NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

NLRB

STYLE

MANUAL

A Guide for Legal Writing in Plain English 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402 
NLRB STYLE MANUAL 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

RULES OF CITATION ...................................................................................................... 1

ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................. 9

CAPITALIZATION ............................................................................................................ 11

COMPOUND WORDS ...................................................................................................... 15

FOOTNOTES.................................................................................................................... 23

EXCESSIVE FOOTNOTES DISCOURAGED ..................................................... 23

NUMBERS........................................................................................................................ 25

PLURALS ......................................................................................................................... 28

PUNCTUATION ................................................................................................................ 31

APOSTROPHE ................................................................................................... 31

BRACKETS ........................................................................................................ 33

COLON............................................................................................................... 34

COMMA.............................................................................................................. 35

DASH.................................................................................................................. 38

EXCLAMATION POINT ...................................................................................... 39

PARENTHESES ................................................................................................. 39

PERIOD .............................................................................................................. 40

QUOTATION MARKS......................................................................................... 41

SEMICOLON ...................................................................................................... 42

QUOTATIONS & OMISSIONS ......................................................................................... 43

SPELLING........................................................................................................................ 45

ITALICIZING..................................................................................................................... 49

LATIN WORDS NOT ITALICIZED ...................................................................... 49

TREND AGAINST LATIN EXPRESSIONS ......................................................... 49

PLAIN ENGLISH—NOT LEGALESE ............................................................................... 51

GOOD USAGE ................................................................................................................. 51

AVOID WORDY PHRASES ................................................................................ 52

THE RIGHT WORD ............................................................................................ 53

RULES FOR SINGULAR AND PLURAL ............................................................ 57

THE RIGHT PREPOSITION................................................................................ 58

APPENDIX 1 (Popular Union Name—Official Name—Acronym)................................. 67

APPENDIX 2 (Official Union Name—Popular Name—Acronym)................................. 69

INDEX AND WORD LIST ................................................................................................. 71

ii

Revised January 2000 
NLRB STYLE MANUAL 

RULES OF CITATION 

Citing the Board and NLRA 

National Labor Relations Board After used once, it may be referred to as the Board. 

NLRB Use (without periods or spaces) in Board and court citations. 

NLRA National Labor Relations Act (the Act). 

Citing Board Decisions 

XYZ Mfg. Co., 328 NLRB 433, 444–445 (1999) 

328 NLRB 433, 435–436 fns. 2, 4 (1999) [citing footnotes] 

328 NLRB 433, 444 fn. 6 and cited cases (1999) 

above at 433 [repeating within 2 pages]; 328 NLRB at 433 

328 NLRB No. 20, slip op. at 4–5 (1999) 

328 NLRB No. 20, JD slip op. at 9 (1999) 

Case 16–CA–1432 (1999) (not reported in Board volumes) 

Board and Court Decisions 

Illustrations. (Always include the year.) 

[if beyond 2 pages] 

Stetson Hat Co., 328 NLRB 433 (1999), enfd. 196 F.3d 111 (D.C. Cir. 2000), cert. denied 528 

U.S. 800 (2000) enfd. mem. enfd. per curiam enf. denied 

enfd. in relevant part and remanded 

Hatters Local 11 (Stetson Hat), 328 NLRB 443 (1999), affd. in relevant part sub nom. Stetson 

Hat Co. v. NLRB, 196 F.3d 111 (5th Cir. 2000) vacated and remanded sub nom. 

NLRB v. Stetson Hat Co., 196 F.3d 111 (6th Cir. 2000), enfg. 328 NLRB 433 (1999) 

NLRB v. Hatters Local 11, 196 F.3d 111, 115 (11th Cir. 2000) (dissenting opinion) (footnotes 

omitted), cert. denied 528 U.S. 800 (2000) 

Hatters Local 11 v. NLRB, 528 U.S. 200, 210 (2000), rehearing denied 528 U.S. 924 (2000) 

McLeod v. Hatters Local 11, 60 F.Supp.2d 500 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) 

Pye v. Stetson Hat Co., 160 LRRM 2525; 137 LC ¶ 10,300 (D.Mass.1998). 

NOTE. Insert an abbreviated name of the company (usually a two-word abbreviation) 

in parentheses after the union name in a Board and also in a court citation if the case is well 

known by the company name, or if the union name is in Spanish (in Puerto Rico). Give only the 

year (1999) when citing a slip opinion. Use parallel citations when the U.S., F.3d, or F.Supp.2d 

citations are not available. In district court citations, give only the district, not the division. 

(N.D.Ill.2000) (D.D.C.2000). Separate multiple citations with semicolons. 

1

Revised January 2000 
RULES OF CITATION

Abbreviations in citing case history. 

affd. (affirmed) enfd. (enforced) revd. (reversed) 

affg. (affirming) enfg. (enforcing) revg. (reversing) 

cert. (certiorari) mem. (no published sub nom. (under the name) 

enf. (enforcement) opinion) 

Do not abbreviate 

appeal dismissed granted motion relevant 

argued dismissing grounds per curiam remanded 

denied enjoining modified petition vacated 

denying filed modifying rehearing withdrawn 

Running Head Case Citations 

Running head as guide. 

In citing decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, lower courts, and the NLRB, use the 

running head (the case name printed at the top of the page in bound volumes and NLRB slip 

opinions) as a guide. The specific rules are applied to these names. 

Specific rules. 

1. Cite the Board as “NLRB.”

2. Omit initial “The” (exception: The Ark). 

3. Use abbreviations “Assn.,” “Bros.,” “Co.,” “Corp.,” “Inc.,” “Ltd.,” “Mfg.,” and “&.”

4. Omit “Inc.” and “Ltd.” if the name contains Company, Products, Service, or other 

clear indication that it is a business firm. 

5. Shorten long company names. 

6. Omit given names and initials of individuals and omit “U.S.” in names of Federal 

agencies, e.g. “Postal Service.”

7. Omit all parties after the first listed on either side. 

8. Do not use “et al.” or “etc.” to indicate omissions. 

9. For a union, cite first the popular name of the parent union—listed below by popular 

names in appendix 1 page 67 and by official names in appendix 2 page 69—then any local, 

lodge, or district council, e.g., Auto Workers Local 45. 

Additional running head rules. 

NLRB running heads since 1982 conform to the specific rules above as well as the 

following additional rules, enabling case citations to be taken directly from the running heads. 

1. Cite the name of the business, omitting “d/b/a” and the preceding name(s). 

2. Cite only the first company named, even if it is a division. 

3. After a union name, insert an abbreviation (usually two words) of the company name. 

(Also cite the abbreviated company name in parentheses after the union name in a court case if 

it is well known by the company name or if the union name is in Spanish, in Puerto Rico.) 

Court Citations (Always include the year) 

2

Revised January 2000 
RULES OF CITATION

Supreme Court decisions, company names. 

“NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co.,” the running head for National Labor Relations Board v. Gissel 

Packing Co., Inc., et al., is cited NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. 575 (1969). 

“Labor Board v. Borg-Warner Corp.,” for National Labor Relations Board v. Wooster Division of 

Borg-Warner Corp., is cited NLRB v. Borg-Warner Corp., 356 U.S. 342 (1958). 

“Pittsburgh Glass Co. v. Labor Board,” the running head for Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. v. 

National Labor Relations Board, is cited Pittsburgh Glass Co. v. NLRB, 313 U.S. 146 (1941). 

“Fibreboard Corp. v. Labor Board,” the running head for Fibreboard Paper Products Corp. v. 

National Labor Relations Board, is cited Fibreboard Corp. v. NLRB, 379 U.S. 203 (1964). 

“Labor Board v. Rice Milling Co.,” for National Labor Relations Board v. International Rice 

Milling Co., Inc., et al., is cited NLRB v. Rice Milling Co., 341 U.S. 665 (1951). 

Supreme Court decisions, union names. 

“NLRB v. Longshoremen,” the running head for National Labor Relations Board v. International 

Longshoremen’s Assn., AFL–CIO, et al., is cited NLRB v. Longshoremen ILA, 447 U.S. 490 

(1980). 

“Radio Officers v. Labor Board,” the running head for Radio Officers’ Union of the Commercial 

Telegraphers Union, AFL v. National Labor Relations Board, is cited Radio Officers v. NLRB, 

347 U.S. 17 (1954). 

“Carpenters’ Union v. Labor Board,” the running head for Local 1976, United Brotherhood of 

Carpenters and Joiners of America, A. F. L., et al. v. National Labor Relations Board [the 

famous Sand Door decision, involving Sand Door and Plywood Company], is cited Carpenters 

Local 1976 (Sand Door) v. NLRB, 357 U.S. 93 (1958). 

“Electrical Workers v. Labor Board,” the running head for International Brotherhood of 

Electrical Workers et al. v. National Labor Relations Board, is cited Electrical Workers IBEW 

Local 501 v. NLRB, 341 U.S. 694 (1951). (In a current case, the local would be cited: Electrical 

Workers Local 501.) 

“Electrical Workers v. Labor Board,” the running head for Local 761, International Union of 

Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers, AFL–CIO v. National Labor Relations Board et al., is cited 

Electrical Workers IUE Local 761 v. NLRB, 366 U.S. 667 (1961). (In a current case, the local in 

the renamed international union would be cited: Electronic Workers Local 501.) 

“Labor Board v. Denver Bldg. Council,” the running head for National Labor Relations Board v. 

Denver Building & Construction Trades Council et al., is cited NLRB v. Denver Building Trades 

Council, 341 U.S. 675 (1951). 

Court of Appeals and District Court decisions. 

3

Revised January 2000 
RULES OF CITATION

“N. L. R. B. v. Eldorado Mfg. Corp.,” the running head for National Labor Relations Board, 

Petitioner, v. Eldorado Manufacturing Corporation and United Steelworkers of America, 

AFL–CIO, Respondents, is cited NLRB v. Eldorado Mfg. Corp., 660 F.2d 1207 (7th Cir. 1981). 

“National Labor Relations Bd. v. Industrial Cotton Mills,” the running head for National Labor 

Relations Board v. Industrial Cotton Mills (Division of J. P. Stephens Co.), is cited NLRB v. 

Industrial Cotton Mills, 208 F.2d 87 (4th Cir. 1953), cert. denied 347 U.S. 935 (1954). 

“N. L. R. B. v. Local Union No. 725, etc.,” the running head for National Labor Relations 

Board, Petitioner, v. Local Union No. 725 of the United Association of Journeymen and 

Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, 

AFL–CIO, Respondent, is cited NLRB v. Plumbers Local 725, 572 F.2d 550 (5th Cir. 1978). 

“Local 138, Internat’l Un. of Operating Engineers v. N.L.R.B.,” the running head for Local 138, 

International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL–CIO, and its Welfare Fund and Trustees, 

William C. DeKoning, et al., Petitioners, v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent, is cited 

Operating Engineers Local 138 v. NLRB, 321 F.2d 130 (2d Cir. 1973). 

“N. L. R. B. v. Const. & Bldg. Material Teamsters,” the running head for National Labor 

Relations Board, Petitioners, v. Construction and Building Material Teamsters Local No. 291, 

Affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and 

Helpers of America, Respondent, is cited NLRB v. Teamsters Local 291, 633 F.2d 1295 (9th 

Cir. 1980). 

“Liquor Salesmen’s Union Local 2 v. N. L. R. B.,” the running head for Liquor Salesmen’s 

Union Local 2 of the State of New York, Distillery, Rectifying, Wine & Allied Workers’

International Union, AFL–CIO, Petitioners, v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent, is 

cited Distillery Workers Local 2 v. NLRB, 664 F.2d 318 (5th Cir. 1981). 

“Morio v. North American Soccer League,” the running head for Winifred D. Morio, Regional 

Director of Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board, for and on behalf of the National 

Labor Relations Board, Petitioner, v. The North American Soccer League and its Constituent 

Member Clubs, Respondents, is cited Morio v. North American Soccer League, 501 F.Supp. 

633 (S.D.N.Y.1980). 

4

Revised January 2000 
RULES OF CITATION

Board Citations (Always include the year) 

Company respondents. 

“Greensboro News Co.,” the running head for The Greensboro News Company, is cited 

Greensboro News Co., 244 NLRB 689 (1979). 

“Raycor Co.,” the running head for Raimund Corssen Co., Inc. d/b/a Raycor Co., is cited 

Raycor Co., 249 NLRB 565 (1980). 

“Simpson Steel Fabricators,” the running head for Simpson Steel Fabricators & Erectors, Inc., 

is cited Simpson Steel Fabricators, 249 NLRB 1111 (1980). 

“F. W. Woolworth Company,” the pre-1982 running head for F. W. Woolworth Company, is 

cited F. W. Woolworth Co., 90 NLRB 289 (1950). 

“Justak Brothers and Company,” the pre-1982 running head for Justak Brothers and Company, 

Inc., is cited Justak Bros. & Co., 253 NLRB 1054 (1981). 

“United Contractors Incorporated,” the pre-1982 running head for United Contractors 

Incorporated, JMCO Trucking Incorporated, Joint Employers, is cited United Contractors, 244 

NLRB 72 (1979). 

Union respondents. 

“Plumbers, Local 412,” the running head for United Association of Journeymen and 

Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, Local 

Union No. 412, AFL–CIO (Thomas Mechanical), is cited Plumbers Local 412 (Thomas 

Mechanical), 249 NLRB 714 (1980). 

“Sheet Metal Workers, Local 36,” the running head for Sheet Metal Workers International 

Association, Local No. 36, and Harold Tindell, its agent and Nothum Manufacturing Company, 

is cited Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 (Nothum Mfg.), 244 NLRB 224 (1970). 

“Local 3, IBEW,” the pre-1982 running head for Local 3, International Brotherhood of Electrical 

Workers, AFL–CIO and New York Electrical Contractors Association, Inc.; Empire Electrical 

Contractors Association, Inc.; and Association of the Electrical Contractors, Inc., is cited 

Electrical Workers IBEW Local 3 (New York Electrical), 244 NLRB 357 (1979). (In a current 

case, the local would be cited: Electrical Workers Local 3.) 

“UAW, Local 1989,” the pre-1982 running head for International Union, United Automobile, 

Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, (UAW), Local No. 1989 and 

Caterpillar Tractor Company, is cited Auto Workers Local 1989 (Caterpillar Tractor), 249 NLRB 

922 (1980). 

NOTE. If a union is the respondent employer, no company name is inserted in the 

citation after the union name. 

5 

Revised January 2000 
RULES OF CITATION

Repeating Signals in Citations 

ibid. Use to repeat the immediately preceding citation, on the same page, without any 

change. 

id. Use to repeat the immediately preceding citation, on the same page, except for 

citing a different page number: e.g., “id. at 10.”

above Use above (preferred) or supra when the same case is cited a second time 

within two pages: “Gissel, above,” “or “Gissel, above at 613.” Beyond two pages, repeat the 

full citation or refer to a specific page, “395 U.S. at 613” or “265 NLRB at 9.”

below Use below (preferred) or infra to refer to subsequent matter. 

Introductory Signals 

[No Signal] Indicates direct support. 

e.g. Indicates that other examples are available. It may also be used with other 

signals: “see, e.g.” or “but see, e.g.” 

accord: Use to cite other directly supporting cases, or cases in another jurisdiction. 

see Use to cite basic source material supporting the point. Use it instead of [no 

signal] if the point is not explicitly made but follows from it, or is dictum. Cite the initial page and 

the page where the point is made. 

but see Use to suggest a contrary holding. 

see generally Use to cite an authority providing background or relevant considerations 

without providing support for the specific point. 

compare Use compare (preferred) or cf. (which means “compare” in Latin) to cite a case 

that is to be compared or distinguished on the point. (Add a parenthetic explanation, however 

brief.) The signal “compare . . . with” invites a comparison of the authorities cited to support or 

illustrate a point. (Also explain.) 

contra: Use contra: to cite a directly opposite holding. 

6

Revised January 2000 
RULES OF CITATION

Citation of NLRB, Board’s Rules, Etc. 

National Labor Relations Act. After the full name is used once, it may be referred to as the 

Act (or NLRA). 

National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 151 et seq. 

Labor Management Relations Act, 1947. [LMRA, the Taft-Hartley Act—not current NLRA] 

Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, 29 U.S.C. § 401 et seq. [LMRDA, 

the Landrum-Griffin Act] 

Health care jurisdiction: Section 2(14) of the Act. 

Postal Service jurisdiction: Postal Reorganization Act, 39 U.S.C. § 1209(a). [PRA] 

Board’s Rules and Regulations. Also cited as the Rules and Regulations of the National Labor 

Relations Board. (Omit “as amended”) 

Board’s Annual Report: 45 NLRB Annual Report 67 (1980). 

NLRB Casehandling Manual (Part One) Compliance Sec.10639. 

Miscellaneous Citations 

McCormick on Evidence § 34 (4th ed. 1994)

12 Moore’s Federal Practice § 60.48 (3d ed. 1997)

2 Morris, Developing Labor Law 1077–1083 (2d ed. 1983)

2A Sutherland Statutory Constructions § 47.34 (5th ed. 1992)

3 Weinstein’s Federal Evidence § 505.07[2] (2d ed. 1998)

9 Wigmore on Evidence § 2015 (1981)

3 Williston on Contracts § 6:13 (4th ed. 1991)

13B Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 3571 (2d ed. 1984)

2 Am.Jur. 2d, Agency § 286 (2d ed. 1994)

3 C.J.S., Agency § 452 (1998)

Restatement (Second) of Agency § 220(2)(h) (1958)

Cappelli & Rogovsky, Employee Involvement and Organizational Citizenship: Implications for 

Labor Law and “Lean Production,” 51 Ind. & Labor Rel. Rev. 633 (1998) 

Estlund, What Do Workers Want? Employee Interests, Public Interests, and Freedom of 

Expression Under the National Labor Relations Act, 140 U. Pa. L. Rev. 921, 924 (1992) 

Washington Post, Sept. 30, 1998 at B2, col. 1 

Fed.R.Evid. 301 [Federal Rules of Evidence, 28 U.S.C.]

Fed.R.Civ.P. 43(c) [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.]

45 ALR2d 179 (1956) [American Law Reports]

29 CFR § 1604.1 (1980) [Code of Federal Regulations]

45 Fed.Reg.45259 (1980) (later printed at 14 CFR § 39.13) [Fed. Register]

44 BNA LA 545 (1965) (Altieri, Arb.) [Labor Arbitration]

24 Lab. L.J. 592 (1973) [Labor Law Journal]

2 Leg. Hist. 2393 (NLRA 1935) [Legislative History]

1 Leg. Hist. 303 (LMRA 1947) [Legislative History]

2 Leg. Hist. 1162 (LMRDA 1959) [Legislative History]

7

Revised January 2000 
¶ ¶¶

RULES OF CITATION

Other Common Citations 

157 LRRM 2001 (1997) [BNA court decisions, labor cases]

948 P.2d 473 (S.Ct. Ala. 1997) [Pacific Reporter, 2d series]

17 U.S.C. § 106(4) (Supp. II 1997) [United States Code]

17 U.S.C.A. § 106(4) (Supp. 1997) [United States Code Annotated]

17 USCS § 106(4) (Supp. 1997) [United States Code Service Lawyers Edition]

505 U.S. 247 (1992) [United States Reports]

112 S.Ct. 2465 (1992) [Supreme Court Reporter]

120 L.Ed.2d 32 (1992) [United States Supreme Court Reports Lawyers’ Edition]

66 L.W. 4543 (1998) [United States Law Week]

H.R. 3769, 105th Cong., 144 Cong. Rec. H2705 (1998) [House bill, daily edition]

H. Con. Res. 284, 105th Cong., 144 Cong. Rec. H4188 (1988) [House concurrent resolution]

S. 383, 83d Cong., 100 Cong.Rec. 1213 (1954) [Senate bill, permanent edition]

S. Res. 218, 83d Cong., 100 Cong.Rec. 2972 (1954) [Senate Resolution, permanent edition]

Line Item Veto Act, Pub. L. 104–130, 110 Stat. 1200 (1996)

Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551–559, 701–706 [APA]

Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 [EAJA]

Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 [FOIA]

NOTE. Do not use p. for the page number except in cross-references. Use at if there 

is a possibility of confusion. Include relevant page numbers when appropriate. Italicize book 

titles and titles of articles in periodicals and newspapers. Leave a space between ¶ ¶¶ or 

§ §§ and the numeral: ¶ 141, ¶¶ 5–8, § 10, §§ 5–8, §§ 45, 48. Substitute Arabic numerals for 

large Roman article numbers and for all Roman volume numbers. 

Citation of Sections and Articles 

Section 8(a)(3) and (1); Section 8(a)(1), (3), and (5); not Sections 8(a)(1), (3), and (5)

Section 9(c)(1) and Section 2(6) and (7) or Sections 9(c)(1) and 2(6) and (7)

Section 8(b)(4)(i) and (ii)(A) [single capital letter]

Section 8(b)(4)(i), (ii)(A) and (B) [more than one capital letter]

Section 102.46 of the Board’s Rules and Regulations (Sec. 102.46 in parentheses, footnotes,

and citations in the text)

NOTE. Capitalize sections of NLRA and Board publications, as above. 

U.S. Const., Art. I, § 9, cl. 2

Compare 5 U.S.C. § 504(a)(2) with [symbol § used in U.S.C. citations]

EAJA, section 504(a)(2) [section spelled out in the text]

In article 1, section 3, provision is made [lowercase in non-Board references]

In section II,B,2,a of his decision, the judge found [commas and no spaces]

The Company deleted section III(B)(2) of the contract.

In section 17,B,1(a) and (b) of the agreement provided [not section XVII]

8

Revised January 2000 
ABBREVIATIONS 

Government Terms 

United States, abbreviated except when used as a separate noun or part of an official title. 

U.S. Attorney U.S. economy U.S. Senate 

U.S. District Court U.S. Government U.S. Supreme Court 

but 

foreign policy of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States 

State Names. The Board uses the Postal Service two-letter abbreviations in addresses, but 

spells out State names in the text. The following traditional abbreviations, which are generally 

used in district court citations, are listed with the Postal Service abbreviations. 

Ala. AL Ky. KY N.Y. NY 

Alaska AK La. LA Ohio OH 

Ariz. AZ Mass. MA Okla. OK 

Ark. AR Md. MD Ore. OR 

Cal. CA Me. ME Pa. PA 

Colo. CO Mich. MI R.I. RI 

Conn. CT Minn. MN S.C. SC 

D.C. DC Miss. MS S.D. SD 

Del. DE Mo. MO Tenn. TN 

Fla. FL Mont. MT Tex. TX 

Ga. GA N.C. NC Utah UT 

Hawaii HI N.D. ND Va. VA 

Idaho ID Neb. NE Vt. VT 

IIl. IL Nev. NV Wash. WA 

Ind. IN N.H. NH Wis. WI 

Iowa IA N.J. NJ W.Va. WV 

Kan. KS N.M. NM Wyo. WY 

Addresses in parentheses and footnotes. 

St. Ave. Blvd. Cir. Ct. Dr. Hwy. Pkwy. 

Rd. Rte. Ter. NE NW SE SW 1400 H St. NW 

but 

North South East West Fort 14th Street Bridge 

Mount Place Plaza Port Square Ninth Avenue Bridge 

Standard Abbreviations 

a.m. e.g. etc. ibid. i.e. ¶ ¶¶, par. 

p.m. et al. et seq. id. at 10 p. pp. § §§ 

9

Revised January 2000 
ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations in Parentheses, Footnotes, and Citations in Text 

CP Exh. Jt. Exh. ch. chs. No. Nos. subpar. subpars. 

Emp. Exh. Br. brief cl. cls. pt. pts. subsec. subsecs. 

GC Exh. Tr. transcript col. cols. sec. secs. L. LL. line lines 

P. Exh. app. apps. ed. eds. vol. vols. f. ff. & following p. 

R. Exh. art. arts. fig. figs. supp. supps. or pp. 

U. Exhs. bull. bulls. fn. fns. subch. subchs. 

Abbreviations in Names 

Charles White Charles White Sr. Ed Ray, Esq. Dr. Irene Brown 

Charles White Jr. White Senior Anne Roe, Esq. Irene Brown, M.D. 

NOTE. Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Miss are not used in the text except in quoted matter. 

The comma is omitted before Jr. and Sr. (which are restrictive words—not parenthetic words 

requiring comma—see rule 5, below page 35). As a gender-free term, the traditional term Esq. 

(for Esquire) is used for both men and women attorneys. 

Abbreviations in Case Citations 

affd. mem. NLRB Assn. Mfg. 

affg. revd. F.3d Bros. & 

cert. revg. F.Supp.2d Co. d/b/a 

enf. sub nom. U.S. Corp. No. 

enfd. fn. Cir. (court) Inc. slip op. 

enfg. fns. D. (district) Ltd. JD slip op. 

10

Revised January 2000 
CAPITALIZATION

Capitalization Used at NLRB 

Act (NLRA) 

Administrative Law Judge Jane Doe, or 

Judge Doe (otherwise lowercase) 

Advisory Opinion 

Agency, the (NLRB) 

Board (NLRB) 

Board Agent Jane Doe (but a Board agent) 

Board Member 

Chairman Jane Doe 

Charging Party (in the case) 

Company (in the case) 

but lowercase as modifier 

Conclusions of Law (in the decision) 

Consent Election Agreement 

Court (U.S. Supreme Court) 

but lowercase for other courts 

Decision and Determination of Dispute 

Decision and Order 

Decision, Order, and Direction of Election 

Decision on Review 

Employer (in the case) 

Executive Secretary 

General Counsel 

Hearing Officer Jane Doe 

(otherwise lowercase) 

Intervenor (in the case) 

Judge Doe (NLRB) (otherwise lowercase) 

Do not capitalize 

agent faxed order 

Local 561, the Local

Member (of the Board)

Motion for Summary Judgment

Notice to Show Cause

Objection 4

Officer in Charge Jane Doe (otherwise

lowercase)

Order (in the case)

Petitioner (in the case)

recommended Order (lowercase r)

Region (of the Board)

Region 5

Regional Attorney Jane Doe (otherwise

lowercase)

Regional Director

Regional Office

Remedy (but the remedy section)

Report on Objections

Resident Office

Respondent (in the case)

Rules and Regulations or Board’s Rules

Section 8(a)(1) (but the section)

Stipulated Election Agreement

Subregional Office

Supplemental Decision and Order

Union (in the case)

but lowercase as modifier 

order 

agreement field examiner panel 

answer judge but Justice petition 

charge local report (Regional 

complaint motion to dismiss Director’s) 

court (any lower court) notice of hearing request for review 

decision objection tally of ballots 

General Rules 

1. Capitalize proper names but not derivatives with common meaning. 

John Macadam Macadam family Paris Venetian 

but 

macadamized plaster of paris venetian blinds 

2. Capitalize such particles as d’, de, della, du, van, and von in foreign names unless 

11

Revised January 2000 
CAPITALIZATION

preceded by a forename or title.

