Correspondence Manual 4.09

7/24/2019 Correspondence Manual 4.09

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1Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration

Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Governor

Michael S. Steele, Lt. Governor

Nelson J. Sabatini , Secretary, DHMH

Peter F. Luongo, Ph.D., Director, ADAA

CORRESPONDENCEMANUAL

2003

Department o f Hea l th and Menta l Hyg iene

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Adminis trat ion

State of Mary land


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2 Correspondence Manual

State of MarylandPage 2

MAINHEADING


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Correspondence

Manual2003

Prepared by:

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration

55 Wade Ave.Catonsville MD 21228

(410) 402-8600

www.maryland-adaa.org

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration (ADAA) is an agency committed to

providing all Maryland citizens access to quality substance abuse prevention and

treatment services.


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The services and facilities of the Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

(DHMH) are operated on a non-discriminatory basis. This policy prohibits discrimination on the

granting of advantages, privileges and accommodations. The Department, in compliance with the

Americans With Disabilities Act, ensures that qualified individuals with disabilities are given an

opportunity to participate in and benefit from DHMH services, programs, benefits, and employ-

ment opportunities.


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INTRODUCTION

I am excited to present the initial ADAA Corre-

spondence Manual. During my tenure at ADAA, I

have encountered various styles of internal and

external correspondence. Seeking to correct this

situation, Dr. Luongo has called for uniform

guidelines.

Because most of ADAAs communications areconducted by the written word, it is important

that their quality be consistent with our Admini-

strations standard of excellence. Our communica-

tions often influence our credibility. For example,

a coworker recently showed me a poorly com-

posed memo she received from another State

agency. Her point: the author has a Ph.D. and

cannot write.

Many of us are not good writers. Some of us aregood writers and poor editors. I often repeat the

same mistakes. When I want to say summary, I

sometimes spell summeryand the Pennsylvania na-

tive in me automatically puts an h in Allegany

County (like the mountain range Allegheny). We

all make mistakes. Have at least one other person

edit your work.

During the construction of this manual, I asked

many of you for feedback. As a result, the project

grew beyond its original scope. Among the con-

tents, are instructions on choosing formats, the

use of titles, addressing envelopes, and commonly

used acronyms. I will continuously update the

manual so any missing information can be in-

cluded in the next edition.

Several examples and templates provide visual dem-

onstrations. I have set up a correspondence folder

on the s:/drive. It contains an assortment of re-

sources, including templates for the various types of

correspondence.

The manual offers simple guidelines on ADAA

style. If you need assistance beyond the scope of thispublication, or if you want to improve your writing,

check out the references in Chapter Four.

Remember the basic rules of writing. Keep it simple

and direct. Follow the advice of Mark Twain on

omitting needless words, Substitute damn every

time youre inclined to write very; your editor will

delete it and your writing will be as it should be.

Write in the active voice, whenever possible. Break

up or reword long sentences. Choose the leastwordy of alternative phrases. Parenthetic remarks

(regardless of how applicable) can often be avoided.

The reason for writing should be stated within the

first few sentences. Details should follow. I cannot

stress this enough: spell check, spell check, spell

check.

I am grateful to everyone who helped with this pro-

ject. Thanks to Cindy Shupe and Dr. Luongo for

supporting this assignment. A million thanks to Jo-

anna Fitzick, Kenneth Obst, Bill Rusinko, and

Siatta Stewart for their extraordinary editing skills.

Carol Ann Michalik

I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your nameat the top. Anonymous


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Choosing a Type of Correspondence. 10

Stationery.. 10

General Format. 10

Grammar.. 10

Sample Letter.. 11

Letters and Memos. 12

Letter Guidelines.. 12

Memorandums.. 12

Sample Memo. 13

Electronic Mail.. 14

E-mail Guidelines. 14Sample E-mail. 15

Facsimile 16

Sample Fax 16

Envelopes and Mail 17

Envelopes.. 18

Interagency Mail 18

Labels.. 18

Envelope Guidelines.. 18

Mailing Guidelines.. 18

Photocopies. 18Zip Codes.. 18

Sample Envelope.. 19

Postal Abbreviations 20

Addresses and Titles.. 21

Overview of Titles and Degrees. 22

The Honorable.. 22

Religious Titles.. 22

Abbreviated Titles. 22

Title Guidelines. 22

Doctor. 22

Spouses.. 22

Madam 23

Titles of Birth. 23

Order of Multiple Titles 23

Companies and Corporations 23

Elected Officials. 23

Common Abbreviations 23

Forms of Addresses.. 24

TABLEOFCONTENTS


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Elements of Style 27

Punctuation. 28

Ampersand.. 28

Apostrophe.. 28

Brackets. 28

Colon.. 28

Comma.. 28

Dash. 29

Ellipsis 29

Exclamation Point 29

Hyphen.. 29

Italics 30

Parentheses.. 30

Period. 30

Question Mark.. 30

Quotation Marks.. 30

Semicolon. 31

Underlining. 31

Capitalization.. 32

Proper Nouns. 32

Derivatives 32

Sentences.. 32

Compositions. 32

Acronyms.. 32

Rules of Capitalization.. 33

Grammar... 34

Plurals. 34

Numbers 34

Prefixes.. 34

Suffixes.. 34

Abbreviations.. 35

Addiction Certification Abbreviations. 35

Acronyms.. 36

State Organizations. 37

Elements of Style 39

Formatting Drafts. 43

References. 44

Addiction Web Sites.. 45

TABLEOFCONTENTS


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CHAPTER 1

Types of

Correspondence


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GENERALGUIDELINES

Choosing a Type of CorrespondenceUse a memorandum for correspondence within

the Administration or for routine correspondence

outside the Administration.

Letters must be used for all correspondence ad-

dressed to the governor, lieutenant governor,

members of the general assembly, judges, heads of

departments or agencies, mayors, federal officials

and citizens. Letters can also be used for matters

that require a personal tone, such as letters of rec-

ommendation, commendation or condolence.

E-mail may be used for routine communications

within the Administration. It is also appropriateto use e-mail outside the Administration in situa-

tions where it is an accepted mode of communica-

tion. Please refer to the e-mail guidelines on page

14 of this manual.

StationeryUse ADAA letterhead bond for the first page of a

letter and white paper or bond for subsequent

pages. Courtesy copies going outside the Admini-

stration should follow the same rules as the origi-

nal. Internal copies should be duplicates of the

original.

External memos need not be on bond but must

contain the Administration letterhead. This can

be achieved by copying the original or by using the

template on the s:/ drive.

To prevent the creation of large files, do not dupli-

cate letterhead in e-mail. Electronic correspon-

dence must contain the agencys mailing addresssomewhere in the body of the text. The Admini-

stration recommends adding it to the GroupWise

auto signature. For more details, please refer to e-

mail guidelines on page 14.

General FormatThe following guidelines apply to all memos and let-

ters. Examples of the various styles are displayed on

the preceding pages.

Grammar

Follow the basic rules of grammar outlined in Chap-ter Four of this manual. All documents must be

proofread and spell-checked prior to leaving the Ad-

ministration. For questions beyond the scope of

this publication, there are several excellent resources

listed in the reference section of this publication.

ADAA General Formatting Guidelines

Margins: One inch on all sides. This is

the default in most word-processing soft-

ware.

Spacing: Use single spacing within each

paragraph and double spacing betweenparagraphs.

Font: Times New Roman

Pitch: 12

Style: Use block style. All elements are

typed flush left. Do not indent.

Letterhead: DHMH/ADAA letterhead

must be used on all external memos and

letters. Electronic communication must

contain the name, address and phone

number of the Administration.


