The prefix a‑ has several meanings.
Meaning 1: of
Meaning 2: gives emphasis to verbs of motion
Meaning 3: in the process of, in the act of
Meaning 4: in a particular state
Meaning 5: completely, utterly
Meaning 6: on, in, into
Meaning 7: in the direction of, toward
The decision to use a or an depends on the sound—not the spelling—of the word or abbreviation that follows.
A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound. (In their written form, these words may begin either with a consonant or with a vowel that makes a consonant sound, such as eu, ou, or long u.)
An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. (In their written form, these words may begin either with a vowel or with a silent h.)
The rule stated above for words also applies to acronyms, which are abbreviations pronounced as words:
In the case of initialisms, which are abbreviations pronounced letter by letter, you must go by the pronunciation of the first letter.
If the first letter begins with a consonant sound when pronounced, then choose the article a:
But if the first letter in the initialism starts with a vowel sound when pronounced, then choose the article an:
The prefix a- or an- means “not” or “without.”
The prefix ab- means “away from” or “departing from.”
To write plainly, use suspend instead of the needlessly legalistic hold in abeyance. Other possibilities include put on hold or set aside.
In its modern sense, the verb abide means to tolerate or to put up with something or someone. It is usually used in the negative.
The phrasal verb abide by means to comply with (a rule) or to carry out (a promise).
To write clearly and effectively, avoid legal jargon like the word above-mentioned or aforementioned. Instead, use words such as previously, earlier or above.
You can also replace these terms with demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these, those.
About and around often replace the more formal approximately. If there is a difference, it is that approximately suggests a more careful calculation. Avoid redundant wording such as roughly about or approximately about; instead use about, approximately, around or roughly.
Acronyms and initialisms are both types of abbreviations that are formed from the first letters of a group of words, without spaces (and usually without periods).
Although they are formed the same way, acronyms and initialisms are pronounced differently.
An acronym is pronounced as a word:
In an intialism, each letter is pronounced separately or sounded out:
As a general rule, use upper-case letters for acronyms or initialisms in their entirety, even if some of the component words or their parts are not normally capitalized (unless the organization concerned prefers lower case):
One exception to the above rule occurs in the case of common-noun acronyms treated as full-fledged words; these are written entirely in lower case without periods:
A second exception involves acronyms of company names that are formed from more than the initial letters of the words they represent. Usually, in that case, only the first letter of the acronym is capitalized:
When using acronyms or initialisms that include an abbreviation for number, do not repeat the word number after the abbreviation. Either write the expression out in full, or use the abbreviated form on its own.
The rules concerning the use of an article before the abbreviation are different for acronyms and initialisms.
Usually, an article is not used before an acronym:
However, if the acronym is used as a modifier, it may be preceded by the definite or indefinite article:
When the indefinite article is used before an acronym, the choice of form (a or an) depends on pronunciation, not on spelling; in other words, use a if the acronym begins with a consonant sound, and an if it begins with a vowel sound:
The definite article is used before many initialisms (including those representing the name of an organization):
But the definite article is omitted before an initialism representing a substance, method or condition:
In the case of the indefinite article, since initialisms are abbreviations pronounced letter by letter, you must go by the pronunciation of the first letter when choosing whether to use a or an.
If the first letter begins with a consonant sound when pronounced, then choose the article a:
But if the first letter in the initialism starts with a vowel sound when pronounced, then choose the article an:
Follow the guidelines below in abbreviating the days of the week and the months of the year.
Abbreviate the names of the days of the week only in tables.
Abbreviate the months of the year only in informal documents or in layouts such as tables, lists and forms, where space is limited.
Although there are various acceptable ways to abbreviate the months, the following three-letter abbreviations have the advantage of being the same length. Note that the month of May is not abbreviated and is therefore not followed by a period. June and July are shortened only in military writing.
Note: Do not abbreviate the month in the date in a business letter:
The use of abbreviations has gained greater acceptance as an increasing number of new products and organizations are identified by shorter and more easily recognizable word forms.
If you are in doubt about the correct abbreviation for a term, use the long form.
In using abbreviations, follow the general rules set out below.
Abbreviations (shortened forms of full terms) may not be familiar to all readers. For clarity, write out the full term the first time you mention it, and put the abbreviation in parentheses after the name.
Once you have given the abbreviation in parentheses, ensure that you use the same abbreviation elsewhere in your text to represent the word or words involved.