Du Pont but E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. Von Braun but Wernher von Braun

3. Capitalize common names used as proper names.

Cape of Good Hope Seventh and H Streets SE the District (D.C.)

4. Lowercase article the in names of newspapers, periodicals, vessels, and firm names.

the Washington Post the Mermaid the Key Company but The Hague

5. Capitalize Governmental and other units. 

United States: the Government, Federal Government, Federal aid, Federal road 

U.S. Senate the Congress the Senate the House 

U.S. Supreme Court: the Court the court of appeals: the court 

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit: the Fifth Circuit 

but legislative, executive, and judicial (department or branch) 

a Representative (U.S. Congress) a Republican (party member) 

but a representative of a group a republican form of government 

a State (in U.S.) State aid State name State road 

New York State State Attorney State’s evidence 

but 

statewide church and state out-of-state 

6. Capitalize names of regions, localities, and geographic features when used as 

proper names. 

East Side (of city) the North the Southwest

the Deep South the Pacific Coast the West

the Middle West the Panhandle but the port of New York

7. Capitalize names of events and holidays.

Battle of Lexington Fourth of July or the Fourth New Year’s Eve

8. Lowercase seasons, directions, and descriptive positions. 

spring winter north north-central region southern California 

eastern northerly northern north-northeast oriental 

9. Lowercase these dockside terms even when used with names or numbers. 

Hudson dock dry dock lock pier 32 but Fisherman’s Wharf 

12

Revised January 2000 
CAPITALIZATION

10. Capitalize title before name of official or supervisor. 

Supervisor Smith Floorlady Bowman Director Morgan Chief Peters 

Superintendent Heep Foreman Jones Business Agent Gore Chairman Collier 

Vice President–General Manager Brown (with en dash, not hyphen) Judge Doe 

but 

welder Al Jones company witness Joe Ray General Counsel witness Jean East 

NOTE. Refer to a person by given name and surname the first time mentioned in the 

text and thereafter by the surname. Identify a member of the bargaining unit by general 

designation (carpenter Joan Hughes, painter Charles White) and a member of management by 

title (Supervisor John Smith, Foreman Anne Brown). When needed to assist the reader in 

recalling the person’s identity, repeat the designation or title with the surname (carpenter 

Hughes, Supervisor Smith). 

11. Capitalize titles immediately following the name of a person of preeminence or 

distinction, or used alone as a substitute. 

William White, President of the United States the President 

William White, Governor of Maryland the Governor 

William White, Chairman the Chairman 

William White, Board Member Board Member 

William White, General Counsel the General Counsel 

but 

John Doe, president the president

John Doe, foreman the foreman

John Doe, chairman the chairman

John Doe, field examiner the field examiner

12. Capitalize the first and all other words in titles and headings except the 

following words with four or fewer letters. 

articles: a, an, the

conjunctions: and, as, both, but, if, nor, or, than, that, when

prepositions: at, by, for, from, in, into, like, of, off, on, over, to, up, upon,

with 

13. Lowercase such references as the following. 

book 2 volume 10 appendix C figure 7 abstract article 1, section 3 

page 2 exhibit 11 paragraph 3 rule 2 title 4 amendment 5 

13

Revised January 2000 
14
COMPOUND WORDS 

A compound word, with or without a hyphen, “conveys a unit idea that is not as clearly 

or quickly conveyed” by the separate words. “Word forms constantly undergo modification. 

Two-word forms often acquire the hyphen first, are printed as one word later, and not 

infrequently the transition is from the two- to the one-word form, bypassing the hyphen stage.”

GPO Style Manual. 

Solid Compounds 

1. One-word compounds frequently used in NLRB work. 

antiunion dressmaker newsprint rulemaking 

backpay drywall nighttime runoff * 

biweekly engineroom nonunion salesman 

blacklist (n. and v.) evenhanded nonworking saleslady 

blueprint floorlady offset (n. and v.) sawmill 

bookkeeper forklift outpatient semiofficial 

bookseller hairnet outsourcing setup * 

bookstore handyman papermill shopwork 

breakdown * holdup * patternmaker shutdown * 

breaktime housekeeper paycheck storeroom 

bylaws hydroelectric payroll storewide 

catchall Industrywide percent strawboss 

checkoff * interstate pickup * subregion 

checkout * intrastate piecework subregional 

coffeebreak jobsite plantwide superseniority 

coffeetime layoff * postdecision timecard 

commonsense (adj.) leadman postelection timesheet 

common sense (n.) locksmith postpetition timewasting 

companywide longstanding powerhouse toolmaker 

counterman longtime powerplant truckdriver (but 

counteroffer lumberyard preelection dump truck driver) 

counterproposal lunchbreak preemployment turnover * 

courthouse lunchtime preexisting warehouseman 

coworker markup * pretrial workplace 

(but cross-examine meatcutter pricelist worksheet 

cross-reference meatpacker printout worktable 

deemphasis millwork procompany worktime 

diemaker millyard prounion workweek 

diesinker multiemployer racetrack (but work force) 

downsize nationwide recordkeeping wrongdoer 

* Two words as verb. 

15

Revised January 2000 
COMPOUND WORDS

2. Suffixes in compound words. 

The following italicized suffices are usually written solid, but a hyphen is used with 

proper names and to avoid tripling a consonant. 

giveaway moviegoer

showdown kilogram

twentyfold manhood

spoonful lifelike

but

Florida-like bell-like

3. Prefixes in compound words. 

a. Prefixes written solid 

amoral 

aftercare 

Anglomania 

antedate 

antitrust 

biannual 

bypass 

circumnavigate 

coexist 

contraband 

countersink 

desalinize 

demitasse 

disembark 

downhearted 

electromagnet 

excommunicate 

extrahazardous 

forefinger 

hydroelectric 

hypertension 

hypotension 

inbound 

infrared 

intercom 

intraunion 

introvert 

isometric 

malpractice 

microphone 

innermost 

cutoff 

blowout 

leftover 

brass-smith 

midsummer 

misstate 

monogram 

multicolor 

neophyte 

nonneutral 

offshore 

onstage 

outmoded 

overcompensate 

paramedic 

polyester 

postwar 

prearranged 

prorate 

homestead 

windup 

areawide 

clockwise 

pseudonym 

reunite 

retrospect 

semiannual 

stepfather 

subhuman 

supermarket 

thermocouple 

transoceanic 

tricolor 

ultrasonic 

uncap 

underproductive 

unilingual 

update 

b. Prefixes with capitalized word. Use a hyphen with capitalized words unless 

the combined form has acquired independent meaning. 

ante-Norman inter-American Pan-American pre-Columbian 

anti-Semitic mid-April post-World War un-American 

non-Government trans-Canadian 

but 

nongovernmental transatlantic 

16

Revised January 2000 
COMPOUND WORDS

c. Prefixes that would double a vowel. Use a hyphen to avoid doubling vowels, 

except after certain short prefixes (co, de, pre, re). 

anti-inflation electro-optics semi-idleness 

co-op micro-organisms semi-indirect 

co-owner pre-engineered ultra-ambitious 

but 

cooperate deescalate preeminent preexist reenact 

coordinate preemergence preempt reemploy reenter 

d. Prefixes in other compound words. 

by-election in-law on-the-job re-redirect 

by-product mid-1982 out-of-doors second-guess 

but by and large non-civil-service out-of-pocket sub rosa (adv.) 

down-to-earth non sequitur out-of-the-way sub-rosa (adj.) 

extra-large (adj.) non-taxpaid part-time (as modifier) tractor-trailer 

extra-long (adj.) off-color pre-impasse up-and-coming 

extra-strong (adj.) off-season pre-interview up to date (adv.) 

full-time (as modifier) off-the-record re-create up-to-date (adj.) 

in-between on-and-off re-cross-examination well-being 

4. Personal pronouns and other compound pronouns and adverbs. 

herself itself ourselves yourself 

himself myself themselves yourselves 

anybody everybody nobody somebody 

anyone * everyone * no one someone 

anything everything nothing something 

anywhere everywhere nowhere somewhere 

* Two words if a single member of a group of persons or things. 

17

Revised January 2000 
COMPOUND WORDS

Hyphenated Compounds 

A “hyphen joins, in contrast to the dash, whose job is to separate.” Copperud, 

American Usage and Style: The Consensus 188 (1980). 

1. Modifiers before noun. 

above-mentioned company

above-named union

agreed-upon method

air-conditioned room

arm’s-length agreement

Board-conducted election

cash-flow problem

cease-and-desist order

closed-shop provision

collective-bargaining agreement

common-law right

community-of-interest contention

computer-based records

contested-election cases

contract-bar issues

cost-effective analysis

day-to-day occurrence

decision-making process

dues-checkoff provision

dues-deduction section

far-reaching effects

first-shift employees

first-step meeting

fixed-fee arrangement

full-time and part-time employees

(employed full time and part time) 

good-faith doubt 

grievance-arbitration procedure 

high-level manager 

in-plant committee 

laid-off employees 

law-abiding citizen 

left-hand side 

long-term contract 

loose-leaf services 

lump-sum payment 

maintenance-of-membership clause 

make-whole remedy

management-rights clause

most-favored-nation clause

night-shift employee

no-solicitation rule

no-strike clause

old-fashioned style

out-of-work list

piece-rated machine

profit-sharing plan

rank-and-file employees

refusal-to-bargain case

right-hand side

right-to-work law

second-step meeting

secret-ballot election

short-term contract

single-employer unit

single-entity finding

single-integrated operation

single-store unit

so-called investigation

step-2 grievance

successors-and-assigns clause

swing-shift employees

time-and-a-half wage rate

time-barred charge

tool-and-die maker

union-security clause

union-shop agreement

well-known supporter

well-established procedure

well-settled principle

well-thought-out maneuver

word-for-word report

work-related complaint

18

Revised January 2000 
COMPOUND WORDS

2. Prepositional-phrase compound noun consisting of three or more words. 

case-by-case 5–to–4 decision mother-in-law right-of-way 

case-in-chief grant-in-aid mother-of-pearl step-by-step 

but 

attorney at law heir at law leaves of absence next of kin 

3. Joined capital letter and other prefixes. 

I-beam all-around no-show self-government 

T-shirt ex-Governor no-trump wide-awake 

V-neck ex-repairman quasi-contractual 

X-raying ex-vice-president but quasi appointment 

but 

exfoliate ex post facto wide gauge widemouthed 

4. Element of title in compound words.

President-elect Vice-President-elect vice-presidency but vice president

5. Compound verbs.

blue-pencil cold-shoulder cross-file soft-pedal

6. Compounds having a common basic element.

English- and Spanish-speaking employees long- and short-term money rates

but 

American owned and managed firms twofold or threefold 

7. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine (hyphenated when spelled 

out) and spelled-out fractions (two-thirds full). 

19

Revised January 2000 
COMPOUND WORDS

Hyphen Omitted in Compound Words 

1. When the meaning is clear and readability is not aided. 

a 401(k) provision fringe benefit plan portland cement plant 

atomic energy project health care institution production credit loan 

bargaining unit employees high school student public utility plant 

child welfare plan income tax form real estate tax 

civil rights case interstate commerce law running head citations 

civil service examination land bank loan social security program 

due process law land use program soil conservation measures 

durable goods industry life insurance company special delivery mail 

flood control study parol evidence rule speech correction class 

free enterprise system per capita tax but no-hyphen rule 

2. When the last element of a predicate adjective is a present or past participle. 

The area was used for beet growing. The area is drought stricken. 

The effects were far reaching. The boy is freckle faced. 

3. When the first element of a two-word modifier is an adverb ending in ly 

or the first two elements of a three-word modifier are adverbs. 

eagerly awaited moment unusually high strung supervisor 

wholly owned subsidiary longer than usual lunch period 

but 

ever-normal granary still-lingering doubt well-kept farm 

ever-rising earnings still-new car well-known lawyer 

4. When the first element of a two-word modifier is a comparative or superlative. 

better drained roof best liked books 

better paying job higher level decision 

but 

bestseller undercoverman 

low-paying job uppercase, lowercase type 

5. When modifier consists of a foreign phrase. 

bona fide transaction ex officio member 

but antebellum days per capita tax 

larger sized dress 

lower income group 

upperclassman 

per diem employee 

prima facie evidence 

20

Revised January 2000 
COMPOUND WORDS

6. Omit Hyphen in all titles, except to indicate combined offices. 

assistant professor editor in chief secretary-treasurer 

attorney general officer in charge vice president 

7. Omit Hyphen in proper nouns used as modifiers unless they designate a joint 

relationship. 

African American Italian American area Latin American trip 

but 

French-Irish descent 

21

Revised January 2000 
22
FOOTNOTES 

EXCESSIVE FOOTNOTES DISCOURAGED 

Footnotes constitute an imposition on the reader by increasing the reading time. They 

require the reader to read at two levels—the text in regular type and the footnotes, which are 

often in smaller type—and to waste time spent in relocating the even smaller footnote reference 

marks in the text. 

Although some footnotes are standard (as those stating the relevant period of time in a 

decision), many could easily be avoided. They often contain relevant facts and circumstances, 

explanatory remarks, and other matters that could more appropriately be placed in the text (in 

parentheses if preferred). 

Citations in Text. Case citations should be placed in the text, instead of footnotes 

as in law review articles. 

General Rules. Single-space footnotes. Also single-space between paragraphs in 

footnotes, indenting the first line of any additional paragraph. If a footnote must be carried over 

to the next page (a further imposition on the reader), continue it there after the text, without 

repeating the footnote number. 

Footnotes in a separate opinion or attached appendix are numbered separately. 

Footnote illustrations 

___________________ 1 Jones testified: 

Q. Where did you go? 

A. I went to the back of the storage room and talked to the union steward. Then 

I went with the steward to the front office. Mr. Jones was waiting for us. 

___________________ 1 “I went to the back of the storage room and talked to the union steward. Then I went with 

the steward to the front office. Mr. Jones was waiting for us.”

___________________ 1 The Company filed a reply brief and submitted a motion to strike certain matter from the 

General Counsel’s brief. The General Counsel also submitted a motion to strike parts of the 

Continued 

Placement of Footnote Reference Mark. Place the footnote reference mark at 

the end of a sentence or clause. Place it in the space after any punctuation mark except a 

dash, or in the space after the concluding word of a clause if there is no punctuation mark. 

Place it before a closing parenthesis if the footnote relates only to the matter within the 

parentheses. 

NOTE. A footnote reference mark should not be placed in the caption of a judge’s 

decision, because that part of the JD is not published. 

23

Revised January 2000 
24
NUMBERS 

General Rules 

1. Nine-and-under rule. Spell out numbers one through nine and use figures for 

numbers 10 and higher, whether they are cardinal numbers (one, two . . . 10, 11 . . . ) or ordinal 

numbers (first, second . . . 10th, 11th . . . ). 

2. Numbers in series. Use figures if one of a group of two or more related numbers in a 

sentence is 10 or higher, but write out a number at the beginning of a sentence. 

The man had one suit, two pairs of shoes, and one hat.

The man had 1 suit, 2 pairs of shoes, and 15 pairs of socks for the trip.

From the First to the Ninth Congress. From the 1st to the 104th Congress.

Forty were killed. Seventy-eight passengers were aboard the train.

3. Cardinal and ordinal numbers. When appearing in the same sentence, cardinal 

and ordinal numbers are treated as if they were in separate sentences. 

The third group contained nine items. The third group contained 10 items. 

The 9th group contained three items and the 10th group contained four. 

When to Use Figures 

Measurement and Time 

Units of measurement and time, actual or implied, are expressed in figures. They do not 

affect the use of figures for other numbers in a sentence. 

1. Age.

6 years old age 70 at the age of 3 but his third birthday

The 70-year-old had only one suit, two pairs of shoes, and a hat. 

2. Clock time. 

10 o’clock 10 a.m. 12 noon 

4:30 p.m. half past 4 this p.m. 

3. Dates. 

June 11, 1998 

May 1 to June 1, 1998 

1994, 1998 

the 1st (day) of the month 

4th of July (the date) 

June 1998

May, June, and July 1998

1994–1997

but the first (part) of October

but Fourth of July (the holiday)

12 midnight 

5 minutes till 9 

June and July 1998 

between 1990 and 1998 

A.D. 1066; 429 B.C. 

25

Revised January 2000 
 NUMBERS

4. Decimals.

.25 inch .5 inch 1.25 inches .30 caliber

5. Measurements. 

about 6 acres 6 pounds 3 ounces 

81⁄2 x 11 paper 8 by 12 inches 

500 meters 8-by-12 inch ad 

but 

two dozen one gross 

6. Money.

$3 $3.65 $600

6 feet 1 inch tall 

11⁄2 (or 1-1/2) miles 

5-inch ad 

zero miles 

$1200 

$560,000 $2,700,000 $5–$6 billion 75 cents 

$21⁄2 (or $2-1/2) million 5 to 10 million dollars’ worth 

7. Percentages.

12 percent 25.5 percent .5 percent or

8. Time. 

3.5 times 

6 degrees

6 below zero

2 feet by 1 foot 8 inches

three-ply

$56,651

50-cent-an-hour increase

4 million in assets

one-half percent

8 days 3 fiscal years 7 minutes 1 month 

6 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds 10 years 3 months 29 days 

but 

three afternoons three decades three quarters (9 months) 

fourth century a year or two statistics of any one year 

9. Unit modifiers. 

5-day week 1⁄2-inch pipe 

10-foot pole 71⁄2-percent raise 

Other Figures 

In serial numbers. 

bulletin 725 ¶ 2 

chapter 2 lines 5 and 6 

7 minutes 1 month

5-foot-wide rug but a girl 5 feet 6

at 352–353 5-foot-6 girl

paragraph 3 1721–1723 P Street NW

In addresses—but use the nine-and-under rule (preceding page) in street names. 

See abbreviated addresses used in parentheses and footnotes, above page 9. 

7 First Street SE 4711 Fifth Avenue 20 North First Street 

7 51st Street SE 810 West 12th Street 51–53 62d Avenue North 

When Numbers Are Spelled Out 

26

Revised January 2000 
 NUMBERS

1. Fractions below one, except when used as a modifier. 

one-half inch half an inch 50 one-hundredths inch 

but

1⁄2-inch-diameter pipe 31⁄2 (or 3-1/2) times 1⁄2 to 11⁄2 pages

2. Indefinite expressions—but not with about, approximately, around, nearly, etc. 

a thousand and one reasons in his midthirties, in his seventies 

one hundred percent wrong temperature in the thirties 

but 

about 200 1 to 3 million 90-odd persons 40-plus mid-1982 early 1980s 

3. Formal language. 

the Thirteen Original States in the year nineteen hundred and ninety-nine 

threescore years and ten millions for defense but not one cent for tribute 

4. Figures of speech.

Air Force One Gay Nineties number one choice Ten Commandments

5. Numbers under 100 before a compound modifier containing a figure. 

two 1⁄2-inch boards ninety-nine 6-inch guns but 120 8-inch boards 

Roman Numerals. Use only in lower numbers. Substitute Arabic 

numerals for large Roman numerals and for all volume numbers. 

Punctuation of Numbers 

1. In modifiers containing figures, hyphenate the compound. 

6-foot-4 Texan 3-pound roast 50-gram dose 10-page decision 

2. Use apostrophes for omissions and plurals of single (not multiple) figures. 

class of ’82 cross out the 6’s the 1990s 

3. In numbers containing five or more digits, use commas to separate groups of 

three digits. Do not use No. or # before a number unless required to identify it as a number. 

1000 1333 9000 10,000 200,000 4,333,000 

1745 P Street NW 212–555–1212 Case 2–CA–13675 

27

Revised January 2000 
PLURALS

General Rules 

1. Most plurals are formed by adding s. 

2. Add es to nouns ending in s, z, x, ch, and sh. 

buses buzzes foxes torches Bushes 

Joneses Schmitzes Essexes but Bachs 

3. Add es and change y to i when nouns end in consonant-plus-y, not proper names. 

cities skies but Marys Januarys Kansas Citys 

4. Add s to nouns ending in vowel-plus-y, except nouns ending in quy. 

attorneys chimneys moneys but soliloquies 

5. Add s to nouns ending in vowel-plus-o. 

cameos portfolios radios studios trios 

6. Add es to most nouns ending in consonant-plus-o. 

echoes heroes tomatoes torpedoes vetoes 

but 

albinos dynamos kimonos photos solos 

armadillos Eskimos lassos pianos tobaccos 

autos falsettos magnetos piccolos twos 

avocados ghettos mementos provisos virtuosos 

banjos halos memos salvos zeros 

7. Use English plurals of words borrowed from foreign languages, except foreign 

plurals in common usage. 

adieus beaus formulas minimums sanitariums 

agendas cactuses geniuses opuses stadiums 

antennas dogmas indexes plateaus styluses 

appendixes equilibriums insignias podiums syllabuses 

aquariums focuses maximums sanatoriums tableaus 

but 

addenda * data * media * nuclei stimuli 

alumni errata * matrices phenomena strata 

criteria fungi memoranda radii 

curricula larvae minutiae referenda 

* Both singular and plural. 

28

Revised January 2000 
PLURALS

8. Change i to e to form plural. 

analysis analyses ellipsis ellipses synopsis synopses

basis bases hypothesis hypotheses thesis theses

crisis crises parenthesis parentheses but chassis (sing. & pl.)

9. Add s to nouns ending in ful.

cupfuls handfuls teaspoonfuls

10. Add s or es to form the plural of spelled-out numbers, words containing an 

apostrophe, and words referred to as words (but ’s if required for clarity). 

the pros and cons yeses and noes whereases and wherefores 

ifs, ands, or buts can’ts and won’ts do’s and don’ts 

11. Add s to form the plural of numbers or abbreviations consisting of multiple figures 

or capital letters—but ’s for plural of single figures and lowercase letters, below page 32. 

B52s ’80s 1990s ABCs C.P.A.s JDs LPNs M.D.s Ph.D.s YMCAs 

Plurals of Compound Terms 

The significant word takes the plural form. 

1. Significant word first. 

attorneys at law courts-martial postmasters general 

attorneys general heirs at law prisoners of war 

bills of fare leaves of absence rights-of-way 

brothers-in-law mothers-in-law sergeants at arms 

conflicts of interest notaries public 

2. Significant word in middle. 

assistant attorneys general assistant comptrollers general 

assistant chiefs of staff deputy surgeons general 

3. Significant word last. 

assistant attorneys general counsels trade unions 

deputy sheriffs but counsel (sing. & pl.) vice chairmen 

4. Both nouns of equal significance. Both take the plural form. 

coats of arms men employees women advisers 

men buyers secretaries-treasurers women writers 

5. No word significant in itself. The last word takes the plural form. 

29

Revised January 2000 
PLURALS

also-rans go-betweens jack-in-the-pulpits 

come-ons hand-me-downs run-ins 

6. When a noun is hyphenated with an adverb or preposition, the plural is 

formed on the noun. 

goings-on hangers-on listeners-in passersby 

30

Revised January 2000 
PUNCTUATION 

“Punctuation should aid in reading and prevent misreading.” GPO Style Manual. 

APOSTROPHE 

Apostrophe in Possessives 

1. General rule. Add ’s to a singular or plural noun not ending in s. 

Add ’ (apostrophe) to a singular or plural noun ending in s or an s sound. 

man’s men’s hostess’ hostesses’ Jones’ Joneses’

Congress’ prince’s princes’ Lopez’ Lopezes’

corps’ princess’ princesses’ but Essex’s Essexes’

2. Compound nouns. Add ’ or ’s to the last noun. 

attorney at law’s fee Charles White Jr.’s account 

attorney general’s appointments Brown of Texas’ motion 

comptroller general’s decision secretary-treasurer’s seat 

3. Joint or separate possession. Add ’ or ’s to the last noun for joint possession, 

or to each noun for individual or alternative possession. 

Brown & Nelson’s store men’s and women’s clothing 

soldiers and sailors’ home Mrs. Smith’s and Mrs. Allen’s children 

John’s, Thomas’, and Henry’s ratings St. Michael’s Men’s Club 

4. Indefinite or personal pronouns. Add ’ or ’s to form possessive. 

each other’s store one’s mortgage somebody’s proposal 

others’ homes someone’s computer but somebody else’s pen 

5. Possessive of general terms. Use the singular possessive case. 

arm’s length printer’s ink writer’s cramp author’s alteration 

6. Possessive of idiomatic phrases. Use possessive case even though there is no 

actual ownership. 

a stone’s throw 1 day’s labor 2 hours’ traveltime 

for pity’s sake 2 weeks’ allowance 6 billion dollars’ worth 

7. Nouns ending in ce. For euphony, add only ’ to form the possessive of these nouns 

when followed by a word beginning with s. 

for acquaintance’ sake for appearance’ sake for conscience’ sake 

31

Revised January 2000 
APOSTROPHE

8. Noun used as adjective. Add ’ or ’s to a possessive noun used in an adjective 

sense. 

He is a friend of John’s and mine. Sterns’ is running a sale. 

She drives her brother Francis’ car. 

9. Noun before gerund (ing-ending verb used as noun) should be in possessive case. 

in the event of Mary’s leaving the ship’s hovering nearby 

Other Uses of Apostrophe 

Add ’ or ’s to indicate contractions, omissions, and plural of symbols, 

single figures and letters, and lowercase abbreviations—but s to multiple figures

and capital letters—see rule 11, above page 29.

don’t I’ve o’clock 49’ers 4–H’ers #’s 7’s

it’s (it is) MC’ing a’s A’s

spirit of ’76 the three R’s c.o.d.’s mph’s

The Apostrophe Is Not Used 

1. In possessive personal pronouns.

hers its ours theirs yours

2. After words more descriptive than possessive (not indicating personal 

possession), except when the plural does not end in s, and after names of 

countries and other organized bodies ending in s. 

editors handbook Teamsters Union United States control 

merchants exchange technicians guide but women’s votes 

nurses aide Congress attitude children’s hospital 

teachers college Massachusetts laws workers’ compensation 

3. Not used in abbreviations and shortened forms of certain words. 

Assn. enfd. phone Sgt. till 

4. Not used in plurals of spelled-out numbers, and words as words except to 

avoid difficulty in reading. 

sevens ins and outs whereases ifs, ands, or buts 

twos threes ups and downs yeses and noes but do’s and don’ts 

32

Revised January 2000 
BRACKETS 

Their Function 

1. Emphasis added and information inserted. Brackets are used to enclose the 

words “emphasis added” when placed inside a quoted sentence, or at the end of an indented 

(block) quotation, and to enclose interpolations and words inserted in quoted matter. 

