Grammar & Style

Acronym Use

(See the list of Department acronyms and abbreviations.)

One of the main tenets of plain language is to minimize the use of acronyms because they often distract the reader. We acknowledge that the ship has sailed on this rule in the Planning Department and many other government institutions.

Think about whether your use of an acronym is already known to the public or whether you can substitute a simple word or phrase that stands for the name.

If not, here are some guidelines to make life easier for your reader:

• Spell out the full name on first reference and include the acronym in all capital letters in parenthesis immediately following the full name.
• If the acronym is in a long document, spell out the first reference in each chapter, and again periodically if the acronym is so far from the first reference the reader may not remember it.  
• If a name is only referred to once in the document, do not include the acronym.
• There are no periods in an acronym, except for those that end in a lowercase letter.

Examples:

✓	✗
a.m.	am
et al.	et al
vol.	vol

• There are no articles before an acronym (a, an, or the), even at the beginning of a sentence.

Examples:

✓	✗
DER approved the report.	The DER approved the report.
He read the DER-approved report.	He read DER-approved report.
M-NCPPC completed its report on the county trail networks.	The M-NCPPC completed its report on the county trail networks.

M-NCPPC

Below are a few reminders to help you remember the correct name for the Commission and its acronym:

✓	✗
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission	The Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission
	The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission
	The Maryland-National Capitol Park and Planning Commission
	The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission
M-NCPPC	The MNCPPC

Prince George's County

When referring to Prince George's County:

• Prince George's County is always spelled out. Do not abbreviate it as PG, PG County, or PG Co.

• Capitalize "County" on second reference. If the word refers to a different county, keep it lowercase until it is a proper noun.
  • The County is going to give all employees new cars.
  • Anne Arundel County employees would also like new cars.
  • Annapolis residents are petitioning the county to give them new cars as well.

See the acronyms and abbreviations that are commonly used by the Department.

Numbers

In general, numbers one through nine should be spelled out. Use figures for numbers 10 and above. However, there are some exceptions:

Exception	Example
Spell out any numbers that begin a sentence. But if that number is a year, use the numerals.	Twenty-three years ago, the legislation went into effect. 1923 was the year that the house was built.
When numbers below 10 are written as decimals, use the figures.	Trees should be planted 3.5 feet apart.
Figures are used for all ages, percents/percentages, units of currency, dimensions	the 53-year-old, 4 percent of the population, $2.00, 5-feet, 3-inches
If using orders of magnitude (hundred, thousand, million, etc.) after a single-digit number that does not represent currency, spell it out. However, if you are referring to currency, spell it out.	four million people, but $4 million.
If the number is part of a formal name, follow the style used.	7-Eleven or 4th Street
When two numbers are written next to each other in a sentence, one of them should be spelled out to avoid confusion. If one number refers to a measurement, it should remain a figure.	We asked for thirty 10-inch boards.

• Units of measure less than 1.00 are singular and take the singular verb.
• Ordinal numbers are expressed without the superscript, but spell out first through ninth (second, 31st).
• If there are many numbers within a paragraph, keep the numbers in each category consistent. Here are two examples:

  A mixture of buildings—one of 103 stories, five of more than 50, and a dozen of only 3 or 4―has been suggested for the area. In the second half of the nineteenth century. Chicago's population exploded, from just under 30,000 in 1850 to nearly 1.7 million by 1900.

• Use the word "number" instead of "#" or "no." (Note, however, that resolutions from the Planning Board use "No." For example, PGCPB Resolution No. 04-23.)
• Always spell out "percent" in text. The % symbol is acceptable in charts and graphs but must be used consistently.

Dates

• Abbreviate months only when using an exact date (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.).
• Use a comma after a complete date (day, month, year).
• No comma is used if the date includes fewer elements than the day, month, and year.
• Dates including only with month and year to not include an "of."
  • Jan. 10, 2017, was an important day for the Planning Board.
  • January 2017 was a remarkable month for M-NCPPC.
• When referring to decades, no apostrophe is used: 1990s.

