Style, T-U-V-W-Y-Z
teenager — One word, no hyphen.
telephone numbers — See numbers section.
temperatures — Use numerals for temperatures except zero, and use words instead of a minus sign to indicate below zero. The low last night was 10 degrees below zero. If it’s necessary to indicate the scale (Fahrenheit or Celsius), use one of these forms: 75 degrees Fahrenheit, 75 F (note the space and no period after the F). Some scientific writing or tabular material may use the degree symbol. Use the degree symbol (°), not a superscript letter o.
than, then — Use than to introduce a second item for comparison. Joel is taller than Bob. Use then to express an element of time, often sequential. Mary went to the grocery store and then went home.
that, which — Use that for phrases that are essential to the meaning of the sentence and without commas. The house that has red siding is ours. Use which for a phrase that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, and separate it with commas. The corner house, which has red siding, is ours. If you can leave the phrase out of a sentence without changing the meaning, use which. Otherwise, use that.
they, their— In general, try to avoid using when referring to a singular person. At the same time, be aware that some people prefer to use this pronoun to refer to themselves and use accordingly. When trying to avoid using he as a generic pronoun, rewrite the sentence to avoid the problem. Wrong: A visitor should park their car in the north parking lot. Correct: Visitors should park their cars in the north parking lot. See also agreement of pronoun and antecedent entry in the Style Guide section. See also the Inclusive Language section.
time — Report time in either the 12-hour (2 p.m.) or 24-hour (1400 hours) system as appropriate for the publication and audience. Use one system consistently throughout a publication.
For general audiences, use the 12-hour system with noon and midnight instead of 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. to avoid confusion. It is redundant to say 12 noon.
Wrong: 8 a.m. in the morning or 10:30 p.m. at night. This is redundant; stop after a.m. or p.m.
When announcing an event, follow this order: time, date, place. The ice cream social will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, in City Park.
timeline — One word.
Titles and Capitalization
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people — In
text
, identify K-State Research and Extension personnel in a way that clearly conveys position or expertise. Identify administrative personnel by title. J. Ernest Minton, dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension; Gregg Hadley, director for extension; Martin Draper, associate dean for research and graduate programs.
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track, tract — An expanse of land or a system of organs is atract. The developer bought a tract of land where he will build houses. My digestive tract is giving me problems. A trail or path or a course (such as an academic program) is a track. We are developing a diversity, equity, and inclusion track for annual conference. Detailed notes help me keep track of progress for my projects.
toe the line — The phrase meaning to accept the authority or policies of a particular group is not "tow the line."
toward — No “s” at the end.
T-shirt — Capitalize and hyphenate.
underway — One word is acceptable for all uses.
units — Use standard (lb, in., oz.) or SI units (g, m, mL) as appropriate for the topic and audience, but use
the same system consistently. Present units after a range of values except for degrees and percentages. 3, 5, and 7 g but 10 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent. (Some scientific styles use the % symbol.) See also the numbers, ranges and measurements sections. Include a space between numbers and units except for degrees and percentages when using the symbol: 5 g, but 10%. Spell out units not preceded by a number. Yield was measured in bushels per acre.
United States — Spell out when standing alone or in a list of countries. I am from the United States.
Countries represented included France, Canada, and the United States. Abbreviate as U.S. (not US, unless part of a longer abbreviation such as USDA) when used as a modifier: U.S. agriculture, U.S. citizens.
upside down — Not hyphenated unless used as a modifier. Turn the chairs upside down for storage. You
can’t sit in an upside-down chair.
URL — Uniform Resource Locator, the means of identifying different web addresses. Many addresses follow the form http://www.organizationname.com (or .org or .edu), so it is acceptable to start a written address with www., omitting the http:// at the beginning. Italicize Web addresses in written form: www.ksre.k-state.edu, www.k-state.edu.
use, utilize — Use is appropriate in most cases. Utilize suggests a new, profitable, or practical use.
various, varying — Various means different or unlike. The three treatments had various results. Use varying to mean changing. The varying cloud cover throughout the day made the photo shoot difficult.
web — Lowercase when referring to the internet.
webpage, website — One word and lowercase (conforms with Kansas State University style).
Wheat Genetics Resource Center —Second reference: the center. The center, in the Department of Plant Pathology, maintains a database of wheat genetic information and conducts genetic studies of wheat. http://www.k-state.edu/wgrc/
where — Use to describe a physical place. Incorrect: In months where rainfall was frequent, irrigation was not applied. Correct: In months when rainfall was frequent, irrigation was not applied. Depending on the sentence, better choices might be when, whereas, or which.
while, since — Use to indicate passage of time. Depending on the sentence, better word choices might be although, but, and, whereas, or because.
while, since, although, whereas — While and since indicate time.
Since last year, my writing has improved.
Although and whereas indicate conditional relationships. Although yield was higher in treatment one, the difference was not significant.
who, whom — Who is used in the subject position of a sentence. Who is it? Whom
To whom were you speaking? However
,
whom often sounds stilted in daily use, and many usage guides consider who to be standard English for both subject and object. Who do you wish to speak to? For formal writing (such as journal articles), follow the traditional rules for usage, but understand that informal language is sometimes acceptable.
whole wheat, whole-wheat — Hyphenate the modifier: whole-wheat flour.
x/×— Do not use the letter x where the multiplication symbol is required (e.g., in mathematical expressions, scientific names, interactions).