Grammar guidelines
Correct grammar and punctuation should be used at all times. The two rules which seem to cause the most confusion are when to use capitals and when to use apostrophes.
Capitalisation
Below are some examples of correct and incorrect capitalisation, for further guidance download the corporate grammar guidelines below.
| Status | Examples |
|---|---|
| Correct | England, University of Salford, New Year's Eve (these are all proper nouns) |
| Incorrect | job titles, report titles, seasons |
Apostrophes
Apostrophes should only be used to show possession or to show that two words have been joined to make one.
| Status | Example |
|---|---|
| Correct | The boy's CD is for sale |
| Incorrect | CD's for sale |
Abbreviations
Ensure that proper words are used throughout content rather than using 'lazy' abbreviations.
For example, use 'telephone' and not 'tel', 'and' instead of '&', 'including' not 'inc', 'Monday' rather than 'Mon', 'September', not 'Sept', 'minutes' not 'mins', etc.
Company, team or location names are the exception to this, for example 'Smith & Jones Solicitors' or 'Salford Museum & Art Gallery'.
Downloadable documents
If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.
This page was last updated on 24 November 2009
