Writing Style Guide 2014 Revised Edition FINAL Online Version as at 26 November 2014 %282%29

8/9/2019 Writing Style Guide 2014 Revised Edition FINAL Online Version as at 26 November 2014 %282%29

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2 Last updated: August 2014

Introduction

The purpose of the guide

Principles of writing

A guide to the principles of good written communication

Sharpen your style

A guide to common grammatical errors and how to

avoid them

Word classes

A brief glossary of types of words

A to Z guide

An A to Z guide of writing, punctuation and grammar

for staff at the City of Boroondara

The Writing Style Guide 2014 revised edition is prepared by

Communications and Engagement.

It is based on the Macquarie Dictionary , fourth edition and the Style

Manual for Authors and Printers, sixth edition.

It is also based on the Writing Style Guide 2005 and 2010 , which

were developed with assistance from Learning and Development as

well as feedback from City of Boroondara staff.

If you have any further feedback or suggestions, please call the

Internal Communications Officer on ext. 4420.


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Last updated: August 2014 3

Introduction

The Writing Style Guide helps with writing, grammar and punctuation at the City of

Boroondara. This second edition of the Writing Style Guide has been produced toaddress gaps in the 2010 version, and promote consistent branding and messages

internally and externally.

While each department is distinctive, we are all part of the one organisation. A

consistent style helps to unify us and strengthen our reputation.

We should write in plain English, and reduce 'local government speak' and jargon.

This guide covers all facets of writing style such as punctuation, spelling and

commonly used terms. However, it is not an exhaustive list and certainly won’t

replace a dictionary or thesaurus. It is a collection of the most common mistakesand a guide to correct usage at the City of Boroondara.

This is a living document. We encourage your continued feedback and questions.

Communications and Engagement

August 2014


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Principles of writing

Take time to think about and plan your writing before you start. This will help

you avoid confusion or misunderstanding in your final document, and will helpyour audience.

Start with a short brainstorming session

Decide your purpose.

Collect relevant information.

Put your ideas on paper.

Wait 10 minutes, then re-read your list.

Start to make connections between ideas or prioritise the items.

The framework for a writing plan, ask yourself who, why, what, where, when

and how? Your answers will confirm you have covered everything.

Put these ideas into a logical order: an introduction, discussion

and conclusion.

Communications and Engagement are here to help you. All departments are

encouraged to get in touch.

Now, ask yourself, “Who is my audience?”

Always keep the reader in mind and think about how your message is likely to be

received. Rarely will your audience have the same in-depth understanding of the

topic as you do.

Consider how to communicate

Keep sentences short (no more than 30 words).

Express only one idea in a sentence.

Avoid repetition.

Break up complex information.

Refine your topic.

Avoid the use of jargon, acronyms or abbreviations.

Think about how you would explain the matter to someone with no knowledge

of the topic.

Avoid using clichés or informal language.


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Use plain English in your writing. Plain English is simple language that helps

convey your message clearly. You should avoid complicated technical

language or jargon unless you are writing for a specialist audience.

People are generally more cooperative if they are told what to do rather than what

not to do.

Council will approve applications when it receives the required information

not

Council will not consider your application unless you supply all the required

information on the form.

Avoid using expressions such as not only to show a positive. Most often, people

will only hear the negative.The report states the date and time of the activity.

not

The report not only states the date, it also states the time of activity.

Proofread

There is no quick method of proofreading. Accurate proofreading requires good

organisation and close attention to detail.

Proofreaders should always begin by familiarising themselves with the particularpublication they are going to read and draw up a list of the special points for

particular attention.

Any questions about the spelling or meaning of terms specific to the document

subject matter should be referred to the appropriate work area for clarification.

Here is a suggested check list of items to check when proofing a document or

publication.

Proofreader’s check list: spelling and punctuation errors

wordbreaks

font 12pt Arial

orphans and widows*

spacing between lines and words

(including only one space between sentences)

*The single line or word left at the bottom or start of a page linked to a paragraph.


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page numbers/paragraph numbering

headings – headlines, chapter headings, subheadings

headers and footers table of contents

captions

Boroondara logo

tables, diagrams and figures

telephone numbers

addresses

email addresses

website addresses

index

footnotes and references

cross-references.

Rewriting

Try to avoid rewriting until after you have finished the first draft. If time permits, putthe document aside for a while and then re-read. A second draft allows you to

ensure that your message is clear and sentences are concise.


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Sharpen your style

Your purpose in writing is to communicate. You don’t have to announce what it is

you are about to do, such as, “I am writing to you today to…”

Similarly, words like plainly and obviously and the clause as we can plainly see

have no place in functional writing. If the writing is plain, the information will be

obvious.

Other suggestions

Avoid Use

such as like

upcoming forthcoming

whilst while

due to the fact that because; since; as

have the capacity to can

in relation to about

in the event that if

we would be grateful if please

as a result consequently

Simplify your language

The key to good communication is writing succinctly and avoiding clumsy language.

It’s important to find alternate words and avoid repetition.

Don’t say Say

accordingly so

adjacent to near

allows for allows

a number of several

a percentage of some

assistance help/aid

ascertain find out

as a result of because


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Don’t say Say

at an early date soon

at that time then

at the present time now

attempt try

behind schedule late

beverage drink

called a halt stop

centre around centre on/in

close proximity near

commence begin/start

concerning about

conflagration fire

constructed built

conveyed took

currently now

customary usual

demonstrate show

described as called

despite the fact that although

dispatched sent

dwell live

endeavour try

enquire ask

exceedingly very

filled to capacity full

gained entrance to got in

give consideration to consider

give rise to cause


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Don’t say Say

hails from comes from

hospitalised admitted to hospital

illuminated lit up

in addition also

in attendance present/there

in consequence of because

inform tell

in order to to

inquiry a court commission

in short supply scarce

in succession running

in the direction of towards

in view of the fact that since

lengthy long

less expensive cheaper

made an approach to approached

made use of used

manufacture make

members of the public public/people

merchandise goods

minimum least/smallest

numerous many

of the order of about

one of the reasons one reason

on a weekly basis weekly

on one occasion once

ordinance rule/law

outcome result


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Don’t say Say

was suffering from had

were required to had to

whole of all

with the result that so that

Vague qualifiers

Avoid using vague qualifiers, such as:

generally

in general

mostly

sometimes

usually.


