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King County Editorial Style Manual
-V- v. Abbreviation for verb in this style manual. See verbs. valley. Capitalize as part of a full name: the Green River Valley. Lowercase in plural uses: the Green River and Snoqualmie valleys. vanpool, VanPool One word. Capitalize as VanPool when referring to the name of the Transit Division's program. See carpool, high-occupancy. variations. See exceptions for guidance on variations to this style manual. VCR. See videocassette recorder. VDT. Abbreviation for visual display terminal. Spell out. verbal. See oral, verbal, written. verbiage. Sometimes misused. It means "an excess of words," not "words, diction or wording." Also, consider using simpler wordiness instead, if that's what you mean. verbs. A verb is a word that expresses existence, action or occurrence. Follow this spelling rule when adding ed and ing to form the present participle and past tense of a verb: If the stress in pronunciation is on the first syllable, do not double the consonant: cancel, canceling, canceled. If the stress in pronunciation is on the second syllable, double the consonant unless confusion would result: admit, admitted, admitting. Use a singular verb form after each, either, everyone, everybody, neither, nobody, no one, someone, somebody: Although both routes serve Bellevue, neither serves the Overlake park-and-ride lot. Everyone at the meeting wants to speak. See none. Use a plural verb when the word and joins two or more nouns in a compound subject. Exceptions to this rule include compound subjects qualified by each or every and certain compounds, often clichés: Every window and mirror on the truck was broken. Give and take is essential to good communication. A singular subject takes singular verbs even if it is connected to other nouns by with, as well as, in addition to, except, together with and no less than: The plant manager, as well as her supervisors, is involved in the training. See as well as; in addition to; along with, together with. See active vs. passive verbs; headlines, headings; split infinitives. versus. Spell it out in ordinary speech and writing: The committee discussed the proposal to revise the project versus proposals to reevaluate the entire construction program. In short expressions, however, the abbreviations vs. is OK: The issue of taxes vs. services has long been with us. very. Use this word sparingly. It may not be needed: It was a very tragic death. Where emphasis is necessary, use stronger, more descriptive words. See hyphen. Veterans Day, Department of Veterans Affairs. No apostrophe, say federal law and style guidelines. See holidays. via. It means by way of (a place or street), not by means of (a vehicle or tool). Use via (or simpler through) to show the direction of a journey: The route goes from Seattle to Southcenter through Rainier Beach. The route travels through downtown Seattle via Fourth Avenue. Don't use via to show the means by which someone makes a journey: He made the trip by bus. Not: He made the trip via bus. See by means of. viable. It means "capable of living." Overused and misused in references to options, alternatives, plans, products and actions. Instead, consider using feasible, workable, possible, practical or another synonym. viaduct. Capitalize when used with Alaskan Way: Alaskan Way Viaduct. Lowercase when used alone: The viaduct is closed for repairs.. vice versa. Two words. videocassette recorder. Use on first reference. VCR is acceptable on second reference. videotape (n. and v.). Vietnam. Not Viet Nam. VIP, VIPs. Acceptable in all references for very important person (s). virgule (/). Avoid using the virgule--also called a slash, forward slash, diagonal or slant--to represent omitted words or letters. Examples include per in 40,000 tons/year, to in price/earnings ratio, or in his/her and oral/written tests, versus in parent/child issues, with in table/mirror, w/o for without and c/o for in care of. Also, avoid using virgules (or hyphens) with numerals to give dates, especially if your readers could confuse the order of the day and month: 2/11/94, 11-16-1993. The virgule may replace and in some compound terms: the Seattle/King County region, the May/June issue, an innovative classroom/laboratory. Using and, however, may be less ambiguous. When using the virgule, don't separate the punctuation mark from adjacent words or numbers with spaces. The virgule may be used to separate the numerator from the denominator in numbers containing fractions. See fractions. Use the virgule--or forward slash--in Internet addresses: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/. Use the backslash (one word)--\--for writing commands in DOS and computer directories. See World Wide Web. virtually. Overstated. Try omitting, or use almost instead. voice mail. Two words. Hyphenate when used to modify a noun: Thirty people left voice-mail messages about the project. votes. Use numerals and a hyphen for pairs of votes: The council voted 10-3 for the project. Spell out numbers under 10 in other uses: The proponents won by a seven-vote margin. vs. See versus. Back to Top