If the abbreviation is better known than the full term, you should write the abbreviation first and put the full name in brackets after it at first mention.
Common abbreviations often in the news need not be spelled out if the full term is rarely used or is difficult to pronounce.
In addition, some standard abbreviations (such as i.e., AD, IQ, ESP, CBC and MP) do not have to be spelled out because they are well known and in many cases occur as dictionary entries.
Many commonly used words that are actually abbreviations are now rarely regarded as such, including ad, fridge, phone, exam, memo, photo and math.
Most such words should be avoided in formal writing, although cello and bus are exceptions to this rule.
If space is limited—for example, in a table or list—using just the abbreviation may be the better choice, but remember to explain it somewhere else in your document.
The ampersand (&) should be used only when it forms part of a corporate name:
Do not use the ampersand in the legal or applied titles of federal departments:
Terms are often abbreviated for the purpose of conserving space in routine business correspondence. The following are common abbreviations used in tables and on business forms:
The following is a list of symbols for terms used in business correspondence and in tabular and statistical material.
Note that a space is usually required before and after the symbols @, =, & and ×:
Exception: No extra space is required before or after these symbols in upper-case abbreviations or in e-mail addresses.
Note also that no space is required between figures and the symbols %, ¢, #, ' and ":
Do not leave any space after the symbols $, #, ¶, § when they precede a figure:
In general, an abbreviation is capitalized or hyphenated if the unabbreviated word or words are so treated:
However, an abbreviation is also capitalized when it is made up of letters that are all (or mostly all) part of a single word, even though the full term is not capitalized:
For rules governing the capitalization of acronyms and initialisms, see ABBREVIATIONS: ACRONYM AND INITIALISMS.
The following is a list of abbreviations often used in the names of companies or business corporations.
In footnotes, tables or bibliographic references, these abbreviated forms may be used freely. But within the body of your text, you should avoid using Assoc., Bros., Co., and Corp.
However, Inc. and Ltd. may be used in the body of the text, unless it is necessary to write the terms in full to preserve the company’s full legal title.
Give university degrees, professional designations, military decorations, honours, awards, memberships and other distinctions in abbreviated form after the name of the bearer:
Unless all honours have to be indicated for information or protocol purposes, no more than two abbreviations need follow a person’s name-as, for example, in correspondence. Select the two highest honours of different types and list them in the following order of precedence:
Note: Periods have traditionally been used in abbreviations of academic degrees. However, it is also acceptable to omit the periods: MA, BLS, Bcom, LLD, PhD; this practice is common in Britain and is becoming more widespread in Canada.
The names of provinces, territories and districts may be abbreviated when they follow the name of a city, town, village or geographical feature:
It is not necessary to use the provincial abbreviation after the names of well-known cities such as Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Fredericton. However, since the same name is often shared by several places in Canada and other parts of the English-speaking world (e.g. Perth, Windsor, Hamilton), add the appropriate abbreviation in cases where doubt could arise.
The following abbreviations are used officially for the names of provinces and territories in Canada. The right-hand column lists the two-character symbols recommended by Canada Post for use with mailing addresses. For other purposes, use the traditional provincial abbreviations:
| Province | Traditional | Canada Post |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Alta. | AB |
| British Columbia | B.C. | BC |
| Manitoba | Man. | MB |
| New Brunswick | N.B. | NB |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | N.L. | NL |
| Northwest Territories | N.W.T. | NT |
| Nova Scotia | N.S. | NS |
| Nunavut | [See note] | NU |
| Ontario | Ont. | ON |
| Prince Edward Island | P.E.I. | PE |
| Quebec | Que. | QC |
| Saskatchewan | Sask. | SK |
| Yukon | Y.T. | YT |
Do not abbreviate words such as County, Fort, Mount, North, Point, Island, Port and Saint used as part of a proper noun, unless the official name for the location shows the abbreviated form:
No traditional abbreviation for the name Nunavut has been officially established as yet. Until the territory’s toponomy authority makes a decision, the name of the territory must not be abbreviated.
Abbreviations for imperial weights and measures take the same form for singular and plural.
With this system, area and volume are usually expressed by means of the abbreviations sq. and cu. rather than a superscript numeral. Leave a space between sq. or cu. and the abbreviation that follows it:
The International System of Units (SI), which has replaced other metric systems and is now used in Canada and many other countries, is a decimal-based system that includes units for physical quantities.