“Smith was not [emphasis added] in the room with us.”

the primary result. [Emphasis added.] (at end of block quotation) 

“The president pro tem [Arnold] spoke briefly.”

“The witness tried [evidently without success] to convince the court.”

“Adams [arrived] late.”

NOTE. “Emphasis added” is place in parentheses (not brackets) after a nonindented 

quotation. “Jones was but Smith was not in the room with us.” (Emphasis added.) 

2. Corrections and notations of error. Significant errors may be corrected, or merely 

noted. 

“He arrived at 11 [12] o’clock.”

“He arrived at 11 [sic] o’clock.”

NOTE. Insignificant errors, such as misspelled words, should be corrected without any 

notation. 

3. Change in case. When a lowercase letter is changed to uppercase or vice versa, the 

letter is enclosed in brackets. 

“[T]he other four were present.”

33

Revised January 2000 
COLON 

“A colon tells the reader that what follows is closely related to the preceding 

clauses. The colon has more effect than the comma, less power to separate than the 

semicolon, and more formality than the dash.” Strunk & White, Elements of Style 7 (3d 

ed. 1979). 

The Colon Is Used 

1. To introduce formally. To introduce formally any matter that forms a complete 

sentence, question, or quotation (the first word after the colon being capitalized). 

The court said: “[T]he underlying purpose of this statute is industrial peace. This conduct is not 

conducive to that end.”

The following question came up for discussion: What policy should be adopted? 

2. To list or amplify. After an independent clause, to introduce a list of particulars, an 

amplification, or an illustrative quotation. 

He produced several items in his defense: a compilation of dates, 10 daily production records, 

and a sample of his work. 

Give up conveniences, do not demand special privileges, do not stop work: these are 

necessary while we are at war. 

The squalor of the streets reminded him of a line from Oscar Wilde: “We are all in the gutter, 

but some of us are looking at the stars.”

3. With salutation and time. After a formal salutation and to express time. 

Dear Sir: Ladies and Gentlemen: To Whom It May Concern: 2:40 p.m. 

The Colon Is Not Used to Separate a Verb or Preposition from Its 

Object (no punctuation being needed). 

The language should be as follows: or The language should be

The primary issues are (a) . . . (b) not The primary issues are: (a) . . . (b)

Wisdom grows from experience, not Wisdom grows from: experience,

34

Revised January 2000 
COMMA 

The Comma Is Used 

1. In series. Place a comma before the conjunctions and, or, and nor in series of 

three or more terms. 

red, white, and blue a, b, and c neither snow, rain, nor heat 

It is ordered to cease and desist, to bargain on request and, if an agreement is reached, to 

It is a valuable contribution which, if utilized, would be most helpful. 

NOTE. When and, or, nor, or which is in a sentence before parenthetic matter 

that is set off with commas, omit the comma before the conjunction or which. 

2. With a short quotation following an introductory phrase. 

He said, “John arrived several hours after the others.”

3. With modifiers. To separate a series of modifiers, unless the final modifier is 

considered part of the noun modified. Use a comma only when and could be substituted. 

It is a young, eager, intelligent group. but He is a clever young man. 

4. With parenthetic matter. To set off parenthetic words and phrases. 

It is obvious, however, that this is no solution.

The employee, ignoring the time, continued to work through the lunch period.

His only son, John, went with him. but His son Joe is here. (restrictive, not parenthetic)

5. With nonrestrictive clauses. To set off nonrestrictive, parenthetic clauses which, like 

restrictive clauses, are relative clauses (beginning with that, when, where, which, who, or 

whom). 

Nonrestrictive clauses, which are set off by commas, are merely descriptive or 

additive (do not identify or define) and could be omitted without changing the meaning of the 

main clause. They may be introduced by which or who. 

Restrictive clauses, which are never set off by commas, are essential to the meaning 

of the sentence. They may be introduced by that, which, or who. 

(nonrestrictive) The atomic bomb, which we developed, was first used by us. 

Union Steward Clark, who participated in the strike, was promoted. 

Dallas, where he was born, is a thriving metropolis. 

(restrictive) The dam that gave way was poorly constructed. 

All employees who participated in the strike were summarily discharged. 

35

Revised January 2000 
 COMMA

6. Comma used to set off explanatory words and abbreviations. 

There are many exceptions, namely, silk, cotton, nylon, and wool.

The Company produces many items, e.g., electrical and mechanical equipment.

7. In a compound sentence. To separate independent clauses joined by a conjunction, 

except that the comma may be omitted between short independent clauses. 

We have not carried that model for some time, but we expect to restock it. 

but He ran but he missed the train. 

8. With a single subject. When the subject for two clauses is the same, a comma is 

used if the connective conjunction is but, but is not used if the connective conjunction is and. 

I have heard his arguments and am now convinced.

I have heard his arguments, but am still not convinced.

He has had several years’ experience and is thoroughly competent.

9. To set off interjections and transitional words, such as oh, yes, no, well, 

moreover, and incidentally. 

Yes, they are coming. No, she isn’t here. Moreover, they are not. 

10. To separate words or figures that might otherwise be misunderstood. 

In 1980, 400 men were dismissed. As you would expect, Brown did. 

Instead of 20, 50 came. What the difficulty is, is not known. 

11. With abbreviations and degrees. Before and after Esq., etc., i.e., e.g., et al., 

and academic degrees. 

Thomas Brown, Esq., Reed, Black, et al., May 4, 1982 discharge 

good example, i.e., Douglas Smith, Ph.D., Dayton, Ohio suburbs 

See, e.g., TRW, Inc. recently built here. Dallas, Texas facility 

Local 2, AFL–CIO or any other union post at its facility in Bangor, Maine copies of 

NOTE. Not being needed for clarity or readability, the comma may be omitted after 

Inc., Ltd., and AFL–CIO; after the name of a State preceded by the name of a city; and when 

names and dates are used as modifiers. 

12. To indicate omission of a word or words. 

Then we had much; now, nothing. 

13. After interrogative clause, followed by a direct question. 

You are sure, are you not? 

36

Revised January 2000 
 COMMA

14. With titles.

president, the Key Company Member, National Labor Relations Board

15. In numbers. To separate large numbers—but not in addresses and decimals, or in 

case, serial, telephone, ZIP code, and executive order numbers. 

10,000 44,230 530,491 1,250,000 

but 

14500 Ninth Avenue Case 16–CA–14590 motor No. 189463 9500 

202–633–0500 Washington, DC 20570–0001 Executive Order 11240 

NOTE. Two spaces are placed between the address Washington, DC and the ZIP 

code 20570–0001 (in accordance with Postal Service suggested format). 

Do Not Use the Comma 

1. Between month and year in dates.

June 1998 June and July 1998 May, June, and July 1998 Labor Day 1997

but 

June 11, 1998 

2. To separate two nouns, one of which identifies the other. 

the heading “Collective Bargaining” the painter Van Gogh 

3. To set off short transitional or introductory expressions, unless one would 

normally tend to pause in speaking at that point. 

They had indeed gone. Obviously she had no intention of going. 

4. After a question mark.

He asked her, “What are you doing?” and she told him her plans.

5. To set off Jr., Sr. (which are restrictive words—not parenthetic words requiring a

comma).

NOTE. When only the last name is used, spell out Junior and Senior. 

Charles White Jr. Charles White Sr. White Senior 

37

Revised January 2000 
DASH 

“A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a 

colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.” Strunk & White, Elements of Style 9 (3d 

ed. 1979). 

The Em Dash — (triple the length of a hyphen) Is Used 

1. To set off an abrupt break or interruption. 

He said—and no one contradicted him—“The battle is lost.”

If the bill should pass—which God forbid—the service will be wrecked. 

2. To set off a final clause that summarizes a series of ideas. 

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear—these are the 

fundamentals of moral world order. 

3. To set off words for emphasis.

Only one person—the chairman—voted against the proposal.

4. To indicate deleted letters. 

Where the h— is he? 

5. After question mark. But not immediately after a comma, colon, or semicolon. 

How can you explain this?—“Fee paid, $5.”

The En Dash – (double the length of a hyphen) Is Used 

1. In combination of figures, letters, and certain words. 

Case 26–CA–4219 AFL–CIO 1995–1997 

$100–$200 4–H Club May–October 

301–848–8400 WTOP–TV Monday–Friday 

2. In compound positions or titles when needed for clarity. 

painter–door builder Jones Vice President–General Manager Brown 

38

Revised January 2000 
 DASH

The En Dash Is Not Used to replace to or and when the word from or between 

precedes the first of two related figures or expressions. 

from January 1 to June 30, 1996 not from January 1–June 30, 1996 

between 1995 and 1996 not between 1995–1996 

EXCLAMATION POINT 

The exclamation point is used to mark surprise, incredulity, admiration, appeal, or other 

strong emotion—even in a declarative or interrogative sentence. It should be used sparingly. 

“Great!” he shouted. What!

He acknowledged the error! Who shouted, “All aboard!” (no question

How beautiful! mark used)

PARENTHESES 

Parentheses Are Used 

1. For parenthetic matter, in place of footnotes. To set off words or sentences not 

intended to be part of the main thought or statement, yet important enough to be included. 

This 1980 case (447 U.S. 490) is not relevant. 

The United States is the principal purchaser (by value) of these exports (23 percent in 1995 

and 19 percent in 1996). 

The foreman saw him at the timeclock and directed him to go to the office. (Smith had never 

been late before. Many others had been.) They met the steward there. 

2. For acronym, usage, and explanatory words. To indicate subsequent use of an 

acronym or shortened name and to enclose explanatory words. 

XYZ Company (the Company or the Respondent) R. M. Conway Co. (Conway)

Teamsters Local 443 (the Union or the Respondent) Local 1 (the Local)

R. M. Conway Co. (the Respondent Company) Local 1 (the Respondent Union)

against the Company, the Respondent against the Union, the Respondent

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Company (BRICO) utilized a three-level franchise plan.

Portland (Ore.) Chamber of Commerce

3. For items in series or in the alternative. To enclose letters or numbers 

designating items in a series, or the singular or plural. 

You will observe that the sword is (1) old fashioned, (2) still sharp, and (3) light for its size. 

Paragraph 7(b)(1)(a) will be found on page 6. exceptions and brief(s) 

39

Revised January 2000 
 PARENTHESES

4. For transcript references. When citing a reference to the transcript at the end of a 

sentence, place the parenthetic reference before the closing period, unless the reference 

relates to more than one sentence. 

He admitted having heard a rumor in the plant (Tr. 76).

The agreement (GC Exh. 2) was never signed (Tr. 26–27).

It included a bargaining order. It also included a broad order. (Tr. 11–12.)

but

(He testified, “It was news to me” [Tr. 54], but later admitted, “I heard about it before” [Tr. 57].)

Placement of Parentheses 

Multiple parentheses. When matter in parentheses makes more than one paragraph, start 

each paragraph with a parenthesis and place the closing parenthesis at the end of the last 

paragraph. 

PERIOD 

The Period Is Used 

1. Sentences. Use after an imperative sentence, an indirect question, or a rhetorical 

question. 

Do not be late. Tell me how he did it. May we ask prompt payment. 

2. Abbreviations. Use in most lowercase and capital-lowercase abbreviations, but omit 

periods in most uppercase abbreviations. 

a.m. c.o.d. e.s.t. i.e. ibid. Assn. Ave. Blvd. D.C. U.S. 

but 

mph rpm CBS FBI IRS ITT LPN NLRA SMU UAW 

3. Ellipses. 

Use a three-period ellipsis signal ( . . . ) to indicate an omission within a sentence and a 

four-period ellipsis signal ( . . . . ) to indicate an omission at the end of a sentence. 

Insert and indent a four-period ellipsis signal to indicate the omission of one or more 

paragraphs. See ellipsis rules, below pages 43–44. 

4. For items in series. Periods may be used in place of parentheses. 

a. Bread well baked. 1. Punctuate moderately. 

b. Meat cooked rare. 2. Compound sparingly. 

c. Cubed apples stewed. 3. Index thoroughly. 

40

Revised January 2000 
QUOTATION MARKS 

Quotation Marks Are Used 

1. Titles. 

Use quotation marks to enclose titles of chapters, editorials, essays, headings, 

headlines, motion pictures, plays, reports, short poems, songs, subheadings, 

subjects, themes, and TV and radio programs. 

2. After certain terms. 

Use quotation marks to enclose any matter following the terms classified, 

designated, endorsed, entitled, marked, named, signed, the term, or the word. 

entitled “The Harbor Act” After the word “man,” insert a colon. 

but It was known as glucinium. The so-called investigative body. 

NOTE. Do not use quotation marks to enclose expressions following the terms known 

as, called, and so-called unless the expressions are misnomers or slang. 

3. Emphasis. Use quotation marks to give greater emphasis to a word or phrase—but this 

use should be kept to a minimum. 

4. Slang, nicknames, etc. Use quotation marks to enclose misnomers, slang 

expressions, jargon, nicknames, and ordinary words used in an arbitrary way. 

the “lameduck” amendment George Herman “Babe” Ruth 

the “duly” habit It was a “gentlemen’s agreement.”

NOTE. In work showing amendments, place the punctuation mark outside the 

quotation marks when not a part of the quoted matter. 

Insert the following: “and the Universal Military Training Act,”. 

Quotation Marks Are Not Used 

To enclose block (indented) quotations. 

To enclose article titles in periodicals and newspapers and book titles, which are 

italicized instead. 

With indirect quotations, paraphrasing, tallies. 

He told her yes. She said Jones was a born liar. 

He said that no he would not. The vote was 77 yes and 9 no. 

41

Revised January 2000 
QUOTATION MARKS

Single and Double Quotation Marks. These are limited to three sets (double, 

single, and double). 

The answer is “Maybe.” He reported, “Smith said ‘No sale.’”

“The question is, ‘Can he become a “bona fide” citizen of the country?’”

SEMICOLON 

The Semicolon Is Used 

To separate clauses containing commas and listed items, some of which contain 

commas. 

To separate clauses in short compound sentences. Longer clauses should be in separate 

sentences. 

The sketches have been submitted; we await their approval. 

It is true in peace; it is true in war. 

To separate multiple citations. 

8(a)(5) of NLRA; NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. 575 (1969) 

Semicolons should be avoided when commas suffice, as in the following 

examples. 

It is sold by the bolt, by the yard, or in remnants. (phrases)

He sold his business, rented his house, gave up his car, and set off for Africa. (short clauses)

Whether the Company (a) bargained in bad faith, precluding a valid impasse, (b) changed

wages, benefits, and working rules, and (c)

42

Revised January 2000 
QUOTATIONS & OMISSIONS 

1. Short quotations. A quotation of three or fewer lines is usually placed (in quotation 

marks) in the text—unless placed in a block quotation for emphasis. A comma or final period is 

placed inside the quotation marks, a colon or semicolon is placed outside, and a question mark 

or exclamation point is placed inside only if it is part of the matter quoted. 

The President, he said, “will veto the bill.”

He told the employee, “That’s right”; he then changed his mind.

Why call it a “gentlemen’s agreement”?

He asked, “Have you an appointment?”

The trainman shouted, “All aboard!”

NOTE. A citation is placed either before or immediately after a short quotation. 

2. Block quotations. Four or more lines of quoted matter are usually written as a block 

quotation. Indent the quotation five spaces from the left margin (none from the right), without 

quotation marks. Further indent the first line if the quoted matter begins with a new paragraph. 

If the beginning of the paragraph is omitted, type the first line flush. Unless it is a run-on 

sentence (not preceded by a colon), capitalize the first word (for example, [T]he). 

NOTE. Unless placed before an indented quotation, a citation should be the first 

nonindented matter in the text after it. 

3. Emphasis added. When the words “emphasis added” are inserted in a quoted 

sentence or placed at the end of a block quotation, they are enclosed in brackets. When the 

words are placed at the end of a nonindented quotation, they are enclosed in parentheses and 

placed outside the quotation marks (after any citation of the source quoted). 

Jones claimed, “Smith was not [emphasis added] in the room.” (inside quoted sentence) 

He claimed, “I was not present.” (Emphasis added.) (at end of sentence) 

the primary results. [Emphasis added.] (at end of block quotation) 

The Board found that “the striker was lawfully discharged.” (265 NLRB at 9, emphasis added.) 

Omissions 

1. Use of ellipses. An ellipsis signal of three periods indicates an omission within a quoted 

sentence. A signal of four periods is used to indicate an omission of the last part of a quoted 

sentence or an omission of matter between that sentence and the remainder of the quotation. 

If the omission occurs at the end of the sentence, three periods are added to the period 

closing the sentence (a total of four periods). If the last part of the sentence is omitted, four 

periods are inserted, beginning in the second space after the last quoted word. The ellipsis 

signal may indicate the omission of either the first part of the next sentence, including 

intervening punctuation, or the omission of one or more paragraphs. 

He called . . . and left. . . . When he returned the 

He called . . . and left . . . . [H]e returned the 

43

Revised January 2000 
QUOTATIONS & OMISSIONS

Ellipsis Rules 

An ellipsis signal is not used when quoting a complete sentence or an obviously 

incomplete sentence. An ellipsis signal should never be used to begin a quotation. When 

omitting part of a sentence, be sure the words following the omission agree in number, gender, 

and tense. If the first letter in the quoted matter is lowercase, capitalize it and place the capital 

letter in brackets. 

He admitted “there was nothing wrong or improper” with sitting down while waiting.

“[H]e arrived in his truck and the violence resumed.”

“They had stopped work . . . and [had gone] to the office.”

“As he watches, they arriv[e] in a truck and the violence resumes.”

The violence resumed shortly after “he arrive[d] in his truck.”

Deletion of Paragraphs 

When deleting one or more entire paragraphs, insert and indent four periods as the 

ellipsis signal. 

Q. What was the first time you heard that a union was trying to organize at the 

plant? 

A. I heard some talk in the shop. 

Q. When was the first time? 

. . . . 

Q. When was the first time? 

A. The last week in May. [Emphasis added.] 

On June 15 John Doe replaced Robert Smith as general manager of the Company. Doe 

had been employed since 1959. 

. . . . 

. . . [O]n June 15 or 16 Doe visited Smith in Smith’s office. 

NOTE. An ellipsis signal is not placed at the beginning or end of either illustration. 

When deleting matter that otherwise would be indented to form the beginning of a second or 

subsequent paragraph (as in this second illustration), indent and insert the ellipsis signal. 

NOTE. Never place ellipsis signal before or after a few quoted words from a 

sentence. 

Alterations. Changes and significant corrections in quoted matter should be noted 

and shown in brackets. Insignificant typographical errors should be corrected without any 

notation. 

“It is not unreasonable to assume that [the Union] will engage in strike violence again.”

“It occurred during the first shift at 12 [noon].”

“Blackie [Charles Black] was coming toward him.”

44

Revised January 2000 
SPELLING 

1. Frequently misspelled words. 

abridgment

absence

accede

accommodate

acknowledgment

adjuster

adviser

align

all right

all-around

analogous

anomalous

benefited

buses

calendar

canceled

cancellation

candor

cannot

catalog

channeled

commingle

consummate

converter

conveyor

corollary

counseled

counselor

countervailing

credence

credible

credulity

credulous

decision making

defendant

dependent

descendant

diminutive

discernible

disingenuous

egregious

enclose

endorse

enforceable

enroll

ensure

excel

exhibitor

extant

feasible

flammable

forbade

forbear

forgo (abstain)

fulfill

gauge

goodbye

gray

gruesome

guarantee

harass

hierarchy

homogeneous

imminent

imprimatur

inadmissible

inadvertence

incumbent

inferable

innocuous

innuendo

inquiry

insistence

instill

interfered 

interfering 

intervenor 

irrelevant 

judgment 

labeled 

lengthwise 

leveled 

liaison 

libelant 

likable 

liquefy 

maneuver 

marshaled 

mediocre 

memoranda 

mileage 

milieu 

minuscule 

mischievous 

misspell 

modeled 

mold 

moneys 

movable 

mustache 

nickel 

occurrence 

offense 

outrageous 

pastime 

percent 

pleaded 

prerogative 

proffer 

programmer 

programming 

prologue

questionnaire

readable

recurrence

referable

referred

relevant

rescission

resistant

reviser

salable

scurrilous

seize

sizable

skillful

specious

spiel

stupefy

subtlety

supersede

surreptitious

surveillance

T-shirt

threshold

totaled

trafficking

transferable

transferred

transshipment

traveled

union animus

untrammeled

usable

vicissitude

vilify

willful

withhold

45

Revised January 2000 
SPELLING

2. Endings ible and able. 

The following words end in ible. Other common, familiar words in this class end in able 

(as in manageable, regrettable, unmistakable). 

accessible 

addible 

admissible 

apprehensible 

audible 

coercible 

cohesible 

collapsible 

collectible 

combustible 

compatible 

comprehensible 

compressible 

contemptible 

contractible 

controvertible 

convertible 

convincible 

corrigible 

corrodible 

corruptible 

credible 

crucible 

deducible 

deductible 

defeasible 

defensible 

descendible 

destructible 

diffusible 

digestible 

discernible 

irremissible 

distractible 

divestible 

divisible 

edible

educible

eligible

erodible

exemptible

exhaustible

expansible

expressible

fallible

feasible

flexible

forcible

fungible

fusible

gullible

horrible

illegible

immersible

imperceptible

impermissible

impersuasible

implausible

impossible

impressible

inaccessible

inadmissible

inapprehensible

inaudible

incoercible

incombustible

incompatible

incomprehensible

incontrovertible

inconvertible

inconvincible

incorrigible

incorrodible 

incorruptible 

incredible 

indefeasible 

indefensible 

indelible 

indestructible 

indigestible 

indiscernible 

indivertible 

indivisible 

inducible 

ineligible 

inexhaustible 

inexpressible 

infallible 

infeasible 

inflexible 

infusible 

insensible 

instructible 

insuppressible 

insusceptible 

intangible 

intelligible 

interruptible 

invertible 

invincible 

invisible 

irascible 

irreducible 

irremissible 

irreprehensible 

irrespressible 

irresistible 

irresponsible 

irreversible 

legible 

negligible 

omissible 

ostensible 

perceptible 

perfectible 

permissible 

persuasible 

pervertible 

plausible 

possible 

producible 

protectible 

reducible 

reprehensible 

repressible 

reproducible 

resistible 

responsible 

reversible 

revertible 

seducible 

sensible 

submersible 

suggestible 

supersensible 

suppressible 

susceptible 

tangible 

terrible 

irremissible 

unintelligible 

unsusceptible 

vincible 

visible 

46

Revised January 2000 
SPELLING

3. Endings ise and ize. 

The following words use ise. Others in this class use ize (agonize, etc.). 

advertise comprise disguise franchise rise 

advise compromise enfranchise improvise supervise 

apprise demise enterprise incise surmise 

arise despise excise merchandise surprise 

chastise devise exercise misadvise televise 

circumscribe disfranchise exorcise revise 

4. I-before-E rule. 

Write i before e in words pronounced with an ee sound, but write ei after c 

and in words pronounced with an eye or long a sound. 

(ee sound) believe grievous niece relief relieve siege 

(after c) ceiling conceit deceive perceive receipt receive 

(exceptions) either leisure neither seize sheik weird 

(eye sound) feisty height stein Geiger counter 

(long a) deign feign heinous neighbor reign weigh 

(others) deity financier foreign forfeit friend heir 

piety science siesta sieve specie 

5. Endings cede, ceed, and sede. 

Only one word ends in sede (supersede). Only three words end in ceed (exceed, 

proceed, succeed). All other words in this class end in cede (precede, etc.). 

Suffix Rules 

1. Double final consonant. If a one-syllable word or a word with primary stress on the 

last syllable ends with a single consonant after a single vowel, double the consonant before a 

suffix beginning with a vowel (but not before a consonant). Do not double the final consonant if 

the primary stress is not on the last syllable, or if the primary stress shifts from the last syllable. 

bag bagging, baggage occur occurred, occurrence but total totaled

get getting transfer transferred, transferring but travel traveled

commit committal, committed, committee, committing but commitment (consonant)

prefer preferring but preference (stress shifts to the first syllable)

but

chagrin chagrined transfer transferal, transference, transferor

47

Revised January 2000 
SPELLING

2. Silent e. In words ending in a silent e, drop the e before a suffix beginning with a vowel. 

interfere interfering sale salable but dye dyeing 

force forcible true truism but mile mileage 

3. Words ending in ce or ge. Retain the e before any suffix not beginning with 

e or i, thus preserving the softness of the c or g. 

notice noticeable change changeable, changeless, changing 

peace peaceable courage courageous, encouraged, encouraging 

4. Words with d before ge. The d acts as a preserver of the soft sound and permits the 

dropping of the e. 

abridge abridgment acknowledge acknowledgment judge judgment 

5. Consonant-plus-y. Change y to i unless the suffix begins with i. 

defy defiance, defied, defying liquefy liquefied, liquefying 

Indefinite Articles 

Use article a before consonants, aspirated h, long u, and o pronounced as one (or 

won). Use an before other vowels and silent h. 

(article a) a man a union a historic event 

a one-way ticket a eulogy (long u sound) 

(article an) an aunt an event an onion 

an hour an unusual one (short u sound) 

Use article an before groups of initials beginning with vowels a, e, i, and o, and 

vowel-sounding consonants f, h, l, m, n, s, and x. Use a before u and y and the remaining 

consonants b, c, d, g, j, k, p, q, r, t, v, w, and z. 

(article an) an AFL–CIO study an FDA (ef) finding an NLRB (en) decision 

(article a) a UNESCO project a TWA schedule a WMAL program 

48

Revised January 2000 
ITALICIZING 

LATIN WORDS NOT ITALICIZED 

The modern practice is no longer to italicize Latin and other foreign words and 

expressions when used in legal writing. 

a fortiori all the more, for still stronger reason (preferred)

alter ego other self

amicus curiae friend of the court

arguendo for sake of argument (preferred)

de facto in fact, existing without lawful authority

de jure by right, according to law

de minimis very small, trifling

de novo anew, over again

en banc on the bench, before entire membership of the court

ex parte without notice to or presence of the other party

fait accompli a thing accomplished and presumably irreversible, accomplished fact

ibid. in the same place, same citation on same page

id. at 10 same citation on same page, but citing different page number

in camera in chambers, in private

in haec verba in these words, in the same words, verbatim (preferred)

in toto in all, totally (preferred)

infra below (preferred)

inter alia among other things, among others, or in part (preferred)

ipso facto by the fact itself

motion in limine to limit evidence or issues

nunc pro tunc now for then, retroactive (preferred)

per se by itself, taken alone

pro forma as a matter of form, without consideration of its merits

quid pro quo one thing in return for another

sic so, such, as written (placed in brackets)

sine die without (fixed) date, postponed or adjourned indefinitely

sine qua non without which (thing) not, something essential or indispensable

status quo ante the state of things before, restore status quo to given date (preferred)

sua sponte on its own motion (preferred)

subpoena ad subpoena to testify, subpoena (preferred)

testificandum 

subpoena duces subpoena to produce documents (preferred) 

tecum 

supra above (preferred) 

voir dire preliminary examination 

TREND AGAINST LATIN EXPRESSIONS 

Plain English should be used when possible. The trend in legal 

writing is away from the use of incomprehensible Latin expressions. 