-W- WAN. Acronym for wide area network. Spell out (lowercased) on first use. Avoid using WAN except in technical contexts. Washington. Usually when abbreviating Washington, use Wash. Use WA only when part of a mailing address. Never abbreviate when referring to the U.S. capital. See state names. Avoid using the redundant state of Washington or Washington state. But use those phrases--with lowercase state--when the context requires distinction between the state and the federal district, Washington, D.C., or the District of Columbia. For brochures, signs and other materials to be used in only King County and adjacent counties, the name or abbreviation for Washington may not needed. Consider dropping the name or abbreviation in street addresses that show the location of a building, facility, meeting or event. But include the abbreviation WA in mailing addresses. Lowercase state when used as an adjective: a state map, the state flag. They visited the state of Washington. Don't capitalize state when used as an adjective to specify a level of government: state Rep. Ellen Berger, state funds, state Department of Transportation. See abbreviations and acronyms; driver license; ecology, Ecology; governmental bodies. Capitalize state when used as a noun referring to the state government: He worked for the State of Washington. Also, capitalize the full name of state governmental units when used in formal and legal documents: Washington State Department of Transportation. Washington Administrative Code. Spell out and capitalize on first reference. WAC is acceptable in later references--and in signs, maps, charts and tables with limited space. wastebasket. One word. was, were. Use was to state a fact: He was planning a vacation trip to Kauai. Use were to express possibility, desire or hypothesis: If he were to plan a vacation trip, he'd go to Kauai. water body. Two words. Waterfront Streetcar The official name is George Benson Waterfront Streetcar. Call it the Benson Line or Waterfront Streetcar (capitalized) in later references. Lowercase streetcar when using the word alone. See car stop. waters. See collective nouns. waterway. One word. we. Use the editorial we when it stands for the authors of a collaborative work. Some use of we is acceptable to refer to King County, the department and its organizational elements and programs, especially in quotations, opinion pieces and informal publications, and to avoid redundancy and wordiness. Make sure it's clear who we is. Avoid the pretentious use of we when it means a single person. In those instances, use I. See I, me; us, we; you. Web standards. According to King County Executive policy: "All publications on the World Wide Web must follow current County World Wide Web Publishing standards." See King County Web Services (internal link) for more information. The King County Web Page Specifications (internal link, DOC, 188KB) require use of AP style and the King County Editorial Style Manual in producing Web page content, including the date at the bottom of county Web pages. Web, Web address, Web browser, webmaster, Web page, Web site, Web site manager. Except for webmaster, capitalize and use separate words, no hyphen. Also see World Wide Web. weekday, weekend, weeklong. Each one word. weight. Use figures: He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces at birth. She had a 8-pound, 7-ounce baby. See dimensions. weird. Commonly misspelled. well. Hyphenate as part of a compound modifier: He is a well-dressed man. She is well-dressed. See good, well; hyphen. went on to say. Cliché. Consider using a less wordy phrase. See attribution. Westlake Station. Capitalize the name of this station in the downtown Seattle transit tunnel. West Seattle Junction. Admiral Junction preferred. Capitalize the term, but lowercase when referring to the junction. If needed for limited space in charts, tables and maps, abbreviate Junction as Junc. wheelchair. One word. See disabled. whether or not. When whether means if, use if instead, or drop or not: He does not know whether the council will approve the resolution. He does not know if the council will approve the resolution. But use or not when stressing an alternative: The team will consider the change whether or not it is cost effective. which. See that, which; that, who. while. Avoid the indiscriminate, ambiguous use of this word for and, but and although. While is best used to mean when or as a simpler word for at the same time or during the time that. See awhile, a while. white. A person having origins in any of the original people of Europe, north Africa or the Middle East. See race. who, whom. Often confused. Who (like he, she or they) does something, and whom (like him, her or them) has something done to it. Use whom when someone is the object of verb or preposition: The man to whom the car was rented did not fill the gas tank. Whom do you wish to see? A preposition (such as to, at, by, for, from, in, toward, upon and with) often comes just before whom: Who does something to whom. Who is the word in all other uses, especially when someone is taking an action as the subject of a sentence, clause or phrase: The man who rented the car did not fill the gas tank. Who is still here? See that, which; that, who. who's, whose. Who's is a contraction for who is, not a possessive: Who's on the telephone? Whose is the possessive: I do know whose umbrella it is. -wide. No hyphen: citywide, countywide, nationwide, systemwide. wide area network. See WAN. wield. Commonly