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SAMPLELETTTER

December 1, 2002

Sunya Smith, Ph.D.Program Director

Serenity Now Outpatient Treatment

123 Main St.Baltimore MD 12345

Dear Dr. Smith:

This letter is composed in block style, Times New Roman, 12 point font. All parts of thisletter are flush left and left justified. The date is typed three lines down from the DHMH

header. There are three spaces between the date and the recipients information and threemore spaces before the salutation.

Left and right margins are one inch. Each paragraph is double-spaced from the previous. Theauthor's name and title are typed five lines below the complimentary close. Enclosures and

carbon copies are cited below.

Sincerely,

Erik Gonder

Information Services

Enclosure: List the title of the enclosure if it is not mentioned in the text.

3

Peter F. Luongo, Ph.D.

Director

3

3

2

2

5

2

2

10

Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Governor - Nelson J. Sabatini, Secretary


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LETTERSANDMEMORANDUMS

LettersLetters are more personal than memos and should

be used when a formal tone is required. Letters

should be neat and easy to read. Break long sen-

tences and paragraphs into subsentences and sub-

paragraphs.

Each paragraph should contain at least two sen-

tences. Do not begin a paragraph at the end of a

page unless there is room for two lines. When

continuing a paragraph onto the next page, at

least two lines must carry.

When responding to correspondence by letter, the

first sentence should thank the recipient and thefinal paragraph should again thank the recipient.

The senders should also offer to be of assistance

and include a phone number for follow-up.

The reason for writing should be stated clearly in

the first paragraph. When making several points

in the same letter, consider numbering them or

stating each new point at the beginning of a new

paragraph. To avoid burying important points,

keep the writing simple and direct.

Avoid using form letters. If a form letter must be

used, try to personalize it by adding the recipients

name in the salutation.

Remain courteous even when the letter expresses

a complaint or a reprimand. Stress the mutual sat-

isfaction that will be derived from successful reso-

lution of the matter.

Like all Administration correspondence, letters

should follow the general guidelines listed on pageten,as well as the letter writing guidelines dis-

played on this page. The proceeding page also con-

tains a sample letter. Templates are available on

the s:/ drive in the correspondence folder.

MemorandumsUsed for advising, directing or informing, the memo

is the most common form of written communica-

tion. External memos follow most of the same

guidelines as letters.

Memos going outside the Administration must be

written on letterhead or contain the letterhead im-

age. It is acceptable to personalize your own inter-

nal memo as long as you follow the general guide-

lines. Templates for both internal and external

memos are available on the s:/ drive. A sample of an

external memo is found on page 13.

Letter Guidelines

Reference Line: Double space before the

salutation.

Salutation: Two spaces below the address

(or reference line). Use a colon at the

end.

Body Spacing: Begin the letter two lines

below the salutation.

Paragraphs: Must be at least two lines.Double-space between paragraphs.

Complimentary Close: Flush left, dou-

ble space after the body of the letter.

Enclosures, Carbon Copies or Blind

Carbon Copies: Flush left, two lines be-

low the signature.


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SAMPLE MEMO

MEMORANDUM

To: ADAA Staff

From: Tom Benner

Date: April 11, 2002

Subject: Sample Memorandum

This is a sample of an external memo template. It is block style, Times New Roman, 12

point font. There are one-inch margins on the left and right side and standard double

spacing between paragraphs.

There are three spaces between the DHMH header and the word Memorandum. In

addition, there are three spaces between the heading and the body of the memo.

cc: Joanna Fitzick

George HurdSheila Litzky

Janice Thompson

3

3

3

2

2

Peter F. Luongo, Ph.D.

Director

10Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Governor - Nelson J. Sabatini, Secretary


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ELECTRONICMAIL

In recent years, electronic mail (e-mail) has gained

acceptance as a routine form of correspondence.

E-mail should follow most of the same rules as

traditional, paper correspondence.

When addressing problems or complaints via e-

mail, it is important to follow ADAAs chain of

command procedure. Do not send e-mail directly

to the top, unless it was personally requested.

When composing an e-mail, it is important to

keep in mind that it may be forwarded. It is good

practice to get the permission of the original

sender before forwarding an e-mail. As a courtesy

to the recipient, always complete the subject line.

This should give a brief explanation of the con-

tent and should not be more than ten words.

Correspondence received by e-mail may be replied

to via e-mail. It can be used with agencies and or-

ganizations with whom ADAA maintains a close

relationship and with whom electronic correspon-

dence is routinely used. E-mail should not be used

to reply to correspondence that came via mail, fax,

or other route unless an electronic reply is re-

quested.

E-mail should clearly indicate that the message is

from ADAA. It must include the senders full

name and position. All outgoing e-mail should be

written in a manner that reflects the professional-

ism of ADAA. Follow all ADAA rules governing

grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Avoid writing in all capital letters as it is consid-

ered rude and is difficult to read. Avoid unique

fonts and bolds as they often do not translate to

other systems.

When replying to an e-mail, it is good practice to

type your response on top of the original letter.

This allows the reader to refer back to the original

message.

Transmitting confidential information via the

Internet is discouraged. When it is necessary to

send confidential information, it should be placed

in a ZIP file with password protection.

Do not use the scanned letterhead logo. Doing so

creates a large file that may be difficult to trans-

mit. Instead, type the ADAA name and address

at the end of each e-mail. The Administration

recommends attaching it to the auto signature

line in GroupWise. Directions for doing this are

on the s:/ drive under correspondence.

The following page contains a sample of a profes-

sional e-mail. For more information about the

rules governing the use of e-mail please refer to

the Administrations e-mail policy. A copy can be

found in the correspondence folder on the s:/

drive.

E-mail Guidelines

Font: Use the GroupWise default or

Times New Roman. Avoid rich textfonts as they may not translate to other

machines.

Format: Follow ADAA general format-

ting guidelines. Include the name and

address of the Administration as well as

your title and phone number.

Confidential Information:Avoid send-ing it via e-mail. If you must, attach the

confidentiality waiver.

Forwarding:Avoid doing so without

permission of the writer.


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SAMPLEE-MAIL

From: Michalik, Carol Ann

Date: 10/22/02

Time: 11:42 amTo: Shupe, Cindy

Subject: Proper use of e-mail

Dear Ms. Shupe:

Compose e-mail with the same professionalism with which you compose paper correspondence. The Ad-

ministrations address should be typed at the bottom of the message in lieu of using stationery.

Use simple text in the body of the e-mail. Refrain from using bolds, underlines and special or colored fonts

as they often do not translate to other applications. If tables and special graphics are necessary, they should

be added to the e-mail as attachments. All attachments should be composed in Microsoft Word, Excel, or

PowerPoint because most recipients will have the capacity to open these packages.

Sincerely,

Carol Ann Michalik

Information Services

State of Maryland

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration55 Wade Avenue

Catonsville MD 21228

(410) 402-8600

cc: Siatta Stewart

Vickie Kaneko

Steve Weiner

Automatically generated by

GroupWise

Automatically generated by

GroupWise

NOTICE: THIS E-MAIL MESSAGE AND ANY ATTACHMENTS HERETO ("e-mail") contains information that is or may be legally privi-

leged and/or confidential under law and is intended solely for the use of the designated intended recipient(s) and their authorized agents.

IF YOU ARE NOT A DESIGNATED INTENDED RECIPIENT OF THIS E-MAIL (OR AUTHORIZED AGENT THEREOF), your re-

view, retention, storage, copying, distribution, or dissemination of this e-mail in any form -- or your taking any action in reliance thereon -- is

strictly prohibited and may expose you to such criminal penalties and/or civil liability as may be provided by law. IF YOU HAVE RE-

CEIVED THIS E-MAIL IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY (i) return this e-mail to the sender by reply e-mail, and then (ii) delete this e-

mail and your reply from your personal computer system e-mailbox/network. Thank you for your cooperation .