49

Revised January 2000 
ITALICIZING

Do not italicize 

ad hoc dictum ex officio per capita situs 

bona fide e.g. i.e. per diem status quo 

caveat et al. imprimatur prima facie subpoena 

cf. et seq. mandamus pro rata verbatim 

certiorari etc. non sequitur res judicata vice versa 

Italicize titles (including v.) in case citations. 

F. W. Woolworth Co., 90 NLRB 289 (1950)

Plumbers Local 412 (Thomas Mechanical), 249 NLRB 714 (1980)

NLRB v. Teamsters Local 291, 633 F.2d 1295 (9th Cir. 1980)

NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. 575 (1969)

Carpenters Local 1976 (Sand Door) v. NLRB, 357 U.S. 93 (1958)

American Potash rule Moore Dry Dock criteria Tree Fruits decision

Italicize book and article titles. 

In citations, italicize book titles and the titles of articles that appear in periodicals and 

newspapers. Do not italicize authors’ surnames and the titles of periodicals and newspapers 

(e.g., the Washington Post). 

Italicize names of vessels, aircraft, and spacecraft. 

NS Savannah SS America USS Nautilus Freedom 7 

Italicize certain letters. 

Italicize capital letters when used to represent names of hypothetical parties or 

places. 

Employee A reported to Foreman B in department X. 

50

Revised January 2000 
PLAIN ENGLISH—NOT LEGALESE 

Make a conscious effort to avoid using 

said, such, aforecited, aforementioned, aforesaid—in place of the, 

this, or these 

duly—superfluous 

forthwith, herewith, and/or—all inexact words 

respective—when the suffices 

respectively—dispensable 

same, such—in place of it or them 

hereby, herein, hereinafter, hereto, therefor, therefrom, therein, 

thereof, therewith, to wit, unto, vis-à-vis, viz., whereby, and wherein. 

All of these words are legal jargon that should be omitted or replaced 

with plain English—words in common usage. 

GOOD USAGE 

Strunk & White, Elements of Style (3d ed. 1979) (“the little book”) contains such 

crisp rules, with examples, as (rule 14) “Use the active voice” and (rule 15) “Put 

statements in positive form.”

Rule 17 states, “Omit needless words” and adds 

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a 

paragraph no unnecessary sentences . . . . This requires not that the writer make 

his sentences short . . . but that every word tell. 

The book’s brief rules of usage and principles of composition are recommended 

reading. 

51

Revised January 2000 
GOOD USAGE

AVOID WORDY PHRASES

all times material herein (all material 

times) 

along the line of (like) 

as far as I am concerned (as for me) 

at all times (always) 

at about, at approximately (about) 

at such time as (when) 

at the present time (now) 

by means of (by or with) 

by the name of (named) 

cases cited therein (cited cases) 

despite the fact that (although) 

due to the fact that (because) 

during such time (while) 

during the course of (during) 

during the time that (during) 

each and every one (each) 

for the purpose of (for or to) 

in advance of (before) 

in connection with (in or concerning) 

in regard to (regarding or concerning) 

in a manner similar to (like) 

in a negligent manner (negligently) 

in a position to (can) 

inasmuch as (because, as, or for) 

in excess of (over) 

in lieu thereof (instead) 

in many cases (often) 

in order to (to) 

in respect to (about or concerning) 

in some cases (sometimes) 

in spite of the fact (despite) 

in the amount of (for) 

in the case of (if) 

in the course of (during)

in the event of (if)

in the immediate vicinity of (near)

in the last analysis (do not use)

in the matter of (in or concerning)

in the near future (soon)

in the neighborhood of (near or about)

in the not too distant future (soon)

in this day and age (today)

in view of (because)

in view of the fact that (because or

considering that)

notwithstanding the fact (although)

of an indefinite nature (indefinite)

of an unusual kind (unusual)

of great importance (important)

on or about (about)

on the ground that (because)

on the order of (about)

on the part of (by)

owing to the fact that (because)

prior to (before)

the fact that (do not use)

the present time (now)

there can be no question that

(unquestionably)

surrounding circumstances

(circumstances)

subsequent to (after)

until such time as (until)

with the exception of (except for)

whether or not (omit not when possible)

with reference to (about or concerning)

with regard to (regarding or concerning)

52

Revised January 2000 
GOOD USAGE

THE RIGHT WORD 

according to, claimed According to (according to company witness Edward 

Jones) and claimed (union witness John Smith claimed that)—both imply doubt of veracity. 

Other terms in attribution are acknowledged, added, admitted, announced, 

answered, argued, asserted, commented, concealed, conceded, continued, 

declared, denied, disclosed, explained, insisted, mentioned, observed, pointed 

out, recounted, responded, revealed, said, stated, swore, and testified. They should 

be used for their specific meaning, not interchangeably merely for variety. 

adverb An adverb may split a verb. (They will soon go.) But an adverb should not intervene

between a verb and its object. (They completed the negotiations satisfactorily—

not completed satisfactorily the negotiations.)

affect, effect Affect means to influence, to have an effect on. (Bright lights affect

eyes.)

Effect means to accomplish. (Her administration effected radical changes.)

all of is correct before a pronoun (all of us), but not otherwise (all the money). The same

rule applies to both of.

allude to Someone or something that is identified is not “alluded to,” but “referred to.”

An allusion is an indirect reference. 

although, even though, though Although and even though are preferable at 

the beginning of a sentence. Though, which is less formal, is preferable for introducing phrases 

and short clauses. (He was careless, though not intentionally.) 

alumnus, executor, sculptor now refer to women as well as men. The Postal 

Service designates both men and women “postmaster.” If a gender-free term or feminine 

counterpart is not in common usage, traditional terms are used even though not literally 

accurate. (Jane Smith, Esq.) 

among, between Among is used with more than two persons or things. (The money 

was divided among the four players.) When more than two are considered individually, 

however, between is preferred. (An agreement between the six heirs.) 

as to is often superfluous. (There was a question whether—not as to whether—they won.) 

It is misused as a preposition. (There was doubt about—not as to—proper conduct for the 

occasion. He was instructed on—not as to—the proper operating procedure.) 

balance should not be used in place of rest or remainder. (The rest of them—not the 

balance of them—said nothing.) 

53

Revised January 2000 
GOOD USAGE: The Right Word

because, since, as Because is the most specific causal conjunction. (Because the 

remaining ballots were not determinative, he found it unnecessary to rule on them.) 

Since means “from a definite past time until now.” It is ambiguous when used as a causal 

conjunction, leaving the reader in suspense whether it is used in the temporal or causal sense. 

As may also result in ambiguity if used as a causal conjunction. 

beside, besides Beside means “at the side.” (We stood beside the river.) 

Besides means “in addition to.” (Besides the lecture there was a concert.) 

bid, bade Bid is past tense in the sense of “an offer.” (He has bid on the job.) 

Bade is past tense in the sense of “to command or direct” (bade them depart) and in the 

sense of “expressing a greeting or wish” (bade good night). 

case is often used unnecessarily. (It has rarely been the case that any mistake has been 

made.) Such sentences should be rewritten. (Few mistakes have been made.) 

connote, denote “What a word denotes is what it specifically means; what it

connotes is what it suggests.” Copperud, American Usage and Style: The Consensus (1980).

during, when, while During means “through the course of” (during the workweek).

When refers to a moment (when stepping off the curb).

While refers to a period of time (while crossing the street).

ensure, insure, assure Ensure means “to make certain.”

Insure means “to provide insurance.”

Assure means “to remove worry or uncertainty.”

(Events are ensured. Objects or lives are insured. Persons are assured.)

farther, further Farther serves as a distance word. (You walk farther than he does.)

Further serves as a time or quantity word. (Pursue the subject further.)

fewer, less, less than Traditionally fewer has been used with countable units (fewer

cars, houses, ships). Less has been used with singular mass nouns (less gasoline, sugar, time,

weight) and with singular abstract nouns (less honesty, opportunity). Less than has been

used with plural nouns (less than $200, 150 miles, 20 minutes, 50 pounds). In modern

practice, however, less as well as fewer is properly used with countable units.

former, latter The use of former and latter is objectionable because they often make

the reader look back and figure out which is which. Also, when referring back to a noun,

latter should not displace a pronoun. (The new law concerns the government official. It is not

clear whether he—not the latter—realizes it.)

he (Smith) If he alone is ambiguous, substitute Smith. Never use both. 

54

Revised January 2000 
GOOD USAGE: The Right Word

however, but However should not be used at the beginning of a sentence unless it is 

intended to mean “in whatever way” or “to whatever extent.” (However discouraging the 

prospects, he never lost heart.) But, however, is properly used at the beginning of a sentence. 

in, into In denotes location. (They met in the office.) 

Into denotes motion. (He went into the office.) 

include, comprise, consist of, are Include is not an all-inclusive word. It

indicates that some members are omitted. (His group includes only three of the fast workers.)

Comprise is a more inclusive word. (The group comprises all the factions.)

Consist of means to be made up of. (The cake consists of sugar, flour, and water.)

Are can also be used as an inclusive word. (Members of the group are . . . .)

incredulous, incredible Incredulous applies only to people and means unwilling to

accept what is offered as true. (The testimony was given with conviction, but the judge was

obviously incredulous.)

Incredible may apply to people, but usually it applies to statements and means

“unbelievable.” (His story was incredible.)

like, as, as if, as though Like, used as a preposition, means “similar to” and is

correctly used before a noun or pronoun. (He looks like a happy person.)

Like—except in the most formal writing—can also be used as a conjunction, meaning “in the

same way as,” “just as,” or “as” before a phrase or clause. (He acted like you might expect.)

As, as if, and as though—in formal writing—are more commonly used than like as a

conjunction. (She looks happy, as in the old days. It looked as if the world was against him.)

male, female are not suitable to use as a noun to refer to a man or woman. They are

appropriate to use as adjectives, e.g., male voters.

on is often superfluous in stating days and dates (He arrived Tuesday), except at the

beginning of a clause or sentence (On May 2 the Board . . . . ).

on, upon On is preferred when appropriate.

oral, verbal Oral means “by mouth”; verbal means “in words,” either spoken or written.

“Oral agreement” is more precise than “verbal agreement.”

partially, partly Partially is best used in the sense of “to a certain degree” (partially

resigned to it, partially blind).

Partly carries the idea of a part as distinct from the whole (partly luck, partly skill, a log

partly submerged).

parameters, perimeter Parameters means “limits or boundaries” or “guidelines”

55

Revised January 2000 
GOOD USAGE: The Right Word

(basic parameters of foreign policy).

Perimeter means “outer boundary of a two-dimensional figure.”

people, persons People means persons in general (people of Paris, easy to talk to

people). Persons means human beings and is used with a numeral (27 persons arrested).

per annum is preferably replaced by a year. 

plus means “increased by.” It does not have the conjunctive force of and. Consequently, a 

verb that follows it may be singular or plural, depending on the number of the subject. (Two 

plus two equals four. His ability plus his connections puts him in a good position.) 

some time, sometime, sometimes Some time is an adverbial phrase meaning “an

interval or period.” (He stayed some time.)

Sometime is an adverb indicating an indefinite occasion. (He will come sometime.)

Sometimes means “occasionally” or “at one time or another.” (Sometimes it rains.)

surveil is now correctly used as a verb, meaning “to place under surveillance.”

that, which Both that and which may introduce a restrictive clause, written without

commas. (The bridge that [or which] fell was 50 years old.)

Which takes commas when introducing a nonrestrictive, or parenthetic, clause. (The bridge,

which was over 50 years old, collapsed.)

various, different Various is preferable to different when indicating diversity without

emphasizing unlikeness. (Various—not different—actors have performed.)

where, when, in which, if Where indicates place (on the page where the rule is 

stated; in States where the rule is followed).

Where is not a substitute for when (when—not where—he refused to go to the office), for

in which (cases in which—not where—objections were filed), or for

if (if—not where—the evidence fails to show union animus, and if—not where—a case 

involves no real issues). 

while should be used only with strict literalness, in the sense of “during the time that,” and 

not in place of although or even though. 

whose may refer to things. (The trees whose leaves were falling.) 

56

Revised January 2000 
GOOD USAGE

RULES FOR SINGULAR AND PLURAL 

1. Affirmative. When one subject is affirmative and the other is negative, the verb agrees 

with the affirmative. (Your honesty, not your pleas, causes me to relent.) 

2. Agreement with subject. The number of the verb agrees with the subject. (The 

trouble with truth is its many varieties. Houses are a commodity.) 

3. Collective nouns. Such nouns as audience, majority, number, staff, and 

pair (as well as the pronoun some) require singular or plural verbs, depending on whether 

they are used in a singular or plural sense. (A slim majority was for it. A majority of the votes 

were no. The number of accidents is great. A number of men were hurt.) 

4. Compound subject. Two or more nouns joined by and take a plural verb, except 

that a singular verb is used when the sense is a single idea. (Bread and butter was all he had. 

Every window, picture, and mirror was smashed.) 

5. Either . . . or. If one subject is singular and the other is plural, the verb agrees with the 

nearer subject. (Either food or drinks are needed.) 

6. Indefinite pronouns. Anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, 

neither, nobody, no one, one, somebody, and someone usually take a singular verb. 

(Everyone takes off his coat.) 

7. Money, time, distances. An amount of money, a space of time, or a unit of 

measurement takes a singular verb. (Fifty cents is the price. Twenty years is a long time. Five 

miles is a long way to walk.) 

8. None takes a singular verb when it means “no one” or “not one.” (None of us is perfect.) 

It takes a plural verb when it suggests more than one. (None are so fallible as those who are 

sure they are right.) 

9. Plenty of. If abundance, plenty, rest, or a fraction is modified by a phrase 

introduced by of, the verb agrees with the noun in the phrase. (Plenty of potatoes are grown. 

One-fifth of the boats were lost.) 

10. Relative clause. A plural is used in a relative clause following one of. (One of those 

people who are never on time.) 

11. Words joined to subject. When other words are joined to a singular subject with 

along with, as long as, as well as, besides, except, in addition to, including, like, 

no less than, not alone, together with, or with, a singular verb is used. (His speech as 

well as his manner is objectionable.) 

57

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE

THE RIGHT PREPOSITION 

Errors are often made in choosing the right preposition to convey the intended 

meaning. Sometimes an unabridged dictionary must be consulted, because a desk 

dictionary may not be detailed enough to be helpful. 

—A— 

aberration from his usual course, of mind 

abhorrent of compromises, to reason 

ability at painting, with paints 

abut against the cliff, on the line he surveyed 

accessory after (or before) the fact, to a crime 

accommodate to the inconvenience, with a loan 

accompanied by their dog, with a smile 

accord between the two, of interest, with the rest 

accountable for a trust, to an employer 

acquiesce in the ruling 

acquit of a crime, with credit 

adapted for seating many, from a model, to heavy weather 

adept at good newswriting, in handicrafts 

adequate for the purpose, to the need 

advantage gained by skillful maneuvering, in the air, of birth, over me 

advise of his coming, with his friends 

advocate for his chief, of air power 

affinity between them, with their surroundings 

agree on a plan, to a proposal, with a person 

aggression upon a country 

aided by running sales, in the attempt 

alien from the one intended, to the topic, under consideration 

alienation between the classes, from such ideas, of affections 

allegiance from the people, to the government 

ally against the enemy, by economic agreements, of the student, with Greece 

aloof from success, in choosing loneliness 

alternate along the route, between study and work, in the leading role, with each 

other 

ambition for him to succeed, of returning to work 

amity between nations, of one nation with another 

amplify by illustrative remarks, on his remarks 

amused at (or by) his antics, us with his antics 

58

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

analogy between things, by metaphor, to their own works, with another

anesthetize by ether

anger at an insult or injustice, toward the insulter or offender

angry at an action, with a person

annoyed feel annoyed at (or with), be annoyed by

antipathy against (or to) a thing, between persons, toward a person

anxiety about the future, to succeed

anxious about a problem, for our happiness, to ameliorate the condition.

apathy of feeling, toward action

appreciation for the help, of fine shades of meaning, of his work

apprehensive for another’s safety, of danger

approximation of one type to another, to the truth

apropos of the preceding statement

argue about a question, for a proposition, with a person

arrive at a small town, in a large city

arrogate for another, to oneself

attest to the truth

augmentation of our numbers by enlistments

augmented by reinforcements

aversion to (or for) persons or things, from exercise

—B— 

basis for an argument, of conjecture

beguile by a sham, with an entertaining book

behalf a formal representative on behalf of, in behalf of a cause

break away from the narrowness, in relations, with precedent

—C— 

capacity for work, of 10 gallons, to sign a document 

careless about dress, in one’s work, of the feeling of others 

cause for alarm, of trouble 

chagrin at losing the opportunity 

circumstances in reduced circumstances, under the circumstances 

cleared my mind about the arrangement, at a loss, for top-secret work, snow from the 

walk, of all suspicion, through our committee, up after the rain, with the committee 

coalesce for the final thrust, into one, on a candidate 

colliding a car colliding with a truck (both in motion), waves colliding with the rocks 

compare to or with (now interchangeable) 

59

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

compatible with black and white sets 

compete for a prize, with others 

complacent (satisfied) toward his situation 

complaisant (obliging) toward all leaders 

complement of his extensive training 

complementary to his experience 

compliment on her outfit 

concentration of attention, on a problem 

concerned about the welfare of a friend, by the confusion, for somebody in trouble, in 

intrigues, not to disappoint the child, with business 

concur in a decision, with others 

confided in our discretion, his savings to me 

conform this regulation to existing practices, with the forested area 

conformity to his duty, with his ideals 

congenial to the spirit, with reason 

congratulate for keeping a cool head, on finding a job, his son upon his graduation 

connect by good roads with Hicksville 

connive at the violation of a law, with the officials 

conscious during the operation, of one’s faults 

consequent on the growth of nationalism, to a rise in production 

consist in respecting the opinion of others, of two parts 

consistent in everything we do, with her former statement 

consonant with his character 

contact among many, between two, of the mind, with literature 

contend against an obstacle, for what he believed was right, with his superior 

contiguous to a road 

contingent on the weather, on his presence 

contrast between this and that, of three to one, to his dark hair, with a brilliant student, 

words contrasted with his behavior 

convenient for a purpose or use, to a place 

conversant with his story 

correlation between two comparable entities, of the three items 

correlative with the other 

correspond to reality, with me regularly 

culminate in a fight 

—D— 

debar from taking his position 

60

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

decide in his favor, on their verdict

defect in a machine, of judgment or character

defend from harm, against intruders

deficiency in intelligence, of food

defile by an act, with a substance

depend on the accuracy, on their parents, upon effort and ability

derogate from his authority

derogation from his book, of his influence

desirous of learning, to ask his help

desist from trying, in his efforts

destined for the Orient, to be elected

destructive of health, to young trees

devolve from the emperor upon the subjects, in the strict order of seniority

differ about (or over) its success (a question), from his brother in taste, with you

differentiate among many, between two, this from that

disappointed in a person, plan, hope, result, with a thing

disdain for his actions, to reply

disgusted at an action, by a quality or habit, with a person

dislike of hard work, for Bach

dispense from your promise, with formalities, the law without bias

displace by force, from his country, position

displeased at a thing, with a person

dispossess from his land, of his property

disqualify for citizenship, from competition

dissension among friends, between friends, with the world

dissimilar from those defending him, to the others

distill from grain, out the impurities

distinguished by talent, for honesty, from another person or thing

distrustful of coincidences

diverted by the child’s playfulness, funds from the treasury to his own use

divest oneself of responsibility

divide by cutting, into parts

divorce between thought and action, from society

dominant in power or manner, over others

dominate by religion, over everyone

drenched in folklore, with sunlight, a drench of rain

—E— 

eager for success, to succeed 

61

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

educated concerning the needs of life, for living, in liberal arts

eligible for the presidency, to the office

embark in a new venture (to engage or invest), on a trip or new career (to make a start)

emigrate from a country

employ at a suitable wage, in a gainful pursuit

enamored of a person, with a scene

encouraged by success, another in his work

encroach on their rights

endowed with ability

enraged against (or with) a person, at an action

enter by the window, items in a ledger, into the spirit of it

entertained by persons, with their doings

entrusted to me, with the money

equal in qualities, to a task

equivalent (adj.) in volume, to saying no

equivalent (n.) of two doses

essential in study, to (or for) success, essentials of mathematics

estrangement from bourgeois life, of her son

example from history, of the split infinitive, to you

excuse (n.) for an action

excuse (v.) from an obligation

expect profit from investments, honesty of a person

experience for oneself, in (or of) travel

expert at chess, with knitting needles

—F— 

faced by alternatives, with ruin

familiar to us, with another person

fascinated by the results, with the furnishings

favorable for skating, to his proposal

fear of water, for another

flinch at the thought, from making the attempt

forbid him to go

freedom from incarceration, of our country, to speak

friend a friend of mine, a friend to the boy’s club

frighten at something threatening, away pigeons, by a sudden noise

frightened of the dark

62

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

—G— 

grieve after mourning, at the funeral, for her mother 

guard against peril, from a person 

—H— 

honored by your invitation, for his honesty, with an invitation 

hope for better times, of heaven 

—I— 

identical with past experiments

identify by credentials, to the police, with the man known to be innocent

immerse in hot water

immigrate to the United States

impatient at action, with persons

impose on (or upon) the guests

impress into service, a duty upon a child, wax with a die

impressed by her performance, with clarity

improve in hardiness, by grating, upon that plan

improvement in health, upon that

incentive for employees, to work fast

indulge in fattening foods, with the wrong crowd

indulgent of bad habits, to gambling activities

infiltrate into organized crime

infiltration of the area by the guerrillas

influence (v.) by actions, for good

influence (n.) of a good man over others, exercise influence upon others

inimical to the king, toward the enemy

initiate into action

innate defect in the argument

inquire into causes, of a person

inquiry about (or concerning) any destination, of a bystander

inroad into a battle

inseparable from birth

insert a change in a manuscript, bands of lace on the blouse

insight into the future

inspire by example, with courage

instill in a child, into beliefs

63

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

intent on pursuing, upon graduation

intention of the burglar, to steal the goods

intercede for a culprit, with a judge

intermediary between persons, in a dispute

intervene between sides, in the fight

intimacy of association, with persons

introduce to the judge, into evidence

intrude into the house, on all those busy people, upon her uninvited

inundate by letters, with pain

invest in stocks and bonds, with great power

—J— 

jealous of a person, of one’s good name, for their welfare 

justified in the murder 

—L— 

labor as a miner, at a task, for a cause, on the new treaty, through the foreign 

dictionary, under a handicap, up one flight of stairs, with tools 

laugh at the clown, away our troubles, him into some manners, off the threats as being 

baseless, caused him to laugh on the wrong side of his mouth, him out of town 

level a gun at, building levels to the ground, with you, line level with the horizon, 

leveled against the leaders, different levels down, trails leveled out 

liable for illegal acts, to prosecution 

liberal in his views, with praise 

live at a place, in a town, honor lives among men, by peddling, for science, on through 

his deeds, to a ripe age, up to that standard, with gusto, with the band leader 

—M— 

martyr to rheumatism, martyred for his beliefs

mastery in the field, of a craft, of the great artists, over his enemies

meddle in his affairs, with my things

militate against his promotion, in favor of progress

mock at a person, him for showing fear, be mocked with vain desires

—N— 

negligent about traffic regulations, in her support, of attention 

64

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

—O— 

oblivious of past slights, to the risks he runs

overlaid by folklore, with a thick veneer

overrun by rats, with weeds

overwhelm by demands, with bills

—P— 

parallel in history, to the edge, cases parallel with each other 

part from a person, with a thing 

persevere against opposition, in a pursuit 

persist against objection, for 2000, in an action, through generations 

piqued at something done to us, by ridicule, him to violent efforts 

plunge road plunges along the slope, into debt, into the water, through a crowd 

possessed by a passion, of a strong back, with a desire for money 

practice at smoking, in penmanship, of a profession 

precedent for subversive action, in organizing the group, of paying only himself 

predestined for the ministry, to die 

preface his speech with a vow, of the manuscript, to a great discovery 

pregnant by her lover, with meaning 

prejudice against alcoholic, for drinking, in favor of nonalcoholics 

prejudiced against the appeal, by campaigning 

prerequisite for voting, of a surgeon, to join 

prevail against force, in the carpet’s colors, over enemies, with her to go 

prevailed silence prevailed along the funeral route, upon her to sing, with youthful skill 

prohibit them from striking 

protest in protest against (or to) 

provide against disaster, for your college, with food and clothes 

put across his point, aside (or away) the book, the time at 5 o’clock, plants put forth 

leaves, in one’s opinion, in (or into) use, in (or into) water, on the table, a tax on 

cigarettes, wrong impression on events, minds to it, to work, up with, upon by his friends 

—R— 

replaced by an understandable English phrase, to replace it with a larger one 

repugnance between versions of testimony, of a person against another, to a deed or 

duty 

resemblance of one thing to another 

revenge for a hurt, on one’s enemies 

65

Revised January 2000 
 GOOD USAGE: The Right Preposition

—S— 

sanction for an act, of the law

solicitous about the crime rate, for her life, of the esteem of others, to please

strive against drawbacks, for excellence, to achieve, with no regrets

sympathetic to their needs, toward the dying, with the patients

sympathize in another’s mood, with a friend in trouble

sympathy for another, in his sorrow, with his desires

—T— 

talk to (speak to) one or more persons, with (converse with) one or more persons in a 

discussion 

taste for simplicity, in house furnishings, of honey 

thrill at the song of a thrush, with pleasure 

tolerance for sugar, of a diseased heart, to antibiotics 

tormented by shyness, with severe headaches 

—U— 

umbrage take umbrage at one’s rudeness, gave umbrage to someone by not sending an 

invitation 

unequal in qualities, to a task 

unfavorable for a new enterprise, to a calm discussion 

—V— 

variance with his superiors

vary from a rule, with the seasons

vest power is vested in a man, a man is vested with power

vexed at a thing, with a person

—W— 

wait for something to happen, on people at a table, until 6 o’clock 

worthy of note, to be called 

—Y— 

yearn for a loved one, with compassion 

yield of authority, to a sign 

66

Revised January 2000 
APPENDIX 1 (Popular Union Name—Official Name—Acronym) 

The popular names of AFL–CIO national and international unions (used in 

running heads in the Board’s bound volumes and in citations of Board cases) are 

followed by their official names and acronyms. The official names are listed 

alphabetically in appendix 2. 

