English word writing style

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An English writing style is a combination of features in an English language composition that has become characteristic of a particular writer, a genre, a particular organization, or a profession more broadly (e.g., legal writing).

An individual’s writing style may be distinctive for particular themes, personal idiosyncrasies of phrasing and/or idiolect; recognizable combinations of these patterns may be defined metaphorically as a writer’s «voice.»

Organizations that employ writers or commission written work from individuals may require that writers conform to a «house style» defined by the organization. This conformity enables a more consistent readability of composite works produced by many authors and promotes usability of, for example, references to other cited works.

In many kinds of professional writing aiming for effective transfer of information, adherence to a standardised style can facilitate the comprehension of readers who are already accustomed to it.^[1] Many of these standardised styles are documented in style guides.

Personal styles[edit]

All writing has some style, even if the author is not thinking about a personal style. It is important to understand that style reflects meaning. For instance, if a writer wants to express a sense of euphoria, he or she might write in a style overflowing with expressive modifiers. Some writers use styles that are very specific, for example in pursuit of an artistic effect. Stylistic rule-breaking is exemplified by the poet. An example is E. E. Cummings, whose writing consists mainly of only lower case letters, and often uses unconventional typography, spacing, and punctuation. Even in non-artistic writing, every person who writes has his or her own personal style.

Proprietary styles[edit]

Many large publications define a house style to be used throughout the publication, a practice almost universal among newspapers and well-known magazines. These styles can cover the means of expression and sentence structures, such as those adopted by Time. They may also include features peculiar to a publication; the practice at The Economist, for example, is that articles are rarely attributed to an individual author. General characteristics have also been prescribed for different categories of writing, such as in journalism, the use of SI units, or questionnaire construction.

Academic styles[edit]

University students, especially graduate students, are encouraged to write papers in an approved style. This practice promotes readability and ensures that references to cited works are noted in a uniform way. Typically, students are encouraged to use a style commonly adopted by journals publishing articles in the field of study. The list of Style Manuals & Guides, from the University of Memphis Libraries, includes thirty academic style manuals that are currently in print, and twelve that are available on-line.^[2] Citation of referenced works is a key element in academic style.^[3]

The requirements for writing and citing articles accessed on-line may sometimes differ from those for writing and citing printed works. Some of the details are covered in The Columbia Guide to Online Style.^[4]

See also[edit]

• Grammar
• List of style guides
• Style guides
• Usage

Notes[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, a well-known guide to American usage
• Fowler’s Modern English Usage, a well-known guide to British English usage
• List of frequently misused English words
• APA style, American Psychological Association (APA) style — widely accepted for research papers
• MLA style manual, Modern Language Association’s (MLA) style — most often used in English studies, and literary criticism
• Sentence spacing in language and style guides

External links[edit]

• Manuals & Writing Guides at University Library, California State University, Los Angeles
• English Grammar Style Guide by Jennifer Frost

This page gives information on
academic writing style in English. It includes a list of
10 rules for academic style. The page also includes a
style checklist for your writing, as well as some
exercises to help you practice this area.

What is academic style in English?

Academic English, like any writing, has its own conventions or ‘style’. It is a formal, written style, which means
that it has aspects which make it different from ‘spoken’ academic English, and at the same time, being ‘formal’, it is quite different from
ordinary writing which you might use in letters, emails, or stories.

This section considers 10 ‘rules’ for good academic writing in English.
Although rules are never a good idea for any form of study (because there are always exceptions),
they are usually a good place to begin.
These rules are concerned with the use of:

• formality (rules 1-5);
• objectivity (rule 6);
• precision (rules 7-8);
• tentative language (rule 9);
• explicit links (rule 10).

Rule 1

Use formal vocabulary, such as
words from the academic wordlist (AWL), and
words for numbers up to ten.
Avoid less formal or idiomatic vocabulary.

