Choice Style Guide: Spelling

SPELLING, DISTINCTIVE TREATMENT OF WORDS, AND COMPOUNDS (Chicago, ch. 7)

 

REFERENCE SOURCES

Consult Merriam Webster Unabridged (http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/) for correct, preferred spelling.  Use the dictionary's main entry, not the variant, for words that have alternate spellings.  The preferred spellings of some words commonly used in Choice include the following:

abridgment
acknowledgment
admissible
adviser
aesthetic
among
appendixes
archaeology
catalog(s)
catalog(ed)
cataloging
indispensable
judgment
knowledgeable


Some general guidelines:
* Use "-ward," not "-wards" for words such as backward, forward, toward.
* Prepositions ending in "-st" are considered variants.  Use the standard form (e.g., among, not amongst).
* When "-ment" is added to create a noun from a verb, drop the final "e" from the verb form (e.g., abridge> abridgment, acknowledge > acknowledgment; judge > judgment).

NEW WORDS

The three main classes of new words are foreign words, words forming the vocabularies of new disciplines, and coinages.

New words—i.e., words not listed in Webster's Unabridged—will be allowed if they appear in other reputable dictionaries.  If a word cannot be found in any of these, the reviewer using it should be consulted.  According to the reviewer’s explanation, the editor may let the word stand, enclose the word in quotes, or use a substitute expression.

Terms that may have been coined by the reviewer or by the author of the book being reviewed should be put within quotation marks.  If foreign words can be found in another reputable dictionary, they will be treated as if found in Webster’s Unabridged—i.e., set in roman, not italic.

Reviewers sometimes enclose in quotation marks words/terms that they may consider slang, foreign, perhaps too new to be valid, etc.  Often, these words are in Merriam Webster's.  Some common examples:

ancien régime
baby boom / baby boomer
fait accompli
Festschrift
Generation X / Xer
how-to (adj., as in "… is a how-to manual for …)
intifada
mestizo
must (adj., as in "This book is a must read.")
ukiyo-e

Plurals

Capitalize a generic term in the plural that refers to two or more proper nouns (e.g., the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans).

Possessives

Add an apostrophe + s for words and names that end in an unpronounced "s" (e.g., Descartes's, Camus's) and for proper classical names that end in an "eez" sound (e.g., Euripedes's, Ganges's).


COMPOUNDS AND HYPHENATION

Compounds containing a prefix or suffix are normally treated as one word.


antislavery
predawn
starlike (but ball-like)
tenfold
reestablish, reaffirm
nonessential


If the root is a proper name, a number, or a compound word, or if an incorrect homonym results, hyphenate.


un-American
pre-1945
re-cover (to cover again)
re-create (to create again)
Hitler-like
pre-Socratic
Afro-Asiatic


Some commonly used exceptions:
transatlantic
Neoplatonic

Two-word compounds (open compounds) are combinations expressing single concepts; they are usually nouns, but they may also be used as adjectives or verbs.  Normally such two-word adjectives remain open.  Hyphenate only if the combination could be ambiguous.


civil rights leader
real estate deal
high school teacher
health care reform
social studies curriculum
college freshman English

Hyphenated compounds can be nouns, adjectives, or verbs, but adjectives are the most common.  Rules that follow apply to preceding adjectives; predicate adjectives are not normally hyphenated except as noted.

What to hyphenate

Combination of adjective or noun plus past participle.

 

bright-hued banner
water-soaked ground
star-crossed lovers


Combination of noun plus present participle.

decision-making body
earth-shaking event


Combination of a number plus a unit of measure used as an adjective.

1,500-mile race
four-minute egg
18-year-old son


Compounds beginning with quasi, cross, self, all, whether they are preceding or predicate adjectives.


quasi-judicial decision
self-righteous
all-encompassing
cross-cultural
self-reliance
exception: crosscurrent


Compounds beginning with well, ill, better, best, and the like unless they are used as predicate adjectives.


well-known writer
very well-known writer
she is well known

Two nouns of equal value used as a compound noun.


soldier-statesman
author-critic
nurse-practitioner

Relationships compounded with great and in-law


great-grandfather
sister-in-law
fathers-in-law (pl.)

Special phrases according to the dictionary or common sense.


Johnny-come-lately
go-between


If the compound is preceded by an adjective modifying the first word in the compound, omit the hyphen, or, if necessary for clarity, use two hyphens.

early-19th-century poet

What not to hyphenate

Adverbs ending in "-ly" that modify an adjective.


a sharply written account
this extensively documented report
a poorly organized index
refreshingly candid biography


Terms used with percent or a dollar sign, because they are not adjectives (e.g., 15 percent tip, $100 million deficit).

Names of chemicals used as adjectives unless chemists hyphenate them as nouns (e.g., carbon monoxide poisoning).

Foreign phrases for any reason unless they contain hyphens in direct quotation (e.g., the a priori ruling).