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FACSIMILE

Use the standard ADAA coversheet for all faxes.

Refrain from sending confidential information via

fax, but if you must do so, attach the confidential-

ity waiver. It can be found on the s:/ drive under

correspondence.

Abstain from sending large documents via fax.

Consider regular mail or e-mail as alternatives. Be-

cause a faxed copy often does not translate well,

be sure to write clearly and use dark ink.

It is good practice to keep your receipts. Whenever

possible, call the recipient to confirm that they re-

ceived the fax. Malfunctioning fax machines may

not print the full document or the transmitted fax

may be unreadable to the recipient. Below is an ex-

ample of the ADAA professional fax. A copy can be

found on the s:/ drive in the correspondence folder.

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE ADMINISTRATION

55 Wade Avenue Catonsville, Maryland 21228(410) 402-8600

URGENT FOR REVIEW PLEASE COMMENT PLEASE REPLY PLEASE RECYCLE

NOTES/COMMENTS:

FACSIMILE TRANSMITTAL SHEET

TO: Maria Mouzon FROM: Ray Miller

COMPANY: ADAA DATE: 1/6/03

FAX NUMBER: (410) 555-1212 TOTAL NO. OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER: 1

PHONE NUMBER: SENDERS PHONE NUMBER: (410) 555-1212

RE: Training List CC: Deb Verbillis

Bill Morrow

Marie:

Please add the following people to the list for Tuesdays employee training:

Renee Howard, Bruce Meade, Deb Rienhimer, Lorraine Sykes, Suzette Tucker, Bruce Rindfuss, Vickie

Lamm, and Mike Morgan.

Thanks,

Ray


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CHAPTER2

Envelopes and

Mail


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ENVELOPESANDLABELS

EnvelopesU.S. Postal Service guidelines recommend that en-

velopes be addressed in all capital letters. They

must be typed or have a typed label. They should

not be addressed by hand.

Use single spacing in block style. If a particular

line is too long, use two lines and indent the re-

mainder. Do not use commas between the city

and the state, and place two spaces between the

state and the zip code.

When sending a letter to someone within an

agency or program, place their name on the top

line. Include academic or honorary titles (i.e.

M.D., The Honorable) followed by the name of

the program. For example:

Interagency MailWhen sending mail within DHMH, use the pink

inter-office envelopes. If a larger envelope is re-

quired, use the yellow inter-office mail envelope.

Be sure to cross off the name of the last recipient.

Reuse envelopes whenever possible.

LabelsADAA uses two types of labels. For small enve-

lopes, use Avery 5160. For larger items, use Avery

5163. Be sure to center the label on the envelope.Please refer to the guidelines on the following

page. It is preferable to use labels on stationery

envelopes. Doing this prevents errors on station-

ery and minimizes cost.

ADAA Mailing GuidelinesAll mail is collected and distributed through the

Spring Grove mail service. As a result, there is no

need to affix postage. Packages over 15 pounds

must be broken up into two or more packages.

PhotocopiesIn order to conserve resources, large jobs should be

sent to the copy center at 201 W. Preston Street. In

order to be delivered, packages must be clearly la-

beled hand carry.

Zip CodesTo find a zip code, use the United Postal Services

zip code finder. It is located on their Web site. The

address iswww.usps.com.

DONALD HALL MDTREATMENT AND RECOVERY

OF BALTIMORE COUNTY555 SOUTH MARYLAND STCATONSVILLE MD 21228

Envelope Guidelines

Font: Times New Roman. The Postal

Service recommends all caps.

Spacing: Single-space the address in

block style. If a line is too long, break it

into two lines and indent its continua-

tion on the next line.

No commas: Do not use commas be-

tween the city and the state. Use two

spaces between the state and the zipcode.

Titles: Use the name of the addressee

first followed by the name of the agency,

program etc.


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STATEOFMARYLAND

DHMH

MarylandDepartmentofHealthandMentalHygiene

AlcoholandDrugAbuseAdministration

55WadeAvenue

Catonsville,Maryland21228

DENISESMITH

SEREN

ITYNOWTREATMENTCEN

TER

123MA

INST

ANYTOWNMD12345

3

21/4

3


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POSTALABBREVATIONS

State Abbreviations

ALABAMA AL

ALASKA AKARIZONA AZARKANSAS AR

CALIFORNIA CACOLORADO COCONNECTICUT CTDELAWARE DEDIST. OF COLUMBIA DCFLORIDA FLGEORGIA GAHAWAII HIIDAHO ID

ILLINOIS ILINDIANA INIOWA IA

KANSAS KSKENTUCKY KYLOUISIANA LAMAINE MEMARYLAND MDMASSACHUSETTS MAMICHIGAN MIMINNESOTA MNMISSISSIPPI MSMISSOURI MO

MONTANA MTNEBRASKA NENEVADA NVNEW HAMPSHIRE NHNEW JERSEY NJ

NEW MEXICO NMNEW YORK NYNORTH CAROLINA NCNORTH DAKOTA NDOHIO OHOKLAHOMA OKOREGON ORPENNSYLVANIA PARHODE ISLAND RI

SOUTH CAROLINA SCSOUTH DAKOTA SDTENNESSEE TNTEXAS TX

UTAH UTVERMONT VTVIRGINIA VAWASHINGTON WAWEST VIRGINIA WVWISCONSIN WIWYOMING WY

Unit Abbreviations

APARTMENT APTBASEMENT BSMT

BUILDING BLDGDEPARTMENT DEPTFLOOR FLFRONT FRNTHANGAR HNGRLOBBY LBBYLOT LOT

LOWER LOWROFFICE OFCPENTHOUSE PHPIER PIERREAR REARROOM RM

SIDE SIDESLIP SLIPSPACE SPCSTOP STOPSUITE STETRAILER TRLRUNIT UNIT

UPPER UPPR

Street Abbreviations

ALLEY ALYAVENUE AVE

BEND BND

BOULEVARD BLVD

BRIDGE BRG

BYPASS BYP

CAUSEWAY CSWY

CIRCLE CIR

CORNER COR

COURT CT

DRIVE DR

EXPRESSWAY EXPY

EXTENSION EXT

FORT FT

HIGHWAY HWYLANE LN

PLACE PL

ROAD RD

STREET ST

TERRACE TR

WAY WAY


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CHAPTER3

Addresses and

Titles


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TITLESANDDEGREES

OverviewWhen using a title, it is important not to combine it

with another title. For instance, The Honorableshould not be combined with a complimentary title

(Mr., Mrs., etc.). A title does not need a separate

line. If the individuals name is long, the title may

be placed after the name on a separate line. After

leaving a position, the person may still choose to be

addressed by the title. Individual preferences take

precedence over style considerations.

The HonorableThis title is used to address current and former high

officials, federal officials, appointees and elected offi-

cials. When used as a title, the is capitalized. If

used in a sentence, the remains lowercase. Con-

sider the following example:

The Honorable Parris Glendening

A speech was given by the Honorable Parris

Glendening.

Religious TitlesReligious titles are capitalized and should precede

the name. Use Reverend as opposed to Father to de-

note clergy of the Catholic faith. Rabbi should pre-

cede the name on first reference. When referring to

a nun, use Sister before the name.

Abbreviated TitlesMr., Mrs., Ms., and Dr. may be abbreviated before a

name. All other titles coming before a name must be

spelled out. Abbreviate academic degrees, religious

and fraternal orders, fellowships and military service

titles after a name.

