than this year.

• Between/among: Between is typically used when there are just two things/people in question; among for more than two. That’s between you and him. The secrets among the five of them were well maintained.

• That/which: That defines or restricts: The shovel that is broken is in the garage, but there’s another one downstairs. (That tells specifically which one.) Which is nondefining, nonrestricting, and it is used for clauses requiring commas. Our shovel, which is broken, is in the garage. (Which adds a fact about the only shovel in question [ours].)**See special sidebar on this topic on the next page!

• Lie/lay: Please lie [rest self] down on the training table. I will lay my coffee mug [put or set something else down] on the counter in the faculty room. Tenses: lie, lay, lain (I lie down; I lay down yesterday; I have lain here before.) lay, laid, laid (I lay things on the counter every day; I laid the keys there yesterday; I have laid them there before.)

• “I” and “me”: It was a happy evening for Kim and me. (objects of preposition “for”)That is between him and me! (objects of preposition “between”)Dave and I will attend that function. (subjects)The people who should handle it are Matt and I. (linking verb requiressubject forms to follow)

• Comprise (should only be used when its subject is bigger than the parts composing it; the “of ” is implied):

The student body comprises [= “is composed of ”] boys from many different states and countries.

It would be incorrect to say: Nine boys comprise the English class. Instead you could say: Nine boys make up that English class.

**SIDEBAR: Quick lesson on clauses using that, which, and who

The essential “that”!1. The book that we were reading in the fall challenged the students

tremendously. [Without the “that” clause, the sentence lacks context and doesn’t make a lot of sense: The book challenged the students tremendously. We don’t know the specific book being referred to. The “that” clause is essential to its meaning.]

2. The assignment that he is missing is a lengthy one.3. The only game that they lost was to Holderness.

If the clause is “nonessential” (i.e., if you could remove it and the sentence would still make sense), a “which” would be appropriate. Always use a comma before “which” (and if the sentence continues beyond the “which” clause, another comma will be required to indicate the end of the clause):

1. Justin’s English book, which had fallen out of his backpack earlier in the fall, has finally been located. [With this clause removed, the sentence becomes: Justin’s English book has finally been located.]

2. His midterm grade, which has dropped due to lack of participation, is now a B.

3. I finally received his apology note, which didn’t seem sincere.

Always use “who” when referring to a person. Whether a comma is used will depend on whether the “who” clause is essential [no commas] or nonessential [commas]:

1. The boy who rooms with him is a great listener. [essential]2. His roommate, who is a great listener, will be returning in the fall.

[nonessential]3. The dog who bit him earlier this year has been banished from the

campus. [essential]4. The Thurston family’s dog, who was beloved by all,

ultimately became the School’s mascot. [nonessential]

• e.g./i.e./etc.: Both e.g. and i.e. should have commas following them. The abbreviation etc. should have a comma preceding it. They should generally be used parenthetically, with e.g. translating roughly to mean “for example,” i.e. translating roughly to mean “in other words,” and etc. translating roughly to mean “and so on.” Remains from a variety of large animals (e.g., horses, cows,

buffalo, and so forth) were found in the yard.He told me he was no longer happy (i.e., he wanted out of

the relationship).

Avoid using etc. in the same parenthetical phrase or clause in which e.g. or i.e. was used; “and so forth” makes a nice substitute (see the animal sentence above).Also, avoid using etc. in text as much as possible. (In a parenthetical sentence like this, it is more acceptable, etc.) Note that it is preceded by a comma.

• Cannot (= one word): I cannot make it to your party.• “regardless” (NOT: “irregardless”)• alumnus (singular, male); alumni (plural male); alumna (singular female),

alumnae (plural female); alumnus’s (singular, male, possessive)…The alumnus’s tie was inadvertently left on the stage after the Tie Ceremony.

***SIDEBAR:

Quick lesson on the use of “however” in a sentence(Note: The punctuation can be tricky!)

X INCORRECT:--“Gabe did well, however, he needs to try even harder.”

CORRECT:--“Gabe did well; however, he needs to try even harder.” [note semicolon}

ALSO CORRECT:--“Gabe did well. However, he needs to try even harder.”

X INCORRECT:--“Diego typically struggles with writing however. The story he wrote in this half of the term contained all the elements we had gone over in class.”

CORRECT:--“Diego typically struggles with writing. However, the story he wrote in this half of the term contained all the elements we’d gone over in class.”

ALSO CORRECT:--“Diego typically struggles with writing; however, the story he wrote …”

X INCORRECT:--“Hugo loves French. He hesitates to speak it however.”

CORRECT:--“Hugo loves French. He hesitates to speak it, however.”

ALSO CORRECT:--“Hugo loves French; however, he hesitates to speak it.”

ALSO CORRECT:--“Although Hugo loves French, he hesitates to speak it.” [completely reworded]

Cardigan PubliCations

i. images to use

Cardigan seal Cardigan Cougar alumni logo

Cardigan Cougar & Cardigan “C”

Cardigan logo

i. Colors to use -Green: Pantone 350 -Gray: Pantone 2 -Yellow: Pantone 7401 -Black: Pantone 6

iii. text to use -Font: Garamond (Adobe Garamond if you have it!) -Description: Junior boarding school for boys in grades six through nine. -Signature block in email: Name Title Cardigan Mountain School 62 Alumni Drive Canaan, New Hampshire 03741 603.523.XXXX phone number 603.523.XXXX fax number www.cardigan.org Cardigan Mountain School offers a close-knit community that prepares middle school boys—in mind, body, and spirit—for responsible and meaningful lives in a global society.

Cardigan Mountain SChool Style guide

Compiled and updated over the years by:

Kim Holt, former Director of Communications

Joy Michelson, current Director of Communications

Steff McCusker, Free Safety

Reference Works Used:

Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press, various editions

The Elements of Style, Strunk and White, MacMillan Publishing Co.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

Some in-house style sheets from Richard D. Irwin, Inc.; from The Park School, Brookline, Mass.; and from UMass Amherst’s

Communications Department.