CORRESPONDENCE MANUAL
Document Type:
Collection:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
CIA-RDP74-00005R000200080050-0
Release Decision:
RIFPUB
Original Classification:
K
Document Page Count:
62
Document Creation Date:
December 9, 2016
Document Release Date:
July 8, 1998
Sequence Number:
50
Case Number:
Publication Date:
January 1, 1968
Content Type:
REGULATION
File:
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Body:
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FPMR 10
LIJ
CORRESPONDENCE
MANUAL
Fetio, o', 7)jz.-k Number
7610-889-3558
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Part I
LETTERS
a. All correspondence within this agency, with other agencies, and with the public will be either
in the form of a letter or a telegram. The following paragraphs tell how letters should be prepared. Figure 1
of this chapter is an example of the format of the informal letter. This letter is used in most of our day-to-day
Dote: April 10, 1967
Reply to
Aces of. NMRW
.Sobjoce: Format for the Informal Letter ?
To: Director, Administrative Services Division (AFAS)
Federal Supply Agency
1889 Inverson Street
San Francisco, California 94102
This letter shows the format for preparing letters throughout
the United States Government. This format will expedite the
preparation of correspondence and save effort, time, and
materials.
The following features of this format should please typists.
a. Most elements are blocked along the left margins.
This block style minimizes the use of the space bar, tabulator
set key, and the tabular bar .n
b. Salutations and complimentary closes are omitted in
most letters. They may be included in letters to an individual
on a personal or private matter (letters of condolence, notices
of serious illness, where a warm and personal feeling is para-
mount, etc.) or where protocol or tradition dictates.
c. The address is positioned for use in a window envelope,
eliminating the need for typing an envelope.
JOHN B. SMITH
Administrator of Correspondence l$
FIGURE 1.-The Informal Letter.
(Each circled number indicates the paragraph in this chapter which gives instructions for preparing that part of the letter.)
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communications. Each circled number on the figure corresponds to the paragraph where that part of
the format is discussed. No exceptions to this format can be made without the approval of the official
responsible for correspondence practices in the agency.
b. Letterhead stationery with the printed captions "Date:," "Reply to Attn of:," "Subject:," and
"To:" omitted is available for use when authorized. It is suitable for those situations where it is known
that the addressee would expect a more "personalized" format. A salutation and a complimentary close
may be included. Type the formal letter as shown in figure 2 of this chapter. All other aspects of this
letter are the same as those discussed in this chapter and shown in the illustration of the informal letter in
figure 1 of this chapter.
PUBLIC SERVICE AGENCY
Washington, D. C. 20405
April 10, 1967
Mr. Arthur N. Brown O
The River Towers
4076 Oak Street
Topeka, Kansas 43786
Dear Mr. Brown:?
0 a.
Sincerely, O
;0. -4
JOHN B. SMITH
Administrator of Correspondence 13
FIGURE 2.-The Formal Letter.
(Each circled number indicates the paragraph in this chapter. which gives instructions for preparing that part of the letter.)
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2. STATIONERY
Use agency stationery as follows:
Letter and copies First page
ORIGINAL
Succeeding ages
Normal letter ........................ Letterhead......................... Plain bond
Bulky airmail letter ................... Letterhead tissue*.................... Plain tissue
CARBON COPIES
Courtesy (if necessary) ................. Letterhead tissue*..................... Plain tissue
Official file ............................. Yellow tissue ....................... Yellow tissue
Reading file (if required) .............. White tissue........................ White tissue
Other .............................. White tissue........................ White tissue
*Use letterhead tissue, if available. If not, use plain tissue stamped or typed with agency identification.
3. NUMBER OF COPIES
Prepare an official file copy of each letter. Make it the first or second carbon copy so that it can be easily
read. Prepare a courtesy copy for only those addressees who have indicated a need for such a copy. Keep
other carbons to a minimum. Don't prepare a copy for your personal use. You can rely on the official
file or the reading file for your reference needs.
4. MARGINS
Set your left margin two spaces to the right of the printed captions "Date:," "Reply to Attn of:," "Sub-
ject:," and "To:". Allow at least 1 inch for the right margin (about 12 typing spaces) and bottom margin
(about six typing lines).
5. DATE
a. When the date of signing is known, type it flush with the left margin in line with the "Date:" caption-
Type the name of the month in full and the day and year in numerals. In showing the day, omit endings
such as "st" and "th."
b. Omit the date on a letter that will be signed in another office or that may not be signed the day you
type it. The office in which the letter is signed or dispatched will add the date.
6. SENDER'S REFERENCE
a. Type the office symbol flush with the left margin in line with "Reply to Attn of:" caption (two typing
lines below. the date). If your office does not have a symbol, type the abbreviated name of your office.
Examples :
Reply to
Attn of: BRAR
Reply to
Attn of: Opns Br
b. If a more detailed reference
name. Example:
Reply to
Attn of:
is needed, type it in parentheses after the office symbol or abbreviated
BRAR (Case #66-532)
7. SPECIAL MAILING INSTRUCTIONS
Put instructions for special mailing, such as AIRMAIL, SPECIAL DELIVERY, CERTIFIED, or REGISTERED On
the face of the letter only when special mailing is required and you don't prepare the envelope. Type
or stamp these instructions on the line with the sender's reference, starting at the center of the page. If
the reference element extends to or beyond the center of the page, begin typing special mailing instructions
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three spaces to the right of it. When more than one instruction is used, type them continuously on the
line, separating them with a dash. Example :
8. SUBJECT
a. The subject of a letter is a brief, usually not more than 10 words, statement of what a letter is about.
Type it as furnished by the writer, flush with the left margin in a line with the "Subject:" caption (two
typing lines below the sender's reference). If more than one line is needed for the subject, begin succeeding
lines flush with the first line. Capitalize the first letter of each word, except articles, prepositions, and
conjunctions. Example:
Subject: Designation of Members of the Amalgamated Welfare
and Recreation Board
b. When writing back to the same office or person on the same subject, type the sender's reference after
the subject. Example:
Subject; Disposition of Records (Your ltr, 9/11/66)
c. If you write a second letter to the same person on the same subject before receiving a reply, include
your reference after the subject. Example:
Subject: Disposition of Records (Our ltr, 9/11/66)
9. ADDRESS
a. Type the address at the left margin in a line with the "To:" caption (three typing lines below the
subject). Single space the address and arrange it in block style. To be visible in a window envelope, no
line of the address should be longer than 4 inches. When runover lines are required, indent two spaces
from the left margin. Limit the address to five lines. Example :
To: Mr. John L. Doe
Chairman, Secretarial-Professional
Association of the United States
5906 Weaver Place SE.
Barnesboro, Pennsylvania 15714
b. Use complete office symbols alone to address letters to other elements of your agency when they are to
be delivered by agency messenger or included in a consolidated mailing to a field office. Example:
c. If letters to other elements of your agency are to be mailed in individual envelopes, include the office
symbol in the address. Also include the addressee's office symbol, when known, on letters sent to another
Government agency. Example :
To: Director, Administrative Services Division (iRAR)
Federal Service Agency
Cleveland, Ohio. 12365
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d. When the same letter is going to several addressees within your agency and will be delivered by agency
messenger or included in a consolidated mailing to a field office, you may use the multiple-address method.
The letter will be acted upon by each addressee just as if it were individually addressed. Examples:
To: APPT CTO BRAC TUCO
ABRAI/ FTO BRAC-1 FMOR
To: Chief, Administrative Services Division
All Regions
Once the letter is typed, place a checkmark after the office symbol for each addressee in turn, as shown
in the first example. If you use the technique as shown in the second example, write the correspondence
symbol of each addressee in the upper right corner of each appropriate copy.
10. ATTENTION LINE
You can usually avoid using an "Attention" line by including in the address the reference that was in-
cluded after the "Reply to Attn of:" caption in the incoming letter or by using as specific an address as
possible. If you must use an "Attention" line, type "Attention:" on the line below the first line of the
address, flush with the left margin. Example:
Petroleum Supply Division
Attention: Mr. V. E. Blank
123 Main Street
Temple Hills, Maryland 20031
11. BODY OF LETTER
a. Spacing. Begin the body of a letter at least two lines below the last line of the address. If a window
envelope is to be used, begin the text at least six lines below the "To:" caption. Begin each main para-
graph flush with the left margin. Subparagraphs should be indented four spaces with typing beginning
with the fifth space. Single space the body of the letter; double space between paragraphs. Double space
letters of one paragraph or less than 10 lines.
b. Paragraphing. When there is reason to break a paragraph into subparagraphs, they may be num-
bered and lettered, as shown in figures 1, 2 and 3 of this chapter. Figure 3 also shows how to number all
the paragraphs of a letter, when required. Begin each main paragraph flush with the left margin. Sub-
paragraphs should be indented as shown in figures 1 and 2. Don't begin a paragraph near the end of a
page unless there is room for at least two lines on that page. Don't continue a paragraph on the following
page unless at least two lines can be carried over to that page.
12. SUCCEEDING PAGES
Type the second and succeeding pages of a letter on plain paper. Starting with the second page, type the
page number seven lines from the top of the page, flush with the left margin. Continue the body of the
letter two lines below the page number. Allow side margins of 1 inch and bottom margin of at least 1
inch.
13. SIGNATURE ELEMENT
a. If you know who will sign the letter, type the name of the signer four lines below the last line of the
letter and flush with the left margin. Type the signer's title on the next line, flush with the name. If more
than one line is needed for the signer's title, begin succeeding lines flush with the left margin. The entire
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The numbering and lettering of paragraphs is acceptable
a. Main paragraphs are typed in block style. Subparagraphs
are indented as shown in this example. They are single spaced
with double spaces between them
(1) When a paragraph is subdivided, it must have
least two subdivisions.
(a) When paragraphs are subdivided, numbered, and
lettered, they fall in the following sequence: 1, a, (1),(a),,
a:, (?) (a).
(b) When a paragraph is cited, the reference numbers
and letters are written without spaces; for example, "paragraph
3a(2)(c)."
(2) A paragraph is begun near the end of a page only if
there is space for two or more lines on that page. A paragraph
is continued on the following page only if two or more lines can
be carried over to that page.
b. Titles or captions are used in lengthy communications
increase ease of reading and reference.
2. The arrangement shown here may be varied to meet special
requirements such as those for legal documents.
FIGURE 3.-Arrangement of Paragraphs.
signature element should not run over four lines. It is permissible to stamp, instead of type, the name and
title below the written signature. If a stamp is used, be sure it is applied to each copy of the letter.
b. If you cannot determine the name of the signer when you type the letter, leave this space open. After
the letter is signed, type or stamp the name and title of the signer below the signature on the original
and in a corresponding position on all copies.
c. If an acting official is to sign the letter, he signs his name and the word "for" before the typed name
of the regular signing official. If it is known before typing that an acting official will sign, type his name
and the word "Acting" before his title in the signature element.
14. ENCLOSURES
a. Enclosures identified in the text. When an enclosure which accompanies a letter is identified in
the text, type the word "Enclosure" flush with the left margin, two lines below the last line of the signer's
title. For more than one enclosure, use the plural form and indicate the number of enclosures, as "3
Enclosures."
b. Enclosures not identified in the text. When an enclosure(s) isn't identified in the text, type the
notation as indicated above. Below the notation, flush with the left margin, list each enclosure on a separate
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line. Describe each enclosure by title or in as few words as are needed to identify it. If more than one
line is needed to identify an enclosure, begin succeeding lines flush with left margin. Example:
3 Enclosures:
Form Letters Handbook
Plain Letters Pamphlet
Organization Chart
c. Material sent under separate cover. When material referred to in the text is to be sent under separate
cover, type "Separate cover:" flush with the left margin, two lines below the signer's title or the enclosure
notation, if you have one. List the material, whether or not identified in the text. Send a.copy of the letter
with the material sent under separate cover. Example:
Separate cover:
Form Letters Handbook
Plain Letters Pamphlet
Correspondence Manual - 10 copies
d. Alternate arrangement of notations. If typing the above notations flush with the left margin below
the signer's title would require starting a new page, you may type them directly opposite the signer's
name and title, starting at the center of the page on the same line with the signer's name.
15. DISTRIBUTION OF COPIES
Show the distribution of copies of the letter only on the copies to be retained within your agency. Indicate
"carbon copy" by typing "cc:" flush with the left margin, two lines below the last line of the signer's
title or the enclosure or separate cover listing. If there isn't enough room in this position, type "cc:" on
a line with the signer's name, starting at the center of the page. Below "cc:" list recipients of copies, one
below the other, using office symbols as appropriate. Check a copy for each recipient. See figure 4 of this
chapter. Example:
cc:
Official File - BRAR
Reading File - BRA
BRBD
FMSX
16. MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD (M/R)
Although the Memorandum for the Record is sometimes a separate document, a writer can include
on file copies supporting information that isn't included in the text of the letter. In this case, type the
notation "M/R:" two lines below the copy distribution listing, flush with the left margin. Start typing
the M/R two spaces after the colon, as shown in figure 4 of this chapter. If there isn't enough space below
the copy distribution listing, type the M/R to the right of the signature block.