Names & Titles

Use a person's full name and title on first reference. On subsequent references, use the last name only within the same section or chapter of a long document. Reintroduce the person in each section or chapter.

• Do not use salutations for names unless that person is a medical doctor. Use the last name on second reference. For suffixes (Jr., Sr., etc.) there is no comma before the suffix.

Example: Theodore Huxtable, who has a Ph.D in education, is the son of Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, an obstetrician-gynecologist.

• When using a title, capitalize the title if it precedes the name, but not if it follows the name.

✓ If you have questions, please contact Planning Director Lakisha Hull.

✓ If you have questions, please contact Lakisha Hull, the planning director of Prince George's County.

Capitalization

Excessive capitalization slows down the reader and can affect their comprehension of the material. The following words and phrases should be capitalized:

1. titles and headings
2. proper nouns
3. the first word of a sentence (including a direct quote if it is a complete sentence)
4. months and days (seasons are not capitalized - "fall of 2020")
5. geographical terms (except for directional words that are not part of proper nouns (east, west, north, south) and recognized regions (Southern Maryland, the West)
6. historical periods and events
7. brand names

The terms and phrases below should not be capitalized unless they are part of a proper noun (even if they will be referred to as an acronym):

• working group
• block, lot, or parcel
• transit-oriented development (TOD)
• level of service (LOS)
• public participation process (PPP)
• building restriction line (BRL)
• critical lane volume (CLV)

When referring to Prince George's County:

• capitalize "County" on second reference. If "county" refers to a different county, keep it lowercase until it is a proper noun (Montgomery County):
  1. The County is going to give all employees new cars.
  2. Anne Arundel County employees would also like new cars.
  3. Annapolis residents are petitioning the county to give them new cars as well.
• Prince George's County is always spelled out. Do not abbreviate it as PG, PG County, or PG Co.

When referring to the Prince George's County Planning Department:

• Capitalize "Department" after the full name has been introduced.
• Do not capitalize "division" or "section" unless it is part of a title or other proper noun.
  • The Information Management Division wrote the report.
  • Contact the division of DPIE that handles business licensing.

Comma Use

The Department uses the Oxford, or serial, comma. This comma is used before the "and" in a list of three or more items.

Example:

✓ The Prince George's County Zoning Ordinance includes base zones, planned development zones, and overlay zones.

✗ The Prince George's County Zoning Ordinance includes base zones, planned development zones and overlay zones.

Compound Words

Compound words formed from the prefixed below are to be used as single words without hyphens:

ante	counter	macro	multi	pre	socio	ultra
anti	extra	meta	neo	pro	sub	un
bi	infra	micro	non	proto	super	under
bio	inter	mid	over	pseudo	supra
co	intra	mini	post	semi

Exceptions	Rule	Example
base word begins with the same letter that ends the prefix	use a hyphen	anti-inflammatory, semi-independent
prefix ends with "e" or "o" and the base word begins with the same letter	hyphen is generally omitted	coordinate, reexamine, preexisting
hyphen is needed to eliminate confusion between words	use a hyphen	co-op, re-create, re-cover
base word is normally capitalized	use a hyphen	mid-August, pseudo-Victorian, trans-Atlantic

See the Planning Department's list of commonly used words and phrases.

Source Documentation

Citations

Published Plans: When referring to a published plan, indicate the year the plan was published and then italicize the official title:

• 1994 Approved Master Plan and Sectional Map Amendment for Bladensburg-New Carrolton and Vicinity (Planning Area 69).

On second reference, use a short name that includes enough information to identify the document:

• The Master Plan for Bladensburg-New Carrolton and Vicinity.

See the list of frequently used plan names.