misspelled. Wi-Fi. Trademark used to certify that wireless computer-networking devices will work together. When used, clarify its meaning with words and phrases like wireless, computer network and Internet access. willful. Commonly misspelled. will. See shall, will entry. will, would. Often confused. Will expresses a certainty. Would is suppositional. The plan will cost $250 million means the plan has been adopted or is certain to be adopted. The plan would cost $250 million means it would cost $250 million if adopted. -wise No hyphen when the word means in the direction of, in the manner of or about: lengthwise, otherwise, slantwise, clockwise. Avoid contrived combinations: The department rates high efficiencywise. Instead, say: The department has a high efficiency rate. Or: The department is very efficient. with. See along with, together with entry. withhold. Commonly misspelled. with reference to. Wordy jargon. Try for instead. with regard to. Wordy jargon. Try about instead. women. See sex. word processing. Do not hyphenate. word usage. Commonly confused, misused or overused words and phrases are discussed throughout this style manual. Also check the Guide to Concise Writing for alternatives to overstated, pompous words; wordy, bureaucratic phrases; and redundant phrases. And check Using Appropriate Words in the county's Plain Language Writing Guide . workday. One word. worker's compensation. Not workmen's compensation. work force. Two words. work group. Two words. workout. One word. workplace. One word. work plan. Two words. works cited. See bibliographies and notes; composition titles; footnotes, endnotes. work site. Two words. workstation. One word. Consider using simpler desk, if appropriate. work units. See capitalization. workweek. One word. worldwide. One word. World Wide Web. If the context is clear, the Web is acceptable on first reference. Also, Web address, Web browser, Web page, Web site (all two words, uppercase Web), but webmaster, webcam. Use Web site, not Web page, when referring to a site with more than one page. Also see e-mail, home page, Internet, intranet, online, offline, Web standards. Refer to a Web address as a Web address, not as a uniform resource locator or URL. Use the spelling and capitalization of the Web site owner. Instead of ending a sentence with a Web address and then a period, consider separating the address and the period with a phrase like on the Web after the address: ... www.metrokc.gov/ on the Web. If a Web address breaks between lines, split it before a slash or a dot (a period) that is part of the address; don't insert a hyphen unless a hyphen is part of the address. Here are examples of the recommended style for Web addresses: www.metrokc.gov/ddes/compplan/ (with no http:// before an address that begins with www) or http://dnr.metrokc.gov/. Special typographical treatments--such as color or boldfacing--are optional, as are brackets or dashes that separate Web addresses (and e-mail addresses) from other text and punctuation. See underlining. would. See should, would; will, would. writing myths. See Myths of Writing. written. See oral, verbal, written. Back to Top
-X- Xerox Trademark for a brand of photocopy machine. Do not use this word to mean photocopy, copy machine or copier: He made a photocopy, not He made a Xerox. Back to Top
-Y- year-end. Hyphenate both the noun and adjective. yearlong. One word. year-round. Hyphenate. years. Use numerals without commas: In 2003, a severe flood hit the region. Use an s and no apostrophe to show spans of decades or centuries, but use an apostrophe at the start of the year when omitting the first two numerals: 1990s, 1900s, '68, '60s. Years are the one exception to the rule against beginning a sentence with numerals: 1994 was one of his best years. See dates, numbers. yesterday. See tomorrow, yesterday. yield. Commonly misspelled. you. By using the pronoun you, you convey directness and immediacy to your reader. Make sure you and the reader know who you is. Avoid using you if it sounds accusatory or insulting. See I, me; we. Also see Eight Myths of Writing. your money's worth. Cliché. Consider using a good deal or a good value instead. Back to Top
-Z- zero, zeros. Don't include unnecessary zeros in times and dollar amounts: 10 a.m., $35; not 10:00 a.m., $35.00. See cents, time. ZIP code. Use all caps for the abbreviation for Zone Improvement Program, but always lowercase the word code. Abbreviation acceptable in all uses. . Use ZIP codes and ZIP code abbreviations for states only in mailing addresses. Do not use ZIP codes in street addresses to show the location of a building, facility, meeting or event. See state names for standard abbreviations in other uses. Except for mailing addresses in business correspondence, put only one space between the state abbreviation and ZIP code; use two spaces in business correspondence. Do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code. Following post office guidelines, don't include the ZIP+4 digits in return addresses printed on envelopes, postcards and publications. See addresses, correspondence. Below are the ZIP code abbreviations for state names in mailing addresses.
zone. See bus stop, bus zone. Back to Top |
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Updated: April 6, 2007 |
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