Actors Equity: Actors’ Equity Association, AFL–CIO [AEA] 

Asbestos Workers: International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos 

Workers, AFL–CIO [AWIU] 

Auto Workers: United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America 

International Union, AFL–CIO [UAW] 

Bakery Workers: Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International 

Union, AFL–CIO [BCTGM] 

Boilermakers: International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, 

Forgers and Helpers, AFL–CIO [IBB] 

Bricklayers: International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, AFL–CIO [BAC] 

Carpenters: United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, AFL–CIO [UBC] 

Communications Workers: Communications Workers of America, AFL–CIO [CWA] 

Electrical Workers: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL–CIO [IBEW] 

Electronic Workers: International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and 

Furniture Workers, AFL–CIO [IUE] 

Elevator Constructors: International Union of Elevator Constructors, AFL–CIO [IUEC] 

Flint Glass Workers: American Flint Glass Workers Union, AFL–CIO [AFGWU] 

Food & Commercial Workers: United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 

AFL–CIO [UFCW] 

Glass & Pottery Workers: Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers 

International Union, AFL–CIO [GMP] 

Graphic Communications Workers: Graphic Communications International Union, 

AFL–CIO [GCIU] 

Hotel & Restaurant Employees: Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International 

Union, AFL–CIO [HERE] 

Iron Workers: International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing 

Iron Workers, AFL–CIO 

Laborers: Laborers’ International Union of North America, AFL–CIO [LIUNA] 

Laundry Workers: Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union, AFL–CIO 

Longshoremen ILA: International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL–CIO [ILA] 

Longshoremen ILWU: International Longshore and Warehouse Union, AFL–CIO [ILWU] 

Machinists: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL–CIO [IAM] 

Mine Workers: United Mine Workers of America, AFL–CIO [UMWA] 

Musical Artists: American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL–CIO [AGMA] 

Musicians: American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, AFL–CIO 

[AFM] 

Needletrades Employees: Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, 

AFL–CIO [UNITE!] 

67

Revised January 2000 
 APPENDIX 1 ( Popular Union Name—Official Name—Acronym) 

Novelty Workers: International Union of Allied Novelty and Production Workers, AFL–CIO 

Office Employees: Office and Professional Employees International Union, AFL–CIO 

[OPEIU] 

Operating Engineers: International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL–CIO [IUOE] 

PACE: PACE International Union, AFL–CIO [PACE] 

Painters: International Union of Painters and Allied Trades of the United States and 

Canada, AFL–CIO 

Plasterers: Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association of the 

United States and Canada, AFL–CIO [OP&CMIA] 

Plate Printers: International Plate Printers, Die Stampers and Engravers Union of North 

America, AFL–CIO 

Plumbers: United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe 

Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, AFL–CIO [UA] 

Postal Workers: American Postal Workers Union, AFL–CIO [APWU] 

Professional Engineers: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, 

AFL–CIO [IFPTE] 

Professional Athletes: Federation of Professional Athletes, AFL–CIO 

Radio Employees ARA: American Radio Association, AFL–CIO [ARA] 

Roofers: United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, AFL–CIO 

Screen Actors: Screen Actors Guild, AFL–CIO [SAG] 

Seafarers: Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL–CIO [SIU] 

Service Employees: Service Employees International Union, AFL–CIO [SEIU] 

SEIU District 1199: Service Employees International Union, District 1199, AFL–CIO [SEIU] 

Sheet Metal Workers: Sheet Metal Workers International Association, AFL–CIO [SMWIA] 

Stage Employees IATSE: International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees and 

Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada, 

AFL–CIO [IATSE] 

State County Employees AFSCME: American Federation of State, County and Municipal 

Employees, AFL–CIO [AFSCME] 

Steelworkers: United Steelworkers of America, AFL–CIO [USWA] 

Teamsters: International Brotherhood of Teamsters, AFL–CIO [IBT] 

Teachers AFT: American Federation of Teachers, AFL–CIO [AFT] 

Television Artists AFTRA: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL–CIO 

[AFTRA] 

Utility Workers: Utility Workers Union of America, AFL–CIO [UWUA] 

Variety Artists: American Guild of Variety Artists, AFL–CIO [AGVA] 

68

Revised January 2000 
APPENDIX 2 (Official Union Name—Popular Name—Acronym) 

Actors’ Equity Association, AFL–CIO: Actors Equity [AEA] 

American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, AFL–CIO: 

Musicians [AFM] 

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL–CIO: State 

County Employees AFSCME 

American Federation of Teachers, AFL–CIO: Teachers AFT

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL–CIO: Television Artists

AFTRA 

American Flint Glass Workers Union, AFL–CIO: Flint Glass Workers [AFGWU] 

American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL–CIO: Musical Artists [AGMA] 

American Guild of Variety Artists, AFL–CIO: Variety Artists [AGVA] 

American Postal Workers Union, AFL–CIO: Postal Workers [APWU] 

American Radio Association, AFL–CIO: Radio Employees ARA 

Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, 

AFL–CIO: Bakery Workers [BCTGM] 

Communications Workers of America, AFL–CIO: Communications Workers [CWA] 

Federation of Professional Athletes, AFL–CIO: Professional Athletes 

Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union, AFL–CIO: 

Glass & Pottery Workers [GMP] 

Graphic Communications International Union, AFL–CIO: Graphic Communications 

Workers [GCIU] 

Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union, AFL–CIO: Hotel & 

Restaurant Employees [HERE] 

International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees and Moving Picture Technicians, 

Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada, AFL–CIO: Stage 

Employees IATSE 

International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron 

Workers, AFL–CIO: Iron Workers 

International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers, 

AFL–CIO: Asbestos Workers [AWIU] 

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL–CIO: Machinists 

[IAM] 

Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers, AFL–CIO: 

Boilermakers [IBB] 

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL–CIO: Electrical Workers [IBEW] 

International Brotherhood of Teamsters, AFL–CIO: Teamsters [IBT] 

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL–CIO: 

Professional Engineers [IFPTE] 

International Longshore and Warehouse Union, AFL–CIO: Longshoremen ILWU 

International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL–CIO: Longshoremen ILA 

International Plate Printers, Die Stampers and Engravers Union of North America, 

AFL–CIO: Plate Printers 

69

Revised January 2000 
 APPENDIX 2 (Official Union Name—Popular Name—Acronym) 

International Union of Allied Novelty and Production Workers, AFL–CIO: Novelty 

Workers 

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, AFL–CIO: Bricklayers [BAC] 

International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers, 

AFL–CIO: Electronic Workers [IUE] 

International Union of Elevator Constructors, AFL–CIO: Elevator Constructors [IUEC] 

International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL–CIO: Operating Engineers [IUOE] 

International Union of Painters and Allied Trades of the United States and Canada, 

AFL–CIO: Painters 

Laborers’ International Union of North America, AFL–CIO: Laborers [LIUNA] 

Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union, AFL–CIO: Laundry Workers 

Office and Professional Employees International Union, AFL–CIO: Office Employees 

[OPEIU] 

Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association of the United 

States and Canada, AFL–CIO: Plasterers [OP&CMIA] 

PACE International Union, AFL–CIO: PACE 

Screen Actors Guild, AFL–CIO: Screen Actors [SAG] 

Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL–CIO: Seafarers [SIU] 

Service Employees International Union, AFL–CIO: Service Employees [SEIU] 

Service Employees International Union, District 1199, AFL–CIO: SEIU District 1199 

[SEIU] 

Sheet Metal Workers International Association, AFL–CIO: Sheet Metal Workers 

[SMWIA] 

Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, AFL–CIO: Needletrades 

Employees [UNITE!] 

United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry 

of the United States and Canada, AFL–CIO: Plumbers [UA] 

United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America 

International Union, AFL–CIO: Auto Workers [UAW] 

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, AFL–CIO: Carpenters 

[UBC] 

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, AFL–CIO: Food & 

Commercial Workers [UFCW] 

United Mine Workers of America, AFL–CIO: Mine Workers [UMWA] 

United Steelworkers of America, AFL–CIO: Steelworkers [USWA] 

United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, AFL–CIO: Roofers 

Utility Workers Union of America, AFL–CIO: Utility Workers [UWUA] 

70

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST 

This index is to the Rules of Citation on pages 1–8 and to the words and 

phrases treated on pages 9–66 of the Style Manual rules, showing good usage, 

abbreviations, plurals, italicizing, punctuation, appropriate prepositions, etc. 

The word list can be used as a dictionary, for spelling, capitalization, and 

compounding of words, and as a quick reference to the manual rules. 

Appendixes 1 and 2 on pages 67–70 contain of lists of unions, first by popular 

names (as used in case citations) and next by their official names. 

A

a 401(k) provision ........................................20

a eulogy .........................................................48

a fortiori

not italicized .............................................49

for still stronger reason (preferred) .........49

a girl 5 feet 6..................................................26

a historic event ............................................48

A majority of the votes were no. .................57

a man ............................................................48

A number of men were hurt. .......................57

a one-way ticket............................................48

A slim majority was for it. ...........................57

a thousand and one reasons .......................27

a TWA schedule ...........................................48

a UNESCO project ........................................48

a union...........................................................48

a WMAL program ..........................................48

a year or two .................................................26

a, b, and c .....................................................35

A.D. 1066; 429 B.C. ......................................25

a.m., p.m....................................................9, 25

a’s, A’s (plurals) ...........................................32

abbreviations

addresses in footnotes ..............................9

addresses in parentheses ..........................9

government terms ......................................9

in footnotes................................................10

in names ...................................................10

in parenthesis............................................10

Jr. Sr. (comma omitted before) ................10

months of year...........................................10

Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss (not used in text) ........10

Postal Service..............................................9

standard.......................................................9

State names .................................................9

abbreviations in citations

case history ..........................................2, 10

e.g., as signal...............................................6

id., ibid. (repeating signals)........................6

in running heads ........................................2

names of parties....................................2, 10

par. ¶, sec. § ..............................................10

State names in district court cases ...........1

words not abbreviated ...............................2

ABCs .............................................................29

aberration from, of .....................................58

abhorrent of, to ..........................................58

ability at, with .............................................58

about 200 ......................................................27

about 6 acres ................................................26

above (preferred over supra) .................6, 49

above-mentioned company .........................18

above-named union .....................................18

abridge, abridgment ..............................45, 48

absence .........................................................45

abstract (in lowercase) ................................13

abundance of (use sing. or pl. verb) ...........57

abut against, on .........................................58

accede ...........................................................45

accessible......................................................46

accessory after, before, to ........................58

accommodate ...............................................45

accommodate to, with ...............................58

accompanied by, with ................................58

accord between, of, with ...........................58

accord (as signal) ..........................................6

according to, claimed ..................................53

accountable for, to .....................................58

71

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

acknowledge, acknowledgment ............45, 48

acknowledged (attribution) ..........................53

acquaintance’ sake.......................................31

acquiesce in ...............................................58

acquit of, with ............................................58

acronym (written solid, no periods) ...........39

Act (NLRA).............................................1, 7, 11

ad hoc (not italicized) ...................................50

Adams [arrived] late. ...................................33

adapted for, from, to ..................................58

added (attribution) .......................................53

addenda (sing. & pl.) ....................................28

addible...........................................................46

adept at, in ..................................................58

adequate for, to ..........................................58

adieu, adieus.................................................28

adjuster .........................................................45

administrative law judge ..............................11

Administrative Law Judge Jane Doe,

or Judge Doe .............................................11

Administrative Procedure Act (APA) ............8

admissible ....................................................46

admitted (attribution) ...................................53

advantage by, in, of, over ..........................58

adverb (splitting verb) .................................53

advertise........................................................47

advise ...........................................................47

advise of, with ............................................58

adviser...........................................................45

Advisory Opinion .........................................11

advocate for, of ..........................................58

affd., affirmed............................................2, 10

affect, effect .................................................53

affg., affirming...........................................2, 10

affinity between, with ................................58

AFL–CIO

popular names listed ...............................67

official names listed .................................69

omit comma after .....................................36

with en dash .............................................38

aforecited (avoid)..........................................51

aforementioned (avoid) ................................51

aforesaid (avoid) ..........................................51

African American .........................................21

After the word “man,” insert a colon. .........41

aftercare ........................................................16

against the Company, the Respondent ......39

against the Union, the Respondent ............39

age 70 ...........................................................25

age of 3 .........................................................25

Agency (NLRB) .............................................11

agenda, agendas ..........................................28

agent (NLRB).................................................11

aggression upon ........................................58

agonize ..........................................................47

agree on, to, with ......................................58

agreed-upon method ...................................18

agreement (bargaining) ...............................11

aided by, in .................................................58

Air Force One ................................................27

air-conditioned room ...................................18

aircraft (italicize name) ................................50

Ala., AL ...........................................................9

Alaska, AK ......................................................9

albino, albinos ..............................................28

alien from, to, under ..................................58

alienation between, from, of .....................58

align ...............................................................45

All employees who participated in the

strike were summarily discharged. .........35

all of, both of ................................................53

all right ..........................................................45

all times material herein (avoid) .................52

all-around ...............................................19, 45

allegiance from, to .....................................58

allude to, refer to ..........................................53

ally against, by, of, with .............................58

along the line of (avoid)................................52

along with (use sing. verb) ..........................57

aloof from, in ..............................................58

ALR2d, American Law Reports .....................7

also-rans .......................................................30

alter ego (not italicized) ...............................49

alternate along, between, in, with .............58

although, even though, though....................53

alumni ............................................................28

alumnus (m. or f.) .........................................53

Am.Jur. 2d, Agency ........................................7

ambition for, of ...........................................58

amendment 5 (in lowercase) .......................13

American Law Reports (ALR2d) ....................7

American owned and managed firms .........19

American Potash rule ..................................50

American Usage and Style, Copperud 18, 54

amicus curiae (not italicized) ......................49

amity between, of, with ............................58

among other things (preferred over

inter alia) ....................................................49

72

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

among others (preferred over inter alia) ...49

among, between ...........................................53

amoral ...........................................................16

ampersand, & .........................................10, 29

in authors' names......................................34

in citations ............................................1, 10

in footnotes ...............................................29

in running heads ........................................2

amplify by, on .............................................58

amused at, by, with ....................................58

an AFL–CIO study ........................................48

an aunt ..........................................................48

an event ........................................................48

an FDA finding .............................................48

an hour .........................................................48

an NLRB decision ........................................48

an onion ........................................................48

an unusual one ............................................48

analogous .....................................................45

analogy between, by, to, with ...................59

analysis, analyses ........................................29

and/or (avoid)................................................51

anesthetize by ............................................59

anger at, toward..........................................59

Anglomania ..................................................16

angry at, with .............................................59

announced (attribution)................................53

annoyed at, with, by ...................................59

Annual Report, NLRB ....................................7

anomalous ....................................................45

answer (in the case) .....................................11

answered (attribution) .................................53

antebellum days............................................20

antedate ........................................................16

antenna, antennas .......................................28

ante-Norman .................................................16

anti-inflation .................................................17

antipathy against, to, between, toward ....59

anti-Semitic ..................................................16

antitrust ........................................................16

antiunion ......................................................15

anxiety about, to ........................................59

anxious about, for, to ................................59

any one year .................................................26

anyone ..........................................................17

anybody.........................................................17

anything ........................................................17

anywhere .......................................................17

APA, Administrative Procedure Act ..............8

apathy of, toward .......................................59

apostrophe

add ’ or ’s for possessive ....................31

joint possession .......................................31

not used when words more descriptive 

than possessives ..................................32

plural of lowercase abbreviations ...........32

plural of single figures and letters ..........32

plural of symbols.......................................32

possessive of general terms ...................31

possessive of indefinite pronouns ..........31

other uses ..................................................32

when not used in abbreviations...............32

app. apps., appendix, appendixes ..............10

appeal (spell out in citation) ..........................2

appearance’ sake .........................................31

appendix C (in lowercase)............................13

appendix, appendixes ..................................28

appreciation for, of ....................................59

apprehensible ..............................................46

apprehensive for, of ...................................59

apprise ..........................................................47

approximation of, to ..................................59

apropos of ..................................................59

aquarium, aquariums....................................28

Arabic (not Roman) numerals for volume

numbers. .....................................................8

Arabic numerals substituted for large

Roman numerals and for all volume 

numbers. ...............................................8, 27

areawide ........................................................16

argue about, for, with ................................59

argued (attribution).......................................53

argued (spell out in citation) .........................2

arguendo

not italicized .............................................49

for sake of argument (preferred) .............49

arise ..............................................................47

Ariz., AZ ..........................................................9

Ark., AR ...........................................................9

arm’s length .................................................31

arm’s-length agreement ..............................18

armadillo, armadillos ...................................28

arrive at, in ..................................................59

arrogate for, to ...........................................59

art. arts., article(s) ........................................10

article 1, section 3 (in lowercase) ...........8, 13

article and section (lowercase in

references) ............................................8, 13

73

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

article titles 

in newspapers, italicized .....................8, 50

in periodicals, italicized .......................8, 50

articles (indefinite)

a an the ..................................................13

before vowels and consonants, 

examples ...............................................48

not capitalized in headings and titles......13

as far as I am concerned (avoid) .................52

As he watches, they arriv[e] in a truck

and the violence resumes. .......................44

as long as (use sing. verb) ..........................57

as to (avoid) ..................................................53

as well as (use sing. verb) ...........................57

As you would expect, Brown did. ...............36

as, as if, as though, like ...............................55

as, because, since .......................................54

asserted (attribution) ...................................53

assistant attorneys general..........................29

assistant chiefs of staff ...............................29

assistant comptrollers general ...................29

assistant professor.......................................21

Assn., Association .......................2, 10, 32, 40

assure, ensure, insure..................................54

at (instead of p. or pp.)

at 352–353 .................................................26

in case citations .........................................1

in repeating signals.....................................6

at about, at approximately (avoid) ..............52

at all times (avoid) ........................................52

at such time as (avoid) ................................52

at the present time (avoid) ...........................52

atomic energy project ..................................20

attest to .......................................................59

attorney, attorneys .......................................28

attorney at law ..............................................19

attorney at law’s fee ....................................31

attorney general ...........................................21

attorney general’s appointments ................31

attorneys at law.............................................29

attorneys general..........................................29

audible...........................................................46

audience (collective noun) ..........................57

augmentation of, by ..................................59

augmented by ............................................59

author’s alteration .......................................31

authors (omit given name and initials) .........7

authors' surnames (not italicized) ..............50

auto, autos ...................................................28

Ave., Avenue (address) ..................................9

aversion to, for, from .................................59

avocado, avocados.......................................28

avoid Latin expressions ..............................49

avoid legalese ..............................................51

avoid wordy phrases ...................................52

B

B52, B52s ......................................................29

Bach, Bachs .................................................28

backpay .........................................................15

bade, bid .......................................................54

bag, bagging, baggage.................................47

balance, rest, remainder...............................53

banjo, banjos ................................................28

bargaining unit employees...........................20

basis for, of ................................................59

basis, bases .................................................29

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Company

(BRICO) .....................................................39

Battle of Lexington ......................................12

beau, beaus ..................................................28

because, since, as .......................................54

beguile by, with ..........................................59

behalf on, in ...............................................59

believe ...........................................................47

bell-like .........................................................16

below (preferred over infra) ...................6, 49

benefited .......................................................45

beside, besides ............................................54

besides (use sing. verb) ..............................57

best liked books ...........................................20

bestseller ......................................................20

better drained roof .......................................20

better paying job ...........................................20

between 1995 and 1996 ...............................39

between 1995–1996 (avoid)..........................39

between, among............................................53

biannual ........................................................16

bid, bade .......................................................54

bills of fare ...................................................29

biweekly ........................................................15

Blackie [Charles Black] was coming

toward him. ...............................................44

blacklist ........................................................15

block quotation

emphasis added .......................................43

indentation ................................................43

74

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

long quote, four or more lines .................43

placement of citation ...............................43

run-on sentence (no colon) .....................43

short quote (for emphasis) ......................43

blowout .........................................................16

blue-pencil ....................................................19

blueprint .......................................................15

Blvd., Boulevard (address).............................9

BNA LA, labor arbitration ...............................7

Board (NLRB)............................................1, 11

Board agent ..................................................11

Board Agent Jane Doe .................................11

Board citations (always include year) ...........5

Board Member ........................................11, 13

Board volumes................................................1

Board, citation of ...........................................1

Board’s Annual Report ..................................7

Board’s Rules ...............................................11

Board’s Rules and Regulations ....................7

Board-conducted election............................18

bona fide (not italicized) ..............................50

bona fide transaction ...................................20

book 2 (in lowercase) ..................................13

book titles (italicized) ...................................50

bookkeeper ...................................................15

books

authors not italicized .................................8

titles italicized........................................8, 41

bookseller .....................................................15

bookstore .....................................................15

both of, all of ................................................53

Br., brief, e.g., (Br. at 17) ............................10

brackets

changing case ..........................................33

emphasis added .................................33, 43

general rules..............................................33

information inserted..................................33

significant errors, note or correct ...........33

insignificant typographical errors, 

correct without notation .......................33

placement .................................................33

branch, judicial ............................................12

branch, legislative .......................................12

brass-smith ..................................................16

Bread and butter was all he had. ................57

break away, in, with ...................................59

break down (v.) ............................................15

breakdown (n.) .............................................15

breaktime ......................................................15

Bridge, 14th Street .........................................9

Bridge, Ninth Avenue......................................9

brief, Br. e.g., Union's brief (at 17) .............10

Bros., Brothers .........................................2, 10

brothers-in-law .............................................29

Brown & Nelson’s store ...............................31

Brown of Texas’ motion ..............................31

bull. bulls., bulletin(s) ..................................10

bulletin 725....................................................26

bus, buses.....................................................28

buses .............................................................45

Bush, Bushes ...............................................28

Business Agent Gore....................................13

but see (as signal)...........................................6

but see, e.g. (as signal) .................................6

but, however .................................................55

buzz, buzzes .................................................28

by and large ..................................................17

by means of (avoid) .....................................52

by the name of (avoid) .................................52

by-election ....................................................17

bylaws ...........................................................15

bypass ...........................................................16

by-product ....................................................17

C

C.J.S., Agency.................................................7

c.o.d. .............................................................40

c.o.d.’s (plural) .............................................32

C.P.A.s ..........................................................29

cactus, cactuses ...........................................28

Cal., CA ...........................................................9

calendar ........................................................45

cameo, cameos .............................................28

can’ts and won’ts .........................................29

canceled ........................................................45

cancellation...................................................45

candor ...........................................................45

cannot ...........................................................45

capacity for, of, to ......................................59

Cape of Good Hope .....................................12

capitalization

at NLRB, in lowercase...............................11

at NLRB, in uppercase .............................11

common names.........................................12

events and holidays .................................12

foreign names............................................12

general rules..............................................11

75

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

geographic places ....................................12

governmental units ..................................12

lowercase dockside terms .......................12

lowercase references................................13

lowercase seasons, directions ................12

lowercase the before firm names,

newspapers, vessels ............................12

proper names ...........................................11

titles and headings, except certain

words of four or fewer letters ...............13

titles of prominent persons ......................13

titles of supervisors, officials...................13

employee designation (in lowercase)......13

Cappelli & Rogovsky, Ind. & Labor

Rel. Rev. ......................................................7

caption in JD (no footnote reference mark) 23

cardinal numbers..........................................25

careless about, in, of .................................59

Case 26–CA–4219 (with en dashes, not

hyphens) ....................................................38

case citations

always include the year ..........................1, 2

cite Board as NLRB ....................................2

cite court district, not division ..............1, 4

cite first page number and page 

numbers of cited footnotes ....................1

cite only first party on either side ..............2

denial of certiorari ......................................1

denial of rehearing .....................................1

dissenting opinion .....................................1

enfd. mem. (no published opinion)............1

footnote(s), fn. fns. .....................................1

illustrations..................................................1

Inc. and Ltd., when omitted .......................2

include relevant page numbers when

appropriate ..............................................8

inserting company name after

union name ...........................1, 2, 3, 5, 50

introductory signals ...................................6

italicize names of parties .....................1, 50

multiple citations separated by

semicolons...............................................1

omit d/b/a and preceding name(s) ...........2

omit et al. or etc. ......................................2

omit given names and initials of

individuals ...............................................2

omitting footnotes in quotation ................1

parallel citations, when used ....................1

per curiam decision ....................................1

place citation in text, before or after 

block quotation .....................................43

Postal Service, omit U.S. ...........................2

repeating signals.........................................6

running head rules .....................................2

shortening company names ......................2

case, often used unnecessarily (rewrite

sentence) ..................................................54

case-by-case ................................................19

Casehandling Manual, NLRB ........................7

case-in-chief .................................................19

cases cited therein (avoid) ..........................52

cash-flow problem .......................................18

catalog...........................................................45

catchall ..........................................................15

cause for, of ...............................................59

caveat (not italicized)....................................50

CBS (no periods) ..........................................40

cease-and-desist order.................................18

ceiling ............................................................47

cert., certiorari ..........................................2, 10

cf. (as signal)

compare (preferred) .............................6, 50

not italicized .........................................6, 50

CFR, Code of Federal Regulations ...............7

ch. chs., chapter(s) ......................................10

chagrin at ...................................................59

chagrin, chagrined........................................47

Chairman (NLRB) .........................................13

Chairman, the (NLRB) ..................................11

chairman, the ...............................................13

Chairman Collier ..........................................13

Chairman Jane Doe .....................................11

change, changeable, changeless,

changing ....................................................48

channeled......................................................45

chapter 2 .......................................................26

chapter titles (in quotation marks) ..............41

chapter(s), ch. chs. ......................................10

charge (in the case) .....................................11

charging party exhibit, CP Exh. ..................10

Charging Party, the (in the case) ................11

Charles White Jr. .........................................37

Charles White Jr.’s account ........................31

Charles White Sr. .........................................37

chassis (sing. & pl.) .....................................29

chastise .........................................................47

check off (v.) .................................................15

checkoff (n.) .................................................15

76

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

check out (v.) ................................................15

checkout (n.) ................................................15

Chief Peters (supervisor) ............................13

child welfare plan..........................................20

children’s hospital .......................................32

chimney, chimneys.......................................28

church and state ...........................................12

Cir. (circuit court)..........................................10

Cir., Circle (address).......................................9

circuit court decisions................................1, 4

circumnavigate ............................................16

circumscribe ................................................47

circumstances in, under ............................59

citation of books and treatises (omit

given names and initials of authors) ........7

citation of cases (always include the year) 1

cite first company name, even if a division 2

city, cities .....................................................28

civil rights case.............................................20

civil service examination .............................20

cl. cls., clause(s) ..........................................10

claimed, according to ..................................53

class of ’82 ...................................................27

clause(s), cl. cls. ..........................................10

cleared about, at, for, from, of, through,

up, with .....................................................59

clock time ......................................................25

clockwise ......................................................16

closed-shop provision .................................18

Co., Company ...........................................2, 10

coalesce for, into, on .................................59

coats of arms ...............................................29

coercible .......................................................46

coexist ..........................................................16

coffeebreak ...................................................15

coffeetime......................................................15

cohesible .......................................................46

cold-shoulder................................................19

collapsible ....................................................46

collectible ......................................................46

collective-bargaining agreement ................18

colliding with .............................................59

Colo., CO ........................................................9

colon

introduce formally ....................................34

list or amplify ............................................34

salutation and time....................................34

when not used ..........................................34

column(s), col. cols. ....................................10

combustible ..................................................46

come-ons ......................................................30

comma

before and after Esq. etc. i.e. e.g. 