       ✓ Many fathers nowadays…

       ✗ Many dads these days…

       ✓ Major urban centres, such as London and Beijing…

       ✗ Major urban centres, like London and Beijing…

       ✓ There are a significant number of people who believe…

       ✗ There are lots of people who believe…

       ✓ There are three main reasons for this.

       ✗ There are 3 main reasons for this.

Rule 2

Use formal verbs instead of two-word verbs.

       ✓ increase,
decrease, discuss, improve, deteriorate, continue, raise

       ✗ go up,
go down, talk about, get better, get worse, go on, bring up

Rule 3

Use the full form of verbs, not contractions.

       ✓ do not, cannot, will not, did not

       ✗ don’t, can’t, won’t, didn’t

Rule 4

Use formal grammar structures, such as
nominalisation (noun phrases) and
clauses, rather than too many simple sentences.

       ✓ The increasing pollution of the environment is a global concern.

       ✗ The environment is increasingly polluted. This is a global concern.

       ✓ Note-taking, which is an important skill for EAP students, is difficult to master.

       ✗ Note-taking is an important skill for EAP students. It is difficult to master.

Rule 5

Use statements. Avoid rhetorical questions, which are less formal (though these are common in spoken academic English, i.e.
lectures and
presentations).

       ✓ There were four main reasons for the decline.

       ✗ What were the reasons for the decline?

       ✓ Written English is different from spoken English.

       ✗ How are written and spoken English different?

Rule 6

Use impersonal language, such as ‘There is…’, ‘It is…’, or passive voice.
Avoid personal pronouns (I, we, you, etc.) and adverbs which show your feeling (e.g. luckily, remarkably, amazingly).

       ✓There are three main problems.

       ✗I can think of three main problems.

       ✓ In the experiment, the water was heated…

       ✗ In the experiment, I heated the water…

        ✓ There were very few errors in the experiment.

        ✗ Amazingly there were very few errors in the experiment.

Rule 7

Be as precise as possible. Use exact figures or values wherever possible, rather than ‘about’ or ‘several’.
Use words such as ‘factor’, ‘issue’, ‘topic’, ‘aspect’ instead of vague words such as ‘thing’.

       ✓ There are three main reasons for this.

       ✗ There are several reasons for this.

       ✓ The turning point was in the late 1980s.

       ✗ The turning point was about 30 years ago.

       ✓ There were three factors which led to this result.

       ✗ There were three things which led to this result.

Rule 8

Be sure to cite your sources. Avoid making vague claims.

       ✓ Russell (2001) states that over 50% of the population are unaware of the problem.

       ✗ Everybody knows that most people are unaware of the problem.

       ✗ Most people are unaware of the problem.

Rule 9

Use hedging (i.e. tentative language), such as ‘possibly’,
‘probably’, ‘may’, ‘might’, ‘appears to’, and ‘seems to’ to qualify statements. Avoid absolute statements and words such as ‘always’.

       ✓ Education may reduce crime.

       ✓ It appears that education reduces crime.

       ✗ Education reduces crime.

       ✓ This is possibly caused by the effects of global warming.

       ✓ This may be caused by the effects of global warming.

       ✗ This is caused by the effects of global warming.

       ✓ ESL students often make mistakes with tenses.

       ✗ ESL students always make mistakes with tenses.

Rule 10

Use appropriate
transition signals
to make explicit (i.e. clear) links between ideas and to introduce new sections of an essay. Avoid
numbering or bullet points (except in certain reports), and basic transitions to begin sentences (e.g.
‘And’, ‘But’, ‘So’). Also be careful not to use too many transitions (not
at the beginning of every sentence!).

       ✓ Turning to the question of inflation…

       ✗ 2. Inflation.

       ✓ In addition, inflation is an important factor.

       ✗ And inflation is an important factor.

Checklist

Below is a checklist for academic style. Use it to check your own writing, or get a peer (another student) to help you.