Common compounds


aftereffect
all-purpose
all-star (all forms)
artwork
 avant-garde (all forms)
backcountry
bare bones (noun)
bare-bones (adj.)
battlefront
best seller
best-selling
bird-watcher
bird's-eye
 birdsong
bittersweet
blacklist (n. and v.)
bookseller
break-in (noun)
break up (verb)
breakup (noun)
breast-feed
breast-feeding
breathtaking
businesslike
businessperson
buildup
bypass
by-product
car pool (noun)
carpool (verb)
caregiver
casebook
case law
caseload
casework
case study
catchall
catchphrase
catch-up
cease-fire
childbearing (adj. and n.)
chock-full
city-state
citywide
clear-cut (all uses)
clearheaded
coffee-table (adj.)
coffee table (noun)
cold-blooded
colony
Colonial (re: 13 British colonies in America)
color-blind
color blindness
commonplace (all forms)
commonsense (adj.)
common sense (noun)
copy editor (noun)
copyedit/ing (verb)
copywriter
cost-benefit (adj.)
cost-effective
cost-effectiveness
counterrevolution
country-and-western (adj.)
country and western (noun)
course work
cover-up (noun)
creditworthy
crisscross
crossroad
cross section
cross talk
crossover
crystal clear
cut off (verb)
cutoff (adj. and n.)
cutthroat
cutting edge (noun)
cutting-edge (adj.)
database
data set
dead-end (adj.)
decision-making (adj. and n.)
dead end (noun)
decision-making (adj. and n.)
deep-rooted
deep-seated
desktop (adj. and n.)
die-hard (adj.)
diehard (noun)
 dockworker
double-talk
 downslope
down-to-earth
drop out (verb)
dropout (noun)
easygoing
 endnotes
evenhanded
eye-opener/ing
fact finder
fact-finding (adj. or noun)
fainthearted
fair-minded
far-flung
far-fetched
far-off
far-reaching
farsighted
fast-forward
feebleminded
fieldwork
field-worker
filmgoer
filmmaker
fine-tune (v.)
first-class (adj. and adv.)
firsthand
first-rate
floodplain
flow chart
folk song
 folklife
 folksinger
 folktale
follow-up (adj. and n.)
follow up (verb)
 fortepiano
framework
freeborn
freelance (open only for "mercenary soldier")
free-range
free-ranging
freewheeling
freestanding
front line (noun)
frontline (adj.)
full-blown
full-fledged
full-scale
fund-raiser
fund-raising (noun & adj.)
grassroots (adj.)
grass roots (noun)
groundbreaking
groundwater
grown-up (adj. & noun)
halfheartedly
handheld
handmade
hands-on
hard-boiled
hard-core
hardcover
hardheaded
hard-line (adj.)
hard-liner (noun)
hard-nosed
hard-pressed
hardworking
head-on (all forms)
heavy-handed
highbrow
high-handed
high-water mark
hit-and-run
home front
hotline
housecleaning
in-between (adj. or noun)
in between (adv. or prep.)
infighting
in-service
ivory-tower (adj.)
ivory tower (noun)
jump-start (verb)
jump start (noun)
kindhearted
laissez-faire
landform
landholder (all forms)
landowner
launchpad
left-hand (adj.)
left-wing (adj.)
left wing (noun)
left-winger (noun)
levelheaded
life-form
life-size
life span
lifelike
lifelong
lifestyle
lifetime
lifeway
lifework
lighthearted
lifelong
like-minded
long-range
long-standing
longtime
lowbrow
long-winded
lowbrow
lowercase
low-key
makeup
mapmaker
mass-market
master plan
masterpiece
masterwork
mean-spirited
mind reader
mind-set
moviegoer
moviemaker
mudslinger
 mythmaker
name-calling
narrow-minded
nation-state
nationwide
newsworthy
nonetheless
no-nonsense
offbeat
offhand
officeholder
offstage
old-fashioned
one-sided
ongoing
onstage
onetime
open-ended
open-minded
otherworldly
overall (all uses)
page-turner
pathbreaking
peacekeeper
peacemaker
peacetime
photo-essay
placeholder
place-name
playgoer (ing)
playwriting
plotlines
policy maker
postcard
postmortem
pre-Socratics
prime time (noun)
prime-time (adj.)
printmaker
printmaking
prizewinner
proofread
proofreader
punch line
radioisotope
real-life
rearguard (adj.)
rear guard (noun)
Red-baiting
rip off (verb)
rip-off (noun)
role-play
roundtable
screenwriter
scriptwriter
second-best (adj.)
second best (noun)
sell out (verb)
sellout (noun)
set up (verb)
setup (noun)
shortcut
shortchanged
short-lived
shortfall
short run (noun)
short-run (adj.)
shortsighted
sidebar
sideshow
side step (noun)
sidestep (verb)
single-handed
single-minded
slaveholder
so-called
soft-pedal
solid-state
songbook
sourcebook
spatiotemporal
spin-off (noun)
spot-check
stagehand
standby
stand-alone
standout (noun)
stand-up (adj.)
start-up (all uses)
statewide
steelmaker
stepparent
stepping-stone
still life (pl., lifes)
stonecutter
story line
storyboard
storyteller
straightforward
strikebreaking
surefooted
sure-handed
tell-all
theatergoer
thoroughgoing
thoughtway
time-consuming
time frame
time line (historical events)
timeline (schedule, timetable)
timescale
timespan
topflight
top-notch
trade-off
trailblazer
transatlantic
tree line
turnoff (noun)
up-to-date
uppercase
user-friendly
wake-up (adj.)
warm-blooded
warm-up (noun)
warm up (verb)
wartime
watercolor
website
weekday
well-being
well-known
well-off
well-read
well-rounded
whistle-blower
white-collar (adj.)
wholehearted/ly
wide-ranging
witch hunt (noun)
witch-hunter/ing
woodwork
wordplay
workbook
workforce
workplace
workstation
world view
worldwide
wrap-up (noun)
write-up (noun)
wrongheaded
zigzag
database
e-mail
home page
hot link (n.)
hot-link (v.)
newsgroups
newslinks
online
toolbar
Webmaster
website
worldwide
up-to-date (adj.)
up to date (adv.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS