1.

APPOSITIVES DEFINED; USE

An appositive noun or noun phrase is one that immediately follows another noun or noun phrase in order to
define or further identify it {George Washington, our first president, was born in Virginia} (our first
president is an appositive of the proper noun George Washington). Commas frame an appositive noun or
noun phrase unless it is restrictive--for example, compare Robert Burns, the poet, wrote many songs about
women named Mary (poet is a nonrestrictive appositive noun) with the poet Robert Burns wrote many songs
about women named Mary (Robert Burns restricts poet by precisely identifying which poet). A restrictive
appositive cannot be removed from a sentence without obscuring the identity of the word or phrase that the
appositive relates to.

2. ANTECEDENTS OF PRONOUNS
A pronoun typically refers to an antecedent--that is, an earlier noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause in the same
sentence or, if the reference is unambiguous, in a previous sentence. An antecedent may be explicit or
implicit, but it must be clear. Miscues and ambiguity commonly arise from (1) a missing antecedent (as in
the clown's act with his dog made it a pleasure to watch, where it is intended to refer to the circus, not
explicitly mentioned in context); (2) multiple possible antecedents (as in Scott visited Eric after his
discharge from the army, where it is unclear who was discharged--Eric or Scott); and (3) multiple pronouns
and antecedents in the same sentence (e.g., when the bottle is empty or the baby stops drinking, it must be
sterilized with hot water because if it drinks from a dirty bottle it could become ill—where one hopes that
the hot-water sterilization is for the bottle).

3. EXCEPTIONS REGARDING PRONOUN NUMBER

There are several refinements to the rules stated just above: (1) When two or more singular
antecedents denote the same thing and are connected by and, the pronoun referring to the antecedents is
singular {a lawyer and role model received her richly deserved recognition today}. (2) When two or more
singular antecedents are connected by and and modified by each, every, or no, the pronoun referring to the
antecedents is singular {every college and every university encourages its students to succeed}. (3) When
two or more singular antecedents are connected by or, nor, either--or, or neither-- nor, they are treated
separately and referred to by a singular pronoun {neither the orange nor the peach smells as sweet as it
should}. (4) When two or more antecedents of different numbers are connected by or or nor, the pronoun's
number agrees with that of the nearest (usually the last) antecedent; if possible, cast the sentence so that the
plural antecedent comes last {neither the singer nor the dancers have asked for their paychecks}. (5) When
two or more antecedents of different numbers are connected by and, they are usually referred to by a plural
pronoun regardless of the nouns' order {the horses and the mule kicked over their water trough}.

4. PRONOUN WITH MULTIPLE ANTECEDENTS

When a pronoun's antecedents differ from the pronoun in person, and the antecedents are connected by and,
or, or nor, the pronoun must take the person of only one antecedent. The first person is preferred to the
second, and the second person to the third. For example, in you or I should get to work on our experiment
the antecedents are in the second and first person. The following pronoun our is in the first person, as is the
antecedent I. In you and she can settle your dispute, the antecedents are in the second and third person, so
the following pronoun your takes the second person. If the pronoun refers to only one of the connected
nouns or pronouns, it takes the person of that noun {you and Marian have discussed her trip report}.

5. ANTECEDENTS OF DIFFERENT GENDERS

If the antecedents are of different genders and are joined by and, a plural pronoun is normally used to refer
to them {the sister and brother are visiting their aunt}. But if a pronoun refers to only one of the antecedent
nouns connected by and, the pronoun's gender is that of the noun referred to {the uncle and niece rode in his
car}. A special problem arises when the antecedent nouns are singular, are of different genders or an
indeterminate gender, and are joined by or or nor. Using he, his, and him as a common-sex pronoun is now
widely considered sexist, and picking the gender of the nearest antecedent may be misleading (e.g., some
boy or girl left her lunch box on the bus). A good writer can usually recast the sentence to eliminate the need
for any personal pronoun at all {some child left a lunch box on the bus}.

6. PRONOUN CASE AFTER LINKING VERB

Strictly speaking, a pronoun serving as the complement of a be-verb or other linking verb should be in the
nominative case {it was she who asked for a meeting}. In formal writing, some fastidious readers will
consider the objective case to be incorrect in every instance. But in many sentences, the nominative pronoun
sounds pedantic or eccentric to the modern ear {Was that he on the phone?}.