	Item	OK?	Comment
Formality	The writing uses formal vocabulary, not informal words
The writing uses formal verbs (e.g. increase), not two word verbs (e.g. go up)
The writing uses full form verbs (e.g. do not), not contractions (e.g. don’t)
The writing uses formal grammar structures, such as nominalisation or clauses, not many simple sentences
The writing uses statements, not questions
Objectivity	The writing uses impersonal language, including passive where necessary, not personal pronouns (I, we, you, etc.)
Precision	The writing uses precise numbers or information, not imprecise words like ‘about’, ‘several’, or ‘thing’
The writing cites the sources
Expressing uncertainty	The writing uses tentative language (e.g. ‘may’ or ‘might’)
Explicit links	The writing uses academic transition signals, not numbering or basic signals such as ‘And’, ‘But’, or ‘So’

Basics

There are many different styles of writing. However, what is style in writing, anyways? A writer’s style comprises voice, tone, pacing, usage of technical aspects of writing (like punctuation), and word choice. With all of these elements combined, it creates a writer’s style. Also, we have to consider varying genres, and schools of writing in each genre. That is why Jack Kerouac, for instance, is said to be a Beat writer and poet—and not simply a writer from the 1950s. In this article, however, we will be discussing writing styles in English, and not other literary styles from other languages.

Voice

Voice in writing is difficult to describe, as it is complex. Sometimes writers compose their works in the voice they speak, and other times they adopt a voice to portray or express something in mind and/or heart. It is abstract, but if a writer has a distinct voice, they can be easily recognized on the page. Back to the example of Kerouac, his writing voice was so unique that it was instantly obvious that it was his writing as soon as you read it. Voice is essentially the manner in which words are written and how ideas are expressed. By a writer’s voice, you can assume many things about them: their age, personality, likes and dislikes, country of origin, country of residence, and more.

However, as I stated earlier, a writer’s voice can adopt a myriad characteristics in order to portray a certain character or feeling. Say a writer is writing a story from the point of view of a pastor from the 17th century. That character’s voice will be much different than a teenager from the modern era. So, writers should be experts in changing one’s voice based on context. This also goes for the voice used in business writing, scholarly writing, creative writing, pedagogical writing, etc. Across these different types of writing, one needs to change one’s voice to meet the demands and requirements. For example, you cannot write a poem like you are writing a business article. You need to understand the voice required for each type of writing you are working on.

Tone

According to Writers Write, “Tone is conveyed through diction (choice and use of words and phrases), viewpoint, syntax (grammar; how you put words and phrases together), and level of formality. It is the way you express yourself in speech or writing” (Writers Write). Sometimes it is confused with voice, but tone is your attitude, and your writing voice is your personality. In this sense, tone is more specific, whereas voice is more general.

One example of tone is in terms of genres. If you are writing a business article, you will use formal language with businessy phrasing, which includes excluding articles and prepositions sometimes. This gets across to your readers that you mean business—if you can take a pun. However, if you are writing an opinion piece for a newspaper, you will have informal tonal elements such as slang, contractions, and idioms. These elements of writing would not suit business writing, but it does correspond to opinion pieces.

Sometimes, the tone you use guarantees respect from readers. As a scholar composing in the academic writing style, if you write with an informal tone, your work will likely be brushed aside as amatuer writing, no matter how significant the content is. In order to receive respect from readers, you need to respect the tone that is connected to certain genres. You don’t always have to do what’s expected, but you should be aware that a certain tone of writing is commonly seen with specific types of writing.

Pacing

Though pacing is commonly referred to in fiction writing, it is also used in nonfiction writing. It has to do with sentence variety, which is based on sentence length. Shorter sentences convey rushing to the reader, and longer sentences express a relaxed pace. In between, you have middle-sized sentences that show a sense of normalcy. Understanding these types of sentences can be tools to make readers feel a certain way while they read your writing. It is also an expression of the content. If you are writing in an excited voice, you will have shorter sentences, whereas if your writing voice is leisurely, you will use longer sentences.