Type these titles with periods and no spaces between

them. Type military branches in all capitals with no

periods or spaces between them. With the exception

of The Reverend, do not use academic degrees

with complimentary titles (Mr., Ms., etc.) or military

designations. Refrain from including more than two

academic degrees.

DoctorUse the individuals full name followed by the cre-

dentials. It is redundant to place Dr. before the

name and include the credentials (M.D., Ph.D.,

or D.O.) after the name. Do not place Mr., Mrs., or

Ms. before the name.

SpousesSpouses of distinguished individuals should be ad-

dressed individually. For example: The Honorable Jane

Smith and Mr. John Smith.

Title Guidelines

Doctor: Credentials after the name.

Jerry Biggers, M.D.

Multiple Academic Degrees: In order of

most recently received. Karen Yoke, M.D.,

Ph.D.

The Reverend: Religious titles precede

the name. The Reverend Bill Rusinko,

Ph.D.

Spouses: Must be addressed separately.

Dr. Ventura McLee and Mrs. Ellen McLee

Gender Unknown: Use the full name

without a title.


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TITLESANDDEGREES

MadamWhen addressing a female office holder, replace Mr.

with Ms. or Mrs. When a woman occupies a highoffice, such as governor or lieutenant governor, use

Madam.

Titles of Birth RankUse Jr., Sr., II, and III after a surname only when

the individuals first name or first initial is present.

Otherwise, exclude them. Titles of birth rank should

be abbreviated as shown. While the titles Jr. and Sr.

must be preceded by a comma, II, III (and so forth)

must not have a comma. Consider the following ex-

amples:

Robert Woods, Jr.

Everett Wilson IV

Order of Multiple TitlesWhen an individual has several titles, they should be

placed in the following order:

Religious orders

Academic degrees (by most recently received)

Honorary degrees (by most recently bestowed)

Companies and CorporationsIt is preferred that companies be abbreviated only

as they appear on the firms letterhead or logo. In

the event that brevity is required, acceptable abbre-

viations are listed in the table on this page.

Elected OfficialsWhen used formally in Administration correspon-

dence, the titles of elected officials must be written

out. For informal purpose, abbreviations may be

used.

Because Marylands list of elected officials is continu-

ously changing, it is not included in this publication.

A complete list of State officials and their addressescan be obtained by logging onto the State Web site:

www.gov.state.md.us.

Information on federal officials can be found on the

following sites:

www. senate.gov

www. house.gov

www.whitehouse.gov

www.firstgov.com

The preceding pages offer examples of frequentlyused titles. Some addresses are listed for display pur-

poses only. Always verify the addresses by checking

the above Web sites.

Common Abbreviations

And &

Brother Bro.Brothers Bros.

Company Co.

Corporation Corp.

Doctor M.D., Ph.D.

Governor Gov.

Incorporated Inc.

Lieutenant Governor Lt. Gov.

Limited Ltd.

Professor Prof.Reverend Rev.

Superintendent Supt.

United States U.S.


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ADDRESSEE ADDRESS ON LETTER AND

ENVELOPE

SALUTATION AND

COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

Governor The Honorable (full name)Governor of Maryland

100 State Circle

Dear Mr./Madam Governor:Respectfully,

Spouse of the Governor Mr. or Mrs. (full name) Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. (surname):

Sincerely,

Assistant to the Governor or

Cabinet Members

The Honorable (full name)

Assistant to the Governor

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. (surname):

Sincerely,

Former Governor The Honorable (full name) Dear Governor (surname):

Sincerely,

Lieutenant Governor The Honorable (full name)

Lieutenant Governor

of Maryland


Sincerely,

Judges The Honorable (full name) Dear Judge (surname):

Sincerely,

United States Senator The Honorable (full name)

United States Senate

Washington DC 20515

Dear Senator (surname):

Sincerely,

United States Representative The Honorable (full name)

House of Representatives

Washington DC 29515

Dear Congressman/

Congresswoman (surname):

Sincerely,

Maryland Senate The Honorable (full name)

Senate of Maryland

Senate Office Building

Annapolis MD 21401

Dear Senator (surname):

Sincerely,

Maryland Delegate The Honorable (full name)

Maryland House of Delegates

xxx Lowe Office Building

Annapolis MD 21401

Dear Delegate (surname):

Sincerely,

FORMSOFADDRESSSAMPLES


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FORMOFADDRESSSAMPLES

ADDRESSEE ADDRESS ON LETTER AND

ENVELOPE

SALUTATION AND

COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

Office of a Deceased ElectedOfficial

Office of the late (elected title, fullname)

Dear Sir or Madam:Sincerely,

Official-elect The Honorable (full name)

Maryland (Senator)-elect

Care of the Maryland Senate

Dear Senator-elect (surname):

Sincerely,

Clergy with Degree The Reverend (full name, degree)

(name of church)

Dear (Dr./Mr./Mrs.) (surname):

Sincerely,

Military Personnel (full rank, full name)

Abbreviation of service (USMC,

USAF, etc.)

Dear (rank, surname):

Sincerely,

President of a College or University Dr. (full name)

President, (name of institution)

Dear Dr. (surname):

Sincerely,

Physician (full name), M.D. Dear Dr. (surname):

Sincerely,

Lawyer Mr./Mrs./Ms. (full name)

Attorney at Law


Sincerely,

A Woman and Man Residing

Together

Mrs./Ms./Miss. (full name) and

Mr. (full name)

Dear Mrs./Ms./Miss (surname)

and Mr. (surname):

Sincerely,

Two men residing together Mr. (full name) and Mr. (full

name)

Dear Mr. (surname) and Mr.

(surname):

Sincerely,

A general letter to a company Company name Dear Sir or Madam:

Sincerely,


26/48



27/48


CHAPTER4

Elements of Style


28/48


PUNCTUATION

Ampersand (&)Use the ampersand only when it is part of a com-

panys name. Do not use it in formal communica-

tion as a substitute for and.

Apostrophe ()Review the following table to determine when to use

an apostrophe. For related information, see the sec-

tion on plurals.

Brackets [ ]Refrain from using brackets. Consider parentheses

instead.

Colon (:)Refer to the following chart for guidelines on using

colons. Capitalize the first word after a colon if it is

a proper noun or the beginning of a complete sen-

tence. Colons go outside quotation marks unless

they are part of the quote.

Comma (,)

Use a comma to separate structural elements of asentence into manageable parts. When used with

quotes, commas go outside the quotes. In formal

correspondence, there should be one space follow-

ing a comma. The following chart lists some of the

instances in which to use a comma. For a complete

list, please refer to the punctuation section of the

Websters New World Dictionary.

Apostrophe Use Example

To indicate contractions Ive ( I have)

Plural nouns not ending

in s (add s)

womens rights

Plural nouns ending in s

(add on the apostrophe)

churches

Joneses

Nouns that are plural in

form but singular in

meaning (add only the

apostrophe)

Mathematics formulae

United States control

Treat nouns that are the

same singularly and plu-ral as if they are plurals

one deers antlers

two fishes fins

Singular nouns not end-

ing in s (and s)

girls bike

the ladys hat

Singular nouns ending

in s (use s unless the

next word begins with

an s)

the witnesss testimony

the witness story

Joint possession (use the

possessive after the lastword)

Robyn Lyles and Dave

Putsches office

Joint possession if both

objects are individually

owned

Maris and Priscillas

books

Omitted letters or num-

bers

Rock n roll

The roaring 20s

Colon Use Example

At the end of a sentenceto introduce lists

The work group con-sisted of four people:

J. Sue Henry, Fran Bry-

ant, Bonita Ciurca, and

Phyllis Cail.

