Writing Tips
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Index O
- O
- oblique
- oblivious of
- oblivious to
- obvious
- occur
- occurred
- occurrence
- o’clock
- oct-
- octa-
- octo-
- octopus
- octopuses
- ocul-
- odont-
- odorant
- odoriferous
- odorous
- odour
- oeno-
- offence
- offense
- offensive
- official
- officious
- offline
- off-line
- off of
- of the order of
- Oh
- OK
- O.K.
- okay
- old
- old custom
- older
- old fashion
- old fashioned
- old-fashioned
- olig-
- oligo-
- ombro-
- ombudsman (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- omni-
- ON
- on (1)
- on (2)
- on account of
- on behalf of
- onco-
- one
- one of those who
- on foot
- online
- on-line
- on numerous occasions
- onoma-
- onomato-
- Ont.
- Ontarian
- Ontario
- on the basis of
- on the diagonal
- on the one hand
- on the order of
- on the other hand
- on the part of
- on to
- onto
- onward
- onwards
- oo-
- opposite from
- opposite of
- opposite to
- opposition (in)
- opt-
- opthalm-
- opthalmo-
- opto-
- oral
- order
- ordinance
- ordnance
- ori-
- orient
- orientate
- original founder
- originate at
- originate from
- originate in
- originate with
- ornitho-
- oro-
- osseo-
- ossi-
- osteo-
- oto-
- Ottawa
- Ottawan
- out-
- outside of
- ov-
- over
- over all
- overall
- overlook (1)
- overlook (2)
- oversee
- oversight
- overused cliché
- ovi-
- ovo-
- owing to
- owing to the fact that
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OK, O.K., okay
Okay and the abbreviations OK and O.K. are informal and should be replaced by synonyms such as acceptable, all right, correct, approval, authorize or recommend in formal writing.
- Ian says he’ll be okay (all right) once his cold clears up.
- Once we have the Board’s okay (approval), we can begin hiring staff for the project.
- Jill okayed (authorized) the travel claims submitted by her staff.
In everyday writing, choose okay rather than OK or O.K.
- Are my vacation plans okay (not O.K.) with you?
The plural of the abbreviations is formed by adding ’s (OK’s or O.K.’s).
- You should replace the two OK’s in your email message with the word okay or with a more formal synonym.
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