The seven base units in SI are listed in the table below, with their symbols.
| Quantity | Unit name | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| length | metre | m |
| mass | kilogram | kg |
| time | second | s |
| electric current | ampere | A |
| thermodynamic temperature | kelvin | K |
| amount of substance | mole | mol |
| luminous intensity | candela | cd |
In addition, a number of derived units are used. Like the kelvin and the ampere, almost all of them are named after scientists associated with a scientific discovery. Thus, when the symbol is used, its initial letter is capitalized. When written in full, however, the unit name is in lower case, e.g. H for henry and F for farad.
Exception: Celsius takes an initial capital whether written in full or as a symbol.
The table below gives a complete list of derived units.
| Name | Symbol | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| coulomb | C | quantity of electricity, electric charge |
| degree Celsius | °C | Celsius temperature (see note) |
| farad | F | capacitance |
| gray | Gy | absorbed dose of ionizing radiation |
| henry | H | inductance |
| hertz | Hz | frequency |
| joule | J | energy, work, quantity of heat |
| lumen | lm | luminous flux |
| lux | lx | illuminance |
| newton | N | force |
| ohm | Ω | electric resistance |
| pascal | Pa | pressure, stress |
| radian | rad | plane angle |
| siemens | S | electric conductance |
| sievert | Sv | dose equivalent of ionizing radiation |
| steradian | sr | solid angle |
| tesla | T | magnetic flux density |
| volt | V | electric potential, potential difference, electromotive force |
| watt | W | power, radiant flux |
| weber | Wb | magnetic flux |
Note: The Celsius temperature scale (previously called “Centigrade,” but renamed in 1948 to avoid confusion with “centigrad,” associated with the centesimal system of angular measurement) is the commonly used scale, except for certain scientific and technological purposes where the thermodynamic temperature scale is preferred. Note the use of upper case C for Celsius.
Multiples and submultiples of base units and derived units are expressed by adding one of the prefixes from the table below directly to the unit name.
| Factor | Prefix | Symbol | Factor | Prefix | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1024 | yotta | Y | 10-1 | deci | d |
| 1021 | zetta | Z | 10-2 | centi | c |
| 1018 | exa | E | 10-3 | milli | m |
| 1015 | peta | P | 10-6 | micro | µ |
| 1012 | tera | T | 10-9 | nano | n |
| 109 | giga | G | 10-12 | pico | p |
| 106 | mega | M | 10-15 | femto | f |
| 103 | kilo | k | 10-18 | atto | a |
| 102 | hecto | h | 10-21 | zepto | z |
| 101 | deca | da | 10-24 | yocto | y |
The prefix and unit name are always spelled as one word:
When symbols are used, the prefix symbol and unit symbol are run together:
Leave a full space between the quantity and the symbol:
For the sake of clarity, a hyphen may be inserted between a number and a unit name used adjectivally:
However, do not insert a hyphen if the unit symbol is used in place of the unit name:
Unit symbols and prefixes should always be in lower case, even when the rest of the text is in upper case:
As mentioned above, those symbols derived from the names of scientists are capitalized, as is the symbol L for litre (to distinguish it from the numeral 1).
SI usage prescribes that both number and unit name be written in full or that a numeral be used with a symbol:
Current usage, however, accepts the use of numerals with spelled-out unit names to facilitate comprehension:
In scientific and technical writing, the preferred form is numerals with unit symbols:
When no specific figure is stated, write the unit name in full:
Area and volume in the metric system are expressed by means of superscript numerals:
Do not use abbreviations such as cc or cu. cm for cubic centimetre (cm3), kilo for kilogram (kg), amp for ampere (A) or kph for kilometres per hour (km/h).
Because of their practical importance, a number of additional units are approved for use with SI, although they do not, strictly speaking, form part of it.
| Quantity | Unit name | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| time | minute | min |
| hour | h | |
| day | d | |
| year | a | |
| plane angle | degree | ° |
| minute | ’ | |
| second | ’’ | |
| revolution | r | |
| area | hectare | ha |
| volume | litre | L |
| mass | metric ton, tonne | t |
| linear density | tex | tex |
Note that there is no standard symbol for week or month. These units should therefore always be spelled out in technical writing.