However, it is key that not all the sentences of a text are the same length. Sentence variety is paramount, as readers can easily tire from the use of a certain sentence length faster than you might think. It is best to adapt sentence length according to your voice, content, and requirements.

In terms of fiction writing, Writer’s Digest has this to say: “Pacing is a tool that controls the speed and rhythm at which a story is told and the readers are pulled through the events. It refers to how fast or slow events in a piece unfold and how much time elapses in a scene or story. Pacing can also be used to show characters aging and the effects of time on story events” (WritersDigest.com). Pacing in fiction is so essential in a story, that without writers understanding its use properly, most novels and short stories would go unread.

Usage of Technical Aspects of Writing

Common readers usually don’t consider punctuation as something attached to style, but when you read poets like Emily Dickinson, you will easily see how punctuation affects style. How we use commas, dashes, semicolons, and more contribute to style. For instance, when people use many commas, it slows down reading, and readers must take in phrases with more deliberation. Also, with those writers who use dashes often, you can see that they enjoy including many parenthetical statements or surprises. Likewise, those who use semicolons more often than others aim for a more complex style and longer sentences to express as much as possible within a single sentence.

But punctuation is not the only technical aspect that influences writing style. Things such as spelling (US, UK, Canada), formatting (MLA, APA, and so on), use of italics, use of bolding, use of underlining, and more, also affect one’s writing style. From a writer’s spelling, you can determine where he or she lives, and from that context, you can gather information about the writer. When you notice the use of formatting, you can tell which kind of audience and discipline they are writing for. In the case of italics, many writers like to delineate between written works with them, and also cases where you note, “so to say.” Bolding is used primarily for online articles, where keywords and phrases are highlighted so that readers can easily gather information from texts; however, bolding can be used in various other types of writing in order to add emphasis. Underlining is similar to bolding, though it is commonly employed for section headings. If people use underlining too much in a text, the writing might be considered tacky.

Word Choice

Word choice is so important in terms of writing style, that it might be the most significant factor that determines one’s writing style. Just by changing a few words, or even one word, in a sentence, the tone, voice, and overall style can change. For example, if we are writing an academic essay, and we use the word “big” instead of “large,” the tone and voice has already changed. In writing, word choice is formally called diction, and according to Aims Community College, “A simple yet powerful way to establish writing as important, skilled, and unique is through word choice. Writers who use specific, vibrant words in their writing achieve a number of goals, from engaging the reader to enlivening the content of their subject matter” (“Online Writing Lab”). Word choice conveys your message appropriately, along with your voice and tone.

For each piece of writing you are working on, you should be familiar with requirements in terms of word choice: can you use formal or informal language, or both? Also, considering your message and audience, what kinds of words would you include and exclude? These questions will aid you in understanding what word choice is appropriate for specific types of writing.

Finding the best word for a context and expression is what makes a decent writer become a great writer. Average writers will use words that are commonly used in most situations, even though they are not the most accurate. When writing, and especially editing, consider each word you use and if it correctly conveys what you want to say. You will be surprised how many inaccuracies there are in word choice. Word choice can be subtle, as each synonym has a different shade of meaning and context.

References:

1. “155 Words To Describe An Author’s Tone.” Writers Write, 24 Jan. 2018, writerswrite.co.za/155-words-to-describe-an-authors-tone/.
2. “Master Pacing in Fiction & Take Your Story From Boring to Exciting.” WritersDigest.com, 25 Apr. 2012, www.writersdigest.com/tip-of-the-day/7-tools-for-pacing-a-novel-keeping-your-story-moving-at-the-right-pace.
3. “Online Writing Lab.” Tools for Writing: Improving Word Choice – Aims Community College, www.aims.edu/student/online-writing-lab/tools/improving-word-choice.php.