17. IDENTIFICATION OF OFFICE, WRITER, AND TYPIST
a. Type on file copies the office symbol of the preparing office, the writer's initials and surname, the
typist's initials, and date of typing. Place this identification notation at the left margin two lines below
the last line used as indicated in figure 4 of this chapter. Example:
BRDP:RFJones:pd 2-19-67
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b. If the letter is rewritten, type a second identification notation directly below the first. Example:
BRDP:RFJones:pd 2-19-67
Rewritten: BRD:OLSmith:ab 2-20-67
18. CONCURRENCES
If concurrences or clearances are required, type on the bottom of the last page of file copies at the left
margin the word "Concurrences:" followed by the office symbols of concurring officials. Allow about
12 spaces between these symbols as shown in figure 4 of this chapter.
cc:
Official file - NMRW 15
Reading file - NMR
BRA R
M/R: Info re availability new pamphlet furnished by J.
BRAR (Ext 5132)
NMRW:RJMann:pd 2-5-67 17
Rewritten: NMR:IJSmith:ap 2-7-67
Roe,
FIGURE 4.-Last Page of File Copies.
(Each circled number indicates the paragraph in this chapter which gives instructions for preparing that part of file copies.)
19. ASSEMBLY FOR SIGNATURE
When the letter is ready for review and signature, arrange it and accompanying papers in the basic groups
and order shown in figure 5 of this chapter. Fasten each group together with a paper clip. Attach signature
(initial) tabs, cover sheets, and special expediting tabs, if any, used by your agency. The special expediting
tab, when placed on a piece of correspondence, indicates to the receiving office that this correspondence
should receive priority attention.
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art
INFORMATION COPY
(If any)
1. Original of the letter
2. Courtesy copy, if any
3. Enclosures, if any, in
the sequence in which
mentioned or listed in
the letter
4. Envelope, if required
1. Information copy
2. Enclosures, if any
3. Envelope, if required
Official file copy
Enclosures, if any,
f Incoming letter, if any
Other related material
READING FILE COPY
(If any)
FIGURE 5. Format for Assembling a Letter.
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INFORMAL COMMUNICATIONS
1. GENERAL
Informal communications may be handled using one of the techniques discussed in this chapter. Such
communications may be typed or handwritten.
2. INFORMAL REPLIES
When a simple acknowledgment or an informal comment is appropriate, it may be handwritten or typed
on the original incoming letter, which is then returned to the sender. Normally, when this method is used,
you will not need to keep a copy of the original letter or of the added comment. However, if a file copy is
needed, answer the letter with a letter or use any available "fast copy" process to make a copy of the letter
after adding your comment. See figure 1 of this chapter.
October 16, 1967
APGO
Records Management Seminar
XZY Agency
Fourth Street
Washington, D.C. 50006
We would like to register Mr. John T. Blank of our
agency in your forthcoming Records Management
Seminar. He is a management analyst and grade 12.
Thank you very much,
JOHN S. BROWN
Paperwork Management Division
October 20, 1467
Mr. Blank is now registered in our Records Management
Seminar, January 1-5. The first session begins at 9:00 a.m.
THOMAS T. WHITE
Seminar Coordinator
Dear Sire:
Will you please send me a copy of your new
booklet, "Seven Tips for Better Typing." Thank
you very much.
YYou~r"s' truly,
#l
Miss May Jones
330 Ash Street
Cleverton, Mass. 43676
i7, 1967
,
FIGURE 1.-The Informal Reply.
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3. ROUTING SLIP
a. Use a routing slip to make brief, informal comments concerning correspondence or other documents
routed to one or more addressees. No record (file) copy of the routing slip should be made. If necessary,
both sides of the slip may be used for remarks. See figure 2 of this chapter for the preparation of a
routing slip.
b. To indicate the action for an addressee, number the appropriate block to the right of the address ele-
ment to agree with the number of the addressee. The routing slip may be typed or handwritten. A recipient
may add another addressee(s) to the slip. He forwards the slip, with any enclosures, to the next addressee
by lining through his n. me, initialing, and dating.
4. MEMORANDUM OF CALL
Use Standard Form 63 to inform office personnel of a visitor or telephone call. The form is self-explanatory.
For a sample, see figure, 3 of this chapter.
ROUTING AND TRANSMITTAL SLIP
,16N
TO (N-.-, office ymbof or to cellos)
I.u
CTS
ncuura
31/y
Oa01NATI0N
2
IiIA
z
111TIA"
N YE AND
Te
ITIA
e 6 Mt
T.
GNATUar
REMARKS
Do NOT use this form as a RECORD of approvals, concurrences,
disapprove a, clearances, and similar actions
FROM (Name, office symbol or fccal(on)
/0140-
FTIONAL FORM 41
GUST IY
GaA FPMR 4 4
1CFR) 100'11.206
FIGURE 2.-Optional Form 41, Routing Slip.
MEMORANDUM
OF CALL
oI
F 'YOU WERE CALLED BY- [] YOU WERE VISITED BY-
OF
X L ?.--.
PLEASE CALL ->? P ONE NO.
CODE/EXT. 3' '.8 - Fl O 9Q
WILL CALL AGAIN Q IS WAITING TO SEE YOU
RETURNED YOUR CALL E] WISHES AN APPOINTMENT
MESSAGE
dd
_
v
~iLto~- .
OL'r Lu1~~
Z~
RECEIVED BY DATE TIME
STANDARD FORM 63 .'ooro1%7-o46o-e65 h-I- - 63-108
REVISED AUGUST 1967
GSA FPMR (41 CFR) 101-11.6
FIGURE 3. Standard Form 63, Memorandum of Call.
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ENVELOPES AND MAILING
1. GENERAL
When you are ready to send correspondence to the addressee, you have to prepare either an envelope or
an address label. The only exception is internal mail that does not need to be enveloped and that will be
delivered by an agency messenger or consolidated in the mailroom for forwarding to agency field offices.
If such mail contains sufficient address information after the "To:" caption, it can be sent without
further addressing. If this is not the case, put the necessary address on a routing slip, and attach it to the
correspondence. See chapter 2, paragraph 3 of this part for instructions on the use of the routing slip.
2. ENVELOPES AND MAILING LABELS
a. Postage and fees paid envelope and label. A mailing envelope has the notation "Postage and Fees
Paid" printed in the upper right corner of the address side. The return address and the words "Official
Business" appear in the upper left corner of the address side. See figure 1 of this chapter. A mailing label
bears the same notations as the envelope. Use them on packages or oversize plain envelopes.
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 00000
BRAC
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Richard Longwood
Room 1112 South Building
Department of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. 20250
FIGURE 1.-Postage and Fees Paid Envelope.
(1) Letter-size envelopes. Use window envelopes whenever possible. They eliminate one typing
operation and the time-consuming process of matching letters to envelopes. See figure 2 of this chapter.
If you can't use a window envelope, select a regular envelope. You may requisition envelopes that are
listed in the Stores Stock Catalog issued by the Federal Supply Service, General Services Administration.
(2) Oversize envelopes. Use large flat envelopes for mailing multiple enclosures, pamphlets, printed
materials, etc. Don't use envelopes that are too big. The cost of mailing will be higher as shown in figure
5 and the contents may become damaged by shifting during handling. When the materials are heavy,
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UNITED STATES
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
Washington,. D. C. 00000:
CTD
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
I
Mr. John Robert
38 Pine Street
Wiliowhawen, Iowa 00000
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Washington, D. C. 00000
JRO(TD)
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
Mr. John Robert
38 Pine Street
Willowhaven, Iowa 00000
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
UNITED STATES
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
_dW_AW_ AMF
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
U, S.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
A I R
MA I L
FIGURE 2.-Window Envelopes.
wrap them as a package, if possible. If an envelope is used, reinforce it with gummed tape, or use one
that closes with a metal clasp or with a button-and-twine device. Press the envelope flat before mailing.
If the envelope does not have the postage and fees paid notation and return address printed on it, attach
an address label.
b. Interoffice, chain-type envelope. Use Standard Form 65, "U.S. Government Messenger Envelope,"
to send mail and printed matter between offices within the same city when it is to be delivered by an
agency messenger or by interagency messenger service: The Standard Form 65 can be used to send mail
through postal channels only as part of a consolidated mailing. The 9M- by 12-inch envelope has 38 printed
spaces for addressees and, the 12- by 16-inch size has 75. The "Stop" space is used primarily in the Wash-
ington, D.C., area. It maly, however, be used elsewhere. See figure 3 of this chapter.
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Standard Form No. 65
November 1961
Ganerol ServjRo Admini.lrntlon
FPMR (91 CFR) 101-11.6
U.S. Government Messenger Envelope
NAME (OR TITLEI OF ADDRESSEE, AGENCY, ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT,
ADDRESS, AND ROOM
NAME [OR TITLE) OF ADDRESSEE, AGENCY, ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT,
ADDRESS, AND ROOM
-0
To a person in another agency
with another stop number
STOP
STOP
To a code in same agency with
same stop number
To a person in same agency
(different building) with
4 another stop number
O
To an office in another
4 agency with another stop
number
FIGURE 3.-Standard Form 65, U.S. Government Messenger Envelope.
3. TYPES OF MAIL SERVICE
The following types of mail service are available for official U.S. Government Mail.
a. Post office mail service. Under the postage and fees paid system, no postage is affixed to individual
pieces of mail sent by the agency. However, we must ultimately pay for each piece of mail since the agency
reimburses the Post Office Department annually for all mail dispatched. Always use the most economical
method of mailing possible. When a large amount of mail is to be sent to one destination, send the pieces
under one cover rather than in separate envelopes. This helps save envelopes and reduces postage costs.
Select the proper mail classification or service to be used, keeping in mind economy as well as efficiency.
(1) Airmail. Use airmail only when the fastest handling by the post office is required. Don't use air-
mail for mail going less than 500 miles. Except for urgent mail going coast-to-coast, don't use it for mail
sent on Friday or the day before a holiday. For overseas mailing, airmail will be used for all first-class
mail unless it is going via diplomatic pouch. An exception can be made for mail going to a Military Post
Office (APO or FPO). See the procedures in paragraph (10) below on Military Ordinary Mail (MOM).
(2) First-class mail. Use first-class for mail requiring the highest priority surface handling. This in-
cludes correspondence and other material requiring higher than third- or fourth-class treatment.
(3) Third-class mail. Printed material and parcels weighing less than 1 pound qualify for third-
class. Since third-class rates are less than first-class or airmail, consider using third-class when possible.
(4) Fourth-class mail. Printed material and parcels weighing 1 pound and over qualify for
fourth-class. Fourth-class is commonly referred to as parcel post.
(5) Certified mail. Use certified mail service where a proof of delivery is needed and the material
which is to be mailed has no monetary value, or to transmit classified material up to and including CON-
FIDENTIAL within the continental United States. This service provides for record of delivery and permits
the sender to request a receipt when mailing the item. Certified mail costs substantially less than registered
mail.
(6) Registered mail. Use registered mail service only when required by law, for material or supplies
that require the security and protection provided by the registered mail service, or to transmit SECRET
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material. The sender of a registered item may request a return receipt and may restrict delivery to the
addressee only. Postal insurance is not provided for Registered Official Government Mail.
(7) Special delivery mail. Use special :delivery service only when it is necessary that the mailed
material be provided special delivery by the post office of the addressee. When using this service, be sure
that someone will be at, the address to receive it and that the post office will, in fact, provide special de-
livery to that location.
(8) Special handling. Use special handling for fourth-class mail when it is necessary to give fourth-
class material first-class priority and handling. It is cheaper to send a parcel fourth-class special handling
than to send the same parcel first-class. The post office will treat it similarly to first class when in transit.
(9) Insurance. Liability for insured mail is limited to $200.00. Use postal insurance when requested
by the addressee and considered justified by the sending office, or when the replacement cost of the item
justifies the expense of insuring it against damage or loss.
(10) Military Ordinary Mail (MOM). Military Ordinary Mail (MOM) service is available for all
official Government mail addressed to an overseas Military Post Office (APO or FPO). MOM receives
airlift from the point of exit from the United States to overseas APO's or FPO's at approximately one-
half the cost of airmail. Mail sent via MOM is generally transported by land from the mailing point to
the point of exit. Because; of the savings involved, you should use this service whenever possible. All parcels
sent via MOM should be marked with large letters "MOM" to the left of the address. Envelopes need
not be marked.
b. Mail service within an agency. Mail addressed to persons within the agency who occupy the same
or a nearby building is delivered by agency messengers. Under special conditions, these messengers may
deliver mail to addressees in other agencies within the same city or area. Send routine material that is
easy to handle and contains sufficient address information for delivery without further addressing. If
additional information is 'required, attach a routing slip. If a cover is desirable, use a chain envelope such
as Standard Form 65, U.S. Government Messenger Envelope. A sealed envelope is seldom used for
within-agency mail sent by messenger.
c. Mail service between, agencies.
(1) In many cities an interagency messenger service provides fast pickup and delivery between
Federal agencies within that city. In Washington, D.C., this service is called the U.S. Mail and Messenger
Service. Post Office Form! OM 2 lists the Washington, D.C., agencies receiving the service and a "Stop"
number for each delivery point. The various stop numbers are included in most agency telephone direc-
tories. Normally send material in one of the two sizes of the U.S. Government Messenger Envelope.
Folded material may be sent in a plain envelope or in a postage and fees paid envelope.
(2) Don't use the U.S Mail and Messenger Service for the following:
(a) Security classified mail.
(b) Mail to an addressee not included in the U.S. Mail and Messenger Service.
(c) Unofficial mail.
d. Diplomatic pouch. If needed, agencies can arrange with the State Department for diplomatic pouch
service. In general, this service is used for official mail to an agency's representatives under the jurisdic-
tion of diplomatic or consular posts abroad. All such mail is dispatched through the Department of State.
4. TYPING AND MAILING INSTRUCTIONS
a. Post office mail.
