SJC-style-and-production-guide-2012

A to Z list of word use, spelling, punctuation and grammarAabbreviationsAbbreviations and acronyms are constructions formed from the initial letters of groups ofwords. Familiar abbreviations are RAAF, ACTU, MIM, BHP, CJC. Some acronyms havebecome words. These include Anzac, Qantas, laser, radar, scuba, flak, gestapo, Nazi. Manyothers are not written as words, although often pronounced as words. These include WRAN,ASIO, NATO, CSIRO, NASA, TAFE, EARC (Williams, 1975: 141). Most should be writtenin full at first reference, followed by the acronym in brackets. Note that no full stops areincluded. Avoid adopting (or inventing) obscure acronyms. Use the full title at first reference,then generic terms such as ‘the association’, ‘the group’ or ‘the committee’ in later references.Aboriginal people, Aborigines Use ‘Aboriginal’ as the adjective, ‘Aborigine(s)’ as the noun(note the capital A). The preferred noun form is ‘Aboriginal people’.The names ‘Koori’ (NSW,Victoria or Tasmania) and ‘Murri’ (Qld) may be used where geographically appropriate andare often preferred by Aboriginal people. Other state names are ‘Nungar’ South Australiaand ‘Nyungar’ Western Australia. The term ‘Black’ should be avoided: it is not a meaningfuldescription and may be considered offensive by many Aborigines. On the other hand it isappropriate to quote an Indigenous person using the term.Do not confuse Torres Strait Islanders with Aborigines. Although the two peoples often worktogether for political purposes, they do not have the same heritages and cultures. ‘IndigenousAustralians’ is a term that covers both peoples.absolutely is both overused and misused. It means free from imperfection, complete, perfect,but is often wrongly used to mean ‘I agree’, or rather ‘I strongly agree’ but is overused when itoccurs several or many times in a single conversation. Such ubiquitous perfection is extremelyrare, not common.accents (See also foreign words) Many words in common use originally had accented letterswhich are no longer used – cafe, cliche, façade, role. Where not using the accent could causeconfusion, it should be retained – the noun resumé (NOT résumé) as distinguished from theverb resume. Some words and phrases have not been so Anglicised and retain their accents(vis-à-vis). Names with accents should normally retain them – John le Carré.accommodate, accommodation frequently misspelled. Note double c and double m.according to Contains a hint of suspicion. Prefer ‘said’. The alternative ‘according to’ may beuseful in introductions, in which case the paragraph should be in present tense. (See indirectspeech.)active voice This is the form used wherever possible in news writing. Use the active form:The hammer hit the nail.rather than the passive form:The nail was hit by the hammer.The word ‘by’ is often an indication that passive voice has been used.actor/actress no need to distinguish gender. Use actor for both, unless source insists. (See Miss,Ms, Mrs)AD,BC historic references. AD is before the date. BC is after the date.PAGE 23 – 2012UQ SJC STYLEBOOK