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Word classes

Adjective

An adjective is a describing word ( Australian, green, small).

Adverb

An adverb is a word that gives additional information about how, when or where an

action takes place (He walked slowly. They arrive tomorrow.).

Noun, proper noun, collective nouns

A noun is the name of: a person (Tom), place (Hawthorn), thing (site), quality

(innocence), activity (leisure) or a concept or condition (reality).

A proper noun is a given name and usually starts with a capital letter (Boroondara,

Melbourne, Matthew).

Collective nouns are words that refer to groups of things (team, company, flock).

Prepositions and conjunctions

Prepositions are the little words that hold a sentence together often by showing

direction or location (from, for, by, in, beyond).

Conjunctions join parts of a sentence together (and, but, although).

Pronoun

Pronouns take the place of nouns (I, you, he, she, we, and they).

Verb

Verbs express action or a state of being (throw, catch, be, and have).Verbs are a

writer’s best friend and one of the best language tools. Where possible, use active

verbs.

For example:

the man wrote the story

not

the story was written by the man


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An A to Z guide to writing, punctuation and

grammar at the City of Boroondara

How to use this guide: search for the term or idea you are interested in

alphabetically.

Abbreviations (see Contractions)

Abbreviations consist of the first letter of a word, usually some other letters, but not

the last letter. Avoid the use of abbreviations. When words or phrases must be

abbreviated, the word should be spelled out in the first instance. A full stop should

be placed after the dropped letters.

December to Dec. Senator to Sen.

Reverend to Rev.

Aboriginal

Always capitalise Indigenous and Aboriginal when it refers to the original inhabitants

of Australia – as in Indigenous Australians, Australian Aboriginal people, Aboriginal

languages and Indigenous communities. The words don’t need an initial capital

when referring to the original inhabitants of other countries.

According to the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC)

the following forms should be used to designate the original inhabitants of Australia

and their descendants:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Aboriginal peoples

Australian Aborigines

Torres Strait Islanders

Indigenous Australians

These terms take account of the fact that there are two groups of

Indigenous Australians.

The word Koori, referring to the Aboriginal people of the east coast of Australia,

should be used with a capital K as it is referring to a specific group of people and is,

therefore, a proper noun.


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Acronyms

Acronyms are strings of initial letters pronounced as a word.

CDAC – Community Disability Advisory Committee

EBN – Event Briefing Notes

PREP – Performance Review and Enhancement Program

The possessive is shown by using an apostrophe in the conventional way.

For example:

MAV’s agenda

not

MAVs agenda

When referring repeatedly to an organisation or long official title, give its full title on

first mention, followed by its abbreviated form in brackets. Do not use acronyms in

headings, only within the body of text.

Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

The acronym alone may be used from then on.

When using acronyms in a large document, list the acronyms at the beginning of

the document on a separate page – even if there are only three used in the entire

document. This gives readers something to refer to. For the list, follow the format

above: acronym – full title (in alphabetical order).


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Active voice

Use the active voice when possible. This means using active rather than passive

verbs.

In the active voice the subject of the verb is performing the action.

Active Passive

Council found … not It was found

nor It was found by Council

VCAT heard the case not The case was heard

nor The case was heard by VCAT

The Manager of the Green Team assessed the tree

not

The tree was assessed

nor

The tree was assessed by the Manager of the Green Team.

Addresses

In sentences, spell words such as 'street' or 'road' in full, and capitalise except when

talking about two or more streets or roads.

The property, located at 113 Burke Road, Camberwell was for sale.

At the intersection of Riversdale and Camberwell roads

Postal service only:

Commas should not be used at the end of the lines in an address block and

there should be a double space between the name of the town/city, the state

abbreviation and the postcode when addressing mail. The last line should

include the place name or post office of delivery, state or territory abbreviationand postcode. This line should be printed in capitals to comply with Australia

Post’s addressing guidelines.

360 Burwood Road

HAWTHORN VIC 3122

or

Private Bag 1

CAMBERWELL VIC 3124


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Narrative:

Only include the postcode when referring to the postal service.

Commas are needed between road and suburb when used in narrative.

The workshop will be held at 8 Inglesby Road, Camberwell.

Advice or advise

Advice is a noun generally meaning an opinion about what could or should be done

in a situation or about a problem.

Advise is a verb meaning to counsel, to offer advice to.

I advise you to obtain professional advice.

Affect or effect

These words are different in meaning and cannot be substituted for each other.

Effect can be a verb (doing word) and a noun (naming word). Affect should never

be used as a noun.

Affect (verb) means to have an influence on.

Small business was affected by the downturn in the economy.

Smoking too much can affect your health.

Effect (verb) means to cause, bring about, result in, accomplish.

He effected a great improvement in working conditions.

Effect (noun) is a result or a consequence.

Her skills as a gardener had a great effect on Boroondara’s parks.

Ages (see Numbers or words and Hyphenation)

Alternative or alternate?

Alternative refers to a choice between two options, not several.

There are two alternatives is correct.

Americanisation (see Australian English)

Among or amongst

Use among, not amongst. Among means there are several options.

Use while, not whilst. While means a space of time.


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Ampersand (&)

Avoid using the ampersand. However, it may be used in tables and bullet lists

where space is tight.

Anticipate or expect

Anticipate means to realise or foresee events while expect means to look forward to

an occurrence that it is likely to happen.

Apostrophes

An apostrophe shows omission or possession.

An apostrophe used to denote omission will replace letters where informal or

modern language has seen two words become one.