7. PRONOUN CASE AFTER "THAN" OR "AS . . . AS"

The case of a pronoun following this kind of comparative structure, typically at the end of a sentence,
depends on who or what is being compared. In my sister looks more like our father than I [or me], for
example, if the point is whether the sister or the speaker looks more like their father, the pronoun should be
nominative because it is the subject of an understood verb: my sister looks more like our father than I do.
But if the point is whether the sister looks more like the father or the speaker, the pronoun should be
objective because it is the object of a preposition in an understood sentence: my sister looks more like our
father than she looks like me. Whatever the writer's intent, the reader can't be certain about the meaning.

8. SPECIAL USES OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Some personal pronouns have special uses. (1) He, him, and his have traditionally been used as
pronouns of indeterminate gender equally applicable to a male or female person {if the finder returns my
watch, he will receive a reward}. Because these pronouns are also masculine-specific, they have long been
regarded as sexist when used generically, and their indeterminate-gender use is declining. (2) It eliminates
gender even if the noun's sex could be identified. Using it does not mean that the noun has no sex--only that
the sex is unknown or unimportant {the baby is smiling at its mother} {the mockingbird is building its nest}.
(3) We, you, and they can be used indefinitely-- that is, without antecedents--in the sense of "persons,"
"one," or "people in general." We is sometimes used by an individual who is speaking for a group {the
magazine's editor wrote, "In our last issue, we covered the archaeological survey of Peru"}. This latter use is
called the editorial we. You can apply indefinitely to any person or all persons {if you read this book, you
will learn how to influence people} (you is indefinite--anyone who reads the book will learn). The same is
true of they {they say that Stonehenge may have been a primitive calendar} (they are unidentified and,
perhaps, unimportant). This use of they, however, is objectionable in scholarly writing: it unjustifiably
avoids specificity. (4) It also has several uses as an indefinite pronoun: (a) it may refer to a phrase, clause,
sentence, or implied thought {he said that the website is down, but I don't believe it} (without the pronoun it,
the clause might be rewritten I don't believe what he said); (b) it can be the subject of a verb (usually a be-
verb) without an antecedent noun {it was too far}, or an introductory word or expletive for a phrase or
clause that follows the verb {it is possible that Dody is on vacation}; (c) it can be the grammatical subject in
an expression about time, weather, or distance and the like {it is almost
midnight} {it is beginning to snow}; and (d) it may be an expletive that anticipates the true grammatical
subject or object {I find it hard to accept this situation}.

9. THE SINGULAR "THEY"

A singular antecedent requires a singular referent pronoun. Because he is no longer accepted as a generic
pronoun referring to a person of either sex, it has become common in speech and in informal writing to
substitute the third-person plural pronouns they, them, their, and themselves, and the nonstandard singular
themself. While this usage is accepted in casual contexts, it is still considered ungrammatical in formal
writing. Avoiding the plural form by alternating masculine and feminine pronouns is awkward and only
emphasizes the inherent problem of not having a generic third-person pronoun. Employing an artificial form
such as s/he is distracting at best, and most readers find it ridiculous. There are several better ways to avoid
the problem. For example, use the traditional, formal he or she, him or her, his or her, himself or herself.
Stylistically, this device is usually awkward or even stilted, but if used sparingly it can be functional.