For emphasis Tony Santos had one

hobby: eating.

Following a formal salu-

tation

Dear Ms. Kingwood:

To separate hours andminutes 2:45 p.m.

To introduce formal

statements

The question came up

for discussion: What is

our next move?

To introduce dialogue Lamont: Where were

you yesterday?

Phillip: Out sick.


29/48


PUNCTUATION

Dash ()A dash should be used to signify an abrupt break in

structure or to set off strong parenthetic expressions.

Kim Randolph was upset no, enraged is more accurate by his actions.

Dashes are stronger than commas, but if overused,

they lose their impact. In word processing software,

a dash is made by typing two hyphens next to each

other. Put a space before and after the dash.

Ellipsis ()

Use an ellipsis to denote the absence of one or morewords. Do not use an ellipsis to indicate a pause in

conversation; instead, use the dash. Leave one space

on both sides of an ellipsis. If the words preceding

an ellipsis comprise a complete sentence, put a pe-

riod, question mark, or exclamation point at the

end of the sentence followed by the ellipsis.

We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men are cre-

ated equal. ...

Exclamation Point (!)Use this mark to denote a high degree of emotion.

The exclamation point should be used only rarely.

For mild emotion, use a comma. In formal writing,

an exclamation point should be followed by one

space.

Hyphen (-)Hyphens join two words or ideas. Use a hyphen be-

tween parts of compound modifiers (two or more

words that express a single concept) preceding a

noun. Do not hyphenate compound modifiers fol-

lowing a noun. Never hyphenate adverbs ending in

ly. Consider the following examples.

The first-quarter report

The report reflects the earning of the first quarter

An easily understood concept

It is acceptable to use a hyphen to divide words at

the end of a line of type. Most word processing soft-ware does this automatically. One-syllable words

should never be divided and multi-syllable words

should only be broken between syllables. All nu-

merical compound modifiers between twenty-one

and ninety-nine are hyphenated.

Comma Use Example

To separate items in aseries

Leslie Woolford, LarryStevens, and Linda

Oney did the training.

To separate a series of

modifiers of equal rank

Tammy Hobsons idea

is creative, original, and

innovative.

Introducing direct

quotes

Eugenia asked, Is it

done yet?

To separate

introductory clauses

Overrun by budget con-

cerns, the programfolded.

To set off an identifying

word or phrase or non-

essential clause

Herb Baylor, a tall man,

had no trouble reaching

the basket.

To set off dates, ad-

dresses and titles

December 24, 2002

Baltimore, Maryland

(but no comma between

city and state on an enve-

lope)

Before the conjunctions

and, but, or, nor, for

andyetwhen they com-

bine two clauses of a

compound sentence

Sue Roberson had never

taken such a difficult

class, or had so much

homework.


30/48


PUNCTUATION

Italics (Italics)Use italics (or slanted type) for the titles of books,

plays, manuscripts, magazines, trains, and ships. Ital-

ics can also be used to emphasize word or foreignphrases. In handwritten text, italics are denoted by

underlining.

Parentheses ( )Parentheses should be used sparingly to include

nonessential material. Refrain from overusing paren-

theses. They are jarring to the reader, and the desire

to use them is evidence that the sentence is becom-

ing too confusing. Consider rewriting it in another

way. Parentheses should be used to identify the useof an acronym or abbreviation on the first reference.

For instance:


(ADAA)

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Parentheses must always be used in pairs. Place a pe-

riod outside a parentheses if the words inside are

not a complete sentence (such as this fragment).

(This parentheses contain a complete sentence, so

the period is inside the closing parentheses.)

When a phrase is a complete sentence (this is an ex-

ample) but is dependent on the supporting sentence

for its meaning, do not capitalize the first word or

place a period at the end.

Period (.)The period is most commonly used to denote the

end of a sentence. Periods may also be used for ab-

breviations; however, this practice is becoming obso-lete. As a general rule, initials should contain a pe-

riod but abbreviations that are only initials should

not contain periods.

Street, avenue, and boulevard must be abbreviated

when part of a numbered address, but should be

written out otherwise. For more information and

examples regarding the use of periods in abbrevia-

tions, see the abbreviations section on page 35 ofthis manual.

Periods can also be used in place of a question mark

after a polite request or rhetorical question.

Can you please send me a copy.

What would I do without Bill Morrows help.

In formal writing, there should be one space after a

period. Periods always go inside quotation marks.

Question Marks (?)Use a question mark at the end of a direct question.

In the event that there is a series of questions, use a

question mark at the end of the complete sentence

and separate the phrases with commas.

Did Maury Getz balance the budget, set spending, and

encourage fiscal responsibility?

Do not use a question mark after an indirect ques-

tion. A question mark can either go inside or out-side quotation marks, depending on the meaning. It

supersedes the comma at the end of a direct quote.

When used in formal correspondence, there is a sin-

gle space after each question mark. Consider the fol-

lowing examples.

Steve Bocian asked how the deficit began.

How did the deficit begin? Janet Shaw inquired.

Who wrote The Power of Money?

Where is it? Candace asked.

Quotation Marks ()Quotation marks are used to set off direct quota-

tions or to indicate that a word is used in an ironic

or unusual way. They are also used to set off book

chapters, poems, or short stories.


31/48


PUNCTUATION

When used in formal correspondence, the period

and comma go inside the quotation marks. All other

marks of punctuation go within the quotes whenthey apply only to the quote material and outside

when they apply to the entire sentence.

Semicolon (;)Use a semicolon to join related independent clauses;

it provides more separation than the comma, but

less than the period. A semicolon can also be used

to separate items in a series that already contain

commas. Consider the following example.

The committee includes Allison Frank, food; Deb Green,

music; and Paulette Clem, games.

In formal correspondence, use one space after asemicolon. Depending on the nature of the quote,

the semicolon can either go inside or outside the

quotation marks.

UnderliningRefrain from underlining text. The use of italics is

preferred. Please refer to italicson the preceding

page for details concerning proper use.


32/48


CAPITALIZATION

This section lists the basic rules of capitalization.

For questions beyond the scope of this manual, refer

to Websters Dictionary or The Associated Press Style-

book.

Proper NounsCapitalize the proper names of people, places, and

things. Do not capitalize nouns that have general

meaning. Capitalize common nouns used as proper

nouns or when they are an integral part of a person,

place, or thing. Lowercase the common noun parts

of a name in all plural uses. Some common nouns

are capitalized because they refer to a proper noun.

Refer to the Elements of Style section of the manualfor additional details.

Derivatives of Proper Nouns

Capitalize words that are derived from a propernoun and still depend on that proper noun for their

meaning. Derivatives that are understood without

the proper noun must be lowercase. See the follow-

ing examples.

SentencesCapitalize the first word in all sentences. Also capi-

talize the first word in a bulleted list. The first letter

in a phrase of poetry may also be capitalized, eventhough it is not a complete sentence.

CompositionsCapitalize the principle words in all book and maga-

zine titles as well as plays, musical compositions,

songs, art works, and television and radio programs.

AcronymsA list of commonly used acronyms is located on

page 36 of this manual. The general rule for acro-nyms is to spell out the meaning on the first refer-

ence followed immediately by the acronym in all

capitals in parenthesis. Use only the acronym on

second reference. For example:

...Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration (ADAA)

In some cases, the acronym is more familiar than

the proper noun and may be used on first reference

(for instance, the substance LSD). Check the Style

Section for more examples of acronyms that are ac-

ceptable on first use.

Please refer to the table on the following page for

more examples of capitalization rules.