(1) Return address. The return address, if not printed on the envelope, should be typed in the
upper left corner over the words "Official Business." Type the office symbol below the printed or typed
return address.
(2) Special mailing instructions. If you prepare an envelope for a letter requiring special mail
service, type or stamp the mailing instructions such as AIRMAIL, CERTIFIED, REGISTERED, etc., to the right
of the address. See figure 4 of this chapter. If more than one instruction is used, type each one on a
separate line, one below the other. Further notations required on the envelope about special handling
are added by the mailroom I',or by the post office.
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VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL
NORTHPORT, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK 00000
RD-C
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
RETURN AFTER FIVE DAYS
Scientific Scope Laboratories
Attention: Mr. Richard Jones
3241 Fifth Street
Clemtion, Texas 00000
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Washington, D. C. 00000
Opns. Br.
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
AIR MAIL
`~A I g"Vyr
Statistical Division M A I L
Weather Bureau Records Center
Federal Building REGISTERED
Asheville, N. C. 00000
FIGURE 4.-Special Mailing Instructions.
(3) Arrangement of address.
(a) Single space the address on an envelope or on an address label to be added to an envelope.
If a line is too long to fit the space, continue it on the next line, indented two spaces. Begin typing approx-
imately one-third the length of the envelope from the left side and approximately one-half the depth of
the envelope.
(b) Type "Attention:" (when used) immediately below the addressee's name followed by the
name of the person to whose attention the mail is directed.
(c) Federal Government agencies are required to use ZIP Codes in both the mailing and return
address on all correspondence. A National ZIP Code Directory, POD Publication 65, is published annually
by the Post Office Department. For information on availability of copies, contact your agency publications
supply unit. Type the ZIP Code on the last line of the address two spaces following the last letter of the
State. Example:
John Dawson Company, Inc.
Attention: Mr. James Brown
1234 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York '10029
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(4) Preparation of registered mail. Registered mail must be securely sealed. In addition, Post
Office regulations on registered mail forbid j the placing of paper strips, cellophane tape, or wax or
paper seals over the intersection of the flaps on the envelope or package where the speci4l postmark
impressions will be made.
b. Agency and interagency messenger services.
(1) When a routing slip is addressed for delivery by an agency messenger, it should contain sufficient
information to insure delivery. In most cases the office symbol of the addressee or the abbreviated name
of his office is enough.
(2) When a plain or postage and fees paid envelope is addressed for delivery by a messenger, it should
contain the office symbol of the addressee orl his name and title, if necessary. For interagency mail, the
addressee's agency should also be included, and, if applicable, the "Stop" number. Single space the
address and put the "stop" number two lines below it. Example:
Mr. John Doe, A9
Department of Justice
(3) When addressing the chain type of envelope, cross out the used spaces. Enter the office symbol
of the addressee and his'~name and title, if necessary, in the address space on the left side of the envelope.
If the addressee is in another agency, include his agency's name in the address, and put the correct "Stop"
number in the space provided to the right.
POST CARDS
Regular Mail
Airmail
$.05
.08
SMALL ENVELOPES
Regular Mail
.06
(not exceeding 51/2 " x 11")
Airmail
.10
LARGE ENVELOPES
Regular Mail
.18
Airmail
.30
ODD - SIZE (envelopes over
11" x 13" or of unusual size
or shape or small packets)
Regular Mail
Airmail
.50
.90
PACKAGES
Regular Mail
1.00
Airmail
4.50
REGISTERED MAIL
$.75
CERTIFIED MAIL
.30
INSURED MAIL
.30
RETURN RECEIPTS
.10
SPECIAL DELIVERY `
.60
SPECIAL HANDLING
.50
*CHARGE IN ADDITION TO COST FOR
REGULAR SERVICE
FIGURE 5. Postage Rates for Official Mail.
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CHAPTER 4
TELEGRAMS
1. GENERAL
Telegrams are used for correspondence when speed is important and a written record is required.
Since telegrams are more expensive than letters, they should be used only when necessary. Follow these
guidelines for using telegrams.
a. Always allow for time zone differences when sending telegrams. If a telegram is sent too late to arrive
at the receiving station before closing time, it won't be delivered to the addressee until the next business
day. The Time Zone Map in figure 1 of this chapter will help you schedule telegrams.
b. Don't send a telegram on Friday or the day before a holiday if it is too late for delivery on the day
sent unless it is certain that the receiving office will be open, or that the individual addressed will be on
duty during the weekend or holiday.
c. When a telegram is to be sent to one or more addressees for action, and for information to others, use
the mail for the information copies whenever possible. Also, action copies may be mailed to nearby
addressees.
d. Don't use a telegram, at Government expense, for such subjects as hotel reservations for personal use
and expressions of condolence, unless the message relates primarily to official business.
2. TYPES OF TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGES
You can prepare a telegram in either Single, Book, or Multiple-Address form.
a. Single. A "single" message is sent to only one addressee.
b. Book. A "book" message is destined for two or more addressees, with each delivered telegram showing
only one addressee. In other words, no addressee will know who the other recipients are. Recipients of
"book" messages can be designated as "action" addressees or "information" addressees.
c. Multiple-address. A "multiple-address" message is destined for two or more addressees, with each
delivered telegram showing all recipients. Recipients of "multiple-address" messages can be designated
as "action" addressees or "information" addressees.
3. PRECEDENCE
Precedence designates the relative urgency of a message and indicates the speed to be used in its handling
and transmission. The precedence assigned a message should be no higher than is required to insure that
it reaches all addressees in time for appropriate action. Different precedences may be assigned for action
copies and for information copies. If the telegram goes through commercial facilities and you do not
specify a particular precedence, it will go full rate. The average transmission time for a full rate telegram
is under 1 hour. You can also send a commercial telegram as a DAY LETTER (delivery guaranteed on same
working day sent) or a NIGHT LETTER (must be filed by 2 a.m. for delivery during business hours of next
day). If you want these services, enter DL or NL, as appropriate, in the precedence space of the telegram
form. See figure 2 of this chapter. International cablegrams should be marked "Etat Priorite" if priority
transmission is required. When a telegram is sent through Government facilities, the following precedence
indicators may be used.
a. R (Routine). Routine is the precedence for those communications which justify rapid handling by
electrical means but are of insufficient urgency to require a higher precedence.
b. P (Priority). The Priority precedence will be reserved generally for messages which in normal times
or periods of emergency require expeditious action by the addressees and/or furnish essential information
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for the conduct of military or civil operations and actions in progress. This is the highest precedence normally
assigned to messages of an administrative nature.
c. 0 (Immediate). Immediate messages will be handled as fast as possible and in priority above all others
except those of a Flash precedence. The Immediate precedence will be reserved generally for messages
relating to situations which gravely affect the security of national and allied forces, messages pertaining
to the reconstruction of forces in a postattack period, messages pertaining to national disasters of extensive
seriousness, pre-attack diplomatic messages attempting to reduce or limit the threat of war, and civil
defense messages pertaining to direction of our population and their survival.
d. Z (Flash). Flash mess*ges will be handled as fast as humanly possible and in priority above all others.
The Flash precedence will be reserved generally for command and control of military forces essential
to defense and retaliation, critical intelligence essential to national survival, for the conduct of diplomatic
negotiations critical to the arresting or limiting of hostilities, and for passing critical civil alert information
to the major elements of our population.
4. TYPING THE MESSAGE
The text of the telegrams should be typed in the message space on the appropriate form. See figure 2 of
this chapter.
a. Address. Following the word "To" at the upper left of the message space, type the name and address
in all capital letters, block style, single spaced with open punctuation (periods are left out). Spell out
words such as NORTH and SOUTH. If all the addressees of a book or multiple-address message don't fit on
one page, type the text on the form and attach a list of all addressees on a separate sheet of plain paper.
In this case, note on the first page of the telegram, at the top of the message section, the total number
of addressees to whom the telegram goes. When a communication is sent for action to one or more ad-
dressees, and for information to others, type "INFO" two lines below the last action addressee at the left
margin, and follow with a list of information addressees. If information copies and action copies for nearby
addressees are to be sent' by mail, indicate this after the appropriate address.
b. Attention line. When! a telegram is directed to the attention of an individual other than the addressee,
place the attention line between the addressee's name and the address. Example:
JOHN DUTTOW, COMPANY
ATTENTION: THOMAS ROWE
1234 FIFTH STREET EAST
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
c. Body. Begin the body of the message two lines below the last line of the address. When time permits
a reply to a telegram to be sent by mail, include the phrase "Reply by Mail" in the body of the message.
If the message is classified, type the appropriate security classification as the first word of the body of the
message. Block the paragraphs and double space the text, with triple spaces between the paragraphs.
d. Signature. Type the signature element four lines below the last line of the body of the message, flush
with the left margin. It; should consist of the name, title, and organizational designation (including the
office symbol) of the signer. The responsible official will sign the message in the space between the body
and the signature element.
5. COPIES
Always send the original of the telegram, not a carbon copy, to the communications unit. Prepare a yellow
tissue copy for official f les. To insure that it can be easily read, make it the first carbon copy. Prepare
only one official file copy for a telegram sent to more than one addressee.
6. TELEGRAPHIC !STYLE
a. Articles. Omit the articles "a," "an," and, "the" unless needed for clarity or part of a quoted passage.
b. Niceties. Avoid unnecessary words such as "please" and "Mr."
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c. Numbers. Type numbers as Arabic numerals. In writing fractions, use numerals and the diagonal
mark, not the typewriter fraction. Write compound numbers with a hyphen. Example :
2 1/2 PAGES
1960-70
d. Dates. In writing dates, use hyphens to separate the month, day, and year. Example:
9-26-67
e. Underscoring. Don't underscore for emphasis as underscoring is not transmitted.
f. Punctuation. Don't use words such as "STOP," "COMMA," "PERIOD," or "QUOTE" instead of punctuation
marks. For international cables omit the punctuation marks and leave two spaces instead.
g. Abbreviations. Use well-known agency abbreviations such as GSA, HEW, and DOD to eliminate
excess words in a telegram. Don't, however, abbreviate individual words as this may lead to confusion.
For example, the abbreviation "reqd" could mean either "requested," "required," or "requisitioned"
to the addressee.
h. Coined words. Use coined words as a means of eliminating excess words. Examples:
URTEL - your telegram
ORTEL - our telegram
URLET - your letter
ORLET - our letter
509 " A
MOUNTAIN
406
503
702
602
307
612
405
918
806.E __--
0.5019A9
V~ 7~r
8~r n9..~~Ni
904 i~
FIGURE 1.-Time Zone Map (also showing telephone area codes).
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NAME OF AGENCY
TYPE THE NAME OF THE AGENCY,
YOUR OFFICE OR ORGANIZATION-
AL UNIT, AND YOUR LOCATION.
PRECEDENCE
TYPE THE PROPER PRECEDENCE
INDICATORS FOR THE ACTION
COPY AND FOR ANY INFORMA-
TION COPIES. SEE PAR, 3 OF
THIS CHAPTER FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.
TYPE OF MESSAGE
INDICATE WHETHER THE MESSAGE
19 SINGLE, BOOK, OR MULTIPLE-
ADDRESS. FOR A DESCRIPTION
OF EACH TYPE SEE PAR, Z OF
THIS CHAPTER.
SECURITY CLASSI FI CATI Ok
IF THE MESSAGE IS CLASSIFIED,
STAMP THE PROPER CLASSIFICA-
TION IN THE SPACE PROVIDED AT
ACCOUNTING
CLASSI FI CATION
TYPE THE APPROPRIATE SYMBOL OR
IDENTIFICATION FOR INTERNAL
ACCOUNTING. IF THE TELEGRAM
IS TO BE SENT COLLECT. TYPE
DATE PREPARED
TYPE THE DATE YOU PREPARE
THE FORM.
FOR I NFORMATI ON CALL
TYPE THE NAME. OFFICE SYMBOL
AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF THE
PERSON THE COMMUNICATIONS
UNIT CAN CONTACT FOR ADO.-
TIONAL INFORMATION.
TYPING GUIDELI NE
TYPE NO FURTHER THAN THIS
LINE IF. USING A TYPEWRITER
WITH ELITE TYPE.
PAGE NUMBER AND
NUMBER OF PAGES
SHOW THE INDIVIDUAL PAGE
NUMBER AND THE TOTAL NVM-
BER OF PAGES.
NAM! OF AGENCY
PRECEDENa
SECURITY CLASSIFKATION
General Services Administration
Transportation & Communications
ARIONi R
Service
INFO:
Washington, D.C.
ACCOUNTING CLASSIFICAMN X17-1234
DATE PREPAIED 1/25/67
1YP! OP MESSAGE
SINGIe
FOR INFORMATION CALL
ROOK
^
NAM!
Sam Jones, TCOR
PHONE NUMBER
183-9642
^ Murnne ADDRESS
THIS SPACE FOR USE OF COMMUNICATION UNIT
MESSAGE TO BE TRANSMITTED (UN d.,4I..piing aw0 al! capim! freers)
TO: MIDWESTERN MANAGEMENT CENTER
ATTENTION: JOHN DOE
FEDERAL SERVICE AGENCY
4271 OAK STREET
KANSAS CITY,MISSOURI
URTEL. USE SF 14 '"TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGE" FOR ORIGINAL OF EACH PAGE OFIA
TELEGRAM. TYPE CARBON COPIES ON PLAIN TISSUE. FOR MULTIPIE-PAGE TELEGRAMS
FILL IN ALL APPLICABLE SPACES ON FIRST PAGE. ON SUCCEEDING PAGES FILL IN
SPACES FOR SECURITY CLASSIFICATION, PAGE NUMBER, AND NUMBER OF PAGES.'