et al. .......................................................36

before and after academic degrees .........36

general rules .............................................36

in series, comma before and ..................35

to separate series of modifiers ...............35

with abbreviations ....................................36

with nonrestrictive clause ........................35

no comma after question mark ................37

omit after city, State, or date used as

modifier .................................................36

omit after Inc. and AFL–CIO ....................36

omit with restrictive clause ......................35

omit before Jr., Sr. ..............................10, 37

other omissions.........................................37

commented (attribution) ..............................53

commingle ....................................................45

commit, committal, committed, committing47

commitment .................................................47

common sense (n.) ......................................15

commonsense (adj.) ....................................15

common-law right ........................................18

community-of-interest contention...............18

company rule ................................................11

Company, the (in the case) ........................11

companywide ................................................15

compare to, with ........................................59

compare, as signal (preferred over cf.) .......6

compatible.....................................................46

compatible with ..........................................60

compete for, with .......................................60

complacent toward ....................................60

complaint (in the case) ................................11

complaisant toward ...................................60

complement of ...........................................60

complementary to ......................................60

compliment on ...........................................60

compound words

capital letter and other hyphenated 

prefixes ..................................................19

hyphen in prefix.........................................17

hyphenated modifier before nouns .........18

hyphenated numbers 21 to 99 when

spelled out .............................................19

hyphenated prefix in titles .......................19

hyphenated spelled-out fractions ............19

77

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

hyphenated verbs......................................19

no hyphen in person’s title except for

combined offices ..................................21

no hyphen when meaning clear ...............20

no hyphen with adverb ending in ly .......20

no hyphen with comparative first

element ..................................................20

no hyphen with participle in last

element ..................................................20

prefix before capitalized word .................16

prefix that would double vowel ...............17

solid pronouns and adverbs.....................17

solid with prefix ........................................16

solid with suffix, exceptions ...................16

three or more words .................................19

use en dash in compound titles when

needed for clarity...................................38

when modifier is foreign phrase ..............20

with common basic element ...................19

with proper-name modifiers .....................21

written solid, no periods ..........................15

comprehensible ...........................................46

compressible ................................................46

comprise .......................................................47

comprise, include, consist of, are ..............55

compromise .................................................47

comptroller general’s decision ...................31

computer-based records .............................18

concealed (attribution) ................................53

conceded (attribution) .................................53

conceit ..........................................................47

concentration of, on ..................................60

concerned about, by, for, in, to, with .......60

Conclusions of Law (in the decision)..........11

concur in, with ...........................................60

confided in, to ............................................60

conflicts of interest ......................................29

conform to, with .........................................60

conformity to, with .....................................60

Cong.Rec., Congressional Record ................8

congenial to, with ......................................60

congratulate for, on, upon ........................60

Congress attitude ........................................32

Congress, the ...............................................12

Congress’ .....................................................31

Congressional Record

daily edition ................................................8

permanent edition ......................................8

conjunctions

and as both but if nor or than that 

when ......................................................13

not capitalized in headings and titles ......13

Conn., CT ........................................................9

connect by, with .........................................60

connive at, with ..........................................60

connote, denote ...........................................54

conscience’ sake .........................................31

conscious during, of ..................................60

Consent Election Agreement ......................11

consequent on, to ......................................60

consist in, of ...............................................60

consist of, comprise, are, include ..............55

consistent in, with .....................................60

consonant with ..........................................60

Constitution, U.S., cited ................................8

consummate .................................................45

contact among, between, of, with .............60

contemptible ................................................46

contend against, for, with .........................60

contested-election cases ............................18

contiguous to .............................................60

contingent on .............................................60

continued (attribution)..................................53

contra (as signal) ...........................................6

contraband ....................................................16

contract-bar issues.......................................18

contractible ..................................................46

contrast between, of, to, with ...................60

controvertible................................................46

convenient for, to .......................................60

conversant with .........................................60

converter .......................................................45

convertible ....................................................46

conveyor .......................................................45

convincible ....................................................46

co-op .............................................................17

cooperate ......................................................17

coordinate ....................................................17

co-owner .......................................................17

Copperud, American Usage and Style 18, 54

corollary ........................................................45

Corp., Corporation....................................2, 10

corps’ ............................................................31

correlation between, of ..............................60

correlative with ..........................................60

correspond to, with ...................................60

corrigible ......................................................46

corrodible ......................................................46

78

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

corruptible.....................................................46

cost-effective analysis..................................18

counsel (sing. & pl.) .....................................29

counseled .....................................................45

counselor .....................................................45

counterman ...................................................15

counteroffer ..................................................15

counterproposal ..........................................15

countersink ..................................................16

countervailing ..............................................45

courage, courageous ...................................48

court (any lower court) ................................11

court citations (always include the year) ......3

Court (U.S. Supreme Court) ........................11

Court, the (U.S. Supreme Court) .................12

Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,

United States ............................................12

court of appeals, the ....................................12

court, the (lower court) ................................12

courthouse ....................................................15

courts-martial................................................29

coworker .......................................................15

CP Exh., charging party exhibit ..................10

credence .......................................................45

credible....................................................45, 46

credulity.........................................................45

credulous .....................................................45

crisis, crises..................................................29

criteria ...........................................................28

cross out the 6’s ..........................................27

cross-examine...............................................15

cross-file........................................................19

cross-reference.............................................15

cross-reference (use p. for page number) 8

crucible .........................................................46

Ct., Court (address) .......................................9

culminate in ................................................60

cupful, cupfuls .............................................29

curriculum, curricula ...................................28

cutoff .............................................................16

D

D. (district court)...........................................10

D.C., DC ..........................................................9

d/b/a, doing business as ..............................10

d/b/a, omit with preceding name(s) in

case citation ...............................................2

Dallas, Texas facility ....................................36

Dallas, where he was born, is a thriving 

metropolis. ................................................35

dash

uses of em dash .......................................38

uses of en dash .........................................38

use en dash in compound titles when 

needed for clarity...................................38

when en dash not used.............................39

data (sing. & pl.)............................................28

dates in figures ............................................25

day’s labor.....................................................31

day-to-day occurrence .................................18

Dayton, Ohio suburbs...................................36

de facto (not italicized) ................................49

de jure (not italicized) ..................................49

de minimis (not italicized) ............................49

de novo (not italicized) ................................49

Dear Sir: .......................................................34

debar from ..................................................60

deceive...........................................................47

decide in, on ...............................................61

decimals in figures .......................................26

Decision and Determination of Dispute .....11

Decision and Order.......................................11

Decision on Review .....................................11

Decision, Order, and Direction of Election 11

decision (in the case) ..................................11

decision, 5–to–4 ...........................................19

decision making............................................45

decision-making process ............................18

declared (attribution) ...................................53

deducible.......................................................46

deductible .....................................................46

deemphasis ...................................................15

deescalate .....................................................17

defeasible ......................................................46

defect in, of .................................................61

defend from, against ..................................61

defendant ......................................................45

defensible .....................................................46

deficiency in, of ..........................................61

defile by, with .............................................61

defy, defiance, defied, defying ....................48

deign .............................................................47

deity ...............................................................47

Del., DE ...........................................................9

demise ...........................................................47

demitasse ......................................................16

denied (attribution) ......................................53

79

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

denied (spell out in citation) ..........................2

denying (spell out in citation) ........................2

denote, connote ............................................54

department, executive (lowercase) .............12

depend on, upon ........................................61

dependent .....................................................45

deputy sheriffs .............................................29

deputy surgeons general ............................29

derogate from .............................................61

derogation from, of ....................................61

desalinize .....................................................16

descendant ...................................................45

descendible...................................................46

desirous of, to ............................................61

desist from, in ............................................61

despise ..........................................................47

despite the fact that (avoid) .........................52

destined for, to ...........................................61

destructible ..................................................46

destructive of, to ........................................61

devise ...........................................................47

devolve from, in, upon ...............................61

dictum (not italicized) ..................................50

diemaker........................................................15

diesinker........................................................15

differ about, from, over, with ....................61

different, various...........................................56

differentiate among, between, from .........61

diffusible .......................................................46

digestible.......................................................46

diminutive......................................................45

Director Morgan ...........................................13

disappointed in, with .................................61

discernible...............................................45, 46

disclosed (attribution) ..................................53

disdain for, to .............................................61

disembark .....................................................16

disfranchise ..................................................47

disguise .........................................................47

disgusted at, by, with ................................61

disingenuous ...............................................45

dislike of, for ..............................................61

dismissed (spell out in citation) ...................2

dismissing (spell out in citation) ..................2

dispense from, with, without ....................61

displace by, from .......................................61

displeased at, with .....................................61

dispossess from, of ...................................61

disqualify for, from ....................................61

dissension among, between, with ............61

dissimilar from, to ......................................61

distances (use sing. verb) ...........................57

distill from, out ..........................................61

distinguished by, for, from ........................61

distractible ....................................................46

district court decisions ..............................1, 4

district court, cite district, not division ....1, 4

district court citations (traditional

abbreviations of State names)....................9

District, the (D.C.) ........................................12

distrustful of ...............................................61

diverted by, from, to ..................................61

divest of ......................................................61

divestible .......................................................46

divide by, into .............................................61

divisible ........................................................46

divorce between, from ...............................61

Do not be late. ..............................................40

do’s and don’ts ......................................29, 32

doctor, Irene Brown, M.D. ...........................10

dogma, dogmas ...........................................28

dominant in, over .......................................61

dominate by, over ......................................61

don’t ..............................................................32

Douglas Smith, Ph.D., ..................................36

downhearted ................................................16

downsize ......................................................15

down-to-earth ...............................................17

Dr. Irene Brown.............................................10

Dr., Drive (address).........................................9

drenched in, with, of ..................................61

dressmaker ...................................................15

dry dock (in lowercase) ...............................12

drywall ..........................................................15

Du Pont .........................................................12

du Pont de Nemours & Co., E. I. .................12

due process law............................................20

due to the fact that (avoid) ..........................52

dues-checkoff provision...............................18

dues-deduction section................................18

duly (avoid) ...................................................51

dump truck driver (but truckdriver) ............15

durable goods industry ...............................20

during such time (avoid) ..............................52

during the course of (avoid).........................52

during the time that (avoid) .........................52

during, when, while .....................................54

dye, dyeing ...................................................48

80

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

dynamo, dynamos .......................................28

E

e.g. 

as signal.......................................................6

not italicized .............................................50

e.s.t. (Eastern Standard Time) .....................40

each and every one (avoid) .........................52

each other’s store ........................................31

eager for, to ................................................61

eagerly awaited moment .............................20

EAJA, Equal Access to Justice Act ..............8

early 1980s ...................................................27

East (address).................................................9

echo, echoes ................................................28

Ed Ray, Esq. .................................................10

ed. eds., edition(s) .......................................10

edible .............................................................46

editor in chief ...............................................21

editorial titles (in quotation marks) ............41

editors handbook..........................................32

educated concerning, for, in .....................62

educible .........................................................46

effect, affect .................................................53

egregious .....................................................45

either .............................................................47

either . . . or .................................................57

Either food or drinks are needed. ...............57

electromagnet ..............................................16

electro-optics ...............................................17

eligible ..........................................................46

eligible for, to .............................................62

ellipsis rules

general rules..............................................44

deleted words ...........................................44

deleted paragraphs ..................................44

three periods ......................................40, 43

four periods ........................................40, 43

when not used ..........................................44

ellipsis, ellipses ...........................................29

em dash ........................................................38

embark in, on .............................................62

emigrate from .............................................62

Emp. Exh., employer exhibit .......................10

emphasis added

in brackets ...........................................33, 43

in parentheses.....................................33, 43

employ at, in ...............................................62

Employee A reported to Foreman B in 

department X. ...........................................50

employer .......................................................11

Employer, the (in the case) ..........................11

en banc (not italicized) ................................49

en dash .........................................................38

enamored of, with ......................................62

enclose .........................................................45

encourage, encouraging .............................48

encouraged by, in ......................................62

encroach on ...............................................62

endorse .........................................................45

endowed with .............................................62

enf., enforcement .................................1, 2, 10

enfd., enforced ...............................1, 2, 10, 32

enfg., enforcing ....................................1, 2, 10

enforceable ...................................................45

enfd. mem. (no published opinion) .....1, 2, 10

enfranchise ...................................................47

engineroom ..................................................15

English- and Spanish-speaking employees19

enjoining (spell out in citation) .....................2

enraged against, at, with ...........................62

enroll .............................................................45

ensure ...........................................................45

ensure, insure, assure .................................54

enter by, in, into .........................................62

enterprise .....................................................47

entertained by, with ...................................62

entitled “The Harbor Act” ............................41

entrusted to, with .......................................62

equal in, to ..................................................62

Equal Access to Justice Act, EAJA ..............8

equilibrium, equilibriums ............................28

equivalent (adj.) in, to ................................62

equivalent (n.) of ........................................62

erodible .........................................................46

errata (sing. & pl.) ........................................28

Eskimo, Eskimos .........................................28

Esq., esquire (m. & f.) ............................10, 53

esquire, Anne Roe, Esq. ..............................10

essay titles (in quotation marks) ................41

essential in, for, of, to ................................62

Essex, Essexes .............................................28

Essex’s, Essexes’ ........................................31

Estlund, U. Pa. L. Rev. ...................................7

estrangement from, of ...............................62

et al. (not italicized) .....................................50

et seq.

81

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

not italicized .............................................50

used in citing statute .................................7

etc. (not italicized) .......................................50

even though, although, though ...................53

evenhanded ..................................................15

ever-normal granary ....................................20

ever-rising earnings .....................................20

Every window, picture, and mirror was

smashed. ...................................................57

everyone .......................................................17

every one (if single person or thing) ...........17

Everyone takes off his coat. ........................57

everybody......................................................17

everything .....................................................17

everywhere ...................................................17

ex officio (not italicized) ..............................50

ex officio member ........................................20

ex parte (not italicized) ................................49

ex post facto .................................................19

example from, of, to ...................................62

exceed ...........................................................47

excel ..............................................................45

except (use sing. verb) ................................57

exceptions and brief(s) ................................39

excise ............................................................47

exclamation point (when used) ...................39

excommunicate ............................................16

excuse (n.) for ............................................62

excuse (v.) from .........................................62

executive department ..................................12

Executive Order 11240 ................................37

Executive Secretary (NLRB) ........................11

executor (m. or f.) ........................................53

exemptible ....................................................46

exercise .........................................................47

exfoliate ........................................................19

ex-Governor .................................................19

Exh. Exhs., exhibit(s)....................................10

exhaustible ...................................................46

exhibit 11 (in lowercase) .............................13

exhibitor .......................................................45

exorcise ........................................................47

expansible .....................................................46

expect from, of ...........................................62

experience for, in, of ..................................62

expert at, with ............................................62

explained (attribution) .................................53

expressible ...................................................46

ex-repairman .................................................19

extant ............................................................45

extrahazardous ...........................................16

extra-large (adj.) ...........................................17

extra-long (adj.) ............................................17

extra-strong (adj.) ........................................17

ex-vice-president .........................................19

F

f. ff., and following page(s) ..........................10

F.3d (circuit court case) ...........................1, 10

F.Supp.2d (district court case) ................1, 10

faced by, with .............................................62

fait accompli (not italicized).........................49

fallible ...........................................................46

falsetto, falsettos .........................................28

familiar to, with ..........................................62

far-reaching effects ......................................18

farther, further ..............................................54

fascinated by, with .....................................62

favorable for, to ..........................................62

faxed order ....................................................11

FBI (no periods) ...........................................40

fear of, for ...................................................62

feasible ....................................................45, 46

Fed.R.Civ.P., Fed. Rules of Civil Procedure 7

Fed.R.Evid., Federal Rules of Evidence ........7

Fed.Reg., Federal Register.............................7

Federal aid ....................................................12

Federal Practice and Procedure ...................7

Federal road ..................................................12

feign...............................................................47

feisty .............................................................47

female, male ..................................................55

fewer, less, less than ...................................54

field examiner..........................................11, 13

Fifth Circuit, the ...........................................12

Fifty cents is the price. ................................57

fig. figs., figure(s)..........................................10

figure 7 (in lowercase) .................................13

filed (spell out in citation) .............................2

financier ........................................................47

first-shift employees ....................................18

first-step meeting..........................................18

Fisherman’s Wharf .......................................12

Five miles is a long way to walk. ................57

fixed-fee arrangement .................................18

Fla., FL ............................................................9

flammable......................................................45

82

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

flexible ...........................................................46

flinch at, from .............................................62

flood control study ......................................20

floorlady .......................................................15

Floorlady Bowman........................................13

fn. fns., footnote(s) ......................................10

focus, focuses ..............................................28

FOIA, Freedom of Information Act ................8

following page(s), f. ff. .................................10

footnote reference mark (not in

JD caption) ................................................23

footnotes

discouraged ..............................................23

general rules .............................................23

citations in text preferred .........................23

abbreviated addresses................................9

abbreviated words.....................................10

cite first page number and page 

numbers with footnotes ..........................1

illustrations................................................23

numbered separately in separate 

opinion ...................................................23

placement of reference marks..................23

use of sec. secs. ...................................8, 10

for the purpose of (avoid) ............................52

forbade .........................................................45

forbear...........................................................45

forbid to ......................................................62

force, forcible..........................................46, 48

forefinger.......................................................16

foreign ..........................................................47

Foreman Jones ............................................13

forfeit ............................................................47

forgo (abstain)...............................................45

forklift ...........................................................15

former, latter ................................................54

formula, formulas ........................................28

Fort (address)..................................................9

forthwith (avoid)............................................51

Forty were killed. .........................................25

401(k) provision ...........................................20

fourth century ..............................................26

Fourth of July (the holiday) ...................12, 25

Fourth, the (of July) .....................................12

fox, foxes ......................................................28

franchise .......................................................47

free enterprise system..................................20

freedom from, of, to ...................................62

Freedom 7 ....................................................50

Freedom of Information Act, FOIA ................8

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship,

freedom from want, freedom from fear 

—these are the fundamentals of moral 

world order. ..............................................38

French-Irish descent ....................................21

friend .............................................................47

friend of, to .................................................62

frighten at, away, by ..................................62

frightened of ................................................62

fringe benefit plan ........................................20

from January 1 to June 30, 1996 .................39

from January 1–June 30, 1996 (avoid).........39

From the 1st to the 104th Congress. ..........25

From the First to the Ninth Congress. ........25

fulfill...............................................................45

full-time (as modifier) ...................................17

full time and part time, employed ................18

full-time and part-time employees...............18

fungible .........................................................46

fungus, fungi ................................................28

further, farther...............................................54

fusible ............................................................46

G

Ga., GA ............................................................9

gauge .............................................................45

Gay Nineties ..................................................27

Geiger counter .............................................47

GC Exh., General Counsel exhibit ..............10

General Counsel (NLRB) .............................11

General Counsel exhibit, GC Exh. ..............10

General Counsel, the ...................................13

general counsels ..........................................29

genius, geniuses ..........................................28

George Herman “Babe” Ruth.......................41

get, getting ...................................................47

ghetto, ghettos..............................................28

Give up conveniences, do not demand

special privileges, do not stop 

work: these are necessary while we 

are at war. .................................................34

giveaway .......................................................16

go-betweens..................................................30

goings-on .....................................................30

good example, i.e., .......................................36

good usage

use plain English.......................................51

83

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

avoid Latin expressions............................49

avoid legalese............................................51

avoid wordy phrases.................................52

rules for singular and plural ....................57

the right preposition ................................58

the right word ...........................................53

goodbye ........................................................45

good-faith doubt ..........................................18

Government, the ..........................................12

Governor, the ...............................................13

GPO Style Manual...................................15, 31

granted (spell out in citation) ........................2

grant-in-aid....................................................19

gray................................................................45

grievance-arbitration procedure .................18

grieve after, at, for .....................................63

grievous ........................................................47

grounds (spell out in citation) .......................2

gruesome .....................................................45

guarantee .....................................................45

guard against, from ...................................63

gullible...........................................................46

H

Hague, The ...................................................12

hairnet ...........................................................15

half an inch ...................................................27

half past 4 .....................................................25

halo, halos.....................................................28

handful, handfuls..........................................29

hand-me-downs ...........................................30

handyman .....................................................15

hangers-on ...................................................30

harass ...........................................................45

Hawaii, HI ........................................................9

he (Smith) said (avoid) ...............................55

He acknowledged the error! ........................39

He admitted “there was nothing wrong

or improper” with sitting down while 

waiting. ......................................................44

He admitted having heard a rumor in

the plant (Tr. 76). ......................................40

He arrived at 11 [12] o’clock. .......................33

He arrived at 11 [sic] o’clock. ......................33

He asked her, “What are you doing?”

and she told him her plans. .....................37

He asked, “Have you an appointment?” ....43

He called . . . and left. . . . When he

returned the ..............................................43

He called . . . and left . . . . [H]e

returned the ..............................................43

He has had several years’ experience

and is thoroughly competent. .................36

He is a clever young man. ...........................35

He is a friend of John’s and mine. ..............32

He produced several items in his

defense: a compilation of dates, 

10 daily production records, and ............34

He ran but he missed the train. ...................36

He reported, “Smith said ‘No sale.’” ...........42

He said that no he would not. .....................41

He said, “John arrived several hours

after the others.” ......................................35

He said—and no one contradicted

him—“The battle is lost.” .........................38

He sold his business, rented his house,

gave up his car, and set off for Africa 

[short clauses, commas instead of 

semicolons]. .............................................42

He told her yes. ............................................41

He told the employee, “That’s right”;

he then changed his mind. ......................43

heading titles (in quotation marks) .............41

headings and titles, capitalize (except

articles, conjunctions, and 

prepositions of four or fewer letters) ......13

headline titles (in quotation marks) ............41

health care institution...................................20

hearing officer...............................................11

Hearing Officer Jane Doe ............................11

height ............................................................47

heinous..........................................................47

heir ................................................................47

heir at law ......................................................19

heirs at law ....................................................29

hereby (avoid) ..............................................51

herein (avoid) ...............................................51

hereinafter (avoid).........................................51

hereto (avoid) ................................................51

herewith (avoid) ...........................................51

hero, heroes ..................................................28

hers (plural)...................................................32

herself ...........................................................17

hierarchy .......................................................45

high school student .....................................20

higher level decision ...................................20

high-level manager ......................................18

84

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

himself...........................................................17

His only son, John, went with him. ............35

His son Joe is here. .....................................35

his third birthday .........................................25

hold up (v.) ...................................................15

holdup (n.) ....................................................15

homestead ....................................................16

homogeneous ..............................................45

honored by, for, with .................................63

hope for, of .................................................63

horrible ..........................................................46

hostess’, hostesses’ ....................................31

hours’ traveltime...........................................31

House bill, H.R. ..............................................8

House, the ....................................................12

housekeeper .................................................15

Houses are a commodity. ............................57

How beautiful! ..............................................39

How can you explain this?—“Fee

paid, $5.” ...................................................38

however, but ...............................................55

Hudson dock (in lowercase) ........................12

Hwy., Highway (address) ...............................9

hydroelectric ..........................................15, 16

hypertension ................................................16

hyphen

in compound words .................................15

in numbers ................................................27

in plurals ...................................................30

hypotension .................................................16

hypothesis, hypotheses ..............................29

I

I have heard his arguments and am now 

convinced. ................................................36

I have heard his arguments, but am still

not convinced. ..........................................36

i.e. ...................................................................9

i.e. (not italicized)..........................................50

I’ve ................................................................32

I-beam ...........................................................19

ibid. (as repeating signal)

same citation on same page.................6, 49

not italicized .............................................49

id. (as repeating signal)