Could have is the same as could’ve

Should have is the same as should’ve

Cannot is the same as can’t

Will not is the same as won’t

It is/has is the same as it’s

They are is the same as they’re

Confusion about correct usage of an apostrophe usually happens when anapostrophe is being used to denote possession.

If the noun is singular, the apostrophe comes before the s.

This is Steve’s PC.

This is Council’s policy

When referring to more than one council follow this format:

Victorian councils are working together on the plan.

When referring to the City of Boroondara the C is capitalised and there is anapostrophe before the s.

Council’s Plan has been approved.

If the noun is plural, the apostrophe comes after the s.

The councillors’ name badges are on order.


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If the word’s plural form is achieved by changing internal letters

(instead of adding s), the apostrophe comes before the s. These words include

children, men, women and people.

The children’s playground is being redeveloped.

Other exceptions to watch for are his, hers and theirs as they do not have an

apostrophe.

Do not use apostrophes in a period such as a decade.

The 1930s

not

the 1930’s.

For acronyms and initialisms, the possessive is shown by using

an apostrophe in the conventional way. For example:

MAV’s agenda

Not

MAVs agenda

Most shortened words and phrases are made plural by simply adding s withoutan apostrophe.

For example:

MPs

not

MP’s

FAQsnot

FAQ’s

Appendix (see Attachments)

Approximately

Do not use approx. Use approximately in its full form.


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Australian English

Avoid Americanisms in your writing. The most common of these is the substitution

of s with z. Use colour or neighbour, not color or neighbor. Ensure your online

dictionary is set to Australian English.

Attachments or appendix?

Use attachment and not appendix. This is the traditional reference used for Council

papers and reports.

Boroondara (pronounced as Boo-roon-dar-ah)

Boroondara is an Aboriginal word meaning darkness or shade.

In 1854, Boroondara was the original name of the area later to be divided into the

cities of Camberwell, Hawthorn and Kew. The name was restored in 1994 when the

three cities came together again.

Boroondara, City of

Refer to the City of Boroondara, not Boroondara City Council* or Boroondara

Council. After making it clear that you are referring to Boroondara, you can then use

Council or City further on in your text.

City of Boroondara

not

Boroondara City Council

In general, Council is used to describe the organisation or collective of councillors,

while City is used to describe the geographic area.

*Please note: Council’s legal name is Boroondara City Council. It may be

necessary to use this name where legal wording is required, such as contracts,

leases or licences.

BracketsUse round brackets to mark off any explanatory or qualifying material from the main

sentence.

Boroondara (located in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs) has a large population.

Bullet points

First ask yourself if you need to use bullet points, or if the information you are trying

to convey may work better as a sentence – give it a go.


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There are generally two types of bullet points – sentence fragments and full

sentences.

Sentence fragments after each dot point are not capitalised. The sentence ends

with a full stop.

Example of sentence fragments in bullet points:

Assistance is available in several forms:

monetary assistance

equipment modifications

advisory services.

With lists comprising full sentences, normal sentence rules apply including

beginning with a capital letter and concluding with a full stop.

Example of full sentences in bullet points:

The committee came to two important conclusions:

Officers from the department should investigate the matter.

Research should be funded in three priority areas.

There is no semicolon or and at the end of bullet points.

Capitals

Capital letters are used to begin sentences, for proper nouns, and names. Overuse

of capital letters can confuse your audience. They can also be referred to as

uppercase letters. Use capitals when referring to:

national and religious groups and religions

days of the week, months, special holidays (not seasons)

deities

geographical names

titles of publications (all words in a title other than articles, prepositions

and conjunctions)

titles of programs, strategies, projects, plans

names

position titles.


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The Health and Aged Services Department takes initial capitals but when you are

talking about health and aged services in general, it does not require capital letters.

The words group, department and team should also have capitals when used

directly after the name but not when alone in the text.

Health and Aged Services Department achieved several important targets

during the year. The department acquired a new community bus.

Capitalising job titles references will depend on the context. For example, when

referring to the Statutory Planning Officer (singular) the reference should be in

upper case.

When referring to the City of Boroondara's planning officers (plural) the reference to

the official department should be in upper case and the collective reference to

officers should be in lower case. For example:

The Statutory Planning Officer presented a case to VCAT.

A meeting was held with several Statutory Planning officers at Council.

When referring to statutory planning officers more generally, the reference need

only be in lower case. For example:

Currently we face the challenge to recruit statutory planning officers.

Always cap Council when referring to the City of Boroondara.

Capitalise the C in Council officers or Council staff , when referring to officers or staff

at Boroondara or use lower case C in council officers or council staff when referring

to more than one council.

Some nouns used in connection with government are capitalised to distinguish

them from their generic meaning.

Include a capitalised abbreviation following full names in brackets in the first

instance for Plan, Budget and Act.

For example:Community feedback has been received on the Draft Glenferrie Structure Plan

(the Plan). Feedback about the Plan will be discussed at a later date.

not

Community feedback has been received on the Draft Glenferrie Structure

Plan. Feedback about the plan will be discussed at a later date.

Childcare

There is no need to hyphenate or separate this word.


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City

Use a capital C for City when the reference is to the City of Boroondara or our

former cities and when referring to the official name of other councils. For example:

The City of Stonnington is one of our neighbouring cities.

The reference to City-wide should only be capitalised when referring to a specific

Council like the City of Boroondara. When using the reference more generally it

need only be in lower case. For example:

The Boroondara postal ballot will be distributed City-wide.

Most councils have introduced a city-wide policy.

Clichés

A cliché is a tired, overused phrase, adjective or expression that people have used

so often, it no longer has any meaning or has become a vague term that disguises

a lack of facts.

For example, speculation was rife tells us nothing. The writer has invented the

speculation or rumour.

Clichés should be avoided in your writing.

