The mechanics of formal writing

Prepared by:

Maricar Guarin & Rhod Carlo Duldulao

B.S.E.D. III

The Mechanics of Formal Writing

Manuel V. Gallego Foundation Colleges, Inc.

*The guides in formal writing

1. Each of the following expressions should be written as separate words, not as one word:

Any day In front of

Any more In spite of

Any time In order

All right (alright has not yet been accepted in good usage)


NOTE: the following expressions may be written as one word or as separate words:

Insofar as In so far as

Someway Some way

Percent Per cent


2. Each of the following expressions should be written as one word, not as separate words:

Hereabout Hereinbefore

Hereafter Hereinto

Hereat Hereof

Inasmuch (to be followed by as)Insomuch (to be followed by that or as)


3. When written in words, numbers 21 to 99 should be hyphenated, as hereunder shown:

Twenty-one Twenty-nine

Thirty-one Thirty-nine

Forty-one Forty-nine

4. When used in modifiers, compound words are hyphenated:


An up-to-date report

(Up-to-date modifies report)

Beginning-of-the-school-year-meetings

(Beginning-of-the-school-year modifies meetings)

Four-footed animals

(Four-footed modifies animals)


5. When used in modifiers, fractions written in words should be hyphenated, viz:

One-half size (one-half modifies size_

One-third portion (one-third mdifies portion)

Two-thirds novtes (two-thirds modifies votes)


6. When used as nouns, fractions written in words need not be hyphenated. They are just written as separate words, viz:

One half of the audience

(one half, a noun, is used as a subject)

I obtained one third of the votes

(one third, a noun, used s the direct object of the verb obtained)

Two thirds of the delegates

(two-thirds a noun, is used as a subject)


7. The prefix-rootword combination should be hyphenated:

Re-cover Please, recover the book.

Re-release I have to re-lease our house.

Re-tire To be safe, re-tire your car.

Recover He recovered from his illness.

Release An early release of her grades is requested.

Retire I retired last year from my profession*The guides in formal

writing

NOTE: if the combination without hyphen has a different meaning:

8. In the combination of a prefix ending with a vowel with a rootword the begins also with a vowel, should better be hyphenated:Re-arm There’s a need to

re-arm the school guards.

Re-ink To re-ink the contract today is impossible.

Re-insure We have to re-insure the safety of the students.


9. A hyphen should be used to set off a prefix placed before a proper noun, viz:

Anti-American Pro-American

Anti-Filipino Pro-Catholic

Non-Moslem Pre-Spanish


10. By reason of usage, it is better to hyphenate the following designations:

Ambassador-at-Large

Editor-in-Chief

Attorney-at-Law Vice-Chairman

Commander-in-Chief

Officer-in-Carge


Note: The following are may be with or without hyphen:

Chairman of the Board

Executive Director

Officer of the Day Officer of the Guard

Vicar General Judge Advocate General


11. If attached to an official designation, the prefix ex should be set off by a hyphen:

Ex-president Ex-mayor

Ex-senator Ex-vice mayor

Ex-congressman Ex-councilor


12. I attached to notable era, period or event, the prefix pre or post should be set off by a hyphen:

Pre-election period

Post-liberation period

Pre-war days Post-election campaign

Pre-Spanish times Post-war


13. Words cannot be made plural by adding s or es. To pluralize, make use of pharases indicative of their units of measurement:Baggage Pieces, bundles,

or bunches of baggage

Blood Bottles, cups, or drops of blood

Chalk pieces or boxes of chalk


14. If s or es is added to any of the following nouns, the meaning of each noun is changed:ClothClothes

-A fabric material-Garments; dresses

Fish

Fishes

-Any cold-blooded animal adapted for aquatic life-fish of different species

Glass

Glasses

A hard, brittle and transparent substance-eyeglasses; spectacles


15. Reflexive pronouns like, myself, yourself, herself, oneself, himself, and themselves are not hyphenated; however, self must be set off by a hyphen if used as combining form:self-made man self-serving

self-praises self-explanatory

Self-sacrifice Self-service


16. If used as an adverb in the sentence, each of the following terms should be written as one word:

Anyhow - By any means

Anywhere -at any place

Sometime at a time in the past or in the future


17. If any, every or some is used as (an adjective) a modifier of thing, body, one, day, or way, each pairing must be written separately:

Any thing of value

- Any modifies thing

Every body of matter

- Every modifies bidy

Some things are weightless

- Some modifies things


18. If any, every, some or no, is combined with either body, one, or thing to form a pronoun, each pair should be written as word:

Anybody The gift may be given to anybody

Anyone Can anyone identify the offender?