same citation on same page, citing

different page number ......................6, 49

not italicized .............................................49

id. at 10 ...........................................................9

Idaho, ID .........................................................9

identical with ..............................................63

identify by, to, with ....................................63

If the bill should pass—which God

forbid—the service will be wrecked. .......38

ifs, ands, or buts ....................................29, 32

Ill., IL ..............................................................9

illegible .........................................................46

immerse in ..................................................63

immersible ....................................................46

immigrate to ...............................................63

imminent .......................................................45

impatient at, with .......................................63

imperceptible ...............................................46

impermissible................................................46

impersuasible ...............................................46

implausible ...................................................46

impose on, upon .......................................63

impossible.....................................................46

impress into, upon, with ............................63

impressed by, with .....................................63

impressible....................................................46

imprimatur ....................................................45

imprimatur (not italicized) ...........................50

improve in, by, upon ..................................63

improvement in, upon ...............................63

improvise ......................................................47

In 1980, 400 men were dismissed. ..............36

in a manner similar to (avoid) ......................52

in a negligent manner (avoid) ......................52

in a position to (avoid) .................................52

in addition to (use sing. verb) ......................57

in advance of (avoid) ...................................52

in camera (not italicized) .............................49

in connection with (avoid) ...........................52

in excess of (avoid) ......................................52

in haec verba

not italicized .............................................49

verbatim (preferred) .................................49

in his midthirties, in his seventies ..............27

in lieu thereof (avoid)....................................52

in many cases (avoid)...................................52

in order to (avoid) ........................................52

in part (preferred over inter alia) ................49

in regard to (avoid) ......................................52

in respect to (avoid)......................................52

in some cases (avoid)...................................52

in spite of the fact (avoid) ............................52

85

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

in the amount of (avoid) ..............................52

in the case of (avoid) ...................................52

In the course of (avoid) ...............................52

In the event of (avoid) ..................................52

in the event of Mary’s leaving. ....................32

in the immediate vicinity (avoid)..................52

in the last analysis (avoid) ...........................52

in the matter of (avoid) ................................52

in the near future (avoid) .............................52

in the neighborhood of (avoid) ...................52

in the not too distant future (avoid) ............52

in this day and age (avoid) ..........................52

in toto

not italicized .............................................49

totally (preferred).......................................49

in view of (avoid)...........................................52

in view of the fact that (avoid) ....................52

in, into ...........................................................55

inaccessible .................................................46

inadmissible ...........................................45, 46

inadvertence .................................................45

inapprehensible ...........................................46

inasmuch as (avoid) ....................................52

inaudible........................................................46

in-between.....................................................17

inbound ........................................................16

Inc. (omit comma after) ...............................36

Inc. and Ltd. (when omitted) ..........................2

Inc., Incorporated .....................................2, 10

incentive for, to ..........................................63

incise ............................................................47

include, comprise, consist of, are ..............55

including (use sing. verb) ............................57

incoercible ....................................................46

incombustible ..............................................46

income tax form ...........................................20

incompatible .................................................46

incomprehensible ........................................46

incontrovertible ............................................46

inconvertible ................................................46

inconvincible ................................................46

incorrigible ...................................................46

incorrodible ..................................................46

incorruptible .................................................46

incredible ......................................................46

incredible, incredulous.................................55

incumbent ....................................................45

Ind. & Labor Rel. Rev. ....................................7

Ind., IN .............................................................9

indefeasible...................................................46

indefensible...................................................46

indefinite articles

a an the ....................................................13

before vowels and consonants, 

examples ...............................................48

not capitalized in headings and titles ......13

indelible .........................................................46

indestructible ...............................................46

index, indexes ..............................................28

indigestible ...................................................46

indiscernible..................................................46

indivertible ....................................................46

indivisible .....................................................46

inducible .......................................................46

indulge in, with ...........................................63

indulgent of, to ...........................................63

industrywide .................................................15

ineligible ........................................................46

inexhaustible ................................................46

inexpressible ................................................46

infallible .........................................................46

infeasible .......................................................46

inferable ........................................................45

infiltrate into ...............................................63

infiltration of ...............................................63

inflexible ........................................................46

influence (n.) of, upon ...............................63

influence (v.) by, for ...................................63

infra

below (preferred)...................................6, 49

not italicized .........................................6, 49

infrared ..........................................................16

infusible ........................................................46

inimical to, toward .....................................63

initiate into .................................................63

in-law ......................................................17, 19

innate in ......................................................63

innermost .....................................................16

innocuous .....................................................45

innuendo .......................................................45

in-plant committee .......................................18

inquire into, of ............................................63

inquiry ...........................................................45

inquiry about, concerning, of ....................63

inroad into ..................................................63

ins and outs ..................................................32

insensible .....................................................46

inseparable from ........................................63

86

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

insert in, on ................................................63

Insert the following: “and the Universal

Military Training Act,”. ............................41

insight into .................................................63

insignia, insignias ........................................28

insisted (attribution) .....................................53

insistence ......................................................45

inspire by, with ...........................................63

Instead of 20, 50 came. ................................36

instill .............................................................45

instill in, into ..............................................63

instructible ...................................................46

insuppressible ..............................................46

insure, ensure, assure..................................54

insusceptible.................................................46

intangible ......................................................46

intelligible......................................................46

intent on, upon ...........................................64

intention of, to ............................................64

inter alia

in part, among other things, or among 

others (preferred) ..................................49

not italicized .............................................49

intercede for, with ......................................64

intercom .......................................................16

interfere, interfered, interfering ............45, 48

intermediary between, in ...........................64

interruptible...................................................46

interstate ......................................................15

interstate commerce law .............................20

intervene between, in ................................64

intervenor ...............................................11, 45

Intervenor, the (in the case) ........................11

intimacy of, with .........................................64

intrastate ......................................................15

intraunion......................................................16

introduce to, into .......................................64

introductory signals .......................................6

introvert ........................................................16

intrude into, on, upon ................................64

inundate by, with .......................................64

invertible .......................................................46

invest in, with .............................................64

invincible .......................................................46

invisible ........................................................46

Iowa, IA ..........................................................9

ipso facto (not italicized) .............................49

irascible.........................................................46

irreducible ....................................................46

irrelevant .......................................................45

irremissible....................................................46

irreprehensible..............................................46

irresistible ....................................................46

irresponsible ................................................46

irrespressible ...............................................46

irreversible ...................................................46

IRS (no periods) ...........................................40

isometric........................................................16

It included a bargaining order. It also

included a broad order. (Tr. 11–12.) ........40

It is a valuable contribution which, if

utilized, would be most helpful. ..............35

It is a young, eager, intelligent group. ........35

It is not unreasonable to assume that

[the Union] will engage in strike 

violence again. ..........................................44

It is obvious, however, that this is no

solution. ....................................................35

It is ordered to cease and desist, to

bargain on request and, if an 

agreement is reached, to .........................35

It is sold by the bolt, by the yard, or in

remnants [phrases, commas instead 

of semicolons]. .........................................42

It is true in peace; it is true in war. .............42

It occurred during the first shift at

12 [noon]. ..................................................44

It was a “gentlemen’s agreement.” .............41

It was known as glucinium [no quotation

marks after known as]. ............................41

it’s (it is) ........................................................32

Italian American area....................................21

italicizing

general rules .............................................50

aircraft, spacecraft, vessels ....................50

book and article titles ..............................50

names of parties (and v.) in case 

citations .................................................50

not Latin expressions ..............................49

not titles of newspapers ..........................50

not titles of periodicals ............................50

its (possessive) ............................................32

it's (it is).........................................................32

itself ...............................................................17

ITT (no periods).............................................40

J

87

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

jack-in-the-pulpits ........................................30

January, Januarys .......................................28

JD JDs, judge’s decision(s) ..................23, 29

JD slip op. ................................................1, 10

jealous of, for .............................................64

jobsite............................................................15

John Doe, chairman .....................................13

John Doe, field examiner ............................13

John Doe, foreman ......................................13

John Doe, president ....................................13

John’s, Thomas’, and Henry’s ratings.........31

joint exhibit, Jt. Exh. ....................................10

Jones, Joneses ............................................28

Jones’, Joneses’ ..........................................31

Jr. Sr. (comma omitted before) ...................10

Jt. Exh., joint exhibit ....................................10

judge (any lower court) ...............................11

judge (NLRB) ................................................11

Judge Doe .....................................................11

Judge Jane Doe ...........................................13

judge, judgment .....................................45, 48

judge’s decision(s), JD JDs ........................23

judicial branch .............................................12

June 11, 1998 .........................................25, 37

June 1998 ...............................................25, 37

June and July 1998 ................................25, 37

Junior, Charles White Jr. .............................10

Justice (U.S. Supreme Court) .....................11

justified in ...................................................64

K

Kan., KS ..........................................................9

Kansas City, Kansas Citys ..........................28

Key Company, the ........................................12

kilogram ........................................................16

kimono, kimonos ........................................28

Ky., KY ............................................................9

L

L. LL., line(s) ................................................10

L.Ed.2d, citing United States Supreme

Court Reports Lawyers' edition ................8

L.W., United States Law Week ......................8

Lab. L.J., Labor Law Journal ........................7

La., LA .............................................................9

labeled ...........................................................45

labor as, at, for, on, through, under,

up, with .....................................................64

labor arbitration, BNA LA ..............................7

Labor Day 1997 .............................................37

Labor Law Journal, Lab. L.J. .........................7

Ladies and Gentlemen: ..............................34

laid-off employees ........................................18

land bank loan ..............................................20

land use program .........................................20

Landrum-Griffin Act, LMRDA ........................7

larger sized dress ........................................20

larva, larvae ..................................................28

lasso, lassos ................................................28

Latin American trip ......................................21

Latin expressions 

avoid using ...............................................49

use plain English.......................................49

latter, former .................................................54

laugh at, away, into, off, on, out ...............64

law-abiding citizen .......................................18

lay off (v.) ......................................................15

layoff (n.) .......................................................15

leadman .........................................................15

leaves of absence ...................................19, 29

left-hand side ...............................................18

leftover ..........................................................16

legal jargon (avoid) ......................................51

legalese

avoid using ...............................................51

use plain English instead .........................51

legible ............................................................46

legislative branch..........................................12

Legislative History

Leg. Hist. (LMRA 1947)................................7

Leg. Hist. (LMRDA 1959) ............................7

Leg. Hist. (NLRB 1935) ...............................7

leisure ............................................................47

lengthwise ....................................................45

less, less than, fewer ...................................54

level at, to, with, against, down, out .........64

leveled ..........................................................45

liable for, to ................................................64

liaison ...........................................................45

libelant ..........................................................45

liberal in, with .............................................64

life insurance company ...............................20

lifelike ...........................................................16

likable ...........................................................45

like (use sing. verb) .....................................57

88

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

like, as, as if, as though ...............................55

Line Item Veto Act (citation of public law) 8

line number(s), L. LL. ..................................10

lines 5 and 6 (in lowercase) .........................26

liquefy, liquefied, liquefying ..................45, 48

listeners-in ...................................................30

live among, at, by, for, in, through, to,

up, with .....................................................64

LMRA, Taft-Hartley Act ..................................7

LMRDA, Landrum-Griffin Act ........................7

local (union), a .............................................11

Local 1 (the Local) .......................................39

Local 1 (the Respondent Union) .................39

Local 2, AFL–CIO or any other union .........36

Local 561, the Local .....................................11

lock (dockside term) ....................................12

locksmith.......................................................15

long- and short-term money rates...............19

longer than usual lunch period ...................20

longstanding ................................................15

long-term contract .......................................18

longtime.........................................................15

loose-leaf services........................................18

Lopez’, Lopezes’ ..........................................31

lower income group......................................20

lowercase type..............................................20

low-paying job...............................................20

LPN (no periods)...........................................40

LPNs .............................................................29

LRRM, BNA labor cases .................................8

Ltd. (omit comma after)................................36

Ltd. and Inc. (when omitted) ..........................2

Ltd., Limited .............................................2, 10

lumberyard ....................................................15

lump-sum payment ......................................18

lunchbreak ....................................................15

lunchtime ......................................................15

M

M.D.s .............................................................29

Macadam family ...........................................11

Macadam, John ............................................11

macadamized ...............................................11

magneto, magnetos .....................................28

maintenance-of-membership clause...........18

majority (collective noun).............................57

make-whole remedy......................................18

male, female .................................................55

malpractice ...................................................16

man’s, men’s ................................................31

manageable ..................................................46

management-rights clause...........................18

mandamus (not italicized) ...........................50

maneuver ......................................................45

manhood .......................................................16

Manufacturing, Mfg. .................................2, 10

mark up (v.) ..................................................15

markup (n.) ....................................................15

marshaled .....................................................45

martyr to, for ..............................................64

Mary, Marys ..................................................28

Mass., MA ......................................................9

Massachusetts laws .....................................32

mastery in, of, over ....................................64

matrix, matrices ...........................................28

maximum, maximums .................................28

May we ask prompt payment. .....................40

May 1 to June 1, 1998 ..................................25

May 4, 1982 discharge ..................................36

May, June, and July 1998 ......................25, 37

May–October (with en dash) .......................38

MC’ing ...........................................................32

McCormick on Evidence ................................7

Md., MD ...........................................................9

Me., ME ...........................................................9

measurements in figures..............................26

meatcutter ....................................................15

meatpacker ...................................................15

meddle in, with ...........................................64

media (sing. & pl.) ........................................28

mediocre .......................................................45

mem., enfd. (no published opinion) ....1, 2, 10

Member (NLRB) ............................................11

Member, National Labor Relations Board...37

memento, mementos ...................................28

memo, memos ..............................................28

memorandum, memoranda ...................28, 45

men buyers ...................................................29

men employees.............................................29

men’s and women’s clothing ......................31

mentioned (attribution) ................................53

merchandise .................................................47

merchants exchange ...................................32

Mfg., Manufacturing .................................2, 10

Mich., MI .........................................................9

micro-organisms...........................................17

microphone ..................................................16

89

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

mid-1982 .................................................17, 27

mid-April .......................................................16

midsummer ..................................................16

mile, mileage ..........................................45, 48

milieu ............................................................45

militate against, in .....................................64

millions for defense but not one cent

for tribute ..................................................27

millwork.........................................................15

millyard..........................................................15

minimum, minimums ...................................28

Minn., MN ........................................................9

minuscule......................................................45

minutia, minutiae .........................................28

misadvise .....................................................47

mischievous .................................................45

Miss., MS ........................................................9

misspell ........................................................45

misspelled words, frequently ......................45

misstate.........................................................16

Mo., MO ...........................................................9

mock at, for, with ......................................64

modeled.........................................................45

modified (spell out in citation).......................2

modifying (spell out in citation).....................2

mold...............................................................45

Monday–Friday (with en dash) ....................38

money (use sing. verb) ................................57

money in figures ..........................................26

money, moneys ............................................28

moneys .........................................................45

monogram ....................................................16

Mont., MT ........................................................9

Moore Dry Dock criteria ..............................50

Moore’s Federal Practice ..............................7

Moreover, they are not. ...............................36

Morris, Developing Labor Law ......................7

most-favored-nation clause ........................18

mother-in-law ...............................................19

mother-of-pearl ............................................19

mothers-in-law .............................................29

motion (spell out in citation) .........................2

Motion for Summary Judgment ..................11

motion in limine (not italicized) ..................49

motion picture titles (in quotation marks) ..41

motion to dismiss ........................................11

motor No. 189463 .........................................37

Mount (address) .............................................9

movable .........................................................45

moviegoer .....................................................16

mph ...............................................................40

mph’s (plural) ...............................................32

Mrs. Smith’s and Mrs. Allen’s children ......31

multicolor .....................................................16

multiemployer ..............................................15

mustache ......................................................45

myself ...........................................................17

N

N.C.,NC ...........................................................9

N.D., ND ..........................................................9

N.H., NH ..........................................................9

N.J., NJ ...........................................................9

N.M., NM .........................................................9

N.Y., NY ...........................................................9

names in text

given name and surname, then 

surname alone (or with title) ................13

Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss not used in text ..........13

repeating titles as needed for clarity .......13

names of unions in Spanish ......................1, 2

National Labor Relations Act, NLRA .........1. 7

National Labor Relations Board, NLRB ........1

nationwide.....................................................15

Neb., NE ..........................................................9

negligent about, in, of ................................64

negligible.......................................................46

neighbor .......................................................47

neither ...........................................................47

neither snow, rain, nor heat ........................35

neophyte .......................................................16

Nev., NV ..........................................................9

New Year’s Eve ............................................12

New York State .............................................12

newspapers

article titles italicized ...............................50

article titles not placed in quotation 

marks .....................................................41

titles not italicized ....................................50

newsprint ......................................................15

next of kin .....................................................19

nickel ............................................................45

nicknames (in quotation marks) .................41

niece ..............................................................47

night-shift employee ....................................18

nighttime ......................................................15

90

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

nine-and-under numbers rule ......................25

ninety-nine 6-inch guns................................27

NLRA (no periods) ...............................1, 7, 40

NLRB Annual Report .....................................7

NLRB Casehandling Manual .........................7

NLRB decisions

company respondents ...........................1, 5

union respondents .................................1, 5

no less than (use sing. verb) .......................57

no one ...........................................................17

No, she isn’t here. ........................................36

No. and # (omit before number unless

required for clarity) ..................................27

No. Nos., number(s) .....................................10

nobody, no one ............................................17

no-hyphen rule (hyphenated).......................20

non sequitur .................................................17

non sequitur (not italicized) ........................50

non-civil-service ..........................................17

none (use sing. or pl. verb) .........................57

None are so fallible as those who are

sure they are right. ...................................57

None of us is perfect. ..................................57

non-Government ..........................................16

nongovernmental .........................................16

nonneutral ....................................................16

nonrestrictive clause (set off by commas)..35

non-taxpaid ..................................................17

nonunion ......................................................15

nonworking ..................................................15

North (address) ..............................................9

north-central region......................................12

Northeast, NE (address) ................................9

Northwest, NW (address) ...............................9

no-show ........................................................19

no-solicitation rule........................................18

no-strike clause ...........................................18

not alone (use sing. verb) ...........................57

notaries public .............................................29

nothing .........................................................17

notice of hearing...........................................11

Notice to Show Cause .................................11

notice, noticeable ........................................48

no-trump .......................................................19

notwithstanding the fact (avoid) .................52

nowhere.........................................................17

NS Savannah.................................................50

nucleus, nuclei .............................................28

number (collective noun) ............................57

number one choice .......................................27

number(s), No. Nos. .....................................10

numbers in figures

10 and higher ............................................25

addresses .................................................26

age .............................................................25

clock time ..................................................25

comma with five or more digits ...............27

dates ..........................................................25

decimals ....................................................26

measurement and time ............................25

measurements...........................................26

money ........................................................26

percentages ...............................................26

serial numbers...........................................26

time ............................................................26

unit modifiers ............................................26

numbers spelled out

nine-and-under rule ..................................25

before compound modifier ......................27

before modifier with figures .....................27

figures of speech ......................................27

formal language ........................................27

fractions below one ..................................27

indefinite expressions...............................27

hyphenate 21 to 99 when spelled out .....19

numbers, general rules

Arabic numerals for volume numbers ......8

Roman numerals, low numbers only ..8, 27

at beginning of sentence .........................25

cardinal numbers (one, 10, etc.) ..............25

ordinal (first, 10th, etc.) ............................25

numbers in series .....................................25

plurals of figures ......................................27

punctuation ...............................................27

omit No. or # unless required for clarity 27

nunc pro tunc, now for then

not italicized .............................................49

retroactive (preferred)...............................49

nurses aide ...................................................32

O

o’clock ..........................................................32

Objection 4 ...................................................11

objection, the ...............................................11

oblivious of, to ...........................................65

observed (attribution) ..................................53

Obviously she had no intention of going. 37

91

Revised January 2000 
¶ ¶¶

INDEX AND WORD LIST

occur, occurred, occurrence .................45, 47

of an indefinite nature (avoid) .....................52

of an unusual kind (avoid) ...........................52

of great importance (avoid) .........................52

off-color.........................................................17

offense ..........................................................45

officer in charge .....................................11, 21

Officer in Charge Jane Doe..........................11

off-season ....................................................17

offset .............................................................15

offshore .........................................................16

off-the record ...............................................17

Ohio, OH .........................................................9

Okla., OK ........................................................9

old-fashioned style ......................................18

omissible ......................................................46

omissions ...............................................43–44

on (date), when omitted ...............................55

on its own motion (preferred over sua

sponte).......................................................49

on or about (avoid) ......................................52

on the ground that (avoid)............................52

on the order of (avoid)..................................52

on the part of (avoid) ...................................52

on, upon .......................................................55

on-and-off......................................................17

one gross .....................................................26

one hundred percent wrong ........................27

one of (use plural verb) ...............................57

One of those people who are never

on time. .....................................................57

one’s mortgage .............................................31

One-fifth of the boats were lost. .................57

one-half inch ................................................27

one-half percent ...........................................26

Only one person—the chairman—voted

against the proposal. ...............................38

onstage..........................................................16

on-the-job ......................................................17

opus, opuses ................................................28

oral, verbal ...................................................55

Order (in the case) .......................................11

order, an .......................................................11

order, faxed ..................................................11

ordinal numbers ...........................................25

Ore., OR ..........................................................9

oriental ..........................................................12

ostensible......................................................46

others’ homes ..............................................31

ours (possessive) ........................................32

ourselves ......................................................17

outmoded .....................................................16

out-of-doors .................................................17

out-of-pocket ................................................17

out-of-state....................................................12

out-of-the-way ..............................................17

out-of-work list .............................................18

outpatient .....................................................15

outrageous ....................................................45

outsourcing...................................................15

overcompensate ..........................................16

overlaid by, with .........................................65

overrun by, with .........................................65

overwhelm by, with ....................................65

owing to the fact that (avoid) .......................52

P

P. Exh., petitioner exhibit ............................10

p. pp., page(s) ................................................9

p.m., a.m. ..................................................9, 25

Pa., PA ...........................................................9

Pacific Reporter, P.2d ....................................8

page 2 (in lowercase)....................................13

page(s), p. pp. ...............................................9

painter–door builder Jones (with en

dash, not hyphen) .....................................38

pair (collective noun)....................................57

Pan-American ...............................................16

panel (Board) ................................................11

papermill .......................................................15

paragraph 3 ..................................................26

paragraph 3 (in lowercase) ..........................13

Paragraph 7(b)(1)(a) will be found

on page 6. ................................................39

paragraph(s), ¶ ¶¶. par. ..................................9

parallel in, to, with .....................................65

parallel citations (when used) .......................1

paramedic .....................................................16

parameters, perimeter .................................56

parentheses

in place of footnotes ................................39

transcript references ................................40

acronym or shortened name ....................39

parenthetic matter.....................................39

abbreviated words in ...............................10

abbreviated addresses in ...........................9

placement .................................................40

92

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

parenthesis, parentheses.............................29

Paris (France) ...............................................11

paris, plaster of ............................................11

parol evidence rule ......................................20

part from, with.............................................65

part(s), pt. pts. ..............................................10

partially, partly .............................................55

parties

appeal under different name, sub nom......1

inserting company name after union 

name .........................................................2

part-time (as modifier) .................................17

part time and full time, employed ...............18

part-time and full-time employees...............18

passersby......................................................30

pastime..........................................................45

patternmaker ................................................15

paycheck .......................................................15

payroll ...........................................................15

peace, peaceable .........................................48

people, persons ...........................................56

per annum, a year (preferred) .....................56

per capita (not italicized) .............................50

per capita tax ................................................20

per curiam (spell out in citation) ...................2

per se (not italicized) ...................................49

per diem (not italicized) ...............................50

per diem employee ......................................20

perceive .........................................................47

percent ....................................................15, 45

percentages in figures..................................26

perceptible ...................................................46

perfectible ....................................................46

perimeter, parameters .................................56

period

general rules .............................................40

ellipses.......................................................40

used in lowercase abbreviations .............40

omitted in uppercase abbreviations ........40

rhetorical question ...................................40

periodicals

titles not italicized ....................................50

article titles italicized ...............................50

article titles not placed in quotation 

marks .....................................................41

permissible ...................................................46

persevere against, in .................................65

persist against, for, in, through ................65

persons, people ...........................................56

persuasible ...................................................46

pervertible ....................................................46

petition (in case) ..........................................11

petition (spell out in citation) ........................2

petitioner ......................................................11

petitioner exhibit, P. Exh. ............................10

Petitioner, the (in the case) .........................11

Ph.D.s ...........................................................29

phenomenon, phenomena ..........................28

phone, telephone .........................................32

photo, photos ...............................................28

piano, pianos ................................................28

piccolo, piccolos ..........................................28

pick up (v.) ....................................................15

pickup (n.) .....................................................15

piece-rated machine ...................................18

piecework ......................................................15

pier 32 (in lowercase) ..................................12

piety ...............................................................47

piqued at, by, to .........................................65

pity’s sake ....................................................31

Pkwy., Parkway (address) .............................9

Place (address) ..............................................9

plain English

avoid Latin expressions............................49

avoid legalese............................................51

plantwide .......................................................15

plaster of paris .............................................11

plateau, plateaus ..........................................28

plausible ........................................................46

play titles (in quotation marks) ...................41

Plaza (address) ..............................................9

pleaded .........................................................45

plenty of (use sing. or pl. verb) ...................57

Plenty of potatoes are grown .....................57

plunge along, into, through .......................65

plurals

general rules..............................................28

add s or es .............................................28

add s to figures and capital letters ........29

change i to e .........................................29

change y to i .........................................28

with single figures use apostrophe .......27

noun before adverb...................................30

compound terms ......................................29

English plurals of foreign words, except 

foreign plurals in common usage ........28

plus (not used as conjunction) ...................56

podium, podiums ........................................ 28

93

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

pointed out (attribution) ..............................53

polyester .......................................................16

Port (address) ................................................9

portfolio, portfolios ......................................28

Portland (Ore.) Chamber of Commerce ......39

portland cement plant .................................20

possessed by, of, with ...............................65

possessive pronoun (see Apostrophe) .......31

possible .........................................................46

post at its facility in Bangor, Maine

copies of ...................................................36

Postal Reorganization Act, PRA ...................7

Postal Service abbreviations .........................9

postdecision .................................................15

postelection ..................................................15

postmaster (m. or f.) ....................................53

postmasters general.....................................29

postpetition ..................................................15

postwar..........................................................16

post-World War ............................................16

powerhouse .................................................15

powerplant ...................................................15

PRA, Postal Reorganization Act ...................7

practice at, in, of ........................................65

prearranged ..................................................16

precede .........................................................47

precedent for, in, of ...................................65

pre-Columbian .............................................16

predestined for, to .....................................65

preelection ...................................................15

preemergence ...............................................17

preeminent ...................................................17

preemployment ............................................15

preempt ........................................................17

pre-engineered .............................................17

preexist .........................................................17

preexisting ...................................................15

preface with, of, to .....................................65

prefer, preferring ..........................................47

preference .....................................................47

prefixes in compound words ...........16, 17, 19

pregnant by, with .......................................65

pre-impasse ..................................................17

pre-interview ................................................17

prejudice against, for, of ...........................65

prejudiced against, by ...............................65

prepositions

at by for from in into like of off 

on over to up upon with ..................13

not capitalized in headings and titles ......13

prerequisite for, of, to.................................65

prerogative ....................................................45

President, the (U.S.)......................................13

president, the ...............................................13

president, the Key Company .......................37

President-elect .............................................19

pretrial ..........................................................15

prevail against, in, over, with ....................65

prevailed along, upon, with .......................65

pricelist .........................................................15

prima facie (not italicized) ...........................50

prima facie evidence ....................................20

prince’s, princes’ ........................................31

princess’, princesses’ .................................31

printer’s ink ..................................................31

printout (computer) ......................................15

prior to (avoid) .............................................52

prisoners of war............................................29

pro forma (not italicized) .............................49

pro rata (not italicized) ................................50

proceed .........................................................47

procompany .................................................15

producible ....................................................46

production credit loan .................................20

proffer............................................................45

profit-sharing plan .......................................18

programmer ..................................................45

programming ................................................45

prohibit from ..............................................65

prologue ........................................................45

prorate ...........................................................16

pros and cons ..............................................29

protectible ....................................................46

protest against, to ......................................65

prounion ........................................................15

provide against, for, with ..........................65

proviso, provisos .........................................28

pseudonym ...................................................16

pt. pts., part(s) ..............................................10

public law, citation of U.S. statute ................8

public utility plant ........................................20

punctuation ..................................................31

put across, aside, away, at, forth, in,

into, on, to, up, upon ................................65

Q

quasi appointment .......................................19

94

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

quasi-contractual .........................................19

question mark (no comma after) .................37

questionnaire ...............................................45

quid pro quo (not italicized) ........................49

quotation marks

in titles ......................................................41

nicknames .................................................41

single and double......................................42

placement .................................................41

used to enclose words after classified 

designated endorsed entitled marked 

named signed the term the word ......41

not used to enclose words after 

known as called so-called ..................41

also when not used ..................................41

quotations

brackets for alterations.............................44

brackets for correcting significant 

errors .....................................................44

insignificant typographical errors,

corrected without notation in brackets 44

ellipsis rules .............................................43

emphasis added .......................................43

placement of citation ................................43

placement of punctuation ........................43

short quote (three or fewer lines)