Here are some examples:

At the end of the day

Foregone conclusion

All walks of life

Paramount importance

Back to square one

In this day and age

Beat around the bush

Call it a day

Do or die

Throw in the towel


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Collective nouns and names

Collective nouns are nouns that signify groups of people or things. Use collective

nouns and the names of companies as singular.

Staff, family, committee, majority, crew, squad

The committee has (not have) met and it has (not they have) rejected the

amendment.

The Hawthorn Football Club owes its (not their) success to the local

community.

When a company name ends in s (and looks like a plural word), it still takes singular

agreement:

Leader Newspapers is running the same article.

not

Leader Newspapers are running the same article.

Colons (see Semicolon)

The colon introduces further information to a sentence. This can include a list or

series of items, an explanation or a quotation.

The City of Boroondara funds and manages five libraries: Ashburton Library,

Balwyn Library, Camberwell Library, Hawthorn Library and Kew Library.

Use a colon to introduce a list or group of bulleted points (see Bullet points).

Commas

Commas can improve the readability of your text. Commas are often omitted and

their absence can blur the meaning of your sentence. Some writers overuse

commas and they confuse their audience.

The most frequent uses of commas include:

Between items in a list or series:

The City of Boroondara’s organisational structure is divided into five

directorates: City Planning, Community Development, Environment and

Infrastructure, Corporate Services and Communications and Engagement.

In pairs when separating elements that are not part of the main statement:

Hawthorn and Kew, which are both now part of Boroondara, were once

separate municipalities.


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Compare to or compare with

Compare to is used to note similarities or to liken to.

Compare with is used when noting the differences.

Compliment or complement

As a noun, compliment is an expression of praise or admiration.

The staff member was happy to receive the compliment.

As a verb, compliment is the act of offering such an expression:

The Mayor complimented the councillor on her ability to build rapport with

constituents.

As a noun, complement (with an e) is something that completes or makes perfect:His garden was a complement to his Kew home.

As a verb, complement is the act of achieving that completion or perfection:

His garden complemented his Kew home.

Conjunctions (see Word classes page 12)

Contact

Internal contacts

When directing others to contact another staff member, include the person’s name,

role and extension number.

For example:

For more information phone Joe Bloggs, Communications Coordinator, on ext.

4444.

Contact panels on the website

When writing for the web, use the following format:

More information:

contact: Joe Bloggs, Coordinator Communications

phone: 9278 4444

email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Contact panel

All publications need to have consistent reliable contact details. Here is our

preferred contact panel at the City of Boroondara.

Contact us

Telephone: 9278 4444

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.boroondara.vic.gov.au

Postal address:

Private Bag 1

Camberwell VIC 3124

Customer Service centres:

Camberwell office

8 Inglesby Road, Camberwell

Hawthorn Arts Centre

360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

Kew Library

Corner Cotham Road and Civic Drive, Kew

ContractionsContractions are different to abbreviations (see Abbreviations). They consist of the

first and last letters of a word and sometimes other letters in between. For example:

Road becomes Rd

Queensland becomes Qld

Department becomes Dept

Councillor becomes Cr

Unlike abbreviations, they do not require a full stop at the end of theshortened word.

Copyright symbols

The definition of copyright is: exclusive right, granted by law for a certain term of

years, to make and dispose of copies, and otherwise to control a literary, musical,

dramatic or artistic work.

You must obtain the permission of the copyright owner and pay any required

licence or royalty fee before including copyright material in a work intended

for publication.

http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/


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To insert a copyright symbol use the following keyboard shortcut:

© Copyright Symbol: Alt + Ctrl + C

Coordinator, not co-ordinator (see Hyphenation)

Coordinator should be written as one word with no hyphen.

Correspondence (see Letters)

It is preferable to use Yours sincerely as a sign-off rather than Yours faithfully,

which is a more formal, old-fashioned term. However, if you are writing without

knowing the name of the correspondent, for example, Dear Business owner, Yours

faithfully is appropriate. Avoid commas after Dear Name or Yours sincerely.

Council, councillors, councillor

Write Council not the Council or our Council.

Council takes its responsibility for upgrading and renewing our City’s sporting

assets seriously.

Use a capital C when referring to a specific councillor. When discussing the role

(councillor ) or making collective references (councillors) use the lower case c.

Remember that these references are distinct from Council, which refers to an

elected decision-making body. It should carry a capital C when referring to aspecific council but a lower case c when making collective references.

Councillor Smith attended a conference with other councillors from

Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

City of Boroondara (see Boroondara, City of)

Dash (see Hyphenation)

Use the unspaced em dash (—) (Ctrl+Alt+ dash) to signify abrupt change, introduce

an amplification or explanation or set apart parenthetic elements.

For example:

The main cause of foodborne illness is inadequate cooking — but this is not

what we came here to talk about.

or

Policies may change the decision-making environment — water licensing

reform is one of them — or provide guidance on suitable areas for investment.


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Use the en dash ( –) (Ctrl + dash) as a linking device for figures, time and distance.

Also use to show association between words that retain separate identities, linking

prefixes and some types of compound adjectives.

For example:

Pages 31 –33

April –June

Sydney –Melbourne trains

When linking more than one word on one or both sides, a spaced en rule

should be used.

For example:

a Commonwealth – New South Wales agreement

the Alice Springs – Darwin railway project

Dates and times (see Time)

Dates should be expressed as a figure, a month and a year, in that order, without

commas. For example:

1 October 2005 (not 1st)

Friday 1 October 2005

01/10/05

When referring to something in text which spans several days use the words from

and to.

The conference will be held from 2 June to 4 June.

not

The conference will be held 2 –4 June.

However, as a booking device use:Date: 2-4 June

Time: 2pm to 3pm

Venue: 8 Inglesby Road, Camberwell

For ranges of years use an en dash (Ctrl + dash) without a space before and after.

1991 –95

Do not repeat the century.