When a unit symbol is combined with a symbol for time, or with a derived unit implying a division, an oblique (/) separates the two:
Do not abbreviate the words latitude and longitude when they are used alone or in ordinary prose:
However, in technical work and when lists of co-ordinates are given, use the abbreviations lat and long (which usually appear without periods). In technical contexts, the spaces between the degrees, minutes and seconds may be dropped:
In the following tables, the middle column lists the abbreviations used by the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Forces (CF), and the right-hand column those used in non-DND/CF writing:
| Rank | DND/CF writing | Non-DND/CF writing |
|---|---|---|
| General | Gen | Gen. |
| Lieutenant-General | LGen | Lt.-Gen. |
| Major-General | MGen | Maj.-Gen. |
| Brigadier-General | BGen | Brig.-Gen. |
| Colonel | Col | Col. |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | LCol | Lt.-Col. |
| Major | Maj | Maj. |
| Captain | Capt | Capt. |
| Lieutenant | Lt | Lieut. |
| Second Lieutenant | 2Lt | 2nd Lieut. |
| Officer Cadet | OCdt | (not abbreviated) |
| Chief Warrant Officer | CWO | (not abbreviated) |
| Master Warrant Officer | MWO | (not abbreviated) |
| Warrant Officer | WO | (not abbreviated) |
| Sergeant | Sgt | Sgt. |
| Master Corporal | MCpl | (not abbreviated) |
| Corporal | Cpl | Cpl. |
| Private | Pte | Pte. |
| Rank | DND/CF writing | Non-DND/CF writing |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral | Adm | (not abbreviated) |
| Vice-Admiral | VAdm | (not abbreviated) |
| Rear-Admiral | RAdm | (not abbreviated) |
| Commodore | Cmdre | (not abbreviated) |
| Captain(N) | Capt(N) | Capt. |
| Commander | Cdr | Cmdr. |
| Lieutenant-Commander | LCdr | Lt.-Cmdr. |
| Lieutenant(N) | Lt(N) | Lieut. |
| Sub-Lieutenant | SLt | Sub-Lieut. |
| Acting Sub-Lieutenant | A/SLt | (not abbreviated) |
| Naval Cadet | NCdt | (not abbreviated) |
| Chief Petty Officer, 1st Class | CPO 1 | (not abbreviated) |
| Chief Petty Officer, 2nd Class | CPO 2 | (not abbreviated) |
| Petty Officer, 1st Class | PO 1 | (not abbreviated) |
| Petty Officer, 2nd Class | PO 2 | (not abbreviated) |
| Master Seaman | MS | M.S. |
| Leading Seaman | LS | L.S. |
| Able Seaman | AB | A.B. |
| Ordinary Seaman | OS | O.S. |
In non-DND/CF writing, the plurals of these abbreviated titles are formed by adding s to the principal element, before the period:
Note that at the Department of National Defence and within the Canadian Forces, the abbreviations for Retired and retired are Retd and retd (without a period).
When it is necessary to distinguish dollar amounts in one currency from those in another, use the appropriate symbol with the amount in question:
For further information on monetary units, see the following articles:
Netspeak is an informal term for the jargon and abbreviations commonly used in Internet communication.
Internet abbreviations are supposed to speed up your reading. But if you don't understand them, they can slow you down. Use the list below to help you decode some of this modern shorthand that is popular among youth.
| ABBREVIATION | MEANING |
|---|---|
| ABT | about |
| AKA | also known as |
| B4 | before |
| BBS | Be back soon. |
| BF | boyfriend / best friend |
| BFN | Bye for now. |
| BRB | Be right back. |
| BT | but |
| BTW | by the way |
| CU | See you. |
| CUL8R | See you later. |
| CUZ | because |
| EZ | easy |
| FGS | For goodness' sake! |
| GF | girlfriend |
| HAND | Have a nice day! |
| HHOK | Ha ha, only kidding! |
| IDK | I don't know. |
| JMHO | Just my humble opinion. |
| K | Okay. |
| LOL | Laughing out loud! |
| NT | not |
| OTOH | on the other hand |
| PAW | Parents are watching. |
| R | are |
| ROTFL | Rolling on the floor laughing! |
| RLY | really |
| RTM | Read the manual. |
| SFSG | So far, so good. |
| SWDYT | So what do you think? |
| TTYL | Talk to you later. |
| U | you |
| U2 | You, too. |
| WAT | what |
| WRT | with respect to |
When abbreviating the word number or numbers within the body of a text, use No. or Nos., but not the symbol #, which is generally reserved for tabular and statistical material:
In ordinary writing, do not abbreviate parts of a document followed by a number or letter:
Smaller subdivisions such as paragraph, line, page and verse are also written in full.