Development Activity Monitoring System Cases: The citation starts with the case name, case number, Prince George's County Planning Department (App. [approval date])

Example: IZZO Property, Case No. NRI-018-05, Prince Geroge's County Planning Department (App. May 18, 2005).

Books:

Periodicals:

Online sources:

Footnotes

• Minimize your use of footnotes in a document, as they are distracting to your audience. If supplementary information is necessary for the reader to understand the text, the information should exist in the body of the text.

• Using footnotes to cite statements or policies of the Department are unnecessary - the government is the authoritative source.

• The Planning Department does not use endnotes in its publications.

Inclusive Language

Avoid referring to personal characteristics such as race, sex, gender, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status unless they are relevant to the subject.

• Do not use gender-specific suffixes. There is almost always a gender-neutral alternative.

Examples:

✗	✓
chairman/woman	chair
actor/actress	actor/performer
fireman	firefighter
policeman	police officer
man/woman	person/adult
waiter/waitress	server
maiden name	family name/surname

As language and culture is constantly evolving, the Chicago Manual of Style does not maintain a list of specific words that are considered unacceptable.

While the personal pronouns "they" and "their" have become common in informal usage, neither word is currently universally accepted in formal writing. With that in mind, the Chicago Manual of Style gives methods for achieving gender neutrality for generic references to people:

Method	✗	✓
Omit the personal pronoun where possible.	The analyst should update the land use inventory when the GIS section transfers to her updated parcel data.	If there is only one analyst: The analyst should update the land use inventory when the GIS section transfers the updated parcel data.
Repeat the noun. If a noun and its pronoun are separated by many words, try repeating the noun. (Do not overuse this technique- it will irritate your reader.)	The author should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers because her credibility would otherwise suffer.	The author should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers because the writer’s credibility would otherwise suffer.
Use a plural antecedent. By using a plural antecedent, you eliminate the need for a singular pronoun.	For instance, a contestant must conduct himself with dignity at all times becomes	contestants must conduct themselves with dignity at all times. The method may cause a slight change in connotation. In the example, a duty becomes a collective responsibility rather than an individual one.
Use a(n) (in)definite article instead of a pronoun.	A student accused of cheating must actively waive his right to have his guidance counselor present.	A student accused of cheating must actively waive the right to have a guidance counselor present.
Use the neutral singular pronoun "one."	A planner in Prince George's County is likely to earn more than he is in Mississippi.	A planner in Prince George's County is likely to earn more than one in Mississippi.
Use the relative pronoun "who." This technique works best when it replaces a personal pronoun that follows '"if.'"	Employers presume that if an applicant can’t write well, she won’t be a good employee.	Employers presume that an applicant who can’t write well won’t be a good employee.
Use the imperative mood.	A lifeguard must keep a close watch over children while she is monitoring the pool."	Keep a close watch over children while monitoring the pool.
Revise the sentence. If no other technique produces a sentence that reads well, rewrite the sentence so that personal pronouns aren’t needed.	If a student misbehaves, his or her privileges will be revoked.	If someone misbehaves, that person’s privileges will be revoked.

Source: Chicago Manual of Style.

We must acknowledge, however, that language and culture is constantly evolving, and the communities that are the subject of these conversations are not monolithic:

• LGBTQ is an acceptable acronym on first reference for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, but the term queer can be a slur in many contexts.

• Communities from the Latin American diaspora may have differing opinions on use of the terms "Latino/a," "Hispanic," or "Latinx."

• The terms "Black" and "White" are generally capitalized, although "Black" is often used interchangeably with "African-American" although it depends on context (for example, Black History Month in the County showcases the experiences of the African-American ethnic group while County statistics refer to a "Black or African-American" category to reflect residents of African-American descent as well as Black people whose immediate ancestry is from Africa, the Caribbean, or other parts of the African diaspora).

• Some people from the disabled community prefer person-first language ("person who is blind" or "person who is autistic") while others prefer identity-first language ("blind person," "autistic person").