Style Guide

T

task forces, committees

  • See committees, task forces.

 teaching assistant

  • Lowercase. Use TA without periods on second reference (plural TAs).

 technical terms

  • See jargon.

 telephone numbers

  • Write telephone numbers as: 20.2.2797.5448 or 03.698.3572. For toll-free numbers, write as: 0900.444.5271.
  • For on-campus extensions, write ext. followed by a space and the four-digit number: ext. 5448.

 temperature

  • Use figures for all temperatures except zero: 8 degrees Celsius.
  • Use a word (not the minus sign) to indicate temperatures below zero.
    • Incorrect: Yesterday’s low was -8.
    • Correct:Yesterday’s low was 8 below zero; Yesterday’s low was minus 10.
  • Temperatures get higher or lower, nor warmer or cooler.
    • Incorrect: The temperature is expected to get warmer tomorrow.
    • Correct: The temperature is expected to rise tomorrow.
  • Follow the examples: temperature rose four degrees; temperature in the 20s (no apostrophe).

 tense

  • Generally, use the past tense in running text: She said, did, went.
  • Use present tense only when something is constant or continuous: The constitution says that freedom is the right of every citizen. “I agree,” she said, but she continues to present new ideas in parliament.

textbook

  • See titles.

 thanawiya amma

  • Egypt’s equivalent of a high school diploma. Lowercase.

 that, which

  • Although the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, it is best to reserve which for independent clauses preceded by a comma and that for dependent clauses not preceded by a comma: All the regulations are included in the student handbook, which is given out during orientation. The AUC Press publishes books that are written by Arab and non-Arab authors.

 the

  • Capitalize when part of an official title: He is a reporter at The Washington Post.

 theater, auditorium

  • Use auditorium, not theater, unless it is the official name of the hall.
  • Write as theater (er) except when theatre (re) is part of the official name: Howard Theatre, Falaki Mainstage Theatre.
  • Use full name on first reference: Ewart Memorial Hall, Jameel Center Auditorium. On subsequent references, refer to generically as the hall or auditorium.

 thesis/dissertation

  • Use thesis or thesis dissertation to refer to the scholarly paper written to earn a master’s or doctorate degree (plural: theses, dissertations). Do not use dissertation alone except on second reference.

 three-dimensional or 3D

  • Not 3-D or three-D.

 till, ‘til, until

  • See until.

time of day

  • Write time, followed by am or pm, leaving a space and not using periods: 11 am. Avoid :00 and o’clock except in quotes and invitations.
  • Do not use the 24-hour method: 14:20, 24:00.
  • To avoid confusion, use noon and midnight rather than 12 pm and 12 am.
  • Avoid redundancy:
    • Noon, not 12 noon.
    • 3 am, not 3 am in the morning.
    • an afternoon nap, not an afternoon nap at 4 pm.
  • In a construction such as 7 – 9 pm, it is not necessary to use pm twice.
  • In running text, preferably use the from/to construction: The play will be performed from 8 to 10 pm.
  • If you use from, you must use to –– don’t combine two forms:
    • Incorrect: from 1998 – 2003.
    Correct: from 1998 to 2003.
  • If you are listing more than one time, give the minutes for all of them if you are going to use it for any:
    • Incorrect: 2:30 am, 4 pm and 8 pm
    • Correct: 2:30 am, 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

titled, entitled

  • See entitled, titled.

titles

before a name

  • Capitalize the formal title when it precedes the person’s name. Do not set off by commas: Professor of Egyptology Salima Ikram; Vice President for Planning and Administration Paul Donoghue.

after a name

  • Lowercase and set off with commas when the title comes after the name: Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology, lectured yesterday. Galal Amin, economics professor, presented a paper at the conference.

generic

  • Do not capitalize: The president will meet the dean tomorrow. 

courses

  • When referring to a specific class or course title, capitalize and do not italicize or enclose in quotation marks: Sociology 201, Advanced Media Writing.

courtesy

  • Do not use courtesy titles or honorifics. Refer to both men and women by first and last name on first reference and by last name on second reference.
  • When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name (brothers and sisters), use the first name on second reference.
  • The term Dr. is only reserved for medical doctors.
  • Do not use Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss except in direct quotations.

military

  • Capitalize military ranks when they precede a name: Lieutenant John Jones, Army Sergeant General Paul William.
  • On second reference, refer only to the person’s last name; do not continue using the title before the name.
  • Do not use abbreviations for military ranks (Lt. Gen.; Col.) in running text.

nobility

  • Capitalize king, queen, prince and princess when they precede a name: Queen Rania, King Fahd.
  • Lowercase when they stand alone: The queen went on a world tour, the queen mother.
  • Always capitalize when the title becomes an alternate for the name: Charles, Prince of Wales, is heir to the throne; Duke of Wellington.
  • Consult The Associated Press Stylebook for a complete list of nobility titles.

reference works

  • These include almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias and handbooks.
  • Capitalize but do not italicize or put in quotation marks: American Heritage Dictionary; The World Book Encyclopedia.

 toward

  • Not towards.
  • Also, forward, backward, afterward, upward, earthward.

 trademark

  • Use generic terms instead of registered trademarks:
    • photocopy, not Xerox
    • table tennis, not Ping-Pong
    • tissue, not Kleenex
  • When usage of trademarks is necessary, capitalize the names of registered trademarks. Do not use trademark symbols in running text.

trans-

  • Generally, no hyphen except when the prefix precedes a proper noun: transcontinental, trans-Atlantic.
  • See Prefixes.

trustees

  • See Board of Trustees.