2001 –02


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But when the centuries are different include both centuries:

1997 –2002

References to decades should always be made in figures. There is no apostrophe

before the s.

the 1980s, the mid-1980s

not

the nineteen-eighties, the eighties or the 80s

Refer to centuries in numerals.

20th century

not Twentieth century

Except if first word of a sentence – then spelling out as “Twentieth” is preferred.

Different from or to

One thing is different from another, not different to it.

Discreet and discrete

Discreet refers to self-restraint or carefulness.

I told her to be discreet about her inter-office romance.

Discrete means consisting of separate or distinct parts.

The course will cover three discrete models.

Distances (see Measurements)

Dot points (see Bullet points)

'E' as in electronicHyphenate 'e' references:

e-newsletter

e-book

e-audio

e-resources

e-reader

e-bike


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e-waste

Do not hyphenate the word “email” as this is widely used, and use a capital letter

after “e” with no hyphen for proper nouns such as “eCommunications”.

E.g. and i.e. (see Abbreviations)

Although there is a trend to omit the full stops in these abbreviations, the unstopped

forms are not widely accepted; they also contradict the general principle of using full

stops for abbreviated words.

e.g. – for example

i.e. – that is

etc. - etcetera, so forth and so onWhere space permits, write these out in their full form –

for example, that is, etcetera.

Either … or (see Neither … nor)

Either is not the same as neither and is followed by or.

Residents can apply for either a blue permit or a green permit depending on

their needs.

Elicit or illicit

Elicit is to draw out facts, information, a response or reaction.

By question and answer he elicited the information that he required for his

sales report.

Illicit refers to actions or goods that are illegal.

The police raid uncovered a large cache of illicit drugs.

Ellipsis [ … ]

Use to indicate text which has been removed, or a hesitation in speech: there is a

space before and after the ellipsis.

For example: “He was … well, interesting.”

email (see ‘E’ as in electronic)

Do not hyphenate the word email.

email addresses (see Contact)

Add these as live links with just the name of the officer visible on the website.


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For example:

Joe Doe

not

[email protected] .

Don’t use brackets to enclose email addresses as they can cause confusion if the

email address is to be used in a database.

When referring to an email address use capitals for initials.

For example:

[email protected]

ELT (see Acronyms)

The City of Boroondara, Executive Leadership Team (ELT) comprises the CEO,

four directors and the Executive Manager.

Exclamation marks

These should not appear in any corporate document. They add nothing. In fact,

they often detract from the impact of a phrase or sentence.

Facsimile or fax

Use fax and not facsimile. Today, people more commonly understand and use theterm fax.

Focused or Focussed

Use focused and not focussed. This is the preferred reference.

Font

The official Council font is Arial.

We use a minimum of 12pt font when producing all documents. This size font is

recommended by Vision Australia.

There are however circumstances when an alternative font can be used for

externally designed documents like posters and brochures, (see Boroondara

Design Style Guide for more information).

For more information (see Contact)

To conclude an article when there is an intention to provide readers with further

information use the following format:

For more information, phone [insert phone number]

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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or

For more information visit [insert external website address]

or

For more information email [insert name, job title] at [insert email]

The exception is writing for our web where we can hyperlink names:

For further information, email Joe Bloggs or phone 9278 4444.

Full stops (see Contractions)

Full stops are used to mark the end of a sentence. Use one space after a full stop

for all written material – letters, reports, publications or on the website/intranet.

Today, we no longer place full stops after abbreviations of the names oforganisations.

Do not place a full stop:

after headings or sub-headings

after Mr, Mrs, Ms, St, Rd, or in other commonly used abbreviations such as

WA, SA

in abbreviations for honours such as OAM, AM, OBE, MBE

when using the Hon for politicians

between initials for people’s given names – for example Mr J K Smith.

Gender

Try to avoid being gender specific if possible. The word man is often used

generically to describe both males and females. Avoid this by using gender, non-

specific nouns such as people, candidates, they or you.

Business people or business community

not

Businessmen

Chairperson, the chair or convenor

not

Chairman


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Geography

north, east, south, west

the South (part of the world, country)

to the south (in a southerly direction)

southbound

south-east, South-East Asia

south-eastern

south pole, north pole – when referring to celestial, magnetic or electric poles

South Pole, North Pole – when referring to geographical location

Government (see Council)

The word government is generally capitalised as part of a formal title or abbreviated

specific title, but lower case is generally appropriate elsewhere. For example:

The government has complex issues to manage.

The Australian Government is providing the City of Boroondara with a grant.

There are interchangeable terms used for the different tiers of government,

however, the following is recommended:

Australian Government

not

federal government

Victorian Government

not

state government

local government

not

Local Government*

City

not


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city

*Local government is not capitalised as it is not directly related to a specific name or

title. Unlike City of Boroondara or Victorian Government, local government is not a

single entity, it is plural, and should not be capitalised.

Headings (see Capitals)

There is no need for capitalised headings except for the first letter of the first

headline word.

Capital assistance for community agencies and services

The exception is when a proper noun is used in the heading.

Capital assistance for Glenferrie Road Precinct announced

Headings should not include a full stop at the end.

Hyphenation (see dash)

Use hyphens sparingly, only where they are needed to avoid ambiguity. Try not to

use floating hyphens as in part- or full-time positions. Use fuller wording such as

full-time and part-time positions.

There should be no spacing between two hyphenated words: minimum-maximum

input, not minimum - maximum input.

A hyphen should always be used after a prefix if its omission changes the meaning:

recover, re-cover; relent, re-lent.

Use hyphens for:

fractions (noun or adjective) – two-thirds

most words with Latin prefixes – non-existent, neo-conservative

separating identical letters or two vowel sounds (where the compound has

more than one stress – co-owner, re-evaluation, inter-regional)

points of the compass – north-east

ages – nine-year-old Joe

Because of their common usage, cooperation and coordination are spelled without

a hyphen.

Indigenous (see Aboriginal)

Inquiry or enquiry

Inquiry relates to an investigation. Enquiry is a formal word for ask.