SHOW DISTRIBUTION OF CARBON COPIES ON TISSUE COPIES ONLY. SKIP A LIRE AFTER
SIGNATURE ELEMENT AND TYPE "CC" FLUSH WITH LEFT MARGIN. ON NEXT LIN9 BEGIN
LISTING NAMES, TITLES, OR SYMBOIS OF INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS
RECEIVING COPIES. CHECK A COPY FOR EACH ADDRESSEE. TYPE IDENTIFICATION OF
OFFICE, WRITER, AND TYPIST ON TISSUE COPIES ONLY. SKIP A LINE AFTER: LAST
LINE OF DISTRIBUTION LISTING AND TYPE OFFICE SYMBOL, IF ANY, WRITER'S
INITIALS AND SURNAME, TYPIST'S INITIALS, AND DATE OF TYPING.
JAMS DOWNS, TCOR
CHIEF, RECORDS MANAGEMENT BRANCH
SECURITY CLASSIRCATION
PAGE NO. NO. OF PGS.
1 1
STANDARD FDRM 14
REVISED AUGUST 1967
GSA FPMR (41 CMI 101-33.306
FIGURE 2. Standard Form 14, Telegraphic Message.
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CHAPTER 5
MODELS OF ADDRESS
1. GENERAL
a. When it is desirable to use a salutation and closing, the models of address in this chapter are the con-
ventional forms of address in general use. Use them as patterns for other addresses. They may be varied
under certain circumstances. For example, "Honorable" may be replaced by a title such as "General,"
"Dr.," or "His Excellency," as appropriate. All Presidential appointees and Federal and State elective
officials are addressed as "Honorable." As a general rule, county and city officials, except mayors, are
not addressed as "Honorable." A person once entitled to "Governor," "Judge," "General," "Honorable,"
"His Excellency," or a similar distinctive title may retain the title throughout his lifetime. In salutations
to persons in positions that may be held by men or women, only the title for men is shown in the examples
given. When a woman occupies the position, the title "Madam" is substituted for "Mr." before such
formal terms as "President," "Vice President," "Chairman," "Secretary," "Ambassador," and "Min-
ister." Use the title "Senator" for a female member of the Senate and "Mrs." or "Miss" for a female
member of the House of Representatives, Senator-elect, or Representative-elect.
b. Observe the following general rules when addressing communications to individuals by name and/or
title.
(1) Use open punctuation in addresses (periods are left out).
(2) Spell out all titles in the address, except "Dr.," "Mr.," and "Mrs." Don't use two titles with the
same meaning with one name, for example, use "Dr. Paul White" or "Paul White, M.D.," but not "Dr.
Paul White, M.D."
(3) If it is not known whether the addressee is a man or woman, use "Mr." with the name.
(4) Use "Miss" if not sure whether to use "Mrs." or "Miss."
(5) In some cases the person holding a Ph. D. degree prefers to be addressed as "Dr. (full name),"
rather than as "The Reverend," "Dean," "Professor," etc.
2. MODELS OF ADDRESS
The following list shows the address element and salutation and complimentary close, when used, for
certain addressees.
ADDRESSEE
ADDRESS ON LETTER AND ENVELOPE
SALUTATION AND COMPLIMEN-
TARY CLOSE
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Respectfully,
Wife of the President
Mrs. (full name)
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mrs. (surname):
Sincerely,
Assistant to the President
Honorable (full name)
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
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SALUTATION AND COMPLIMEN-
TARY CLOSE
The Vice President
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Mr. Vice President:
Sincerely,
The Chief Justice of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States
Washington, D.C. 20543
Dear Mr. Chief Justice:
Sincerely,
Mr. Justice (surname)
The Supreme Court of the United States
Washington, D.C. 20543
Dear Mr. Justice:
Sincerely,
Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
or
Honorable (full name)
United States Senator
(local address) 00000
Dear Senator (surname):
Sincerely,
Honorable (full name)
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
or
Honorable (full name)
Member, United States House of
Representatives
(local address) 00000
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Honorable (full name)
Chairman, Committee on (name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
or
Honorable (full name)
Chairman, Committee on (name)
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Sincerely,
Honorable (full name)
Chairman, Subcommittee on (name)
(name of parent Committee)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
or
Honorable (full name)
Chairman, Subcommittee on (name)
(name of parent Committee)
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Senator (surname):
-Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
Honorable (full name)
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Speaker:
Sincerely,
Honorable (full name)
Secretary of (name of Department)
Washington, D.C. 00000
or
Honorable (full name)
Postmaster General
Washington, D.C. 20260
or
Honorable (full name)
Attorney General
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Mr. Secretary:
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. Postmaster General:
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. Attorney General:
Sincerely,
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Dear Mr. (surname):
Deputy Secretaries, Assistants, or Honorable (full name) Sinrel
Under Secretaries Deputy Secretary of (name of Department) y,
Washington, D.C. 00000
or
Honorable (full name)
Assistant Secretary of (name of Department)
Washington, D.C. 00000
or
Honorable (full name)
Under Secretary of (name of Department)
Washington, D.C. 00000
Dear Mr. (surname):
Head of Independent Offices Honorable (full name) Sincerely,
and Agencies Comptroller General of the United States
Off
ice
General Accounting
Washington, D.C. 20548
or
Honorable (full name)
Chairman, (name of Commission)
Washington, D.C. 00000
or
Honorable (full name)
Director, Bureau of the Budget
Washington, D.C. 20503
Librarian of Congress Honorable (full name)
Librarian of Congress
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20540
Honorable (full name)
Public Printer
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20401
American Ambassador Honorable (full name)
American Ambassador
(City), (Country)
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Sir: (formal)
Dear Mr. Ambassador:
(informal)
Very truly yours, (formal)
Sincerely, (informal)
American uonsut ucIIeraa .,1 _ ~?? ??~- Sincerely,
American Consul American Consul General (or American Consul)
Foreign Ambassador in the His Excellency (full naive)
United States Ambassador of (Country)
(local address) 00000
United States Representative to Honorable (full name)
the United Nations or Organi- United States Representative to the United Nations
zation of American States (or Organization of American States)
(local address) 00000
Governor of State Honorable (full name)
Governor of (name of State)
(City), (State) 00000
Lieutenant Governor Honorable (full name)
Lieutenant Governor of (name of State)
(City), (State) 00000
Excellency: (formal)
Dear Mr. Ambassador:
(informal)
Very truly yours, (formal)
Sincerely, (informal)
Sir: (formal)
Dear Mr. Ambassador:
(informal)
Very truly yours, (formal)
Sincerely, (informal)
Dear Governor (surname):
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
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State Representative,
Assemblyman, or Delegate
President of a Board of
Commissioners
Honorable (full name)
(name of State) Senate
(City), (State) 00000
Honorable (full name)
(name of State) House of Representatives
(or Assembly or House of Delegates) I
(City), (State) 00000
Honorable (full name)
Mayor of (name of City)
(City), (State) 00000
Honorable (full name)
President, Board of Commissioners of
(name of City)
(City), (State) 00000
The Right Reverend (full name)
Bishop of (name)
(local address) 00000
or
The Very Reverend (full name)
Dean of (Church)
(local address) 00000
or
The Reverend (full name)
Bishop of (name)
(local address) 00000
or
The Reverend (full name)
(Title), (name of Church)
(local address) 00000
His Eminence (given name)
Cardinal (surname)
Archbishop of (Diocese)
(local address) 00000
or
The Most Reverend (full name)
Archbishop of (Diocese)
(local address) 00000
or
The Most Reverend (full name)
Bishop of (City)
(local address) 00000
SALUTATION AND COMPLIMEN-
TARY CLOSE
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Dear Mayor (surname):
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Right Reverend Sir: (formal)
Dear Bishop (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Very Reverend Sir: (formal)
Dear Dean (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Reverend Sir: (formal)
Dear Bishop (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Your Eminence: (formal)
Dear Cardinal (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Your Excellency: (formal)
Dear Archbishop (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Your Excellency: (formal)
Dear Bishop (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
I In most States, the lower branch of the legislature is the House of Representatives. In some States, such as California,
New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and Wisconsin the lower house is known as the Assembly. In others, such as Maryland,
Virginia, and West Virginia,) it is known as the House of Delegates. Nebraska has a one house legislature. Its members are
classed as Senators.
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SALUTATION AND COMPLIMEN-
TARY CLOSE
The Right Reverend Monsignor
(full name)
(local address) 00000
or
The Very Reverend Monsignor
(full name)
(local address) 00000
Right Reverend Monsignor:
(formal)
Dear Monsignor (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Very Reverend Monsignor:
(formal)
Dear Monsignor (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
or
The Reverend (full name) (add initials of Order, if any)
(local address) 00000
or
Mother (name) (initials of Order, if used)
Superior (name of Convent)
(local address) 00000
Reverend Sir: (formal)
Dear Father (surname):
(informal)
Sincerely,
Dear Mother (name).
Sincerely,
Rabbi (full name)
(local address) 00000
Dear Rabbi (surname)
Sincerely,
Chaplain (full name)
(rank, service designation)
(post office address of organization and station)
(local address) 00000
Dear Chaplain (surname):
Sincerely,
President of a College or
University (Doctor)
Dr. (full name)
President, (name of institution)
(local address) 00000
Dear Dr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Dean (full name)
School of (name)
(name of institution)
(local address) 00000
Dear Dean (surname)
Sincerely,
Professor (full name)
Department of (name)
(name of institution)
(local address) 00000
Dear Professor (surname):
Sincerely,
(full name), M.D.
(local address) 00000
Dear Dr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Mr. (full name)
Attorney at Law
(local address) 00000
Dear Mr. (surname):
Sincerely,
Mrs. (husband's first name, last name)
(local address) 00000
Dear Mrs. (surname):
Sincerely,
or
Mrs. (wife's first name, last name) 2
(local address) 00000
Mr. (full name) and Mr. (full name) 3
(local address) 00000
Mrs. (full name) and Mrs. (full name)
(local address) 00000
Dear Mrs. (surname):
Sincerely,
Gentlemen:
Sincerely,
Mesdames :
Sincerely,
2 The second form is generally used for a married woman who is separated from her husband or for a married woman or
widow who has so signed.
3 A letter to two or more persons may be addressed as illustrated, or to only one of them when the other is mentioned
by name in the opening paragraph.
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ADDRESSEE
ADDRESS ON LETTER AND ENVELOPE
SALUTATION AND COMPLIMEN-
TARY CLOSE
One Woman and one Mali
Mrs. (full name) and Mr. (full name) 3
Dear Mrs. (surname) and
(local address) 00000
Mr. (surname)
Sincerely,
(full grade, name, and abbreviation of service desig-
nation) (Retired is added, if applicable)
(title and organization)
(local address) 00000
Dear (grade) (surname):
Sincerely,
Service Academy Members\
Army or Coast Guard
Cadet (full name)
(service designation)
(local address) 00000
Dear Cadet (surname):
Sincerely,
Midshipman (full name)
(service designation)
(local address) 00000
Dear Midshipman (surname):
Sincerely,
Air Cadet (full name)
(service designation)
(local address) 00000
Dear Air Cadet (surname):
Sincerely,
3 See footnote on p. 5-5!
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Part II
CHAPTER 1
CAPITALIZATION
1. GENERAL
Problems of capitalization which most often arise in Government correspondence are covered in this
chapter. Commonly used principles are briefly stated, and then supported by examples. When to capitalize
is shown at the left of the page; when not to capitalize is shown at the right. For words or terms not included
here, correct practice can be determined by relating them to the principles that are given. Also see the
Government Printing Office Style Manual for other points on capitalization.
Two main rules govern use of capitals: (1) Proper nouns, titles, and first words are capitalized, and
(2) common nouns are not capitalized unless they have gained the status of proper nouns. Consistency
in capitalizing is important. Once a practice has been adopted, for example, capitalizing a word for
emphasis, that practice should be carefully followed throughout the piece of writing.
a. Names of persons, places, and things. (See also paragraphs c-g, following.)
Capitalize names of persons, places, and things; and
their derivatives which retain proper noun meanings.
John Macadam, Macadam family
Paris, Parisian
Italy, Italian
Rome, Roman
Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Do not capitalize names which have become common, or
their derivatives which have general meanings.
macadamized
plaster of paris
italics, italicize
roman (type)
a State capitol
b. Common nouns used as proper nouns.
Capitalize common nouns used as parts of proper names
and of titles.
Massachusetts Avenue
Federal Express
Cape of Good Hope
Union Station
Budget and Accounting Procedures Act
Appendix C
Column 2
Exhibit D7
The Versailles Treaty
Capitalize common nouns when used alone as a well-known
short form of a proper name.
British Commonwealth: the Commonwealth
Cherokee Nation: the Nation
Union of South Africa: the Union
United States: the States
Do not capitalize when used as a substitute for a name,
or to denote time, sequence, or reference.
the longest avenue
the express to Boston
the southernmost cape
the railway station in Washington
act of 1951
a part of appendix C
in column 2, page 3
a reprint of exhibit D7
the treaty of 1919
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
a commonwealth of nations
a nation of warlike people
a union between families
state's evidence'
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art II
i
Capitalize plural forms d common nouns when used as Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
part of a proper name.
Seventh and Streets two old streets
Lakes Erie and Ontario these inland lakes
State and Treasury Departments executive departments
c. Names of organized bodies.