10. NINE TECHNIQUES FOR ACHIEVING GENDER NEUTRALITY

There are many ways to achieve gender-neutral language, but it takes some thought and often some hard
work. Nine methods are suggested below because no single method will work for every writer. And one
method won't neatly resolve every gender-bias problem. Some of them--for example, repeating the noun or
using "he or she"--will irritate readers if overused. All of them risk changing the intended meaning: though
slight changes in meaning are inevitable, additional rewording may be necessary.
1. Omit the pronoun: the programmer should update the records when data is transferred to her by the head
office becomes the programmer should update the records when data is transferred by the head office.
2. Repeat the noun: a writer should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers, because her credibility
will suffer becomes a writer should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers, because the writer's
credibility will suffer.
3. Use a plural antecedent: a contestant must conduct himself with dignity at all times becomes
contestants must conduct themselves with dignity at all times.
4. Use an article instead of a personal pronoun: a student accused of cheating must actively waive his right
to have his guidance counselor present becomes a student accused of cheating must actively waive the right
to have a guidance counselor present.
5. Use the neutral singular pronoun one: an actor in New York is likely to earn more than he is in Paducah
becomes an actor in New York is likely to earn more than one in Paducah.
6. Use the relative pronoun who (works best when it replaces a personal pronoun that follows if): employers
presume that if an applicant can't write well, he won't be a good employee becomes employers presume that
an applicant who can't write well won't be a good employee.
7. Use the imperative mood: a lifeguard must keep a close watch over children while he is monitoring the
pool becomes keep a close watch over children while monitoring the pool.
8. Use he or she (sparingly): if a complainant is not satisfied with the board's decision, then he can ask for a
rehearing becomes if a complainant is not satisfied with the board's decision, then he or she can ask for a
rehearing.
9. Revise the clause: a person who decides not to admit he lied will be considered honest until someone
exposes his lie becomes a person who denies lying will be considered honest until the lie is exposed.

11. RELATIVE PRONOUN AFTER "ONE"

A relative pronoun takes its number from its antecedent. That's easy enough when the antecedent is simply
one {this is one that everybody likes}. But if one is part of a noun phrase with a plural noun such as one of
the few or one of those, the relative pronoun's antecedent is usually not one but the noun in the genitive
construction {one of the few countries that cultivate farm-raised fish as a staple} {she is one of those people
who are famous just for being famous}. Always read carefully, though; in some constructions like these the
antecedent is still one {he is the one among them who is trustworthy}.

12. "WHOSE" AND "OF WHICH"

The relatives who and which can both take whose as a possessive form (whose substitutes for of which) {a
movie the conclusion of which is unforgettable} {a movie whose conclusion is unforgettable}.

13. EFFECT OF ARTICLE ON MEANING

Because articles have a demonstrative value, the meaning of a phrase may shift depending on the article
used. For example, an officer and gentleman escorted Princess Plum to her car suggests (though
ambiguously) that the escort was one man with two descriptive characteristics. But an officer and a friend
escorted Princess Plum to her car suggests that two people acted as escorts. Similarly, Do you like the red
and blue cloth? suggests that the cloth contains both red and blue threads. But Do you like the red and the
blue cloth? suggests that two different fabrics are being discussed.

14. DATES AS ADJECTIVES

Dates are often used as descriptive adjectives, more often today than in years past. If a month-year or month-
day date is used as an adjective, no hyphen or comma is needed {October 31 festivities} {December 2003
financial statement}. If a full month-day-year date is used, then a comma is considered necessary both
before and after the year {the May 18, 2002, commencement ceremonies}.

15. DANGLING GERUNDS

When the participle in a dangling gerund is the object of a preposition, it functions as a noun rather than as a
modifier. For example, after finishing the research, the screenplay was easy to write (who did the research
and who wrote the screenplay?). The best way to correct a dangling gerund is to give the sentence its proper
subject. The example above could be revised as after finishing the research, Pooks found the screenplay easy
to write. Dangling gerunds can result in improbable statements. Consider while driving to San Antonio, my
map was lost. The map was not the driver. Clarifying the subject makes the sentence work {while driving to
San Antonio, I lost my map}.

16. AGREEMENT IN PERSON AND NUMBER

A finite verb agrees with its subject in person and number. When a verb has two or more subjects connected
by and, it agrees with them jointly and is plural {Socrates and Plato were wise}. When a verb has two or
more singular subjects connected by or or nor, it is singular {Jill or Jan is prepared to speak} {neither Bob
nor John has learned his lesson}. When the subject is a collective noun conveying the idea of unity or
multitude, the verb is singular {the nation is powerful}. When the subject is a collective noun conveying the
idea of plurality, the verb is plural {the faculty were divided in their sentiments}.