Common Proper

a pretty woman Michelle Strasnick

interstate highway the Baltimore Beltway

electric company General Electric

political party Democratic Party

the parties Democratic and Repub-lican parties

a registered voter a registered Republican

state government (any

state other than Mary-

land)

State government

(referring to Maryland)

Root Derivative

French

(the language or culture

of France)

french fries

french toast

Venetian

(the culture of Venice)

venetian blinds

venetian glass

Paris plaster of paris


33/48


RULESOFCAPITALIZATION

Capitalize Example

Proper nouns Jeffrey Allison, Baltimore City, Maryland

Common nouns used as proper nouns Wall Street, Federal Express, United Way

Names of organized bodies Maryland House of Delegates

the Catholic Church


Calendar days, months, seasons and holidays Tuesday, March, Christmas, Spring

Titles used with names President Clinton

Peter F. Luongo, Director

Courtesy titles before and after a name Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Gov.

Geographic regions or localities North Americathe Middle East

the Western Hemisphere

The first word in a sentence Today is Odessas birthday.

The first word in a direct quote Angela Chaffin said, Happy birthday Odessa.

The first word in a bulleted list The following are not capitalized:

The first word following a semicolon

Words in quotation marks that are

not direct quotes

A fragment in literature or poetry Two roads diverged in a woods and I-,

I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Titles of publications, documents, acts, televi-

sion and radio programming

Trends and Patterns, Synar Report, House Bill 7


34/48


GRAMMAR

PluralsFor most words, just add s. Consult the following

table for additional guidelines. Keep in mind that

these are basic guidelines and that the English lan-guage has many exceptions.

NumbersWrite out zero through ten and first to tenth. Use

the cardinal number from 11 onward. Eleventh is

spelled out at the beginning of a sentence but is de-noted 11th elsewhere. All numbers must be spelled

out if they begin a sentence.

Spell out all fractions (three-fifths). Percent must be

spelled out (60 percent or 1 percent). If the percent-

age is less than one percent precede it by a zero (0.7

percent).

Numbers that end in more than four zeros should

be written in text unless the context of the publica-tion calls for an exact figure. Consider the following

examples:

There is a $12 million deficit.

The exact budget for this project is $12,201,000.

We spent approximately $1.7 billion on this project.

PrefixesThe general rule is to hyphenate when the word be-

gins with the same vowel. Do not hyphenate whenthe word starts with a consonant. Use a hyphen if

the word that follows is capitalized. For example:

pre-election

posttest

pretest

mid-Atlantic

SuffixesUse two words for verb forms and hyphenate nouns

and adjectives. Consider the following examples.

Words ending

in...

Plural Ending Example

CH, S, SH, SS,

X, Z

ES bushes, buzzes

IS ES theses

Y Change Y to I

and add ES

armies, cities

exception: don-

keys

O ES heroes

Compound

solid words

Add S handfuls

Compoundseparated words

The first wordbecomes plural

attorneys gen-eral

Last names end-

ing in ES, S, or

ES the Davises,

Joneses

Last names end-

ing in Y

S Kennedys

Numbers S 1980s or 20s

Single letters S As

Multiple letters S ABCs, IOUs

Verb Noun/Adjective

follow up follow-up

trade off trade-off


35/48


GRAMMAR

AbbreviationsAbbreviations are acceptable in formal writing. For

abbreviations that are not obvious, always write out

the phrase immediately followed by the abbreviationin parentheses. Use only the abbreviation on subse-

quent references. Other than the following list of

exceptions, do not use periods after the letters.

Regarding addresses, the rule of thumb is to spell

them out if the address is non-numeric and abbrevi-

ate them in an exact numerical address. Please refer

to the chart on this page.

Addiction Certification AbbreviationsThe following list contains the Maryland Addiction

Certifications, their abbreviations, and the basic re-

quirements for each level. For more detailed infor-mation on this subject, consult the Maryland Board

of Professional Counselors and Therapists Web site

at www.dhmh.state.md.us/bopc/html/licreg.html.

Abbreviations Example

Street, Avenue and

Boulevard must be ab-

breviated if part of a

numbered address

Wade Avenue

55 Wade Ave.

Street addresses on en-

velopes should be abbre-

viated with no periods

55 WADE AVE

123 MAIN ST

Abbreviate compasspoints when used as

part of a numerical ad-

dress

999 NW Main St.

Write out the compass

point if the number is

omitted

North West Main Street

Exception Abbreviation

Academic degrees Ph.D., B.A.

Time designations a.m., p.m.

For example e.g.

That is i.e.

Names except those that

are all initials

C. Wayne Kempske

JFK

Abbre-

viationTitle Requirements

CSC-AD Certified Su-

pervised

Counselor-Alcohol and

Drug

Associates Degree in

Human Services

15 credits addictioneducation

Two years or 2,000

hours treatment experi-

ence

Pass examination

CAC-AD Certified As-

sociate

Counselor

Alcohol and

Drug

Bachelors Degree in Hu-

man Services

20 credits of addiction

education

Three years or 2000

hours treatment experi-

ence

Pass examination

CPC-AD Certified

Professional

Counselor

Alcohol and

Drugs

Masters Degree or

higher in Human Ser-

vices

25 credits of addiction

education

Three years of treatment

experience

Pass examination

LCPC Licensed

Clinical Pro-

fessional

Counselor

Meet the CPC-AD re-

quirements

60 hours graduate

coursework in various

aspects of treatment


36/48


ACRONYMS

BGR- Bureau of Governmental Research- This bureau

facilitates the integration of data and scientific

knowledge to improve policy and practice by private

and public sector agencies in the fields of treatment,social services, public health, and criminal justice.

BSAS-Baltimore Substance Abuse System- This sub-

stance abuse prevention and treatment agency is re-

sponsible for Baltimore City programs.

CESAR-Center for Substance Abuse Research- This re-

search center conducts policy-relevant research on

specific initiatives to prevent, treat, and control sub-

stance abuse, and evaluate prevention and treatment

programs.

CIRMIS- Centralized Intake and Referral Management

Information System- This is the database into which

SAMIS data from Baltimore City funded pro-

grams are inputted.

CSAP- Center for Substance Abuse Prevention- This is a

unique, federally funded program designed to dis-

seminate information, increase dialog, and promote

community empowerment to combat alcohol andother drug problems.

CSAT- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment- This is a

unique federally funded program designed to im-

prove treatment services and make them more avail-

able to those in need.

DAC- Maryland Drug and Alcohol Council- This Coun-

cil was created to coordinate drug and alcohol treat-

ment activities and funding across State agencies.

DHMH- Department of Health and Mental Hygiene-

This State department is responsible for assuring

that the people of Maryland have appropriate access

to high quality health care at a reasonable cost to in-

dividuals, employers, and taxpayers.

e-SAMIS- Electronic Substance Abuse Management In-

formation System-This is the electronic version of

SAMIS.

HATS- (formerly HIDTA Automated Tracking System)

now University of Maryland Automated Tracking

System This is a client-server based computer soft-

ware program designed by and for treatment and

criminal justice agency staff working with clients

who may or may not be involved with multiple agen-

cies.

HIDTA- High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area- The

HIDTA program enhances and coordinates drug

control efforts among local, state, and federal law

enforcement agencies.

NIH- National Institute of Health The principal bio-

medical research arm of the federal government. It

oversees the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism(NIAA) and the National Institute on Drug

Abuse (NIDA).

QSOA- Quality Service Organizational Agreement- This

is a written agreement between a service organiza-tion and a federally assisted provider of alcohol or

substance abuse treatment.

SAMHSA- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration- This federal agency was established

by Congress to strengthen the nations health care

capacity to provide prevention, diagnosis, and treat-

ment services for substance abuse and mental ill-

nesses. It oversees the Office of Applied Studies (OAS).