However, in order to be more concise, you should abbreviate parts of a publication in footnotes, endnotes, bibliographies and indexes:
In recent years there has been a trend toward the omission of periods in abbreviations. This is particularly true of scientific and technical writing, but the practice has been spreading in general writing as well. The guidelines below will help you to use periods correctly.
(Note: While periods are traditional with geographical abbreviations, there is a growing tendency to omit these periods; thus, abbreviations like B.C. or P.E.I. can also be correctly written without periods: BC, PEI.)
(Note that a space is required between each period and the following initial or name.)
If a sentence ends in an abbreviation taking a period, only one period is used.
Follow the guidelines below to form the plural of different types of abbreviations.
Add an s, but not an apostrophe, to form the plural of most abbreviations:
Add an s without an apostrophe to form the plural of abbreviations with only one period. The s is added before the period:
In cases where the resulting form would be ambiguous, add an apostrophe before the s:
Add an apostrophe and s to form the plural of abbreviations containing more than one period:
Use an apostrophe and s to form the plural of numerical names of aircraft ending in a single letter:
The plurals of Mr. and Mrs. are irregular:
The plural forms of the abbreviations for certain bibliographic references are different:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| l. (line) | ll. |
| p. (page) | pp. |
| f. (and the one following) | ff. |
| c., ch. (chapter) | c., ch. |
| MS (manuscript) | MSS |
| but | Plural |
| s. (section) | ss. |
| subs. (subsection) | subss. |
Note that SI/metric symbols maintain the same form for both singular and plural and are written without periods, except at the end of a sentence:
There is a vast array of technical and scientific abbreviations, such as those for mathematical ratios and operations, physical quantities and constants, or statistical formulas and notations.
Most unabridged dictionaries list such abbreviations. People working in specific disciplines should consult the appropriate manuals in their field.
(For a comprehensive list of such abbreviations, see ABBR: Abbreviations for Scientific and Engineering Terms.)
In biology, the Latin name for a genus is not abbreviated if used alone.
When used with the species name, the name of the genus is abbreviated after the first reference. The species name is not abbreviated, however:
In symbols for chemical elements, compounds and formulas, use subscript, not superscript, numerals: H2SO4, SO2.
Time zones are abbreviated when used with a specific time. Note that capitals are used, without periods.
When no specific time is given, time zones are written out in full:
The six time zones in Canada and their abbreviations are listed below:
From March to November, when clocks are put ahead one hour, the time zones are on daylight saving time (DST):
Use the following abbreviations for non-military titles preceding or following personal names:
Use Ms. when referring to a woman unless a preference for Mrs. has been indicated. Although not an abbreviation, Ms. is written with a period, by analogy with Mr. and Mrs. Note that Miss is not an abbreviation and does not take a period.
Do not use Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr. or Esq. with any other abbreviated title or with an abbreviation denoting an academic degree or honour.
Write
not
Write
not
Do not use the abbreviation Dr. or Rev. Dr. before the names of individuals who hold only honorary doctorates.
Saint is written out for names of persons revered as holy, but may be abbreviated in informal contexts and in lists and tables:
St. and SS. (plural) are the abbreviations used.
Abbreviate professional and official titles only when they are used with both first and last names, or initials and last names:
Note that there are spaces between each period and the following initial or name.
Even when used to address someone in correspondence, Rt. Hon., Hon. and Rev. must be preceded by the:
For more information on the abbreviations Hon. and Rt. Hon., see the article Honourable, Right Honourable, Hon., Rt. Hon.
Do not abbreviate Mayor, Vice-President, Professor and Father when they are used with personal names.
Abreast means “beside.”
The phrase keep abreast of therefore means to stay even or level with, or not to fall behind, either physically or figuratively.
To keep abreast of means to remain aware of, or to maintain one’s knowledge of (news or developments).
Redundancies are words that repeat information unnecessarily. Because essential already expresses an absolute idea, the modifier absolutely is redundant. For variety, use a synonym such as crucial, vital, necessary or important.
A phrase is a group of words that forms a unit simpler than a sentence. A phrase does not contain a finite (conjugated) verb.
Most phrases modify a particular word in a sentence. However, an absolute phrase modifies an entire sentence instead of a single word:
Unlike an ordinary phrase, the birds having flown off does not modify any word in the rest of the sentence, such as cat or climbed. This type of phrase is called absolute because it is self-contained: it usually has its own subject (in this case, birds) and does not need to attach to any word in the sentence.