17. FALSE ATTRACTION TO PREDICATE NOMINATIVE

A plural predicate nominative after a singular subject may mislead a writer by suggesting a plural verb.
When this occurs, the simple correction of changing the number of the verb may make the sentence
awkward, and the better approach then is to rework the sentence:
WRONG: My downfall are sweets.
RIGHT: My downfall is sweets.
BETTER: Sweets are my downfall

18. MISLEADING CONNECTIVES: "AS WELL AS," "ALONG WITH," "TOGETHER WITH," AND
SO FORTH
Adding to a singular subject by using phrasal connectives such as along with, as well as, in addition to,
together with, and the like does not make the subject plural. This type of distraction can be doubly
misleading because the intervening material seems to create a compound subject, and the modifying
prepositional phrase may itself contain one or more plural objects. If the singular verb sounds awkward in
such a sentence, it may be better to use the conjunction and instead:
WRONG: The bride as well as her bridesmaids were dressed in mauve.
RIGHT: The bride as well as her bridesmaids was dressed in mauve.
BETTER: The bride and her bridesmaids were dressed in mauve.

19. PLACEMENT OF ADVERBS

The adverb should generally be placed as near as possible to the word it is intended to modify. For example,
in the marathoners submitted their applications to compete immediately, what does immediately modify--
compete or submitted? Placing the adverb with the word it modifies makes the meaning clear-- for instance,
the marathoners immediately submitted their applications to compete.

20. AVOIDING OVERUSE OF PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions can easily be overused. Stylistically, a good ratio to strive for is one preposition for every ten to
fifteen words. There are five editorial methods that can reduce the number of prepositions in a sentence.
1. If the surrounding prose's context permits, a prepositional phrase can be eliminated--for instance,
within a passage focused on a particular recipe, the most important ingredient in this recipe could be
reduced to the most important ingredient.
2. Many nouns ending in -ance, -ence, -ity, -ment, -sion, or -tion are formed from a verb
{qualification-- qualify} {performance--perform}. Such nouns are sometimes called nominalizations
or buried verbs, and they often require additional words, especially prepositions (that is, during her
performance of the concerto is essentially equivalent to while she performed the concerto, but it is
somewhat more abstract and requires the preposition of). Using the noun's verb form may eliminate
one or two prepositions. For example, our efforts toward maximization of profits failed might be
edited down to our efforts to maximize profits failed.
3. A strong adverb may replace a weaker prepositional phrase. For example, the cyclist pedalled with
fury is weak compared with the cyclist pedalled furiously.
4. A genitive may replace a prepositional phrase, especially an of-genitive. For example, I was
dismayed by the complexity of the street map essentially equals the street map's complexity
dismayed me.
5. Changing from passive voice to active almost always eliminates a preposition--that is, whenever the
actor appears in a by-phrase. For example, the ship was sailed by an experienced crew equals an
experienced crew sailed the ship.

21. BEGINNING A SENTENCE WITH A CONJUNCTION

There is a widespread belief--one with no historical or grammatical foundation--that it is an error to
begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as
many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions.

22. PREPOSITIONS AND PARALLEL STRUCTURE

In a parallel series of prepositional phrases, repeat the preposition with every element unless they all use
the same preposition. A common error occurs when a writer lets two or more of the phrases share a
single preposition but inserts a different one with another element:
WRONG: I looked for my lost keys in the sock drawer, the laundry hamper, the restroom, and under the
bed.
RIGHT: I looked for my lost keys in the sock drawer, in the laundry hamper, in the restroom, and under
the bed.
If the series had not included under the bed, the preposition could have been used once to apply to all the
objects:
RIGHT: I looked for my lost keys in the sock drawer, the laundry hamper, and the restroom.

23. PAIRED JOINING TERMS AND PARALLEL STRUCTURE

Correlative conjunctions such as either--or, neither--nor, both--and, and not only--but also and some
adverb pairs such as where--there, as--so, and if--then must join grammatically parallel sentence
elements. It is a common error to put the first correlative term in the wrong position.
WRONG: I'd like to either go into business for myself or else to write freelance travel articles.
RIGHT: I'd like either to go into business for myself or else to write freelance travel articles.
WRONG: Our guests not only ate all the turkey and dressing but both pumpkin pies, too.
RIGHT: Our guests ate not only all the turkey and dressing but both pumpkin pies, too.

