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ACST Content Standards

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ACST Corporate Style Guide

Punctuation

Em Dash

Use for a break in thought or abrupt change in sentence structure. See also parentheses.

Example: The snow — always welcome by children — clogged the roads.

En Dash

Use the en dash to connect dates, times, and other numbers in a range. The en dash is shorter than the em dash but longer than a hyphen.

Examples: 1989 – 1995, on pages 23 – 42

Surround the en dash with spaces for equations, timestamps in the UI, and defined UI elements.

Examples:

  • 5 – 4 = 1
  • 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • ChMS – If applicable, this tab is the name of the ChMS you integrated with Realm Accounting.

Hyphen

When two words are combined to form a noun, sometimes you use a hyphen and sometimes you don't. For specific words, see Guidelines and Overview .

  1. If the description comes after the noun, don't use a hyphen: Charles is strong willed. Labradors are water resistant.

  2. If the description comes before the noun, use a hyphen when either of the two words in the description would not make sense by itself: Charles is a strong-willed boy. That is one water-resistant Labrador!
Tip: The English language is definitely not straightforward. When in doubt, look up the word in Merriam's Webster dictionary. Also, make the best choice for non-English readers and/or future translation initiatives.
According to the Global English Style Guide, "hyphens can make noun phrases easier for readers to interpret correctly, and they are sometimes essential for translation." The following examples are taken directly from this guide. See page 177-179.

Do this: The value in register 1 must be saved in the argument-string-word of the return value.

Not this: The value in register 1 must be saved in the argument string word of the return value.

Use hyphens consistently in the noun and adjective forms of multi-word verbs.
set upverbGoogle announced plans to set up back-office operations in a special economic zone in India.
setupnounWe estimated that we needed $25,000 for office setup and initial networking.
setupadjectivePlease note that some advanced setup issues are not discussed here.
If the noun form is hyphenated, then hyphenate the adjectival form as well
start upverbMy PC takes a long time to start up or reboot.
start-upnounIf the start-up doesn't have a business plan, you probably don't want to work there.
start-upadjectiveRaising start-up capital is one of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face.

"Non" Words

Nondeductible, nonpayment, nonemployee, and other "non" words that display on tax forms should reflect what they say on the forms.

In almost all cases, they aren't hyphenated or separated by a space. Clients who come in contact with these words deal with these forms on a regular basis, and in some cases, print information out on them. It's important that they match.

Exception: "Non Resident" is currently a Filing Status selection in Accounting, Payroll & Employees, and Tax modules. This cannot be changed by us. Symmetry Tax Engine controls how that's spelled.

Parentheses

Use to name cross-references or for tangential material. See also em dash.

Example: All students are required to study calculus (offered by the mathematics department).

Possessive Forms of 'S'-Ending Nouns

If a singular noun ends with an s, create the possessive form by adding 's.

Example: Dr. Seuss's books

Punctuation After Bold Type

Punctuation that follows a bold type item is not bold.

Example: Press Ctrl-D, then press Ctrl-S.

Punctuation in Figure Captions

Use no punctuation at the end of the caption.

Punctuation in Lists

Default punctuation: None.

If one item is a complete sentence, put a period at the end of every item in that list.

Punctuation in Quotes

Periods and commas go inside the quotes unless the quote is something that the user types. Other punctuation is placed with the clause it modifies.

Example: For more information, see "Adding a Schedule," on page 32.

Serial or Oxford Comma

Precede the final and in a series with a comma.

Example: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Slash (/)

There is no space before or after a slash.

Example: Update to the latest Apple/Windows operating system before downloading new apps.

Space After Periods

Use one space after a period.

Trademarks and Other Symbols

You can use trademarked terms as adjectives or nouns. Mark the first instance of a trademark in the front matter and in the body of the document. Omit the trademark symbol in subsequent mentions. The same rule applies for items containing the registered trademark symbol or a standard punctuation symbol.

Example: The CASS™ certification process... or CASS™ offers...

Example: The Max It!® product... or MAX It!® offers...

Example: The Max It!® product...(initial mention) or The MAX It product...(subsequent mentions)