Absolute phrases can have any of the structures shown below.
Some participle and infinitive phrases are common expressions that are considered absolute. Since they do not need to attach to a particular word, they can be placed at the beginning (or end) of a sentence without dangling. Here are some examples:
As the above examples show, an absolute phrase is set off with a comma (or with a pair of commas if it occurs in the middle of the sentence).
Abstain is normally followed by the preposition from when it means “to give something up” or “not to indulge in something.”
Abstain in and abstain on are used infrequently and are found mainly in the context of voting and politics or judicial matters. In these cases, the verb abstain means “to refrain from exercising a right to vote.”
Accede means to consent to something, or to take over a position or an office. Accede is followed by the preposition to.
Doing something of one’s own accord means doing it voluntarily, without being asked or told. Note that the expression begins with the preposition of.
The phrases according to and in accordance with refer to agreement or conformity with an authority, rules or procedures. In accordance to is non-standard English.
To write concisely, avoid the wordy expression according to our records. Instead, reword the sentence and make records the subject.
To be accountable means to be responsible.
A person is accountable for something but accountable to someone.
Accuracy is a measure of how closely a fact or value approaches the true value and of the degree to which something is free of error.
Precision is a measure of the fineness of a value. Thus, 6.0201 is more precise than 6.02, but it may not be more accurate (if one of the last two digits is incorrect).
These two words are frequently misused.
Something accurate has no errors.
Something precise is exact or specific.
However, despite being exact or specific, a precise answer may still be incorrect. For example, an accurate measurement is always exact, while a precise measurement is exact but not necessarily accurate (without error);
The phrasal verb acquiesce in indicates passive agreement with something.
Acquiesce to means to submit voluntarily to a thing, situation or condition.
Avoid acquiesce with.
The verbs act on and act upon mean to take action, frequently as a result of advice or information received.
Action verbs are the most common type of verb. In a sentence with an action verb, the subject does (or did, or will do) something.
The action taken by the subject often involves visible motion:
But some action verbs (called “mental action” verbs) express mental activity rather than physical motion:
Sentences with action verbs can be very short, because they may contain only a subject and a verb:
In the case of a command, the sentence may consist solely of an action verb, with the subject you understood:
Sentences written in active voice are usually clearer and more effective than sentences written in passive voice. However, that doesn’t mean we should always avoid passive voice.
In active voice, the subject is the doer of the action expressed in the verb:
In passive voice, the subject is the receiver of the action expressed in the verb:
In these last two examples, the action is done by a person (or group of people) and carried over onto the apple and the play. Thus, the subjects apple and play are the receivers of the action. In these sentences, the doer of the action is either named in a phrase after the verb (by Maneesha) or is left unnamed.
Active voice is more concise: an active voice sentence is always shorter than the same sentence in passive voice.
Active voice is clearer and more direct, because it puts the doer of the action first and follows a logical order:
DOER of action + ACTION + RECEIVER of action (if any)
And of course, active voice is active—so it makes our writing more dynamic and energetic. For these reasons, it is usually better to write in active voice—and to rewrite any passive voice sentences to make them active.
Although active voice is usually better, passive voice makes good sense in the following situations:
The prefix acu- means “with a needle.”
Follow the guidelines below when translating addresses from one official language into the other. (Note that an address can often be left untranslated.)
While the official name of a thoroughfare should not be translated, words indicating a type of public thoroughfare may be translated into the other official language because they do not form part of the official name.
When a thoroughfare name is translated from French, capitalize it in accordance with English usage:
However, when the word is considered to be part of the official name of the thoroughfare (e.g. avenue preceded by a number [1re, 2e, Fifth, 25th, etc.], chaussée, chemin, montée, Circle, Square), do not translate it.
Enquiries concerning the official name of a thoroughfare should be directed to the appropriate municipality.
Note that according to Canada Post's Addressing Guidelines, in addresses appearing on envelopes and parcels, only the terms rue (Street), avenue (Avenue) and boulevard (Boulevard) should be translated.
Names of municipalities should be left in their official form and not translated. Names of French municipalities should retain any accents that are part of the official name in French.
The names of provinces and territories are translated.
In English, a comma is used to set off a place name from that of the province or territory, whereas in French, parentheses enclose the name of the province or territory.
[The same content is available in French in the article ADRESSES SUR LES ENVELOPPES ET LES COLIS (RECOMMANDATION LINGUISTIQUE DU BUREAU DE LA TRADUCTION).]