24. AUXILIARY VERBS AND PARALLEL STRUCTURE

If an auxiliary verb appears before a series of verb phrases, it must apply to all of them. A common error
is to include one phrase that takes a different auxiliary verb:
WRONG: The proposed procedure would streamline the application process, speed up admission
decisions, and has proved to save money when implemented by other schools.
RIGHT: The proposed procedure would streamline the application process, speed up admission
decisions, and save money.
RIGHT: The proposed procedure would streamline the application process and speed up admission
decisions. It has proved to save money when implemented by other schools.

25. PERIODS AND COMMAS IN RELATION TO CLOSING QUOTATION MARKS

Periods and commas precede closing quotation marks, whether double or single. This is a
traditional style, in use well before the first edition of this manual.
Growing up, we always preferred to "bear those ills we have."
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all," she replied.
In an alternative system, sometimes called British style, single quotation marks are used, and only those
punctuation points that appeared in the original material should be included within the quotation marks.
Colons and semicolons--unlike periods and commas--follow closing quotation marks; question marks
and exclamation points follow closing quotation marks unless they belong within the quoted matter.
Take, for example, the first line of "To a Skylark": "Hail to thee, blithe spirit!"
When an entire independent sentence is enclosed in parentheses or square brackets, the period belongs
inside the closing parenthesis or bracket. When matter in parentheses or brackets, even a grammatically
complete sentence, is included within another sentence, the period belongs outside.
Fiorelli insisted on rewriting the paragraph. (His newfound ability to type was both a blessing and a
curse.)
Farnsworth had left an angry message for Isadora on the mantel (she noticed it while glancing in the
mirror).

26. COMMAS IN PAIRS

Whenever a comma is used to set off an element (such as "1928" or "Minnesota" in the first two
examples below), a second comma is required if the phrase or sentence continues beyond the element
being set off.
June 5, 1928, lives on in the memories of only a handful of us.
Sledding in Duluth, Minnesota, is facilitated by that city's hills and frigid winters.
But an exception is made for commas within the title of a work.
Look Homeward, Angel was not the working title of the manuscript.

27. SERIAL COMMAS

Items in a series are normally separated by commas. When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a
series of three or more, a comma should appear before the conjunction. If the last element consists of a
pair joined by and, the pair should still be preceded by a comma and the first and (see the last two
examples below).
She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president.
Note that the phrase as well as is not equivalent to and.
The team fielded one Mazda, two Corvettes, and three Bugattis, as well as a battered Plymouth
Belvedere.
not: The team fielded one Mazda, two Corvettes, three Bugattis, as well as a battered Plymouth
Belvedere.

28. COMMAS WITH "HOWEVER," "THEREFORE," "INDEED," AND SO FORTH

Commas are traditionally used to set off adverbs such as however, therefore, and indeed.
The principles apply also to phrases introduced by such as or including.

29. COMMAS WITH INDEPENDENT CLAUSES JOINED BY CONJUNCTIONS

When independent clauses are joined by and, but, or, so, yet, or any other conjunction, a comma usually
precedes the conjunction.
All watches display the time, and some of them do so accurately.
But: A comma is not normally used between the parts of a compound predicate--that is, two or more
verbs having the same subject.
He printed out a week's worth of crossword puzzles and arranged them on his clipboard.

30. COMMA FOLLOWING MAIN CLAUSE

A dependent clause that follows a main clause should not be preceded by a comma if it is restrictive, that
is, essential to the meaning of the main clause.
We will agree to the proposal if you accept our conditions.
Paul was astonished when he heard the terms.
But: If the dependent clause is merely supplementary or parenthetical, it should be preceded by a
comma.
I'd like the tom yum, if you don't mind.

31. COMMAS WITH INTRODUCTORY PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

An introductory participial phrase should be set off by a comma.
Exhilarated by the morning's work, she skipped lunch and headed for the ocean.

32. COMMAS WITH "NOT . . . BUT," "NOT ONLY . . . BUT," AND THE LIKE
With an interjected phrase of the type not . . . but or not only . . . but, commas are usually unnecessary.
They marched to Washington not only armed with petitions and determined to get their senators'
attention
but also hoping to demonstrate their solidarity with one another.
But: COMMAS WITH "THE MORE," "THE LESS," AND SO ON
A comma is customarily used between clauses of the more . . . the more type.
The more I discover about the workings of mechanical movements, the less I seem to care about the holy
grail.