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The director enquired where the court of inquiry was to meet.

Italics

A general rule of thumb is to use italics and appropriate capital letters for the titlesof published materials.

Italics should be used for the following:

books, periodicals and newspapers

films, television and radio shows

media releases

plays

poems

musical compositions

works of art

legislation and legal cases (including Acts of Parliament)

scientific names of plants and animals.

When quoting legislation, the name of the act or regulation and year are italicised,followed by name of the state or Commonwealth in brackets.

Local Government Act 1989 (Vic)

Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)

Building Regulations 2006 (Vic)

Italics is not used for the names of:

reports

studies

plans

policies

master plans

projects

programs

art exhibitions.


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It’s or its

Be careful to use it’s and its correctly. It’s, short for it is or it has, does have an

apostrophe, but its, meaning something belonging to a thing (it) does not.

If in any doubt, read the sentence aloud and check whether it is/it was/it has could

be inserted instead. If it can, then put in the apostrophe.

It’s certain to come before Council.

Council has approved its financial result.

Jargon

If we refer to a responsible authority, does that mean somewhere exists an

irresponsible authority?

Terms like this become such a part of our day-to-day language that we forget others

might not understand their specific meaning. Unless the term or word has a specific

technical meaning that cannot be otherwise explained, replace jargon with plain

English words.

If a word cannot be replaced because it would confuse the meaning of the

sentence, provide an explanation in footnotes or a glossary.

Job titles

The name of the person you are referring to should come before their job title.For example:

Joe Bloggs, Chief Executive Officer, City of Boroondara

Justification

As a general rule, text should be left justified as it makes a document easier to read

(as English is written and read from left to right). This is most important with letters.

Full justification makes documents/letters very hard to read and comprehend, due

to the inconsistent spacing between words. (Vision Australia guidelines have more

details, visit www.visionaustralia.org for more information.)

Less than or more than

If you are trying to express a lesser quantity or amount, use less than instead of

under . Use under to mean physically below.

If you are trying to express a greater quantity or amount, use more than instead of

over . Use over to mean physically above.

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Letters

Refer to BAZ (the staff intranet) for guidance on letter and email templates.

Licence or licenseLicence is a noun and refers to formal permission from a regulatory authority to do

something. For example, I have a licence to drive.

License is a verb and means to grant authoritative permission to undertake an

action. For example, I am licensed to sell alcohol.

Lists (see Bullet points)

Local government (see Government)

Use lower case for local government.

The City of Boroondara is a local government authority.

Map references

In Melbourne we use Melway . This is the name of the street directory – it is not

Melways. References should be written … Melway 45 H8. And, as they are usually

provided as additional information, it’s better to put the reference in brackets after

the street address.

For example:Venue: Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn (Melway 44 J6)

Master Plan

Use an upper case M when you are referring to a specific Master Plan, but a lower

case m when you are referring to master plans generically.

For example:

Council has adopted the Good Times Master Plan. All master plans are

produced by working groups.

Mayor

Use a capital M when referring to a specific mayor. When discussing the role of

mayor or making collective references, use the lower case m.

Use the name of the mayor before their role as mayor. For example:

Cr Joe Bloggs, Mayor of Boroondara

not

Mayor of Boroondara, Cr Joe Bloggs


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Measurements

Use abbreviations for all measures except tonne and litre.

No space between number and abbreviation.

No full stop after an abbreviation, except at the end of a sentence.

All abbreviations are expressed in the singular, so 30km not 30kms.

Fractions should be expressed as decimals, so 1.5km not 1½km.

Follow this list of units and abbreviations:

Length: metre - m, millimetre - mm, centimetre - cm, kilometre - km

Mass or weight: kilogram - kg, gram - g

Area: hectare - ha, square metre - sq m, square centimetre - sq cm

Volume (fluids): millilitre - ml, cubic centimetres - cc, kilolitre - kl

Speed: metres a second - m /s, kilometres an hour - km/h, knot - knot,

Force: newton - N

Energy: joule - J

Power: watt - W

Pressure: pascal - Pa, millibar - mb

Electric current: ampere - A

Electromotive force: volt - V

Frequency: hertz - Hz

Revolutions per minute: rpm

Temperature: celsius - C, fahrenheit - F, kelvin - K

Style for temperature is 25C. Convert all Fahrenheit and Kelvin to Celsius.

Clothing sizes are given in numerals: Size 8 (dress); Size 6 (shoes).

Melburnians or Melbournians?

Use Melburnians.

Money

When referring to Australian dollars use the following format:

$50.15

Use the following for amounts that are less than a dollar:


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10c or $0.10

not

$.10

When referring to millions use $1,000,000 or $1 million.

Commas are introduced at five digits (a different rule applies for numerals, where

commas start at four digits). When referring to thousands use $1000, $10,000 or

$500,000 instead of referring to these as parts of a million.

For example:

$500,000

not

$0.5m

When using tables and graphs use a lower case m instead of an upper case M.

Only use k when referring to 000s in tables.

$1m, $1bn, or $500k

not

$1M

When referring to figures with zero cents use the following format:

$12

not

$12.00

$1000

not

$1000.00

Names and titles

Refer to the current organisational chart on BAZ (the staff intranet) for spelling and

hyphenation of senior staff members’ names and titles.

Joe Bloggs, CEO

not

Joe Bloggs CEO


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Neither ... nor (see Either … or)

Neither is not the same as either , and it is followed by nor . Nor is a negative

conjunction and should not be used on its own.

The City of Boroondara is neither in Sydney nor in Brisbane.

Numbers or words (see Money)

Numbers one to nine should be spelled out. Numerals should be used from number

10 onwards. The same principle applies to first, second … ninth, 10th … 25th, etc.

Try to avoid starting sentences with numerals, unless you wish to draw attention to

a very large number, in which case start the sentence with A total of … or More

than …If you do start with a numeral, write it out in full.