Anything Anything can be given as a symbol of recognition


19. Designations of relationship by affinity are usually set off by hepphens:

Father-in-law Mother-in-law

Brother-in-law Sister-in-law

Son-in-law Daughter-in-law


20. Designations of relationship by previous marriage of a parent or spouse, not by blood, are written as one word, not hyphenated:

Stepbrother Stepmother

Stepchild Stepparent

Stepson stepfather


21. The area of spelling also covers to a certain extent the requirements of proper capitalization and abbreviation.


What words then should be capitalized?

Proper Nouns:Referring to particular persons:

Common NounsReferring to persons in general:

Jose dela Cruz man, father or uncle

Maria or Ana daughter, girl or child

Jose Rizal hero, author or writer


Proper Nouns:Referring to particular places:

Common NounsReferring to common places:

San Fernando barangay

Calamba towns

Nueva Ecija province


Proper Nouns:Referring to particular things/events:

Common NounsReferring common things:

Folk Arts Theater building or theater

Independence Day event/holidays

October month


22. Always capitalize proper adjectives.

Filipino culture Chinese food

American influence Japanese ingenuity

Russian government

German invention

Spanish style British accent

Korean products European doctrine


23. If used before the name of the holder, designation, position, title should be capitalized:

Governor Oyie Umali

Secretary Jessie Robredo

Judge Lauro Esteban

Mayor Jay Vergara

Manager Jose Cruz Dean Manuel Guerroro


24. If not placed before the holder, it shoul not be capitalized:

governor of Nueva Ecija

secretary of KC Council

appointed judge mayor of the city

manager of the bank

President of PAFTE III


25. Formal writing prescribes that when used before the full names of the holders, designations are better abbreviated:

Gov. Oyie Umali Sec. Jessie Robredo

Atty. Lauro Esteban Dr. Jay Gomez

Engr. Jose Cruz Gen. Manuel Guerroro


26. When used before the holder’s family name only, the designation should be spelled out in full:

Governor Umali Secretary Robredo

Attorney Tolentino Doctor Bernardez

Engineer Cruz Architect Willford


27. The following should not be abbreviated:

Accountant Director

Ambassador Editor-in-Chief

Bishop Judge


28. If used after a pronoun in an address, street, avenue, boulevard, road and drive are better abbreviated:

Del Pilar St. Kennon Rd.

Burgos Ave. Bonifacio Dr.

Quezon Blvd. Rizal Ave.


29. If used before proper nouns, saint, santo, santa, fort and mount are better abbreviated:

St. Martin Ft. Magsaysay

Sto. Tomas Mt. Pinatubo

Sta. Maria St. Joseph


30. In whatever manner they may be used, the following names of months will conform better with formal communication if they are not abbreviated:

March May

June July

August September


31. In the abbreviation of offices, schools, organizations or countries, omit the period after each letter:

DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment )

DOH (Department of Health)

UP (University of the Philippines)


32. If placed immediately following the holder’s name, academic degrees are abbreviated and a dot or period is set after each letter-abbreviated:

A.B. (Bachelor of Arts)

B.E.E.D (Bachelor of Elementary Education)

D.M.D (Doctor of Dental Medicine)


33. Accepted abbreviations used in literary works or in some form of communication require that a dot or period is set after each letter :

a.C (ante cibum) before meals

A.D. (Anno Domini) in the year of the Lord

a.m/A.M. (ante meridian) before noon


34. Propriety in formal writing or communication requires that numbers should be spelled out in words whenever they are used in any o the following instances:


* When a number is used to begin a sentence

*When a number is used in reference to decades or centuries

*When a number is used to indicate ordinal numbers

Thank you!

The mechanics of formal writing

Education

separate words

compound words

rearmreink re

following expressions

prefixrootword combination

prefix pre

prefix ex

following designations