33. COMMAS WITH DATES

In the month-day-year style of dates, commas must be used to set off the year. In the day-month-year
system no commas are needed. Where month and year only are given, or a specific day (such as a
holiday) with a year, neither system uses a comma.
The performance took place on February 2, 2006, at the State Theatre in Ithaca.
Brad came to accept the verdict. (See his journal entries of 6 October 1999 and 4 January 2000.)
In March 2008 she turned seventy-five.

34. SEMICOLONS WITH "HOWEVER," "THEREFORE," "INDEED," AND THE LIKE

Certain adverbs, when they are used to join two independent clauses, should be preceded by a semicolon
rather than a comma. These transitional adverbs include however, thus, hence, indeed, accordingly,
besides, therefore, and sometimes then.
The trumpet player developed a painful cold sore; therefore plans for a third show were scrapped.

35. SOME COMMON MISUSES OF COLONS

Many writers assume--wrongly--that a colon is always needed before a series or a list. In fact, if a colon
intervenes in what would otherwise constitute a grammatical sentence--even if the introduction appears
on a separate line, as in a list it is probably being used inappropriately. A colon, for example, should not
be used before a series that serves as the object of a verb. When in doubt, apply this test: to merit a
colon, the words that introduce a series or list must themselves constitute a grammatically complete
sentence.
The menagerie included cats, pigeons, newts, and deer ticks.
not The menagerie included: cats, pigeons, newts, and deer ticks.
Nor should a colon normally be used after namely, for example, and similar expressions.
36. HUNGARIAN NAMES
In Hungarian practice the family name precedes the given name--for example, Molnár Ferenc, Kodály
Zoltán. In English contexts, however, such names are usually inverted--Ferenc Molnár, Zoltán Kodály.
In some cases, the family name includes an initial--for example, É. Kiss Katalin. When such a name is
inverted for English contexts (i.e., to become Katalin É. Kiss), the initial should not be confused for a
middle initial. When such a name is inverted, as for an index, it is properly listed under the initial.

37. ACADEMIC SUBJECTS

Academic subjects are not capitalized unless they form part of a department name or an official course
name or are themselves proper nouns (e.g., English, Latin).
She has published widely in the history of religions.
But: Official names of courses of study are capitalized.
I am signing up for Archaeology 101.

38. NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR CHEMICAL ELEMENTS

CHEMICAL NAMES AND SYMBOLS
Names of chemical elements and compounds are lowercased when written out. Symbols, however, are
capitalized and set without periods; the number of atoms in a molecule appears as a subscript. For a list
of symbols for the elements, including atomic numbers.
sodium chloride; NaCl

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is the recognized body that formally
approves element names. Each element bears a number (reflecting the number of protons in its nucleus)
as well as a name--as in "element 106," also known as seaborgium. This number is an important
identifier in cases where formal names are in dispute; between 1995 and 1997, for example, the
American Chemical Society and IUPAC adopted different names for some of the same elements. The
differences were reconciled, and the list that follows reflects names and symbols approved by IUPAC.
Names for undiscovered or unconfirmed elements (as of publication, 111, roentgenium, was the last
confirmed element) are provisionally assigned using Latin for the digits of their atomic number (e.g.,
ununbium, one-one-two, for element 112). The elements in the following list are arranged in alphabetical
order by common name. If the symbol is based on a term other than the common name--for example, Sb
(stibium) for antimony--the term is added in parentheses. Although the names of elements are always
lowercased, the symbols all have an initial capital. No periods are used. In specialized works, the
abbreviations commonly appear in text as well as in tables, notes, and so forth.