placed in text, except in block

quotation for emphasis ........................43

long quote placed in block quotation ......43

R

R. Exh., respondent exhibit .........................10

R. M. Conway Co. (Conway) ........................39

R. M. Conway Co. (the Respondent

Company) ..................................................39

R.I., RI .............................................................9

racetrack .......................................................15

radio program titles (in quotation marks) ..41

radio, radios .................................................28

radius, radii ..................................................28

rank-and-file employees ..............................18

Rd., Road (address) .......................................9

readable ........................................................45

real estate tax ...............................................20

receipt ...........................................................47

receive ..........................................................47

recommended Order.....................................11

recordkeeping...............................................15

recounted (attribution) .................................53

re-create ........................................................17

re-cross-examination....................................17

recurrence .....................................................45

red, white, and blue .....................................35

reducible .......................................................46

Reed, Black, et al. , .......................................36

reemploy........................................................17

reenact ..........................................................17

reenter ...........................................................17

refer to, allude to...........................................53

referable .......................................................45

referendum, referenda .................................28

referred .........................................................45

refusal-to-bargain case ................................18

Region (of the Board) ..................................11

Region 5 ........................................................11

regional attorney...........................................11

Regional Attorney Jane Doe ........................11

Regional Director..........................................11

Regional Office ............................................11

regrettable .....................................................46

rehearing (spell out in citation) .....................2

reign ..............................................................47

Reinstatement (Second) of Agency ..............7

relevant .........................................................45

relevant (spell out in citation) ........................2

relief ..............................................................47

relieve ............................................................47

remainder, rest, balance ..............................53

remanded (spell out in citation) ....................2

Remedy (in the case) ...................................11

remedy section .............................................11

repeating signals ...........................................6

replaced by, with ........................................65

report (Regional Director’s) ........................11

Report on Objections ..................................11

report titles (in quotation marks).................41

reporter services.............................................8

reprehensible ...............................................46

representative of a group, a ........................12

Representative, a (U.S. Congress)...............12

repressible ....................................................46

reproducible ..................................................46

republican form of government. a ..............12

Republican, a (party member)......................12

repugnance against, between, of, to .......65

request for review.........................................11

re-redirect .....................................................17

95

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

res judicata (not italicized) ..........................50

rescission......................................................45

resemblance of ..........................................65

Resident Office ............................................11

resistant ........................................................45

resistible........................................................46

respective, respectively (avoid) ..................51

responded (attribution) ................................53

respondent exhibit, R. Exh. .........................10

Respondent, the (in the case) .....................11

responsible ...................................................46

rest of (use sing. or pl. verb) .......................57

rest, remainder, balance ..............................53

restrictive clause (never set off by

commas) ...................................................35

retroactive (preferred over nunc pro tunc) 49

retrospect .....................................................16

reunite ...........................................................16

revd., reversed .........................................2, 10

revealed (attribution) ...................................53

revenge for, on ...........................................66

reversible ......................................................46

revertible ......................................................46

revg., reversing.........................................2, 10

revise .............................................................47

reviser ...........................................................45

right preposition, the ...................................58

right word, the ..............................................53

right-hand side..............................................18

right-of-way ..................................................19

rights-of-way ................................................29

right-to-work law ..........................................18

rise ................................................................47

Roman numerals (use only in low

numbers) ...............................................8, 27

rpm (revolutions per minute) .......................40

Rte., Route (address)......................................9

rule 2 (in lowercase) ....................................13

rulemaking ...................................................15

Rules and Regulations, NLRB ....................11

rules for singular and plural ........................57

Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal .................7

Rules of Evidence, Federal ...........................7

run off (v.) .....................................................15

runoff (n.) ......................................................15

run-ins ..........................................................30

running head case citations.....................2, 20

S

S.C., SC ...........................................................9

S.Ct., Supreme Court Reporter .....................8

S.D., SD ...........................................................9

said (attribution) ..........................................53

said, such (avoid) .........................................51

sale, salable ............................................45, 48

saleslady .......................................................15

salesman ......................................................15

salvo, salvos ................................................28

same, such (avoid) .......................................51

sanatorium, sanatoriums ............................28

sanction for, of ...........................................66

sanitarium, sanitariums ...............................28

sawmill ..........................................................15

Schmitz, Schmitzes .....................................28

science .........................................................47

sculptor (m. or f.) .........................................53

scurrilous .....................................................45

seasons (in lowercase).................................12

sec. secs. (in footnotes & parentheses) .....10

second-guess ...............................................17

second-step meeting ...................................18

secretaries-treasurers (plural) ....................29

secretary-treasurer (with hyphen) ..............21

secretary-treasurer’s seat ...........................31

secret-ballot election ...................................18

Section 2(6) and (7) ........................................8

Section 8(a)(1) ..............................................11

Section 8(a)(3) and (1) ...................................8

Section 8(b)(4)(i), (ii)(A) and (B) ....................8

section II,B,2,a of the judge’s decision .........8

section and article (lowercase in

references) ................................................13

section symbol §, use of ..............................8

section(s), § §§ ..............................................9

section, the ...................................................11

sections

capitalize in NLRA and Board 

publications .............................................8

lowercase in non-NLRA citations ..............8

spelled out in text........................................8

use sec. secs. in footnotes and 

parentheses ...........................................10

seducible .......................................................46

see generally (as signal).................................6

see, e.g. (as signal)...................................6, 36

seize ........................................................45, 47

96

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

self-government ...........................................19

semiannual....................................................16

semicolon

general rules .............................................42

to separate multiple citations ....................1

to separate short compound sentences 42

not used to separate longer compound 

sentences ...............................................42

also when not used ..................................42

semi-idleness ...............................................17

semi-indirect ................................................17

semiofficial....................................................15

Senate bill, S. .................................................8

Senate Resolution, S. Res. ............................8

Senate, the ...................................................12

Senate, U.S. ..................................................12

Senior, Charles White Sr. ............................10

sensible ........................................................46

Sergeant, Sgt. ...............................................32

sergeants at arms ........................................29

serial numbers in figures .............................26

set up (v.) ......................................................15

setup (n.) ......................................................15

sevens (plural) .............................................32

Seventh and H Streets SE ...........................12

Seventy-eight passengers were aboard

the train. ....................................................25

Sgt., Sergeant ...............................................32

She drives her brother Francis’ car. ...........32

She said Jones was a born liar. ..................41

sheik .............................................................47

shopwork ......................................................15

short poem titles (in quotation marks)........41

short-term contract ......................................18

showdown ....................................................16

shut down (v.) ..............................................15

shutdown (n.) ...............................................15

sic [in brackets] (not italicized) ............33, 49

siege ..............................................................47

siesta ............................................................47

sieve ..............................................................47

signals

introductory ................................................6

no signal, indicates direct support ...........6

repeating .....................................................6

since, because, as .......................................54

sine die (not italicized) .................................49

sine qua non (not italicized) ........................49

single-employer unit ....................................18

single-entity finding .....................................18

single-integrated operation .........................18

single-store unit ...........................................18

singular and plural, rules for .......................57

situs (not italicized) .....................................50

sizable ...........................................................45

skillful ...........................................................45

sky, skies ......................................................28

slip op., Board decision ..............................10

slip opinion (cite year) ...................................1

slip opinion, JD slip op. ...........................1, 10

Smith was not [emphasis added] in the

room with us. ............................................33

SMU (no periods) .........................................40

so-called investigation ................................18

social security program................................20

soft-pedal ......................................................19

soil conservation measures ........................20

soldiers and sailors’ home ..........................31

solicitous about, for, of, to ........................66

soliloquy, soliloquies ...................................28

solo, solos ....................................................28

some (collective noun) ................................57

somebody else’s pen ...................................31

somebody, someone ...................................17

somebody’s proposal ..................................31

someone .......................................................17

someone’s computer....................................31

something .....................................................17

sometime, some time, sometimes ..............56

somewhere ...................................................17

song titles (in quotation marks) ..................41

South (address) ..............................................9

Southeast, SE (address).................................9

southern California ......................................12

southwest, SW (address) ...............................9

spacecraft (italicize name) ...........................50

Spanish union names ................................1, 2

special delivery mail ....................................20

specie ...........................................................47

specious ........................................................45

speech correction class ..............................20

spelling

-able (ending) ............................................46

article a before consonants, 

exceptions .............................................48

article an before vowels, exceptions .....48

-ce or -ge before suffix...........................48

-cede (ending) ...........................................47

97

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

-ceed (ending) ...........................................47

change y to i unless suffix begins

with i ....................................................48

double final consonant before suffix ......47

drop e before suffix when d

before ge ..............................................48

frequently misspelled words....................45

i-before-e rule ...........................................47

-ible (ending) .............................................46

-ise (ending) ..............................................47

-ize (ending)...............................................47

-sede (ending)............................................47

silent e before suffix ..............................48

spiel ..............................................................45

spirit of ’76 ...................................................32

spoonful .......................................................16

Square (address) ...........................................9

SS America ...................................................50

St. Michael’s Men’s Club..............................31

St., Street (address)........................................9

stadium, stadiums .......................................28

staff (collective noun) ..................................57

State, a (in U.S.) ...........................................12

State, New York ............................................12

State Attorney ..............................................12

State’s evidence ...........................................12

State aid ........................................................12

State name ...................................................12

State names, Postal Service abbreviations 9

State road .....................................................12

state, church and .........................................12

state, out-of-state .........................................12

stated (attribution) .......................................53

statewide ......................................................12

status quo (not italicized) ............................50

status quo ante

not italicized .............................................49

restore status quo to given date 

(preferred) .............................................49

statutes cited ..................................................8

stein ...............................................................47

step-2 grievance ..........................................18

step-by-step .................................................19

stepfather .....................................................16

Sterns’ is running a sale. ............................32

still-lingering doubt ......................................20

still-new car...................................................20

stimulus, stimuli ..........................................28

Stipulated Election Agreement ...................11

stone’s throw ...............................................31

storeroom......................................................15

storewide ......................................................15

strata .............................................................28

strawboss......................................................15

strive against, for, to, with ........................66

Strunk & White, Elements of Style 34, 38, 51

studio, studios .............................................28

stupefy ..........................................................45

stylus, styluses ............................................28

sua sponte

not italicized .............................................49

on its own motion (preferred) ..................49

sub nom., under the name ..................1, 2, 10

sub rosa (adv.) .............................................17

sub-rosa (adj.) ..............................................17

subch. subchs., subchapter(s) ...................10

subheading titles (in quotation marks) ......41

subhuman .....................................................16

subject titles (in quotation marks) ..............41

submersible ..................................................46

subpar. subpars., subparagraph(s) ............10

subpoena (not italicized) .............................50

subpoena ad testificandum

not italicized .............................................49

subpoena to testify, subpoena 

(preferred) .............................................49

subpoena duces tecum

not italicized .............................................49

subpoena to produce documents

(preferred) .............................................49

subpoena to produce documents................49

subregion .....................................................15

subregional ..................................................15

Subregional Office........................................11

subsec. subsecs., subsection(s) ................10

subsequent to (avoid)...................................52

subtlety..........................................................45

succeed .........................................................47

successors-and-assigns clause ..................18

suffixes in compound words .......................16

suggestible....................................................46

Superintendent Heep ...................................13

supermarket ..................................................16

supersede ...............................................45, 47

superseniority ..............................................15

supersensible................................................46

supervise.......................................................47

Supervisor Smith .........................................13

98

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

supp. supps., supplement(s) ......................10

suppressible..................................................46

supra

above (preferred) ..................................6, 49

not italicized .........................................6, 49

Supreme Court decisions

company names .........................................3

union names ............................................1, 3

Supreme Court Reporter (cited S.Ct.) ..........8

surmise .........................................................47

surname in text, first with given name

and then alone (or with title for clarity) 13

surnames with book titles .............................7

surprise ........................................................47

surreptitious..................................................45

surrounding circumstances (avoid) ............52

surveil............................................................56

surveillance...................................................45

susceptible....................................................46

Sutherland Statutory Constructions ............7

swing-shift employees .................................18

swore (attribution) ........................................53

syllabus, syllabuses ....................................28

symbol § in U.S.C. citations ........................8

symbols, plurals of ......................................32

sympathetic to, toward, with .....................66

sympathize in, with ....................................66

sympathy for, in, with ................................66

synopsis, synopses .....................................29

T

tableau, tableaus ..........................................28

Taft-Hartley Act (LMRA) .................................7

talk to, with .................................................66

tally of ballots ...............................................11

tangible .........................................................46

taste for, in, of ............................................66

teachers college ...........................................32

Teamsters Local 443 (the Union or the

Respondent) .............................................39

Teamsters Union ..........................................32

teaspoonful, teaspoonfuls ..........................29

technicians guide ........................................32

telephone, phone .........................................32

televise .........................................................47

Tell me how he did it. ..................................40

temperature in the thirties ...........................27

Ten Commandments ....................................27

Tenn., TN ........................................................9

Ter., Terrace (address) ...................................9

terrible ..........................................................46

testified (attribution) ....................................53

Tex., TX ...........................................................9

that, which ....................................................56

The (initial), omitted in case citation ............2

the “duly” habit ............................................41

the “lameduck” amendment .......................41

the 1990s ......................................................27

the 1st (day) of the month ...........................25

The 9th group contained three items

and the 10th group contained four. ........25

The agreement (GC Exh. 2) was never

signed (Tr. 26–27). ....................................40

The answer is “Maybe.”................................42

The area is drought stricken. ......................20

The area was used for beet growing. .........20

The atomic bomb, which we developed,

was first used by us. ................................35

The boy is freckle faced. .............................20

The Company produces many items, e.g.,

electrical and mechanical equipment. ....36

The court said: “[T]he underlying purpose

of this statute is industrial peace. This 

conduct is not conducive to that end. ....34

The dam that gave way was poorly

constructed. ..............................................35

the Deep South .............................................12

The effects were far reaching. ....................20

the fact that (avoid).......................................52

the field examiner ........................................13

the first (part) of October .............................25

The following question came up for

discussion: What policy should be 

adopted? ...................................................34

the foreman ...................................................13

The foreman saw him at the timeclock

and directed him to go to the office. 

(Smith had never been late before. 

Many others had been.) They met the 

steward there. ...........................................39

the heading “Collective Bargaining”...........37

The language should be ...............................34

The language should be as follows: ...........34

The man had 1 suit, 2 pairs of shoes,

and 15 pairs of socks for the trip. ...........25

The man had one suit, two pairs of

shoes, and one hat. ..................................25

99

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

the Middle West ...........................................12

the North .......................................................12

The number of accidents is great. ..............57

the Pacific Coast...........................................12

the painter Van Gogh....................................37

the Panhandle ...............................................12

the port of New York.....................................12

the present time (avoid) ...............................52

The president pro tem [Arnold] spoke

briefly. .......................................................33

The President, he said, “will veto the bill.” 43

The primary issues are (a) . . . (b) ...............34

The primary issues are: (a) . . . (b) (avoid) 34

the primary result. [Emphasis added.]

(at end of block quotation) ......................33

the ship’s hovering nearby ..........................32

The sketches have been submitted; we

await their approval. ................................42

The so-called investigative body [no

quotation marks after so-called]. ............41

the Southwest ..............................................12

The squalor of the streets reminded him

of a line from Oscar Wilde: “We are all 

in the gutter, but some of us are 

looking at the stars.”.................................34

The third group contained 10 items. ..........25

The third group contained nine items. .......25

the Thirteen Original States ........................27

The trainman shouted, “All aboard!” ..........43

The trouble with truth is its many

varieties. ...................................................57

The United States is the principal

purchaser (by value) of these exports 

(23 percent in 1995 and 19 percent 

in 1996). .....................................................39

The violence resumed shortly after

“he arrive[d] in his truck.” ........................44

The vote was 77 yes and 9 no. ....................41

The witness tried [evidently without

success] to convince the court. ..............33

theirs (possessive) ......................................32

theme titles (in quotation marks) ................41

themselves ...................................................17

Then we had much; now, nothing. .............36

There are many exceptions, namely,

silk, cotton, nylon, and wool. ..................36

there can be no question that (avoid) .........52

therefor (avoid) ............................................51

therefrom (avoid) .........................................51

therein (avoid) ...............................................51

thereof (avoid)...............................................51

therewith (avoid) ..........................................51

thermocouple ................................................16

thesis, theses ...............................................29

They had indeed gone. ................................37

They had stopped work . . . and [had

gone] to the office. ...................................44

This 1980 case (447 U.S. 490) is not

relevant. ....................................................39

this p.m. ........................................................25

Thomas Brown, Esq., ..................................36

though, although, even though ...................53

three afternoons ...........................................26

three decades ...............................................26

three quarters (9 months) ............................26

three R’s .......................................................32

three-ply ........................................................26

threescore years and ten..............................27

threshold ......................................................45

thrill at, with ...............................................66

till, until .........................................................32

time (use sing. verb) ....................................57

time in figures ..............................................26

time-and-a-half wage rate.............................18

time-barred charge ......................................18

timecard ........................................................15

timesheet ......................................................15

timewasting ..................................................15

title 4 (in lowercase) ....................................13

titles (do not hyphenate except combined

offices) ......................................................21

titles and headings, capitalize (except

articles, conjunctions, and prepositions 

of four or fewer letters) ............................13

titles and names in text ...............................13

titles, compound (use en dash when

needed for clarity) ....................................38

To Whom It May Concern: ...........................34

to wit (avoid) ................................................51

tobacco, tobaccos .......................................28

together with (use sing. verb) .....................57

tolerance for, of, to ....................................66

tomato, tomatoes .........................................28

tool-and-die maker .......................................18

toolmaker ......................................................15

torch, torches ...............................................28

tormented by, with ....................................66

torpedo, torpedoes ......................................28

100

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

total, totaled ...........................................45, 47

totally (preferred over in toto) ....................49

Tr., transcript ................................................10

tractor-trailer ................................................17

trade unions .................................................29

traffic, trafficking .........................................45

transatlantic .................................................16

trans-Canadian .............................................16

transcript, Tr. ...............................................10

transfer, transferable, transferred ...............45

transfer, transferal, transference,

transferor ..................................................47

transfer, transferred, transferring ...............47

transoceanic .................................................16

transshipment ..............................................45

travel, traveled .......................................45, 47

Tree Fruits decision......................................50

tricolor...........................................................16

trio, trios .......................................................28

truckdriver (but dump truck driver) ............15

true, truism ...................................................48

TRW, Inc. recently built here. ......................36

T-shirt .....................................................19, 45

turn over (v.) .................................................15

turnover (n.) ..................................................15

TV program titles (in quotation marks) ......41

Twenty years is a long time. .......................57

twentyfold .....................................................16

two 1⁄2-inch boards .......................................27

two dozen......................................................26

two, twos ......................................................28

twofold or threefold .....................................19

twos, threes (plurals) ...................................32

U

U. Exhs., union exhibits ..............................10

U. Pa. L. Rev. ..................................................7

U.S. (omitted in citing Federal agencies)......2

U.S. (citing United States Reports) .........8, 10

U.S. Attorney ..................................................9

U.S. Const., Art. I, § 9, cl. 2 ............................8

U.S. District Court ..........................................9

U.S. economy .................................................9

U.S. Government ............................................9

U.S. Senate ...............................................9, 12

U.S. Supreme Court .................................9, 12

U.S.C., United States Code ............................8

U.S.C.A., United States Code Annotated ......8

USCS, U.S. Code Service Lawyers Edition ...8

USCS, United States Supreme Court

Service Lawyers Edition ............................8

UAW (no periods)..........................................40

ultra-ambitious .............................................17

ultrasonic ......................................................16

umbrage at, to ............................................66

uncap ............................................................16

undercoverman ............................................20

underproductive ...........................................16

unequal in, to .............................................66

unfavorable for, to .....................................66

unilingual ......................................................16

unintelligible..................................................46

union agent ..................................................11

union animus (not antiunion animus) ........45

union exhibits, U. Exhs. ..............................10

Union Steward Clark, who participated

in the strike, was promoted. ....................35

Union, the (in the case) ...............................11

union-security clause ..................................18

union-shop agreement ................................18

United States

foreign policy of .........................................9

The Supreme Court of the .........................9

United States Code (cited U.S.C.) .................8

United States Code Annotated

(cited U.S.C.A.) ...........................................8

United States Code Service Lawyers

Edition (cited USCS) ...................................8

United States control....................................32

United States Court of Appeals for the

Fifth Circuit ...............................................12

United States Law Week (L.W.) .....................8

United States Reports (cited U.S.) ..........8, 10

United States Supreme Court Reports

Lawyers' Edition (cited L.Ed.2d) ...............8

unmistakable.................................................46

unsusceptible................................................46

until such time as (avoid) ............................52

until, till .........................................................32

unto (avoid) ..................................................51

untrammeled ................................................45

unusually high strung supervisor ...............20

up to date (adv.) ............................................17

up-and-coming..............................................17

update ...........................................................16

upon, on ........................................................55

uppercase type .............................................20

101

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

upperclassman ............................................20

ups and downs .............................................32

up-to-date (adj.) ............................................17

usable ............................................................45

USS Nautilus ................................................50

Utah, UT ..........................................................9

V

Va., VA ............................................................9

vacated (spell out in citation) ........................2

variance with...............................................66

various, different ..........................................56

vary from, with ...........................................66

Venetian ........................................................11

venetian blinds .............................................11

verbal, oral ...................................................55

verbatim (not italicized) ...............................50

verbatim (preferred over in haec verba) ....49

vessels (italicize names) ..............................50

vest in, with ................................................66

veto, vetoes ..................................................28

vexed at, with .............................................66

vice chairmen ...............................................29

vice president, ex-vice-president ..........19, 21

Vice President–General Manager Brown

(with en dash, not hyphen) ................13, 38

vice versa (not italicized) .............................50

vice-presidency.............................................19

Vice-President-elect .....................................19

vicissitude ....................................................45

vilify ..............................................................45

vincible .........................................................46

virtuoso, virtuosos .......................................28

vis-à-vis (avoid) ............................................51

visible ...........................................................46

viz. (avoid) ....................................................51

V-neck ...........................................................19

voir dire (not italicized) ................................49

vol. vols., volume(s)......................................10

volume 10 (in lowercase) .............................13

volume numbers (replace Roman with

Arabic numerals) ........................................8

Von Braun .....................................................12

von Braun, Wernher .....................................12

Vt., VT .............................................................9

W

W.Va., WV .......................................................9

wait for, on, until ........................................66

warehouseman .............................................15

Wash., WA .....................................................9

Washington Post (not italicized) .................50

Washington Post, Jan. 7, 1982 at D11,

col. 5 ............................................................7

Washington Post, the ..................................12

Washington, DC 20570–0001 ......................37

We have not carried that model for

some time, but we expect to restock it. ..36

weeks’ allowance..........................................31

weigh ............................................................47

Weinstein’s Federal Evidence........................7

weird ..............................................................47

well-being .....................................................17

well-established procedure .........................18

well-kept farm ..............................................20

well-known lawyer ........................................20

well-known supporter ..................................18

well-settled principle ...................................18

well-thought-out maneuver .........................18

West (address) ...............................................9

What the difficulty is, is not known . ...........36

What! .............................................................39

when, while, during .....................................54

Where the h— is he? ...................................38

where, when, in which, if .............................56

whereases ....................................................32

whereases and wherefores .........................29

whereby (avoid) ............................................51

wherein (avoid) ............................................51

whether or not (omit not when possible) ...52

Whether the Company (a) bargained in

bad faith, precluding a valid impasse, 

(b) changed wages, benefits, and 

working rules, and (c) [commas 

instead of semicolons] .............................42

while, although, even though ......................56

White Senior..................................................37

Who shouted, “All aboard!” ........................39

wholly owned subsidiary .............................20

Why call it a “gentlemen’s agreement”? ....43

wide gauge ....................................................19

wide-awake....................................................19

widemouthed.................................................19

Wigmore on Evidence.....................................7

Williston on Contracts ...................................7

willful ............................................................45

102

Revised January 2000 
INDEX AND WORD LIST

windup...........................................................16

Wis., WI ...........................................................9

Wisdom grows from experience, ................34

Wisdom grows from: experience, (avoid) ..34

with (use sing. verb) ....................................57

with reference to (avoid) ..............................52

with regard to (avoid) ...................................52

with the exception of (avoid) ......................52

withdrawn (spell out in citation) ...................2

withhold.........................................................45

women advisers............................................29

women writers ..............................................29

women’s votes .............................................32

word-for-word report ...................................18

work force ....................................................15

workers’ compensation ...............................32

workplace......................................................15

work-related complaint ................................18

worksheet .....................................................15

worktable ......................................................15

worktime .......................................................15

workweek .....................................................15

worthy of, to ...............................................66

Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and

Procedure ....................................................7

writer’s cramp ..............................................31

wrongdoer.....................................................15

WTOP–TV (with en dash) ............................38

Wyo., WY ........................................................9

X

X-raying .........................................................19

XYZ Company (the Company or the

Respondent) ..............................................39

Y

yearn for, with ............................................66

Yes, they are coming . ..................................36

yeses and noes ......................................29, 32

yield of, to ...................................................66

YMCAs ..........................................................29

You are sure, are you not? ..........................36

You will observe that the sword is (1) old

fashioned, (2) still sharp, and (3) light 

for its size. ................................................39

Your honesty, not your pleas, causes me

to relent. ....................................................57

yours (plural) ................................................32

yourself .........................................................17

yourselves .....................................................17

Z

zero miles ......................................................26

zero, zeros.....................................................28

103

Revised January 2000