We all have been there: sitting in front of an open…and absolutely blank… page. What are we afraid of when we start writing a new text? Why is it so hard for us to start? I think we are scared not to be able to communicate our message effectively. We take the effort to express what’s inside our mind, but will it be the same what we wanted to say from the beginning? Will people relate to that? Will we get the result we want: a sale, a connection, whatever?

If you are not a native speaker and not proficient in English yet, this fear grows to terror.

One of the solutions to this is minimising the risks through developing effective tools. And I am not talking here about the software you use, but about your language instruments. If you know how to structure your message properly and are trained enough to write clearly and concisely, you will have more time on thinking over your idea in depth and express it the best way possible.

So, how to make your writing effective?

So, how to achieve that if you’re still learning English?

In this guide, I will give you recipes on how to:

– make up good sentences;

– structure your passages;

– increase your reputation through accurate use of punctuation;

– make your message well-directed though good use of style.

Part 1. Know your structures

English is such a precise language. Your sentence structure is everything; the word order is your Bible.

First, you need to make that structure your second nature; then, you will learn how to use it in your stylistic favour (we like this principle: you need to know all the rules perfectly to be able to break them).

Structure your sentences in a logical way. I know it’s terribly difficult to do for native speakers of Slavic languages, for example (speaking both Russian and Polish, believe me, I know), with our free word order when we just add ideas to the sentence in the process.

It will never work for English. English has a fixed word order, and the most effective way to structure your sentences is this:

Who? (we call it ‘Subject’)

Does what? (‘Verb’ + ‘Direct Object’)

To what / to whom? (‘Indirect object’)

Where? (Place)

When? (Time)

How? (Manner)

Why? (Reason)

The outline of structure:

Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Indirect Object + Place + Time + Manner + Reason

Example: I (who?) am writing (does?) this article (what?) for you (to whom?) in my room (where?) during the night (when?) because I am busy with other work during the day (why?).

As you see from my example, I skipped the object of Manner, and it is possible. Subject + Verb are essential. Other parts are supplementary.

Tthe main problems you can face with this are:

1) Be careful about non-personal sentences, like It’s warm outside. In translation to your own language (Russian, for example, На улице тепло), the subject could be missing, or even both the verb or the subject, and the place will be opening the sentence. It is impossible in English.

If you don’t have an active subject in your sentence, use some ‘dummy’ ones (like it, there, one, you or they).

If there is no action, you will need to use a suitable form of the verb ‘to be‘.

Incorrect: Is important to discuss it today. Correct: It is important to discuss it today.

Incorrect: That something we have to talk about. Correct: That is something we have to talk about.

Any sentence you write (until you’re absolutely fluent and can break the rules) should always have Subject + Verb. This is an unbreakable rule for English learner.

2) You cannot change the place of essential parts of the sentence. You can’t use Verb before Subject. No way. You could see some examples of that in old prose but it sounds unnatural in everyday speech.

3) Don’t put supplementary parts of the sentence between Subject and Verb. Only Object of Manner can be used between them in some cases, but that’s all.  

Incorrect: I every day wake up early. Correct: I wake up early every day.

Incorrect: I there lived for a long time. Correct: I lived there for a long time.

4) Don’t mix up the order of supplementary parts.

For example, you can’t use Object of Time before Object of Place.

Incorrect: We spoke last year at the conference. Correct: We spoke at the conference last year.

If you want to go deeper into your structures, I recommend paying attention to adverbs because they are tricky, and there are quite a few stylistic issues you need to know if you have to write in English. If you are an Advanced English learner, you could also greatly benefit from learning about emphatic inversion structures and cleft sentences.

Part 2. Make effective passages

People rarely read long texts carefully these days, they mostly scan, and your main task is to grasp their attention. For this, you need to be so strong in your idea organisation. Here, how you make them read further.

Your first sentence is what matters the most. Start strong. Formulate your idea in the first sentence. It’s your key sentence, and the chances are people will only have a look at it when scanning. So, don’t make long introductions, don’t create the context for the idea – start with the idea! You will illustrate it with examples or context in the next sentences in your passages. Many people do it the other way around, and it is not correct. They start too long, get lost in the context, and people just don’t read this.