SAMIS- Substance Abuse Management Information Sys-

tem- This is the client-based system to which all certi-

fied alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs are

required to report.


37/48


STATEORGANIZATIONS

ADAA Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration

ATGC Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland

BCCC Baltimore City Community College

BPW Board of Public WorksCHR Commission of Human Relations, Maryland

COMP Comptroller of the Treasury

DAT Department of Assessments & Taxation

DBED Department of Business and Economic Development

DBM Department of Budget and Management

DBFP Department of Budget & Fiscal Planning

DEAF Deaf, Maryland School for the

DGS Department of General Services

DHCD Department of Housing and Community Development

DHMH Department of Health and Mental HygieneDHR Department of Human Resources

DJJ Department of Juvenile Justice

DLLR Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation

DMIL Department of the Military

DMSP Department of the Maryland State Police

DNR Department of Natural Resources

DOP Department of Personnel

DPSC Department of Public Safety & Correctional Systems

GSA General Services Administration

GWIB Governor's Workforce Investment Board

EXEC Executive Department

IEMS Institute for Emergency Medical Services System, Maryland

IRMA Information Resource Management Administration

IWIF Injured Workers' Insurance Fund

JUD Judiciary of Maryland

MAIF Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund

MDA Maryland Department of Agriculture

MDE Maryland Department of Environment

MDLC Maryland Disability Law Center

MDOT Maryland Department of Transportation

MDVC Maryland Veteran's CommissionMEMA Maryland Emergency Management Agency

MES Maryland Environmental Service

MFCA Maryland Food Center Authority

MGA Maryland General Assembly

MHEC Maryland Higher Education Commission


38/48


STATEORGANIZATIONS

MHHA Maryland Health & Higher Education Facilities Authority

MIA Maryland Insurance Administration

MOP Maryland Office of Planning

MPT Maryland Public Broadcasting CommissionMSA Maryland State Archives

MSDE Maryland State Department of Education

MSLA Maryland State Lottery Agency

MSRA Maryland State Retirement Agency

MSU Morgan State University

MTC Maryland Tax Court

MTSR Maryland Teacher and State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plans

NWDA Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority

OAG Office of the Attorney General

OAH Office of Administrative HearingsOOA Office on Aging

PCPS People's Counsel, Office of

PDS Public Defender System

PSC Public Service Commission

PSCP Public School Construction Program

PTAB Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board

SBCA State Board of Contract Appeals, Maryland

SBEL State Administrative Board of Election Laws

SEC State Ethics Commission

SIF Subsequent Injury Board

SPO State Prosecutor, Office of

TCW Tri-County Council of Western Maryland, Inc.

TREA Treasurer's Office, Maryland State

UEF Uninsured Employer's Fund Board

UMS University of Maryland System

VHC Veteran's Home Commission

WIC Worker's Compensation Commission


39/48


ELEMENTSOFSTYLE

Administration Capitalize when referring to the

ADAA. Lowercase elsewhere.

affect/effectAs a verb, affect means to influence.

As a noun it means emotion (the patients affect). Ef-

fect as a verb means to cause. As a noun it means

result (the effect of a drug).

age Kenneth Obst is a 60-year-old male. Kenneth is

60 years old. Kenneth is in his 60s (no apostrophe).

AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome.

AIDS is acceptable on first reference.

a.m./p.m. Lowercase with periods (11 a.m.).

all right Never use alright.

bylaw Not by-law.

cannot Do not use cant or can not.

Capital/CapitolCapital refers to a seat of power.

Annapolis is the capital of Maryland. Capitol refers to

all state or federal capitol buildings. Capitalize when

used with the State.The Maryland Capitol Building is

in Annapolis.

cell phone Two words.

CDUse compact disc on first reference.

CongressCapitalize when referring to the UnitedStates Congress.

congressionalLowercase unless part of a proper

name.

countyCapitalize when part of a proper name

(Howard County) but lowercase when plural (Howard

and Baltimore counties). Lowercase when not part of aproper name (county health department).

court Capitalize the formal names of all courts.

(The State Superior Court).

courthouse One word. Capitalize when part of a

jurisdiction (Baltimore County Courthouse), otherwise

lowercase (the courthouse). Also courtroom.

cut back/cutback Cut back is a verb (the State cut

back spending). Cutback is a noun and adjective. The

budget deficit will cause a cutback in spending.

data/datum Data is plural (the data are). Datum is

singular (the datum is).

database One word.


40/48


ELEMENTSOFSTYLE

days of the week Capitalize and do not abbreviate

(Thursday, October 24, 2002).

district Do not abbreviate. Capitalize when part of

a proper name (the 31st Legislative District).

District of Columbia Spell out when used alone.

Abbreviate to D.C. when used with Washington.

drugs Use to describe illegal substances. Use medi-

cine or medication when used legitimately.

drug-free Hyphenate.

drunk/drunken Use drunk after a noun. The driver

was drunk. Use drunken before a noun (a drunken

driver).

e-mailAcceptable on first reference for electronic

mail or message. Capitalize at the beginning of a sen-

tence. Words like e-business ande-commerce fol-

low the same rules.

EcstasyCapitalize when referring to the illegal sub-

stance.

-elect Hyphenate and lowercase (Governor-elect Robert

L. Ehrlich, Jr.).

exAs a prefix, exis not followed by a hyphen when

it means out of (excommunicate). It is usually hy-

phenated when referring to former (ex-wife, ex-

governor). In these instances, it is often better to use

former (former governor).

farther/further Farther is physical distance; further

is time.

fax Use as a substitute for a facsimile or the ma-

chine as a noun or a verb. It can be used on first

reference. The plural is faxes.

federal Lowercase unless part of a government

agencys tile (federal funding, federal court, Federal

Reserve).

fewer/less Use fewer for individual items and less

for bulk. Less money, fewer applicants.

former Lowercase before a title (former Governor

Parris Glendening).

government Always lowercase (the State government).

governmental bodies Always capitalize (the Mary-

land Department of Mental Health and Hygiene).

Greater Baltimore Capitalize when referring to a

geographic area.


41/48


ELEMENTSOFSTYLE

health care Two words.

heroin Lowercase; it is no longer a trademark.

holidays Capitalize them.

home page Two words.

House of Delegates Capitalize when referring to the

Maryland law-making body. It is acceptable to useThe House on subsequent references.

HTTP Hypertext transfer protocol is lowercase in

Web addresses but otherwise capitalized. The same

is true for hypertext markup language HTML.

Internet Always capitalize but lowercase intranet.

its/its Its is a contraction for it is. Its our decision.

Its is a possessive pronoun.ADAA made its decision.

jury Always lowercase and takes a singular verb.

-like/likeAs a suffix, hyphenate only if there is a

triple l (shell-like, lifelike). As a prefix, there is gener-

ally a hyphen like-minded, but likelihoodand likewise

are exceptions.

LSD Acceptable on first reference for lysergic acid

diethylamide. Avoid the slang acid.

marijuanaAlways lowercase. Avoid the slang wordpot.

Medicaid/Medicare Capitalize both.

memorandum/memorandums Do not use memo-

randaor memoranda's. Memoand memos are ac-

ceptable substitutes.

methadone Lower case.

nationwideOne word, no hyphen.

nighttimeOne word. Avoid using nite.

OK, OKd, OKs OKing Do not use okay.

online One word.

oralUse oral as opposed to verbal when referring to

a spoken agreement or statement.

patient Do not use client. Offenderis acceptablewhen appropriate.

political divisions Use figures and capitalize the first

word following the figures (21st Precinct).