To standardize the way postal addresses are written in the federal public service, the Translation Bureau makes the following recommendation.
(The French guidelines appear after the English guidelines.)
In its Addressing Guidelines / Directives d'adressage, Canada Post specifies how to write addresses to facilitate mechanized mail sorting. Mail addressed according to these guidelines is processed and delivered faster. Most large organizations and government departments in Canada already follow these guidelines in mailings to the Canadian public.
In the case of addresses used for mail delivery on envelopes and parcels, the Translation Bureau recommends following the format specified by Canada Post in its Addressing Guidelines.
In all other cases (letterhead, signature blocks, business cards, signage, etc.), the Bureau recommends writing addresses in the standard way, as outlined in the article BUSINESS LETTERS: INSIDE ADDRESS.
| Follow Canada Post's Addressing Guidelines | Follow the format outlined in the article BUSINESS LETTERS: INSIDE ADDRESS. |
|---|---|
|
|
| Addresses for delivery (envelopes and parcels) | Other addresses (letters, signature blocks, etc.) |
|---|---|
In all capitals; no commas, no periods in abbreviations (except in proper names); maximum of 40 characters per line |
In title case; courtesy title abbreviated; periods after abbreviations, comma after municipality name; province or territory abbreviated or written in full |
A. C. HUNTER PUBLIC LIBRARY INGRID BRUNDH |
A. C. Hunter Public Library Ms. Ingrid Brundh |
Street type (street, avenue, boulevard, road, drive, etc.) abbreviated or written in full |
Street type (street, avenue, boulevard, road, drive, etc.) written in full, or abbreviated and followed by a period if space is limited |
165 RICHMOND ST See Street types |
165 Richmond Street |
Compass point (North, South, East, West) abbreviated |
Compass point (North, South, East, West) written in full |
123 MAPLE RD W |
123 Maple Road West |
Unit type (apartment, suite, etc.) and number on the same line as the street address, or on the line above if space is limited. Do not use the # symbol or the abbreviation No. |
Unit type (apartment, suite, etc.) and number on the same line as the street address, separated by a comma, or on the line above if space is limited. Do not use the # symbol or the abbreviation No. |
70 CRÉMAZIE ST SUITE 800 APT 920 See Unit designators |
70 Crémazie Street, Suite 800 Apartment 920 |
Names of municipalities abbreviated if necessary |
Names of municipalities written in full |
MNT-ARLING-HT |
Mount Arlington Heights |
Provinces and territories abbreviated (two-letter postal abbreviations recognized by Canada Post) or written in full |
Provinces and territories abbreviated (two-letter postal abbreviations recognized by Canada Post) or written in full |
PIERRE FERRON JANE BENNETT |
Mr. Pierre Ferron Ms. Jane Bennett |
Particular cases |
Translation |
See Canada Post's Addressing Guidelines for bilingual addresses, international addresses or postal boxes. |
You will find information on translating address elements in the article ADDRESSES: OFFICIAL LANGUAGES. |
For more information on how to format addresses, see our article BUSINESS LETTERS: INSIDE ADDRESS.
In the case of addresses used for mail delivery on envelopes and parcels, the Translation Bureau recommends following the format specified by Canada Post in its Directives d'adressage.
In all other cases (letterhead, signature blocks, business cards, signage, etc.), the Bureau recommends writing addresses in the standard way, according to the guidelines set out in the article ADRESSE (RÈGLES D'ÉCRITURE).