(1) Federal Government units.
Capitalize titles of the Federal Government and its units,
and their shortened forms. Capitalize other substitutes
only to show distinction. '
The U.S. Government: the Federal Government,
National Government, the Government
U.S. Congress: 86th Congress
the Senate, the House
Committee of the Whole: the Committee
Department of Agriculture?: the Department
Division of Grants: the Division
Bureau of the Census: the Census Bureau, the Bureau
Geological Survey: the Survey
Interstate Commerce Comr?nission: the Commission
American Embassy: the Embassy
Department of Defense: Military Establishment, Armed
Forces
U.S. Army: the Army, Regular Army, the Infantry, 81st
Regiment, Army Band
U.S. Navy: the Navy, Navy (Naval) Establishment,
Marine Corps
(2) International organizations.
Capitalize names of international organizations.
United Nations: the Security Council, the Assembly, the
Secretariat, the Internati?nal Court of Justice
World Health Organization
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense, or when
referring to other than a Federal Government unit.
democratic government, a federal union,
governments, city government
a congress of citizens
a senate or house unit in Iowa
committees of the Senate, a PTA committee
any department of the government
a division of the organization
formation of a bureau, the census bureau in Laurel
a survey of minerals
a commission on trade rights, interstate commissions
a foreign embassy: also the consulate, the consulate general
a defense establishment, armed forces exploring the area,
also armed services
an army, Grant's army, infantrymen, the regiment, the
March King's band
naval shipyard, naval station
corps of fighting men
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
united nations in the Middle East, a council of citizens, a
town assembly, a secretariat for the director, a citizens'
court
funds for a health organization
(3) Names of other ~rganized bodies. (For names of Federal Government units and international or-
ganizations, see paragraphs (1) and (2), preceding.)
Capitalize names of other
titles.
organized bodies when used as Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
Virginia Assembly, West Virginia House of Delegates
California State Highway ommission: Highway Com-
mission of California
Dutchland Railroad Company: the Dutchland Railroad
d. Names of members; of organized bodies.
Capitalize names of members of organized bodies to
distinguish them from thel same words merely in a de-
scriptive sense.
a Representative (Member of Congress)
a Republican (member of a political party)
a Catholic (member! of the Catholic Church)
the assembly, the State senate, the house of delegates in
West Virginia
the highway commission, the commission for highway
construction
the railroad company, the railroad in Pennsylvania
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
a representative of a group
a republican form of government
catholic (universal) interests
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Part II
e. Official designations of countries, domains, and their divisions.
Capitalize names of countries and their divisions when
used as proper names, as parts of proper names, or as
proper adjectives.
United States: the Republic, the Nation, the Union
New York State: the Empire State
Dominion of Canada: the Dominion
Province of Quebec: the Province
U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics): Comin-
form (Communist Information Bureau), Communist
International
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
a republic, two nations, national income, union of States
(U.S.)
church and state
a dominion of the Western Hemisphere
farming provinces of Canada
a socialist form of government, experiment in communism
f. Names of regions, localities, and geographic features.
Capitalize names of regions, localities, and geographic
features when used as proper names.
the North Atlantic States
the West, the Midwest
Equatorial Africa
the Middle East (Asia)
the Promised Land
the Continent
Do not capitalize terms used to denote mere direction or
position.
north, south, east, west, northerly, northern, northward
road to the west, a midwest direction
equatorial countries
middle east of the State
a land of promise
continental boundaries
g. Names of calendar divisions, holidays, historic events, and periods of time.
Capitalize names of months of the year and days of the
week.
January, February, March
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Do not capitalize names of the seasons or the words year
and century when used with numbers.
spring, summer, autumn, winter
the year 1960, the 20th century
Capitalize names of events and of holidays.
Battle of Lexington
War of 1812, World War II
Feast of the Passover
Fourth of July: the Fourth
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
the battle fought at Lexington
the war years, two major wars
a religious feast
on July the fourth, a national holiday
3. TITLES USED WITH NAMES OR TITLES STANDING FOR PERSONS
a. Titles preceding names.
Capitalize titles preceding proper names.
President Roosevelt
King George
Chairman McDowell
Ambassador Page
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense.
a president of a club
a king of spades
a chairman of the committee
ambassador at large
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Part II
b. Titles following names, or titles used alone.
Capitalize titles following proper names, or used alone as
substitutes for names, wh n they indicate preeminence.
John Adams, President ofithe United States; the President,
the President-elect, the Executive, the Commander in
Chief, Ex-President Adams, a former President
Thomas Howells, Vice President of the United States; the
Vice President
B. A. Rowland, Secretary pf State; the Secretary, the Acting
Secretary, the Under Secretary, the Assistant Secretary,
the Director, the Chief, or the Assistant Chief
Capitalize titles in the second person.
Your Excellency
Mr. Chairma$, Madam Secretary
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense, or when
not indicating preeminence.
Burns Mason, president of the Potomac Railway; president-
elect of the union, the executive's suite, a young com-
mander in chief, ex-president of Cullen Institute, a former
president of the university
Caleb Johnson, vice president of the Exchange; the vice
president of SDA
secretaries of the military departments (part of the clerical
staff), but Secretaries of the military departments (heads
of Army, Navy, Air Force); the director, or chief, or
assistant chief of the laboratory
4. TITLES OF PUBLICATIONS, DOCUMENTS, ACTS, ETC.
Capitalize all words in titles of publications and docu- Do not capitalize when used apart from titles or in a
ments, except a, an, the, at, by, for, in, of, on, to, general sense.
up, and, as, but, if, or,; and nor.
Statutes at Largefr Revised Statutes
District Code
Bancroft's History
Journal (House or Senate)
American Journ of Science
Monograph 55, Research Paper 123
Senate Documen 70, but Senate bill 416
House Resolution 68, but House bill 20
Kellogg Pact, North Atlantic Pact
Treaty of Ghent
5. THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
Capitalize the word the when used as part of a name or
title.
the applicable statutes
the code of the District
history books
a journal of legislative action
a professional journal
any monograph, a research paper by Sales
a historical document from the Senate
a committee resolution
a pact between nations
the treaty signed at Ghent
Do not capitalize when the is used adjectively or with
titles of newspapers, periodicals, vessels, airships, or firm
names.
The Dalles (Oregoi )
The Weirs (New Hampshire)
The Hague
The Attorney General (if so written in copy)
the Dalles region
the Weirs streets
the Hague Court; also the Netherlands
the attorney general of Texas
the Times, the Atlantic Monthly
the Mermaid, the U-3
the National Photo Co.
1 -It
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Part II
6. PARTICLES IN NAMES OF PERSONS
Capitalize particles in foreign names or titles-d', da,
della, du, van, and von.
D'Orbigny
Da Ponte
Du Pont
Capitalize particles in anglicized names, even if preceded
by a forename or title.
Justice Van Devanter
Samuel F. Du Pont
Reginald De Koven
7. FIRST WORDS
Capitalize the first word of a sentence, of a direct quotation,
of a line of poetry, or of a formally introduced series of
items following a comma or a colon.
The question is, Shall the bill pass?
He asked, "And where are you going?"
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime.
The vote was as follows: In the affirmative, 23; in the
negative, 11; not voting, three.
Do not capitalize in foreign names when preceded by a
forename or title.
Alcide d'Orgibny
Cardinal da Ponte
E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
Do not capitalize when an individual prefers lowercase.
Henry van Dyke (his usage)
Iren6e du Pont (his usage)
Do not capitalize a fragmentary quotation or a supplemen-
tary remark following a colon.
He objected "to the phraseology, not to the ideas."
Revolutions are not made: they come.
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Part II
SPELLING
1. GENERAL
The Government Printing Office recognizes Webster's New International Dictionary as the guide to
spelling. To achieve further standardization, the Government Printing Office lists in the Style Manual
the preferred forms of many of the words that are spelled more than one way in Webster's.
This chapter carries a short list of preferred forms, selected from those in the Style Manual. Also it
gives instructions on the formation of plurals, the doubling of final consonants when suffixes are added,
and the use of indefinite articles. Methods of forming possessives are covered in chapter 4, paragraph 2,
of this part.
The spelling of geographic names should conform to the decisions of the U.S. Board on Geographic
Names. In the absence of a decision by the Board, the U.S. Directory of Post Offices is used for names in the
United States and its possessions.
abridgment
consignor
fulfill
nonplused
acknowledgment
converter
fuse
offense
adapter
conveyor
gasoline
penciled, penciling
adjuster
councilor
goodby
percent
adviser
counseled, counselor,
graveled, graveling
plow
aging
counseling
gray
practice
aline
defense
intern
programed, programer,
anesthetic
descendant
jeweled, jeweler, jeweling
programing
appall
development
judgment
reconnaissance
ascendance
diagramed, diagraming
kerosene
referable
aye
dialed, dialing
kidnaped, kidnaper,
signaled, signaling
barreled, barreling
dike
kidnaping
skillful
beveled, beveling
disk
labeled, labeling
stenciled, stenciling
biased
draft
leveled, leveler, leveling
subpena
blond
drought
libeled, libeler, libeling
sulfur
boulder
employee
license
theater
brier
enclose
likable
totaled, totaling
buses
enclosure
maneuver
traveled, traveler,
caliber
entrust
marshaled, marshaling
traveling
canceled, canceling,
equaled, equaling
marvelous
visa, visaed
cancellation
esthetic
medieval
vitamin
catalog
exhibitor
meter
willful
channeled, channeling
favor
modeled, modeling
woolen
cigarette
flier
mold
woolly
coconut
focused, focusing
monolog
worshiped, worshiper,
combated, combating
forbade
movable
worshiping
connector
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Part II
3. PLURAL FORMS
a. In forming the plurals of compound terms, make the significant word plural.
Significant word first Significant word in middle
adjutants general
ambassadors at large
attorneys at law
attorneys general
brothers-in-law
commanders in chief
heirs at law
notaries public
rights-of-way
Significant word last
assistant attorneys
assistant commissioner
assistant secretaries
deputy sheriffs
lieutenant colonels
trade unions
vice chairmen
vice presidents
maximum, maximums
b. When a noun is hyphened with an adverb or preposition, make the noun plural.
goings-on
hangers-on
c. When neither word is
also-rans
come-ons
d. To form the plural of
more than one container?
five bucketfuls of the
listeners-in makers-up
lookers-on passers-by
a noun, make the last word plural.
go-betweens
higher-ups
nouns ending with ful, add s at the end. If it is necessary to express the idea that
was filled, write the two elements as separate words and make the noun plural.
mixture (one bucket filled five times) three cupfuls of flour (one cup filled three times)
five buckets full of earth (separate buckets)
e. The plurals of these words may cause difficulty.
appendix, appendixes
basis, bases
crisis, crises
curriculum, curriculums
datum, data
formula, formulas
assistant attorneys general
assistant chiefs of staff
assistant comptrollers general
deputy chiefs of staff
Both words of equal significance
Bulletins Nos. 27 and 28; but Bulletin No. 27 or 28
men buyers
women students
No word significant in itself
hand-me-downs
jack-in-the-pulpits
medium, mediums or media
memorandum, memorandums
minimum, minimums
minutia, minutiae
parenthesis, parentheses
phenomenon, phenomena
plateau, plateaus
stimulus, stimuli
synopsis, synopses
4. DOUBLED CONSONANTS
When a suffix beginning with a vowel is added to a word ending in a single consonant preceded by a single
vowel, double the consonant if (a) it ends a word of one syllable, or (b) it ends an accented syllable.
bag, bagging rob, robbing but total, totaled
get, getting corral, corralled travel, traveled
red, reddish transfer, transferred
5. INDEFINITE ARTICLES
a. Use a before words beginning with consonants, except words beginning with a silent h. Also use a before
words spelled with initial vowels that combine consonant and vowel sounds.
a procedure a union a one-sided argument
a hotel a European atlas but an hour
a humble man
b. Use an before words beginning with vowels, and words beginning with a silent !i.
an order an herbseller
an electric light an honor
an initial
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COMPOUND WORDS
L GENERAL
A compound word conveys a unit idea that is not as clearly conveyed by separate words. The hyphen
not only unites but separates the component words, and thus aids readability and correct pronunciation.
In this chapter, basic rules for compounding are given first, and are followed by guides to forming
solid compounds and to hyphening unit modifiers. Instructions are also given on adding prefixes and
suffixes and on putting together combining forms.
Word forms are constantly changing. The correct form for use in Government is found in the Govern-
ment Printing Office Style Manual.
2. BASIC RULES
a. Omit the hyphen when words appear in regular order and the omission causes no confusion in sound
or meaning.
banking hours day laborer mountain laurel training ship
blood pressure eye opener palm oil violin teacher
book value fellow citizen patent right
census taker living costs rock candy
b. Compound two or more words to express an idea that would not be as clearly expressed in separate
words.
afterglow cupboard gentlemen right-of-way
bookkeeping forget-me-not newsprint whitewash
c. In a derivative of a compound, keep the solid or hyphened form of the original compound, unless
otherwise indicated for particular words.
coldbloodedness ill-advisedly praiseworthiness X-rayer
footnoting outlawry railroader y-shaped
3. SOLID COMPOUNDS
a. When any, every, no, and some are combined with body, thing, and where, type as one word. Type as sep-
arate words some one, every one, and similar combinations which refer to a particular person or thing.