Only use one passage for one idea. If you move on to the next thought, start a new passage.

So, the success formula for your passages is:

Passage 1

Key sentence 1 (purpose of your writing or the thought you want to share or you offer or question) + examples and illustrations

Passage 2

Key sentence 2 + examples and illustrations

and so on

Part 3. Be accurate

Of course, you have spent some time on grammar, and you know basic structures to be able to write. So, what are the grammar stumbling rocks for our professional writing?

Statistically, most of the people remember about grammar, but they often are weak on punctuation. Somehow, it slips our attention in classes, and when time comes to real practice, we just realise we have no idea how to punctuate. About 80% of all my students with the level Intermediate and higher admit they have no idea how to put commas in their sentence. But it MATTERS!

Even if we forget about grammar nazis, punctuation mistakes can change our message completely.  Let’s skip that famous “Let’s eat Grandma” (though it’s really funny). This is the example from my proofreading today:

“Besides English people can practise French, Spanish, Polish and other languages there.”

So, is it:

“Besides, English people can practise French, Spanish, Polish and other languages there.” (only English people?)

Or:

“Besides English, people can practise French, Spanish, Polish and other languages there.” (other languages, not only English?)

I knew the context but, if I didn’t, it would have taken me a while to figure out what was being said. And I am not sure, I would have succeeded.

So, yes, punctuation does matter. And here is the principle:

Commas in English have a separating role, not subordinating (connecting) one (differently from Russian, for example). So, it is used for elements which are additional to the meaning of a sentence or if the standard word order in the sentence is broken (yes, that word order from the part 1 of my article).

So, we don’t use commas before defining clauses which make clarifications and are an integral part of our sentence:

Incorrect: Send me the results, we talked about yesterday. (If I divide: Send me the results. We talked about yesterday. Which results? The second part is important for understanding what you mean)

Correct: Send me the results we talked about yesterday. (Now it’s clear which results, and I can’t separate these two sentences into two independent ones, so I don’t use a comma here).

Commas separate some additional parts which can easily be removed from the main sentence without change in the main message.

Part 4. Know your style for more effective writing

My business clients care about style a lot. In English, it is really important to adapt your message whether you send it to an unknown person (hopefully, a potential client) or your best buddy from school times.

People will never know if you were just rude or (what’s worse) ignorant when receiving an email which is vulgar or inappropriate. They will not take any time to figure out, believe me. They will choose your competitor if their style is closer to the communication style they expected.

So, be flexible. IT-sphere is more relaxed in the style of communication than lawyers’ circle, for example. So, be sure you know the stylistic preferences on the other side.

How to adapt your style? Here are the main points:

1) Passives are formal. They are only accepted in written, non-personal speech. If you want to establish a personal connection with your reader, avoid passive voice. If you are creating a very formal technical specification or a set of rules, use passives –  they will make you look more distant and official.

2) Formal style is all about using longer words, complex sentences, and text linkers. Don’t use ‘converse’ when you can just say ‘talk’ if you are writing to your peers. Here is a sample table of formal and informal vocabulary equivalents.  

Formal	Informal
to consider	to think about
to obtain	to get
to reside	to live
to implement	to do
to demonstrate	to show
To start with,	Firstly,
to function	to work
concerned	worried
incorrect	wrong
Thus / Consequently,	So,
It will cease to be a problem	It won’t be a problem anymore
to consume	to use
I regret to inform you	I am sorry to tell you

Shorter sentences will help your text to ‘breathe’: they are really more speaking style. It’s great for semi-formal or informal emails, blog posts, personal opinions statement. But if you are writing an article or a formal email, too short sentences and lack of complex structure will be seen like ‘childish’, simplified writing and will not create you a positive reputation.