Seventy people celebrated the fifth annual event, including a five-year-old girland her 80-year-old grandmother. We give it a nine out of 10!

Numerals from 1 to 999 do not have a comma. Commas within numerals begin with

1,000 (except when referring to money). Numerals in millions should be taken to

two decimal places followed by the word million (with the exception of financial

reports)

4.51 million

not

4,510,000

Commas should not be used in street addresses.

1400 Toorak Road not 1,400 Toorak Road

When using a number as a prefix ensure that you use a hyphen to connect it to the

word. For example:

30-bed

not

30 bed

Ongoing

Use ongoing, not on going or on-going.

Oral reports

An oral report or presentation should be written in active language.

If you are preparing notes, always double space the text and use Arial font


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- a font which is easy to read (16pt minimum for a presentation). Always practise

your oral report.

Over than

Use

more than 700 people

or

some 700 people

Don’t use

in excess of 700 people

or

over 700 people

Page numbers (see Dash)

Although numbers under ten should be spelt out, it is recommended that when

referring to page numbers numerals are used instead of words.

Percentages

Spell out the words per cent and use the percentage symbol (%) where there is

limited space, such as tables and charts.

The percentage symbol should only be used with numerals, while the words per

cent can be used with either words or numerals.

Note also that per cent is two words, percentage is one word.

Phone (see Contact)

Always use phone when referring to a contact number for an event.

Booktalks October

11am, Monday 13 October

Balwyn Library – 336 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn

Phone: 9278 4666

When referring to a telephone number in a sentence, adopt the following standard:

For more information, phone 9278 4770.


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When referring to telephone numbers, please follow these examples:

Phone: 9278 4444 – normal landline – or for different formats:

(03) 9278 4444

1300 000 000

13 12 14

1800 111 111

Mobile: 0411 121 121

Phone: (insert name), Internal Communications Officer, on ext. 4420 or x4420 when

short on space. Use (03) for interstate correspondence.

Plants and animals

For animals, the scientific names at the genus, species and sub-species levels are

italicised. While with botanical names, italics are used for the genus, species,

sub-species variety, sub-variety, form and sub-form levels.

Generally common names are capitalised only if they contain proper names, for

example: Japanese maple, French daliahs.

While common names should be in lowercase, for example, hydrangea, conifer,

cocker spaniel.

Plural/singular

A team or the City of Boroondara itself is a single item, and therefore is treated in

the singular.

The department (team/group/City) is…

not

The department (team/group/City) are…

The Economic Development Department is completing a draft.

Plurals can cause problems, especially with nouns that end with o (hero) or ey

(monkey), and of Latin-based and French-based nouns that keep their original

plurals. Watch out for these:

Singular Plural

addendum addenda

bureau bureaux or bureaus

consortium consortia


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criterion criteria

die dice

hero heroes

memorandum memoranda

person people

tomato tomatoes

The simple rules to follow are: for nouns ending in ey (storey) simply add an s

(storeys). For nouns ending in y (folly), change the y to i and add es (follies). For

most short nouns ending in o, add es.

Principal or principlePrinciple (noun) means standard or rule of personal conduct.

Lilly Loop is a woman of good principles.

Principal (adjective) means the first or highest in rank or importance.

John Smith was the principal spokesperson.

Principal (noun) refers to the head of a group.

The Principal spoke at the school assembly.

Program not programme

Always use program. Over time, this spelling has gained the most popular use,

replacing the former spelling programme.

Pronouns (See Word classes)

Pronouns take the place of nouns (I, you, he, she, we, they).

Quotes and quotation marks

The main purpose of quotation marks (inverted commas) is to show direct speech

or the quoted work of other writers.

Use double quotation marks (“) for quotes, and single quotation marks (‘) for quotes

within quotes. For example:

“My manager said, ‘We must make sure we meet our budget requirements’.”

Enclose the following in single quotation marks when first mentioned in a text:

technical terms in non-technical writing

colloquial words in formal writing


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nicknames

slang or humourous words and phrases.

Economists described this as the ‘gross national product’.

Adding or omitting words in quotations:

If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put square brackets around

the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text.

Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: “some individuals

[who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumour or tale”.

If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word

or words by using ellipsis marks, which are three periods (…) preceded and

followed by a space. For example:

"In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that some

individuals make a point of learning every recent rumour or tale … and in a

short time a lively exchange of details occurs."

When quoting large chunks of text separate them from the rest of the text using

indents. Bullet point style remains the same when quoted.

Referencing

Follow the author-date system.

Examples of entries in a reference list or notes:

A book

Merry, G 1997, Food poisoning prevention, 2nd edn, Macmillan Education

Australia, Melbourne.

Article in a journal

Marchelier, PM & Hughes, RG 1997, ‘New problems with foodborne diseases’,

Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 275, 1997, pp. 771-5.The Boroondara Library Service has an elaborate source of reference materials that

you may refer to for further information.

Seasons

All seasons are to be written in lower case – spring, summer, autumn, winter .

Semicolons (see Colons)

Semicolons indicate shorter pauses than colons or full stops, but longer pauses

than commas and join closely related clauses.


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Council will discuss the playground issue at the next meeting; start dates

depend on the resolution.

This single sentence could have been broken into two single sentences, but could

not have been broken by a comma instead of the semicolon. Do not use a capital

letter after the semicolon.

Semicolons can also be used when one or more items in a series or list within a

sentence contain internal commas, for example, councillors came from Stonnington,

Victoria; New Farm, Queensland; Blue Mountains, NSW.

Slashes

It is unnecessary to place a space before or after a slash.

For example use

male/female

not

male / female

State Government (see Government)

Stationary or stationery

Stationary refers to a fixed object while stationery refers to writing materials (think ofgoing to the stationers to buy paper).