42/48


ELEMENTSOFSTYLE

preventive Use as opposed to preventative.

Quaaludeis a trade name and must be capitalized.

quasi-As a prefix it is usually hyphenated.

radio stations See television and radio stations.

ratiosUse figures and hyphens. 2-to-1 ratio.

R.S.V.P. For the French repondez sil vous plait, it

means please reply.

selfAs a prefix, it is always followed by a hyphen

(self-interest, self-defense).

Social Security Capitalize when referring to the

United States Social Security System.

State Always capitalize when referring to Maryland.

Statewide Capitalize when referring to Maryland.

telephone numbers Use figures with parentheses

around the area code. Use a comma to separate theextension from the main number. (410) 4028600,

ext. 8611.

television and radio stations Use the call letters in

all capitals. NBC affiliate WBAL.

tobaccosPlural for tobacco.

towardHe was coming toward us. Do not use towards.

TV Acceptable on first reference for television.

URLA Uniform Resource Locator is an Internetaddress. In the address http://www.maryland-adaa.

org/samis, http is the method of transfer, maryland-

adaa is the server, org is the domain, and samis is

the folder. Try to fit the URL on one line. If it does

not fit, break it in two lines without a hyphen.

veto, vetoes, vetoed, vetoing

the Web Capitalize when referring to the World

Wide Web.

Web page, Web site Two words.

webcam, webcast, webmaster Lowercase one word.

workstation One word.

workweekOne word. The same forworkday.


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Adding a Time and Date StampWhen formatting publications that are expected to

go through multiple revisions, it is important that

the document clearly specify the date of the last revi-sion. The original drafter is also responsible for

placing a time and date stamp on the original docu-

ment. This information must go on the top right

side of the document header. Once in place, Word

automatically changes the date following a revision.

More information on setting up this feature is in the

box below.

Renaming DocumentsAfter revision, a new copy of the document should

be saved with the date attached to the title. This can

be achieved by clicking save as and adding the

date to the end of the document title. Consider thefollowing examples:

Tracking ChangesWhen a document goes through multiple revisions

by several editors, it can be difficult to track the revi-

sions and determine from whom they originated.As a result, ADAA requires that all edits be done by

using the Track Changes feature in Microsoft

Word.

The use of this feature assures that the intended re-

cipients receive the most up-to-date draft of the ma-

terial. The Track Changes features assigns a differ-

ent color to the text of each editor. Any changes

made to the document by that editor will appear in

a color unique to them.

The original author has the ability to either accept

or reject any or all of the changes. Please refer to the

instructional box for information on how to use this

feature.

FORMATTINGDRAFTS

Constructing a Header with a Time

and Date Stamp.

1. On the main toolbar clickView.

2. Select Header and Footer.

3. A toolbar will appear. On that tool-

bar, click the button for Date and

then click the button for Time.

4. Right justify the text.

5. Click Close on the Header and

Footer Toolbar.6. The time date stamp is now added.

Any revision to the document will be

reflected in the document header.

MicrosoftWord(2).lnk MicrosoftWord(2).lnk FY03 ITMaster Plan

FY03 IT

Master Plan

(01.10.03)

Using the Tracking Change Feature

1. On the main toolbar click Tools.

2. Click Track Changes.3. When this feature is enabled, a new

toolbar will appear on your main

toolbar.

4. The Track Changes Toolbar has sev-

eral buttons. It will allow you to ac-

cept or reject changes and add or

delete comments. By clicking on

the scroll-down window, you can

view the original or the final withor without the edit marks.

5. The feature can be disabled by

clicking on Track Changes a sec-

ond time.


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REFERENCES

Goldstein, Norm. The Associated Press Stylebook. Cambridge, Mass.: Perseus, 2002.

Governors Office Correspondence Manual. State of Maryland.

Guth, Hans. The New English Handbook. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing, 1985.

Sabin, William. The Gregg Reference Manual, Eight Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.

Strunk, William and White, E.B. The Elements of Style. New York: Longman, 2000. Online at:

http://www.bartleby.com/141/.

United States Government Correspondence Manual, 1992.Washington D.C.

Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1985.

Websters online.www.m-w.com.


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ADDICTIONWEBSITES

Addiction Technology Transfer Centerswww.nattc.org

Al-Anon/Alateenwww.al-anon.alateen.org

Alcohol Epidemiology Program of U. of Minnesotawww.epi.umn.edu/alcohol

Alcohol & Drug Abuse Administration (Maryland)www.maryland-adaa.org

Alcoholics Anonymouswww.aa.org

Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Researchwww.alcoholism-cer.com

Alcohol Screeningwww.alcoholscreening.org

The Alliance Projectwww.defeataddiction.com

American Academy of Addiction Psychiatrywww.aaap.org

American Medical Association (AMA)www.ama-assn.org

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)www.asam.org

Baltimore Substance Abuse Systemswww.bsasinc.org

Booze Newswww.cspinet.org/booze

Center on Substance Abuse Research (CESAR)www.cesar.umd.edu

Center on Addiction and Substance Abusewww.casacolumbia.org

Centers for Disease Controlwww.cdc.gov

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of Americawww.cadca.org

Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studywww.datos.org

Drug Policy Librarywww.druglibrary.org

Drug Reform Coordination Networkwww.drcnet.org

DrugSensewww.drugsense.org

Drug Strategieswww.drugstrategies.org

Employee Assistance Professionals Associationwww.eap-association.org

Faces and Voices of Recoverywww.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org

Getting Them Sober Foundationwww.gettingthemsober.com

Governor's Office on Crime Control and Preventionwww.goccp.org

Harm Reduction Training Institutewww.harmreduction.org

Health Care for the Homelesswww.hchmd.org

Health Policy Tracking Serviceswww.hpts.org

Just Factswww.justfacts.org

Join Togetherwww.jointogether.orgLegal Action Centerwww.lac.org

Drug Policy Alliancewww.drugpolicy.org

Maryland Addiction Counselor Certification Boardwww.maccb.com

Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizationswww.mdnonprofit.org

Maryland Budget & Tax Policy Institutewww.marylandpolicy.org


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ADDICTIONWEBSITES

Maryland Citizens Health Initiativewww.healthcareforall.org

Maryland General Assemblyhttp://mlis.state.md.us

MedChi- the Maryland State Medical Society www.medchi.org

Mental Health Association of Marylandwww.mhamd.orgMothers Against Drunk Drivingwww.madd.org

Narcotics Anonymouswww.na.org

National Alliance for the Mentally ill of Marylandhttp://md.nami.org

National Association for AddictionProfessionalswww.naadac.org

National Association of State Alcohol & Drug Abuse Directorswww.nasadad.org

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & DrugInformationwww.health.org

National Commission Against Drunk Drivingwww.ncadd.com

National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependencewww.ncadd.org

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholismwww.niaaa.nih.govNational Institute on Drug Abusewww.nida.nih.gov

National Treatment Plan "Changing the Conversation" www.natxplan.org

Office of National Drug Control Policywww.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

Oxy Abuse Killswww.oxyabusekills.com

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluationwww.pire.org

Physician Leadership on National Drug Policywww.caas.brown.edu/plndp

Prescription Anonymous, Inc. (RxA) www.prescriptionanonymous.org

RecoveryWorkswww.recoveryworks.org

The Slugger's Pathwww.sluggerspath.comSmoke Free Marylandwww.smokefreemd.org

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administrationwww.samhsa.gov

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locatorwww.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

THOMAS (Congressional Website) http://thomas.loc.gov

Underage Drinking Coalitionswww.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/coalition

White Housewww.whitehouse.gov


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55 Wade Ave.

Catonsville MD 21228

State of Mary land