89 Ac actinium 100 Fm fermium 28 Ni nickel 11 Na sodium

13 Al aluminum (US), 9 F fluorine 41 Nb niobium (natrium)
aluminium (IUPAC) 87 Fr francium 7 N nitrogen 38 Sr strontium
95 Am americium 64 Gd gadolinium 102 No nobelium 16 S sulfur
51 Sb antimony (stibium) 31 Ga gallium 76 Os osmium 73 Ta tantalum
18 Ar argon 32 Ge germanium 8 O oxygen 43 Tc technetium
33 As arsenic 79 Au gold (aurum) 46 Pd palladium 52 Te tellurium
85 At astatine 72 Hf hafnium 15 P phosphorus 65 Tb terbium
56 Ba barium 108 Hs hassium 78 Pt platinum 81 Tl thallium
97 Bk berkelium 2 He helium 94 Pu plutonium 90 Th thorium
4 Be beryllium 67 Ho holmium 84 Po polonium 69 Tm thulium
83 Bi bismuth 1 H hydrogen 19 K potassium (kalium) 50 Sn tin (stannum)
107 Bh bohrium 49 In indium 59 Pr praseodymium 22 Ti titanium
5 B boron 53 I iodine 61 Pm promethium 74 W tungsten
35 Br bromine 77 Ir iridium 91 Pa protactinium (wolfram)
48 Cd cadmium 26 Fe iron (ferrum) 88 Ra radium 112 Uub ununbium
20 Ca calcium 36 Kr krypton 86 Rn radon 116 Uuh ununhexium
98 Cf californium 57 La lanthanum 75 Re rhenium 118 Uuo ununoctium
6 C carbon 103 Lr lawrencium 45 Rh rhodium 115 Uup ununpentium
58 Ce cerium 82 Pb lead (plumbum) 111 Rg roentgenium 114 Uuq ununquadium
55 Cs cesium 3 Li lithium 37 Rb rubidium 117 Uus ununseptium
17 Cl chlorine 71 Lu lutetium 44 Ru ruthenium 113 Uut ununtrium
 24 Cr chromium 12 Mg magnesium 104 Rf rutherfordium 92 U uranium
27 Co cobalt 25 Mn manganese 62 Sm samarium 23 V vanadium
29 Cu copper 109 Mt meitnerium 21 Sc scandium 54 Xe xenon
96 Cm curium 101 Md mendelevium 106 Sg seaborgium 70 Yb ytterbium
110 Ds darmstadtium 80 Hg mercury 34 Se selenium 39 Y yttrium
105 Db dubnium (hydrargyrum) 14 Si silicon 30 Zn zinc
66 Dy dysprosium 42 Mo molybdenum 47 Ag silver (argentum) 40 Zr zirconium
99 Es einsteinium 60 Nd neodymium
68 Er erbium 10 Ne neon
63 Eu europium 93 Np neptunium

39. PLURAL FORMS FOR ABBREVIATIONS OF US MEASURE

Abbreviations of US units of measure, like their scientific counterparts, are identical in the singular and
the plural.
10 yd.
5 lb.
8 sq. mi.
Note that the unit of measure in such expressions as 0.5 yd. and 1.5 yd. is generally pronounced as if it
were plural (i.e., point five yards; one point five yards).

40. DECIMAL PLACES--EUROPEAN PRACTICE

In European countries, except for Great Britain, the decimal point is represented by a comma. A thin,
fixed space, not a comma, separates groups of three digits, whether to the left or to the right of the
decimal point. This practice reflects European-style SI usage. Canadians increasingly follow SI usage,
retaining the decimal point (or, in French-language contexts, the comma) but using a thin space to
separate groups of three digits. In US publications, US style should be followed, except in direct
quotations.
36 333,333 (European style)
36 333.333 (Canadian style)
36,333.333 (US and British style)

41. PAGE NUMBERS, CHAPTER NUMBERS, AND SO FORTH

Numbers referring to pages, chapters, parts, volumes, and other divisions of a book, as well as numbers
referring to illustrations or tables, are set as numerals. Pages of the front matter are usually in lowercase
roman numerals; those for the rest of the book are in arabic numerals.
The preface will be found on pages vii--xiv and the introduction on pages 1--35.
See part 3, especially chapters 9 and 10, for further discussion; see also volume 2, table 15 and figures
7--9.
xxx square meter, cubic meter, meter per second, meter per second squared, kilogram per cubic meter

42. LENGTH, AREA, AND VOLUME

In the following examples, note that the proper symbols for foot and inch are prime (′) and double
prime (″), not the single (') and double (") quotation mark:
LENGTH
in. or ″ inch
ft. or ′ foot
yd. yard
rd. rod
mi. mile
AREA
sq. in. square inch
sq. ft. square foot
sq. yd. square yard
sq. rd. square rod
sq. mi. square mile
VOLUME
cu. in. cubic inch
cu. ft. cubic foot
cu. yd. cubic yard