Suburbs

The following suburbs should be referred to in publications as they are written in the

Melway . The suburbs’ first letters and compass point references should be

capitalised and their compass point references should follow the suburb. Note,

while the North Balwyn traders refer to themselves as such, the suburb should be

referred to as Balwyn North. For example:

Camberwell East, Hawthorn East, Balwyn North and Kew East

not

East Camberwell, East Hawthorn, North Balwyn and East Kew

Tables (see Ampersand (&); Money; and Percentages)

The same rules apply for capital letters and full stops for words in tables as they do

for words in narrative.

Initial capital letter and if proper nouns form part of the heading they are

capitalised too.


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Tautology

A tautology says the same thing twice and should be avoided. For example:

4pm in the afternoon – pm tells us it is in the afternoon

added bonus – a bonus is something added

descend down – to descend is to go down

four hectares of land – hectares tells us it is land

invited guest – a guest is someone invited

new innovation – an innovation is new

final outcome – an outcome is final

first and foremost – if something is foremost it is obviously first

return back – to return is to go back

rise up – to rise is to go up

temporary reprieve – a reprieve is temporary

reason why – the reason is why

Tel, Telephone, ph or phone (see Phone)

That or which?Many reports have so many ‘that’s’ in them that it’s hard to read the facts.

Be aware of your writing style and delete repetitions of “that”.

That is a demonstrative pronoun, and which implies which one.

Use that if what comes after it defines or specifies the noun.

The book that came from the library was useful.

Use which, when the words after it are only incidental to the sentence and could be

removed without drastically changing the meaning.

The book, which can be borrowed from the library, is the best source of

information on the topic.

Their, there, they’re

Their is a possessive pronoun. It always describes a noun.

Their house, their permit, their department

Note the spelling of their ; the e comes before the i.

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There is an adverb meaning that location. It is spelled like here which means this

location.

They’re is a contraction of they are. Note the spelling: the a from are is replaced by

an apostrophe.

Their dog has fleas. (possessive of they)

I put the collar right there. (that location)

There are five prime numbers less than ten. (to be)

They’re 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. (contraction of they are)

Time (see Dates and time)

Time should be expressed in numerals, with the abbreviation am or pm following orthe alpha expression using noon and midnight.

12noon or 12midnight

Divisions of hours should be shown by a full stop, not a hyphen or a colon.

8.15pm

not

8-15pm

There should be no space between the end of the numbers and the am or pm.

Use ‘to’ not ‘until’ or a dash.

8pm to 9.30pm

Eight pm, 8 PM, 8:00 pm and 8.00pm are incorrect.

Use discretion when using the 24-hour clock. This is mainly used for rosters.

When referring to a time and date together use commas between the time and date.

For example:

7.30pm to 9pm, Thursday 5 July.

To, too and two

To, too and two are not interchangeable.

To refers to intent or direction.

I am planning to go to the library.

Too refers to an addition or inclusion – a substitute word for also.

I too am planning to go to the library.

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Two is the word used to express the numeral two (2).

The two of us are planning to go to the library.

Trademark symbols (also see Copyright symbols)

A trademark is the name, symbol, figure, letter, word or mark adopted and used by

manufacturers or merchants in order to designate the goods they manufacture or

sell, and to distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others. Any mark

entitled to registration under the provisions of a statute is a trademark.

To insert trademark symbols use the following keyboard shortcuts:

™Trademark Symbol: Alt + Ctrl + T

® Registered Trademark Symbol: Alt + Ctrl + R

Ward (see City)

Wards of our City should be spelled with a lower case w, unless following directly

after the name of the ward.

The actual ward names should always be spelled with a capital

For example:

Solway Ward

The 10 wards of the City of Boroondara are:

Bellevue Ward

Cotham Ward

Gardiner Ward

Glenferrie Ward

Junction Ward

Lynden Ward

Maling Ward

Maranoa Ward

Solway Ward

Studley Ward

Web addresses

When writing web addresses for print publications, ask the Communications team to

set up a short URL for your page reference. Contact them on ext. 4446.

For example:

Use www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/farmers-market

not

http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/our-city/markets-restaurants/farmers-market

URLs used in electronic publications can be hyperlinked.

http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/farmers-markethttp://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/our-city/markets-restaurants/farmers-markethttp://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/our-city/markets-restaurants/farmers-markethttp://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/farmers-market


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When a URL ends a full sentence, add a space then a full stop to end the sentence.

For more information on the guide visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au .

Do not use a full stop after a URL when it’s not part of a full sentence.

More information: www.boroondara.vic.gov.au

Website

Website is one word, it is not hyphenated.

Wellbeing

Use wellbeing, not well-being or well being.

Which or that (see That or which?)

Who or whom

The correct use of who and whom is often confusing.

They are both pronouns but who is used as the subject of a sentence or phrase

and whom is used as the object of a verb.

Use whom when referring to the object of a verb.

To whom it may concern.

To whom did you talk to today?

Whom does Jane love?

Use who when referring to the subject of a sentence or phrase.

Who brought the paper inside?

Who talked to you today?

Who went to dinner?

wi-fi

If you start a sentence with wi-fi, use a capital (Wi-fi) but otherwise use lowercase.

Your or you’re

Your is a possessive pronoun and indicates possession of something.

This is your community.

You’re is a contraction of the words you and are.

You’re on the way to Kew.

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Bibliography

Burchfield, RW 2004, Fowler’s Modern English Usage, Oxford University Press.

Kaplan, B 2003, Editing Made Easy , Penguin Books Australia.

Public Affairs Group AusAID, 2002, AusAID Style Guide (inhouse), Goanna Print.

Butler, S 2006, The Macquarie Dictionary , 4th edn, Macquarie Dictionary Publishers.

McLeod, C, and Lockwood, K 2001, Style, a Guide for News Limited Journalists,

Griffin Press.

Australian Government, 2002, Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th

edn, John Wiley & Sons Australia.

Documents

Writing Style Guide 2014 Revised Edition FINAL Online Version as at 26 November 2014 %282%29