To avoid mispronounciation, type no one as two words at all times.
anybody anywhere nobody somebody
anyone, but everybody no one someone
any one thing everything nothing something
anything everywhere nowhere
b. Type as one word compound personal pronouns.
herself myself ourselves yourself
himself oneself themselves yourselves
itself
c. Type as one word compass directions consisting of two points, but use a hyphen after the first point
when three points are combined.
northeast north-northeast southwest south-southwest
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4. UNIT MODIFIERS
a. Place a hyphen between words, or abbreviations and words, combined to form a unit modifier immedi-
ately preceding the word modified, except as shown in paragraph b following. This use of the hyphen
applies particularly to combinations in which one element is a present or past participle.
a 4-percent increase' Federal-State-local cooperation long-term loan
Baltimore-Washington road guided-missile program lump-sum payment
drought-stricken area large-scale project multiple-purpose uses
English-speaking nation law-abiding citizen U.S.-owned property
b. Where meaning is clear and readability is not aided, it is not necessary to use a hyphen to form a
temporary or made compound. Restraint should be exercised in forming unnecessary combinations of
words used in normal sequence.
atomic energy power land bank loan real estate tax
child welfare plan life insurance company social security pension
civil service examination parcel post delivery soil conservation measures
income tax form per capita expenditure special delivery mail
c. Generally, do not usa hyphen in a two-word unit modifier the first element of which is an adverb
ending in ly; do not use hyphens in a three-word unit modifier the first two elements of which are adverbs.
eagerly awaited moment
heavily laden ship
unusually well preserved specimen
very well defined us ge
very well worth rearing
not too distant future
often heard phrase
but ever-normal granary
ever-rising flood
still-new car
still-lingering doubt
well-known lawyer
well-kept farm
d. Retain the original forms of proper nouns used as unit modifiers, either in their basic or derived forms.
United States laws ,
e. Do not confuse a modifier with the word it modifies.
gallant serviceman well-trained schoolteacher American flagship
average taxpayer wooden-shoe maker but American-flag ship
but income-tax payer tomato-canning factory
f. Retain the hyphen where two or more hyphened compounds have a common basic element and this
element is omitted in all but the last term.
8-, 10-, and 16-foot boards moss- and ivy-covered walls
2- by 4-inch boards but 2 to 4 inches wide not moss and ivy-covered walls
Do not use a hyphen: in a foreign phrase used as a unit modifier.
ex officio member per capita tax per diem employee prima facie evidence
h. Do not use a hyphen in a unit modifier which contains a letter or a number as its second element.
article 3 provisions grade A eggs point 4 program ward D patients strontium 90 effects
i. Do not use a hyphen in a unit modifier within quotation marks unless the modifier is usually a hyphened
term.
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5. PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND COMBINING FORMS
a. Type compounds which contain prefixes or suffixes as one word without a hyphen, except as shown in
paragraphs b, c, and d following. Use a hyphen to avoid doubling a vowel or tripling a consonant, except
after the prefixes co, de, pre, pro, and re.
antedate
extracurricular
northward
anti-inflation
homeste
d
semiofficial
biweekly
Y
a
I
shell-like
e
brass-s
ith
verness-shire
preexisting
thimble-e e
m
micro-organisms
reenact
y
cooperation
misstate
twofold
deem h
i
semi-independent
ultra-atomic
as
s
P
nationwide
b. Use a hyphen to avoid confusion.
anti-hog-cholera serum non-civil-service position re-treat (treat again)
co-op re-sort (sort again) un-ionized
c. Type with a hyphen the prefixes ex, self, and quasi.
ex-governor self-control
ex-serviceman quasi-corpmant
self-educated quasi-coo p6 ration
ex-trader quasi-academic quasi-judicial
d. Use a hyphen to join a prefix to a capitalized word, unless usage is otherwise.
anti-Arab but nongovernmental
pro-British overanglicize
un-American transatlantic
6. NUMERICAL COMPOUNDS
a. Type a hyphen between the elements of compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and
in adjective compounds with a numerical first element.
7-hour day 3-week vacation but one hundred and twenty-one
6-footer 24-inch ruler 100-odd
10-minute delay twenty-one foursome
b. Type a hyphen between the .elements of a fraction, but omit it between the numerator and the denom-
inator when the hyphen appears in either or in both.
one-thousandth twenty-one thirty-seconds two one-thousandths
three-fourths of an inch twenty-three thirtieths two-thirds
7. IMPROVISED COMPOUNDS
a. Use a hyphen between the elements of an improvised compound serving as an adjective or a noun.
how-to-be-beautiful course know-it-all
know-how stick-in-the-mud
let-George-do-it attitude
b. When the noun form is printed in separate words, always hyphen the corresponding verb form.
blue-pencil cold-shoulder
cross-brace
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PUNCTUATION
Punctuation marks are to the reader what road signs are to the driver. They make it easier to read and
understand what someone has written. There are rules, but there are also many exceptions. Some punctua-
tion marks may be substituted for others, without changing the meaning of a sentence or without making
it less clear. Good sentences usually need few punctuation marks. The Government Printing Office Style Manual
treats punctuation in detail.
a. Use the apostrophe:
(1) To indicate contractions or omitted letters.
I've it's (it is) TV'ers
(2) To indicate the coined plurals of letters, figures, and symbols.
three R's 5's and 7's +'s
(3) To show possession. Add 's when the noun does not end with an s sound. Add only the apostrophe
to a noun that ends with an s sound.
officer's Mars' hostess' Co.'s Cos.' Jones' Joneses' Schmitz'
(a) To show possession in compound nouns, add the apostrophe or 's to the final word.
brother-in-law's secretary-treasurer's
(b) To show joint possession in nouns in a series, add the apostrophe or 's to the last noun.
soldiers and sailors' home
(c) To show separate possession in nouns in a series, add the apostrophe or 's to each noun.
John's, Thomas', and Henry's ratings
(d) To show possession in indefinite pronouns, add the apostrophe or 's to the last component of
the pronoun.
someone's desk somebody else's books others' homes
b. Do not use the apostrophe:
(1) To form the possessive of personal pronouns.
theirs yours hers its
(2) To form the plural of spelled-out numbers, of words referred to as words, and of words already
containing an apostrophe. Add 's, however, if it makes the plural easier to read.
twos and threes ifs, ands, and buts yeses and noes do's and don'ts which's and that's
(3) To follow names of countries and other organized bodies ending in s, or after words more descrip-
tive than possessive (not indicating personal possession), except when the plural does not end in s.
United States control United Nations meeting merchants exchange children's hospital
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3. BRACKETS
a. Use brackets in p . s:
(1) To enclose a cor ection.
He arrived at 113 [12] o'clock.
(2) To supply somet ing omitted.
Mr. Adams [ar~ived] late.
(3) To explain or to identify.
The president pro tem [Arnold] spoke briefly.
(4) To instruct or to add comment.
The report is a follows [read first paragraph]:
(5) To enclose sic wh nit is used to show that an error in a quotation has been recognized but not changed.
It's [sic] counterpart is missing.
b. Use a single bracket:
At the beginning of each paragraph but only at the close of the last paragraph, when extensive material
is enclosed.
4. COLON
Use the colon:
a. To separate an introductory statement from explanatory or summarizing material that follows.
The board consists of three officials: Chairman, vice chairman, and recorder-secretary.
Give up conveniences; do not demand special privileges; do not stop work: these are necessary while we are at
war.
b. To introduce formal statements, questions, or quotations.
The committee; stated the principle thus: In our foreign relations, people instead of governments are our first
concern.
The following question came up for discussion: What policy should be adopted?
He said: [If the quotation is not more than one sentence, use a comma instead of a colon.]
c. To follow a formal salutation.
Dear Mr. Franklin: Ladies and Gentlemen: To Whom It May Concern:
d. To separate the hour and the minutes in clock time.
8:15 a.m. 11:59 p.m.
e. To follow introductory headings which lead directly to subentries.
Policy:
General:
Salaries
Responsibilities
Specific:
f. To separate parts of citations. (Leave a space after the colon.)
Luke 4: 3: Journal of Education 3: 342-359
g. To indicate proportion. (Use double colon as ratio sign.)
1:2::3:6
5. COMMA
a. Use the comma:
(1) To separate words or figures that might otherwise be misunderstood or misread.
Instead of hundreds, thousands came. Out of each 20, 10 are rejected.
To John, Smitl was very helpful. What the difficulty is, is not known.
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(2) To set off introductory or explanatory words that precede, break, or follow a short direct quotation.
The comma is not needed if a question mark or an exclamation point is already part of the quoted matter.
I said, "Don't you understand the question?"
"I understand it," she replied, "but I disagree with the answer."
"Why?" he said.
"It's unreasonable!" she exclaimed.
(3) To indicate the omission of an understood word or words.
Then he was enthusiastic; now, indifferent.
(4) To separate a series of modifiers of equal rank.
It is a young, eager, and intelligent group.
but He is a clever young man. (No comma when the final modifier is considered part of the noun modified.)
(5) To follow each of the members within a series of three or more, when the last two members are joined
by and, or, or nor.
horses, mules, and cattle neither snow, rain, nor heat
by the bolt, by the yard, or in remnants by five, 10, or 20
(6) To separate an introductory phrase from the subject it modifies.
Beset by the enemy, they retreated.
(7) Before and after Jr., Sr., academic degrees, and names of States preceded by names of cities, within
a sentence.
Henry Smith, Jr., Chairman Smith, Henry, Sr. Washington, D.C., schools
(8) To set off parenthetic words, phrases, or clauses.
The atom bomb, developed by the Manhattan project, was first used in World War II.
The situation in the Middle East, he reported, might erupt.
but The person who started that fire is undoubtedly an arsonist. (No comma necessary, since the clause "who
started that fire" is essential to identify the person.)
(9) To set off words or phrases in apposition or in contrast.
Mr. Jay, attorney for the plaintiff, asked for a delay. You will need work, not words.
(10) To separate the clauses of a compound sentence if they are joined by a simple conjunction such
as or, nor, and, or but.
The United States will not be an aggressor, nor will it tolerate aggression by other countries.
(11) To set off a noun or phrase in direct address.
Mr. President, the motion has carried.
(12) To separate the title of an official and the name of his organization, in the absence of the words of
or of the.
Chief, Insurance Branch Chairman, Committee on Appropriations
(13) To separate thousands, millions, etc., in numbers of four or more digits.
4,230 50,491 1,000,000
(14) To set off the year when it follows the day of the month in a specific date within a sentence.
The reported dates of September 11, 1943, to June 12, 1955, were erroneous.
(15) To separate a city and state.
Cleveland, Ohio Washington, D.C.
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b. Do not use the comma:
(1) To separate the month and year in a date.
Production for une 1955 On 5 July 1956 we dedicated the arsenal. (Military form of date.)
(2) To separate unitsll of numbers in built-up fractions, decimals, page numbers, serial numbers (except
patent numbers), telephone numbers, and street addresses.
1/2500
1.9047
page 2632
1450 kilocycles,
(3) To precede an a
Motor No. 189463
MEtropolitan 9-3201
1727-1731 Broad Street
1100 meters (no comma unless more than four digits, radio only)
persand (&) or a dash.
Greene, Wilson & Co. (except in indexes: Jones, A. H., & Sons)
There are other factors- -time, cost, and transportation- -but quality is the most important.
(4) To separate two
The booklet "I
ouns one of which identifies the other.
fant Care" Wilson's boat The Maria
(5) To separate the name and the number of an organization.
Use the dash (two hyphens and no spaces):
a. To mark a sudden b
He said- -and n
If the bill shouli
eak or abrupt change in thought.
one contradicted him- -"The battle is lost"
pass- -which Heaven forbid !- -the service will be wrecked.
ption or an unfinished word or sentence.
He said, "Give ,ne lib- -" Q. Did you see- -? A. No, sir.
c. To serve instead of commas or parentheses, if the meaning is clarified by the dash.
These are shoreldeposits- -gravel, sand, and clay- -but marine sediments underlie them.
d. To introduce a final lause that summarizes a series of ideas. (See also paragraph 4a, preceding, for use
of the colon.)
Freedom of spe~ch, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear- -these are the fundamentals of
moral world & der.
e. To follow an introductory phrase leading into two or more successive lines and indicating repetition of
that phrase.
I recommend- -
That we ac ept the rules
That we pu lish them
f. To serve instead of a olon when a question mark closes the preceding idea.
How can you e~plain this?- "Fee paid, $5."
g. To precede a credit line or signature.
Still achieving, till pursuing,
Learn to la or and to wait.
- -Longfellow
This statement s open to question.- -Gerald H. Forsythe
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7. EXCLAMATION POINT
Use the exclamation point to mark surprise, incredulity, admiration, appeal, or other strong emotion,
which may be expressed even in a declarative or interrogative sentence.
How beautiful! Who shouted, "All aboard!" (Question mark omitted)
"Great!" he exclaimed. 0 Lord, save Thy people!
8. HYPHEN
Use the hyphen:
a. To connect the elements of certain compound words. (See also chapter 3, this part, preceding.)
mother-in-law self-control walkie-talkie
ex-governor I-I-bomb quasi-academic
b. To indicate continuation of a word divided at the end of a line. (See also chapter 7, following.)
c. To separate the letters of a word which is spelled out for emphasis.
d-o-l-l-a-r-s
9. PARENTHESES
a. Use parentheses:
(1) To set off matter not part of the main statement or not a grammatical element of the sentence, yet
important enough to be included.
Mr. Kelley (to the chairman).
Q. (Continuing.)
A. (Reads:)
The result (see figure 2) is most surprising.
(2) To enclose a parenthetic clause where the interruption is too great to be indicated by commas.