3) Informal stylistic elements:

• phrasal verbs (e.g. ‘to make out’ instead of ‘to understand’);
• contractions (e.g. ‘can’t’ instead of ‘cannot’);
• shortened, pronunciational forms (e.g. ‘gonna’, ‘wanna’)

Formal stylistic elements:

• text organisers (e.g. ‘moreover’, ‘therefore’);
• complex sentences;
• use of passive structures;
• vocabulary of Latin or Greek origin (usually, these words are longer and they exist in other European languages. For example, if you know a word ‘discutir’ in Spanish or “дискутировать” in Russian, ‘discuss’ is highly likely to be of Latin origin (which it IS), and it is a more formal equivalent of ‘talk about’.

Do more research into formal and informal styles if you have to switch your styles in your writing. If you work more or less in non-varying environment, point out and use stylistic markers appropriate for your circle.

Developing confidence in writing in your non-native language requires practice and some work. Much work. Well, I don’t like ‘much’, I prefer ‘well-directed’. Your work will only pay off if you have a clear goal in mind and are clever about your focus. Don’t learn 10000 words or all the grammar reference by heart. Any language resources are just valuable instruments whereas your main tasks are to find your own voice and practise like crazy.  

If you want to be sure in the core of your writing, pay attention to your word order (it is not flexible in English), structure your passages properly (the key sentence states your idea at the beginning of your passage), start a new passage for a new idea, mind your punctuation to be accurate and clear, and always check if you are writing if the style appropriate for your reader.

And write, write, and write. Until your idea is totally clear to you. Then, it will be clear to your audience.

Spelling and Expression Guide

American English has a lot of dialects and variations depending on geography, ranging from Pacific Northwest to Inland Northern to Southern, but for most purposes, “General American” will suit. These are just a few of the main rules to follow when trying to write or edit an English text for American English.

Common spelling styles

• Words like “favorite,” “color,” “honor,” and “labor” are spelled without the “u” (the –or suffix replacing the British –our)
• Words like “center” and “theater” are spelled –er, not the British –re
• For past tense verbs, use the –ed ending (e.g., learned instead of learnt)
• When using the –ize/–yze suffix (or its derivations), it is with a “z”, not an “s” (e.g., strategize, realize, collectivized, standardizing)
• Verbs ending in –el do not double the “l”: “traveling” (not “travelling”) or “canceled” (not “cancelled”)
• Use –e/–o/–eu (not –ae/–oe/–oeu) for words like archeology, estrogen, or medieval
• Use “defense” and “license” (the –ense suffix replacing the British –ence)
• Use “catalog” (the –og suffix replacing the British –ogue)
• Use “program” (the –gram suffix replacing the British –gramme)
• Use “check” (the –k or –ck suffix replacing the British –que)
• Use “judgment” or “argument” (the –dg or -gu replacing the British –dge or –gue)

Punctuation

• American English uses double quotes (“x”), and puts the punctuation inside the final double quote: “x.”
• Single quotes (‘x’) are used when there is a quote within a quote: “He said, ‘Okay.’”
• American English is quite intolerant of comma splices, so be sure to avoid this sentence structure

Units of measurement

• Temperature is in Fahrenheit degrees
• Measurement units are in miles, feet, yards, and inches
• Dates are given in Month/Day/Year style (12/31/2016 is December 31, 2016) and Americans tend to use slashes or dashes between the numbers, not periods
• Americans use a colon in expressions of time, not a period: 10:30 am (not 10.30 am)

Quirks and common expressions

• For starters, use “fall” (not “autumn”), “faucet” (not “tap”), “diaper” (not “nappy”), “cookie” (not “biscuit”), “elevator” (not “lift”), “pants” (not “trousers”), and “candy” (not “sweets”)
• Titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Dr. all take periods after them
• Avoid words like “shall” and “needn’t”; Americans tend to use “should” and “do not need”
• Collective nouns are always singular
• Americans go “to the hospital” and “on vacation”
• A lot of slang is region specific, but check out a slang dialect glossary for some help