You can find it neither in French dictionaries (at any rate, not in Littre) nor in English dictionaries.
(3) To enclose an explanatory word that is not part of the statement.
The Erie (Pa.) Ledger; but the Ledger of Erie, Pa.
(4) To enclose letters or numbers designating items in a series, either at the beginning of paragraphs or
within a paragraph.
You will observe that the sword is (1) old fashioned, (2) still sharp, and (3) unusually light for its size.
(5) To enclose a reference at the end of a sentence. Unless the reference is a complete sentence, place the
period after the parenthesis closing the reference. If the sentence contains more than one parenthetic
reference, the parenthesis closing the reference at the end of the sentence is placed before the period.
The specimen exhibits both phases (pl. 14, A, B).
The individual cavities show great variation. (See pl. 4.)
This sandstone (see pl. 6) occurs in every county of the State (see pl. 1).
b. Use a single parenthesis:
At the beginning of each paragraph but only at the close of the last paragraph, when extensive material
is enclosed.
10. PERIOD
Use the period:
a. To end a declarative sentence that is not exclamatory, and to end an imperative sentence.
He works for Johnson & Sons, Inc.
Do not be late.
b. To end an indirect question or a'question intended as a suggestion and not requiring an answer.
Tell me how the rocket was launched.
May we hear from you soon.
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c. To indicate omission within a sentence, use three periods with spaces between; at the end of a sentence,
four. Use spaced periods on a separate line to show omission of one or more paragraphs.
He called ... and left . . . . He returned the next day.
d. To follow abbreviations unless by usage the period is omitted.
gal. NE. qt. N.Y. but HEW USDA
NoTE: In abbreviations made up of single letters, no space is allowed between the period and the following
letter, except that one space is allowed after the periods following, the initials in a proper name.
11. QUESTION MARK
Use the question mark:
a. To indicate a direct query, even if not in the form of a question.
Did he do it? Can the money be raised? is the question.
He did what? Who asked, "Why?" (Note single question mark.)
b. To express more than one query in the same sentence.
Can he do it? or you? or anyone?
c. To express doubt.
He said the boy was 8(?) feet tall.
12. QUOTATION MARKS
a. Use quotation marks:
(1) To enclose a direct quotation. Single quotation marks are used to enclose a quotation within a
quotation.
The answer is "No."
"Your order has been received," they wrote.
He said, "John said `No.' "
"John," said Henry, "why do you go?"
"The equipment will be forwarded promptly."
(2) To enclose any matter following the terms entitled, the word, the term, marked, endorsed, or signed. Do not
use them to enclose expressions following the terms known as, called, so-called, etc., unless such expres-
sions are misnomers or slang.
Congress passed the act entitled "An act . . . ." After the word "treaty," insert a comma.
It was signed "John." The so-called investigating body.
(3) To enclose misnomers, slang expressions, nicknames, or ordinary words used in an arbitrary way.
b. Limit quotation marks:
Limit quotation marks, if possible, to three sets (double, single, double).
"The question is, in effect, `Can a person who obtains his certificate of naturalization by fraud be considered a
"bona fide" citizen of the United States?' "
c. Place punctuation inside or outside quotation marks, as follows:
Always type the comma and the final period inside the quotation marks. Other punctuation marks are
placed inside only if they are a part of the quoted matter.
"The President," he said, "will veto the bill." "Have you an application form?"
The trainman shouted, "All aboard 9" Who asked, "Why?"
Is this what we call a "Correspondex"? Why call it a "gentlemen's agreement"?
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13. SEMICOLON
Use the semicolon:
a. To separate independent clauses not joined by a conjunction, or joined by a conjunctive adverb such
as hence, therefore, however, moreover, etc.
The report is not ready today; it may be completed by Friday.
The allotment has been transferred to the Production Division; hence, construction of the partitions must
be delayed.
b. To separate two or more phrases or clauses with internal punctuation.
Robert M. Roman, chairman of the union, will travel in most of southern Europe; in all of the Near East; and,
in case there is time, along the northern, western, and southern coasts of Africa.
If you want your writing to be worthwhile, give it unity; if you want it to be easy to read, give it coherence ;
and, if you want it to be interesting, give it emphasis.
c. To separate statements that are too closely related in, meaning to be written as separate sentences.
No; we receive one-third. War is destructive; peace, constructive.
d. To precede words or abbreviations which introduce a summary or explanation of what has gone
before in the sentence.
A writer should adopt a definite arrangement of material; for example, arrangement by time sequence, by order
of importance, or by subject classification.
The industry is related to groups that produce finished goods; i.e., electrical machinery and transportation
equipment.
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ABBREVIATIONS
1. GENERAL
Established abbreviations are acceptable in all but the most formal writing. For reading ease use only
well-known abbreviations. If it is desirable to use an abbreviation that may not be familiar to the reader,
the abbreviation is followed in parentheses by the spelled-out word or phrase. After this first definition of its
meaning, the abbreviation may be used without further explanation.
This chapter lists abbreviations for names of States, for civil and military titles, and for a few other
selected groups of words. More complete lists are given in the Government Printing Office Style Manual.
2. CAPITALS, HYPHENS, PERIODS, AND SPACING
a. In general, when abbreviating a word or words, capitalize and hyphenate the abbreviation as in the
original word or words. Use a period after each element of the abbreviation, unless through usage the
period is omitted. Allow no spacesafter periods except when they follow the initials in names of persons.
c.o.d. H.R. 116 A.B. St. a.m. ft.-lb. J. M. Jones
b. Omit periods and spaces after initials used as shortened names of Government agencies and other
organized bodies, if not contrary to usage.
AEC HEW TVA DOD ARC AFL-CIO USAF
3. GEOGRAPHIC TERMS
a. You may abbreviate United States when preceding Government or the name of a Government organization,
except in formal writing. Spell out United States when it is used as a noun or when it is used as an adjective
in association with names of other countries.
U.S. Government U.S.S. Brooklyn (note abbreviation for ship)
U.S. Congress but The climate of the United States
U.S. Department of Agriculture British, French, and United States Governments
U.S. monitor Nantucket
b. With the exceptions noted in paragraph a, preceding, the abbreviation U.S. is used in the adjective
position, but is spelled out when used as a noun.
U.S. foreign policy but foreign policy of the United States
U.S. economy the economy of the United States
U.S. attorney United States Code (official title)
U.S. attitude - United States Steel Corp. (legal title)
c. In other than formal writing, you may abbreviate Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and the
names of States of the United States (except Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, and
Utah). Do not abbreviate the name of other insular possessions.
Ala.
Del.
Mass.
N. Dak.
Oreg.
Va.
Ariz.
Fla.
Md.
Nebr.
Pa.
V.I.
Ark.
Ga.
Mich.
Nev.
P.R.
Vt.
Calif.
Ill.
Minn.
N.H.
R.I.
Wash.
Colo.
Ind.
Miss.
N.J.
S.C.
Wis.
Conn.
Kans.
Mo.
N. Mex.
S. Dak.
W. Va.
C.Z.
Ky.
Mont.
N.Y.
Tenn.
Wyo.
D.C.
La.
N.C.
Okla.
Tex.
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4. ADDRESSES
Words in an address are usually spelled out. Where brevity is required, these abbreviations following a
name or a numbed mai be used :
St.-Street Sq.-Square Dr.-Drive NW.-Northwest
Ave.-Avenue Blvd.-Boulevard Ct.-Court SW.-Southwest
Pl.-Place Ter.-Terrace Bldg.-Building NE.-Northeast
SE.-Southeast
Do not abbreviate] county, fort, mount, point, and port.
5. NAMES AND,
a. Use abbreviations in firm names as they are shown on the firm's letterhead.
J. Dillard' & Sons, Inc.
b. Where brevity n company names is required, the following abbreviations may be used:
Bro.-Brother Co.-Company Inc.-Incorporated
Bros.-Br, therl Corp.-Corporation Ltd.-Limited
c. Do not abbreviate Company and Corporation in names of Federal Government units.
Metals Rcservel Company Commodity Credit Corporation
d. In other than formal
by a given name or ini
without a given name
. usage, you may abbreviate a civil or a military title preceding a name if followed
tial; but abbreviate Mr., Mrs., M., MM., Messrs., Mlle., Mine., and Dr., with or
r initial.
Adj.-Addutan1
Adm.-Admiral
Asst. Surg -Asgistant Surgeon
Brig. Gen: Brigadier General
Capt.-Cap tai
Cdr.-Commander
Col.-Co$nel {
Cpl.-Cor,'poral
CWO-C -iief Warrant Officer
1st Lt.-Fist Lieutenant
1st Sgt.-first ergeant
Gen.-Ge eral
Gov.-Governor
Lt.-Lieutenant
Lt. Cdr.-Lieutenant Commander
Lt. Col.-Lieutenant Colonel
Lt. Gen.-Lieutenant General
Lt. Gov.-Lieutenant Governor
Lt. (jg)-Lieutenant, junior grade
Maj.-Major
Maj. Gen.-Major General
M. Sgt.-Master Sergeant
Pfc.-Private, first class
PO-Petty Officer
e. Use the following abbreviations after a name:
Jr., Sr.
2d, 3d, II,, III (not preceded by a comma)
Prof.-Professor
Pvt.-Private
R. Adm.-Rear Admiral
2d Lt.-Second Lieutenant
Sfc.-Sergeant, first class
Sgt.-Sergeant
S. Sgt.--Staff Sergeant
Supt.-Superintendent
Surg.-Surgeon
T. Sgt.-Technical Sergeant
V. Adm.-Vice Admiral
WO-Warrant Officer
Degrees: M.A., Ph. D., LL.D.
Fellowships, orders, etc.: F.R.S., K.C.B.
f. Sr. and Jr. should not be used without given name or initials, but may be used in combination with
any title. f
A. B. Jon s, Jr.+; not Jones, Jr., or Mr. Jones, Jr. President J. B. Jones, Sr.
g. Do not use title;, suh as Mr., Mrs., and Dr. in combination with another title or with abbreviations
indicating academia de rees.
John Jones, A.1 ., Ph. D.; not Mr. John Jones, A.B., Ph. D.
Dick Roe,IM.D~.; not Dr. Dick Roe, M.D., or Mr. Dick Roe, M.D.
h. When the namo is f~llowed by abbreviations designating religious and fraternal orders and academic
and honorary degrI'ees, arrange the abbreviations in this sequence: Orders, religious first; theological
degrees; academic degrees earned in course; and honorary degrees in order of bestowal.
John J. Jones, P.D., M.A., D. Lit. Richard R. Row, C.S.C., Ph. D., LL.D.
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6. PARTS OF PUBLICATIONS
Abbreviations may be used to designate parts of publications mentioned in parentheses, brackets, footnotes,
lists of references, and tables, and followed by figures, letters, or Roman numerals.
app., apps.-appendix, appendixes
art., arts.-article, articles
bull., bulls.-bulletin, bulletins
cl., cls.-clause, clauses
ch., chs.-chapter, chapters
col., cols.-column, columns
fig., figs.-figure, figures
no., nos.-number, numbers
p.-page, pages
par., pars.-paragraph, paragraphs
pl., pls.-plate, plates
pt., pts.-part, parts
sec., secs.-section, sections
subch., subchs.-subchapter, subchapters
subpar., subpars.-subparagraph, subparagraphs
subsec., subsecs.-subsection, subsections
supp., supps.-supplement, supplements
vol., vols.-volume, volumes
7. TERMS RELATING TO CONGRESS
You may use the following abbreviations for the words Congress and session when these words are used in
parentheses, brackets, footnotes, sidenotes, lists of references, and tables.
82d Cong., 1st sess. Ist Bess., 82d Cong. Public Law 64, 74th Cong.
8. CALENDAR DIVISIONS
a. When brevity is required, you may abbreviate the names of months, except May, June, and July, when
used with day, or year, or both.
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
b. The names of days of the week are preferably not abbreviated. If they are, use the following forms.
Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.
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CHAPTER 6
NUMERALS
1. GENERAL
Whether to express a number in figures or to spell it out is often a troublesome choice. This chapter covers
most of the principles needed to make a choice. It first treats numbers that are spelled out. Then it deals
with numbers that are expressed in figures, confining the rules to small numbers, usually those under a
thousand. The third part covers large numbers, some of which may be written in text by combining
figures and words. Further instructions as to the accepted method of writing numerals are found in the
Government Printing Office Style Manual.
The following suggestions offer overall guidance in choosing the best method of expressing a number:
a. Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence. Numbers under 10 are to be spelled out, except when
expressing time, money, and measurement.
b. Prefer Arabic numerals to Roman numerals.
c. Except in legal documents, avoid repeating in numerals a number which has been spelled out.
2. NUMBERS SPELLED OUT
a. Single numbers of less than 10 within a sentence.
six horses five recommendations
three times as large seven machine guns
b. Numbers of less than 100 preceding a compound modifier containing a figure.
two i4-inch boards
twelve 6-inch guns but 120 8-inch boards
c. Round numbers and indefinite expressions.
a hundred cows, dollars, inen but 100-odd pupils, 250-fold
the early seventies but the 1870's, not the '70's or 70's
in the eighties but mid-1961
midsixties
a thousand and one reasons
less than a million dollars
d. Numbers used with serious and dignified subjects and in formal writing.
the Thirteen Original States in the year nineteen hundred and sixty-five
millions for defense but not one cent for tribute
e. Large numbers denoting amounts which are formally spelled out, as in legal work, are expressed
as follows :
one thousand six hundred and twenty fifty-two thousand one hundred and ninety-five
eight thousand and ninety-two nine hundred and seventy-three thousand
eight hundred and eighty-two
f. Fractions standing alone, or followed by of a or of an.
one-half inch three-fourths of an inch,
one-half of a farm, not % of a farm not % inch or 34 of an inch
but % to 1 % pages
g. Ordinal numbers less than 10th. (See also paragraph 3e following.)
First Congress ninth century eighth parallel Second Street Ninth Avenue
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3. NUMBERS EXPRESSED IN FIGURES
a. Single numbers of 10 or more within a sentence.
50 ballots, guns, horses nearly 10 miles about 44 men
b. Serial numbers. (Commas are not used in serial numbers.)
Bulletin 725 pages 352-357 ME 5-9020 1900 19th Street 290 U.S. 325
c. Quantities, measures, and time.
(1) Ages.
6 years old 52 years 10 months 6 days a 3-year-old boy
(2) Dates.
June 1959; June 20, 1959 15 April 1960 (military)
not June, 1959, or June 20th, 1959 4th of July, but Fourth of July, meaning the holiday
March 6 to April 15, 1959 the 1st [day] of the month, but the last of April or the
not March 6, 1959, to April 15, 1959 first of May, not referring to specific days
(3) Decimals. Place a zero before a decimal where there is no unit, except in market quotations. (See
paragraph (5) following.) Omit decimal point and zeros after a number unless the zero is needed to
indicate exact measurement.
0.25 inch 1.25 gage height 10.0 approximately 10 feet
(4) Degrees.
longitude 77?08'06" E. (spaces omitted) 104? temperature but two degrees of justice
latitude 49?26'14" N. an angle of 57?
(5) Market quotations.
4%-percent bonds Treasury bonds sell at 95
Metropolitan Railroad, 109 sugar, .03; not 0.03
(6) Mathematical expressions.
multiplied by 3 divided by 6
(7) Measurements.
7 meters, yards, miles, acres, bushels, ems, but tenpenny nail, fourfold, three-ply
8 by 12 inches 2 feet by 1 foot 8 inches by 1 foot 3 inches
20/20 vision - 2,500 horsepower 6-pounder
(8) Money. (See also paragraphs 2d, preceding, and 4, following.)
$0.75 or 75 cents $3 (not $3.00) per 200 pounds
0.5 cent $3.65 but $3.00 to $3.65
(9) Percentages.
23 percent 25.5 percent 0.5 percent or one-half of 1 percent
5 percentage points 50-50 (colloquial expression)
(10) Proportion.
1 to 4 1: 62,500 1-3-5
(11) Time.
6 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds half past 4 or 4:30 a.m.
10 years 3 months 29 days 12 m. (noon) and 12 p.m. (midnight)
but four centuries, three decades 1300 (military time) not 1300 hours
10 o'clock or 10 p.m.
not 10 o'clock p.m. or 10:00 p.m.
(12) Unit modifiers.
5-day week 8-year-old wine 8-hour day 10-foot pole
but a two-story house a five-man board $20 million airfield
d. Ordinal numbers of 10th or more. (See also paragraph 2g, preceding.)
20th century 82d Congress 20th Congressional District
17th region 171st Street 200th Place
the ninth and 10th times He represented the first, fourth, and 12th wards.
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Part II
e. Designation of military units. Always express the designation of military units in figures, except Corps,
which is designated by Roman numerals.
2d Infantry Division 323d Fighter Wing 5th Fleet
7th Air Force 9th Naval District XII Corps
4. LARGE NUMBERS
Large numbers are usually expressed in figures; however, numbers from a million up which end in four
or more zeros may be expressed in text by combining figures and words. In the examples which follow,
preference is based on the ease with which the number can be grasped in reading.
Amount expressed in figures Preferable in text Acceptable in text
299, 789,665 ............ 299, 789,66.5
$1,200,390,180.......... $1,200,390,180
$12,000,000* ........... $12 million ............. 12 million dollars
$1,000,000,000* ........ $1 billion, .............. 1 billion dollars or one billion dollars
3,250,000* ............. 3.25 million............. 3.% million or three and one-fourth million or three and
oiie-quarter million
750,000,000* ........... 750 million ............. i4 billion or three-fourths of a billion or three-quarters of
a billion
9,000,000 to 9 million to I billion ..... nine million to one billion
1,000,000,000*
*Correct for tabular work, and for text when used with other numbers ordinarily written in figures, as "$12,000,000 and
$9,250,600."
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WORD DIVISION
L GENERAL
When words must be divided, they are separated between syllables. One-syllable words are never divided.
Proper division into syllables is given in the Government Printing Office Style Manual supplement on word
division, and in Webster's dictionary.
a. After a vowel, if the vowel itself is a separate syllable within a word.
physi-cal not phys-ical particu-lar not partic-ular
sepa-rate not sep-arate criti-cism not crit-icism
b. Between the members of solid compounds.
rail-road proof-reader
c. At the hyphen in hyphened compounds.
court-martial above-mentioned
d. Between adjoining vowels in separate syllables.
estu-ary gene-alogy ere-ation
e. After prefixes of three or more letters.
ante-date tri-color inter-leaving trans-portation
g. After the second consonant of double consonants ending a root word, when followed by a suffix.
tell-ing express-ing
h. Between double consonants that are doubled because a suffix is added.
remit-ted. thin-ning
i. After the consonant at the end of a syllable with a short vowel and before the consonant at the end of
a syllable with a long vowel, if no vowel is a separate syllable or if vowels do not adjoin.
progress (verb) pro-gress project (verb) project
progress (noun) prog-ress project (noun) proj-ect
stenographer (noun) stenog-rapher
stenographic (adjective) steno-graphic
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3. DO NOT DIVIDE WORDS
a. At the ends of more than two consecutive lines.
b. At the end of a line when the part begun there does not suggest the whole word.
counter-offensive not coun-teroffensive
c. Of five or fewer letters, even though containing more than one syllable.
avoid begin into also every area
d. Between a one- or a two-letter terminal syllable and the rest of a word.
ammonia proceeded period
e. Between a one- or two-letter initial syllable and the rest of the word.
identity around behavior
f. At the end of a page or of a paragraph.
4. DO NOT SEPARATE CLOSELY RELATED WORD UNITS
a. Avoid separating words in close association, such as the elements of dates and of proper names, groups
of initials and surnames, and abbreviated titles (Dr., Mrs., etc.) and names.
(1) When it is necessary to divide a date, the year may be carried over to the next line.
(2) When it is necessary to divide a proper name, the surname may be carried over to the next line.
b. Do not separate figures, letters, or symbols from their accompanying words when used as a group.
Chapter III Article 14 1234 Fifth Street NW. $125.35
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Part II
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Among a secretary's basic tools are the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual and a good dictionary.
Many Government secretaries also need the Official Congressional Directory and the U.S. Government Organi-
zation Manual. Good references on grammar, writing, editing, and secretarial practices are useful. When
authorities differ on editorial practices, the Government Printing Office Style Manual is followed.
BOOKS
Becker, Esther R. How to be an Effective Executive
Secretary. New York: Harper&Row, 1962.
A discussion of an executive secretary's career, what it
involves and how to succeed at it. Not a manual of day-to-
day office practice.
Doris, Lillian, and Besse May Miller. Complete
Secretary's Handbook. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Pren-
tice Hall, Inc., 1962.
A reference text on techniques for usual and advanced
secretarial duties, letterwriting, supervisory relations, etc.,
including a bibliography of basic sources of information
(encyclopedias, fact books, atlases, dictionaries, and
specialized business and Government references).
Engel, Pauline. Executive Secretary's Handbook.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1965.
An introduction for the officeworker going into the executive
secretarial field. How to become an effective secretary.
Gavin, Ruth E., and E. Lillian Hutchinson.
Reference Manual for Stenographers and Typists.
New York: Gregg Publishing Division, McGraw-
Hill, 1961.
A handbook on dictation, transcribing, typewriter use,
letterwriting, telegrams, spelling, capitalization, punctua-
tion, grammar, and typing formats.
Gregg, John R. Applied Secretarial Practice. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.
Covers the whole field of secretarial duties in basic fashion,
with many questions and problems at the end of each
chapter to check on a reader's progress.
Handbook of Advanced Secretarial Techniques. Pre-
pared by the editorial staff of Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962.
A more advanced treatment of the many tasks that distin-
guish a "girl Friday" from a clerk-stenographer; such as,
arranging for travel, conducting fund drives, budgeting,
designing forms, preparing copy for the printer, etc.
Hutchinson, E. Lillian, and Ruth E. Gavin. Ref-
erence Manual for Stenographers and Typists. New York:
Gregg Publishing Division, McGraw-Hill, 1961.
A handbook on dictation, transcribing, typewriter use,
letterwriting, telegrams, spelling, capitalization, punctua-
tion, grammar, and typing formats.
Hutchinson, Lois Irene. Standard Handbook for Sec-
retaries. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.
A thorough, wide-ranging reference manual on all phases
of office practice.
Miller, Besse May, and Lillian Doris. Complete Sec-
retary's Handbook. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-
Hall, Inc., 1962.
A reference text on techniques for usual and advanced
secretarial duties, letterwriting, supervisory relations, etc.,
including a bibliography of basic sources of information
(encyclopedias, fact books, atlases, dictionaries, and- spe-
cialized business and Government references).
Perrin, Porter G. Writer's Guide and Index to English.
Chicago, Ill.: Scott Foresman & Co., 1965.
A reference and guidebook that presents a realistic descrip-
tion of current American English usage and style. Can be
considered a complete course in English composition as well
as a handy reference manual.
Price, Miles O. A Practical Manual of Standard
Legal Citations. New York: Oceana Publishing Co.,
1958.
Rules for and examples of citations of authority for lawyers,
law students, and teachers.
Seven Keys to Better, Faster Typing. Washington:
U.S. Government Printing Office, 1958.
A typist's guide to improving typing techniques, planning
the work, correcting mistakes, and caring for the typewriter.
Shaffer, Virginia, and Harry Shaw. McGraw-Hill
Handbook of English. New York: McGraw-Hill,
1960.
A text and reference manual "designed to help the student
build the skills he needs to express himself with clarity,
ease, and appropriateness . . . American English as it is
actually used by careful speakers and writers."
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Funk & Wagnall's New College Standard Dictionary.
New York: Funk & Wagnall's, 1963.
Key to correct spelling, division, and meaning of words,
emphasizing visual identification of word parts through
typography.
General Stores Stock Catalog. Washington: General
Services Administration, Annual.
A catalog of supply items for sale to Government agencies
through the Federal Supply Service, GSA.
National ZIP Code ,Directory. Washington: Post
Office Department, Post Office Department Pub-
lication 65, 1967.
Lists ZIP Codes for all U.S. cities and towns and Govern-
ment agencies located in Washington, D.C.
Official Airline Guide, Monthly.
Gives complete schedules and fares for all U.S. airlines.
Official Congressional Directory. Washington: U.S.
Government Printing Office, Annual.
Contains (1) names and addresses of Members of Congress,
biographical sketches, and committee assignments; (2)
names, titles, and addresses of chief officers of agencies of
the executive branch, judicial branch, and District of
Columbia; (3) names of foreign diplomatic representatives
and the location of foreign consular offices in the United
States; (4) names of U.S. diplomatic representatives
abroad and the location of U.S. consular offices; and (5)
names of members of press galleries.
Random House Dictionary of the English Language.
Jess Stein, editor, New York: Random House,
1966.
A new approach in dictionaries. One that reflects a com-
promise between the authoritative and permissive
approaches to language usage.
Telephone Directories (city and agency), Annual.
United States Government Organization Manual. Wash-
ington: U.S. Government Printing Office, Annual.
Describes the purposes, functions, and operations of each
agency of the Federal Government and lists executive per-
sonnel. Appendix B shows representative publications of
Government agencies. Appendix C gives a key to subjects
in the Code of Federal Regulations.
U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual, and
Word Division Supplement. Washington: U.S. Gov-
ernment Printing Office, 1967.
Standard Government guide for preparing and editing copy
to be printed. Contains Government standard practices for
capitalizing, spelling, compounding, punctuating, and
abbreviating, with suggestions and instructions to authors
and editors. A pocket-sized supplement giving basic rules
of word division and examples of more than 12,500 words
divided into syllables is also available.
Webster's Dictionary of Synonyms. Springfield, Mass.:
G. & C. Merriam, 1951.
Alphabetically arranged list of words with suggested
synonyms and references to antonyms.
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield,
Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1965.
Accepted authority on spelling for Government publica-
tions. Based on Webster's New International Dictionary (un-
bridged). Appendix contains (1) abbreviations, (2) signs and
symbols, (3) biographical data, (4) a pronouncing gazetteer,
(5) list of colleges and universities, etc.
Roget's International Thesaurus. Christopher O. S.
Mawson, ed., New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
1962.
The complete book of synonyms and antonyms in American
and British usage. Basic classification of words by ideas,
giving not only synonyms of a word but all related words
and expressions. (Also available in dictionary form.)
Standardized Government Travel Regulations. Wash-
ington: Bureau of the Budget, 1965.
Presents the regulations governing the travel of civilian
Government employees.
Just Between Office Girls. New York : Bureau of
Business Practice of Prentice Hall, Biweekly.
The Office. Stamford, Conn.: Office Publications,
Inc., Monthly.
The Secretary. Kansas City, Mo.: National Secre-
taries Assoc. International.
Today's Secretary. New York : Gregg Publishing Divi-
sion, McGraw-Hill, Monthly.
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