| Follow Canada Post's Directives d'adressage | Follow the guidelines set out in the article ADRESSE (RÈGLES D'ÉCRITURE) |
|---|---|
|
|
| Addresses for delivery (envelopes and parcels) | Other addresses (letters, signature blocks, etc.) |
|---|---|
In all capitals; no commas, no periods in abbreviations (except in proper names), no parentheses; maximum of 40 characters per line |
In lower case, with initial capitals for proper names and words at the beginning of a line; courtesy title written in full; building number followed by a comma; province or territory in parentheses |
JEAN-MARC CÔTÉ-LECLERC ÉCOLE SECONDAIRE P.-E. TRUDEAU |
Monsieur Jean-Marc Côté-Leclerc École secondaire P.-E. Trudeau |
Street type (rue, boulevard, chemin, route, etc.) abbreviated or written in full |
Street type (rue, boulevard, chemin, route, etc.) written in full and in lower case |
123 CH DU FLEUVE See Types de rue |
123, chemin du Fleuve |
Compass point (nord, sud, est, ouest) abbreviated |
Compass point (nord, sud, est, ouest) with initial capital letter, or corresponding abbreviation if space is limited |
123 CH DES BOULEAUX O See Points cardinaux |
123, chemin des Bouleaux Ouest |
Unit type (appartement, bureau, etc.) and number on the same line as the street address, or on the line above if space is limited. Do not use the # symbol or the abbreviation no. |
Unit type (appartement, bureau, etc.) and number on the same line as the street address, or on the line above if space is limited. Do not use the # symbol or the abbreviation no. |
1234 BOUL CRÉMAZIE APP 500 BUREAU 800 See Types d'unités |
1234, boulevard Crémazie, app. 500 Bureau 800 |
Names of municipalities abbreviated if necessary |
Names of municipalities written in full |
STE-CATH-D-L-J-CAR |
Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier |
Provinces and territories abbreviated (two-letter postal abbreviations recognized by Canada Post) or written in full |
Provinces and territories written in full, in parentheses; or abbreviated (two-letter postal abbreviations recognized by Canada Post) if space is limited |
PIERRE FERRON |
Monsieur Pierre Ferron |
JEANNINE LABONTÉ |
Madame Jeannine Labonté |
Particular cases |
Translation |
See Canada Post's Directives d'adressage for bilingual addresses (adresses bilingues), international addresses (adresses internationales) or postal boxes (cases postales). |
You will find information on translating address elements in the article ADRESSE (TRADUCTION D'UNE ADRESSE). |
For more information on how to format addresses, see our article ADRESSE (RÈGLES D'ÉCRITURE).
To write concisely, choose enough rather than adequate number of and adequate amount of.
An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun.
In English grammar, adjectives fall into the category called modifiers. (A modifier is a word that either describes or limits the meaning of the word it refers to. There are two main classes of modifiers: adjectives and adverbs.)
Descriptive adjectives answer the question what kind?:
Limiting adjectives answer the questions which one(s)?, how much? or how many?:
Adjectives are commonly found in two places in a sentence:
Sometimes, for effect, a writer will put one or more adjectives after a noun:
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
An adjective clause is a clause that acts as an adjective. That is, it modifies the noun or pronoun that comes before it:
Most adjective clauses start with the relative pronouns which, who or that.
Relative pronouns can act as a subject or an object in the adjective clause. (For instance, in the examples above, the pronouns which and who are the subjects of the verbs is and stole, while that is the object of the verb bought.)
We sometimes omit that when it is the object of a verb or preposition:
For more information on relative pronouns, see the article RELATIVE PRONOUNS, WHO, WHOM, WHOSE, WHICH, THAT.
The relative adverbs when, where and why can also start an adjective clause:
For information on how to punctuate adjective clauses, see the article COMMAS WITH ADJECTIVE CLAUSES.
An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. In English grammar, adjectives fall into the category called modifiers. (A modifier is a word that either describes or limits the meaning of the word it refers to.)
Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative and superlative.
The positive form is the adjective itself:
The comparative is used to compare two persons or things:
The superlative is used to compare three or more persons or things:
We add -er (for the comparative) or -est (for the superlative) to most adjectives that fall into the following groups:
To form the comparative or superlative of most other adjectives, we put the words more or most in front of them:
Note: Some two-syllable adjectives can form their comparatives and superlatives using either form: cleverer or more clever, friendliest or most friendly. In addition to clever and friendly, common examples are gentle, lively, narrow, quiet, silly, simple.
The following table shows six common adjectives with irregular comparative and superlative forms:
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
|---|---|---|
bad |
worse |
worst |
far |
farther |
farthest |
good |
better |
best |
little |
less |
least |
much |
more |
most |
many |
more |
most |
The following guidelines will help you avoid the most common mistakes.
Don’t combine the two forms for the comparative or superlative. Use either more or -er (or most or -est), but not both:
Don’t use the superlative when comparing only two persons or things:
Don’t use comparative and superlative forms or intensifiers (very, quite, rather, etc.) with adjectives that express absolute ideas (complete, empty, essential, fatal, full, perfect, unique, etc.). Since absolutes have no degrees of comparison, they should not be intensified or compared.
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
An adverb clause is a clause that acts as an adverb.
An adverb clause modifies the verb in a sentence in the same way an adverb does:
Adverb clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. The most common conjunctions used in adverb clauses are listed below, according to the type of clause they introduce.
NOTE: For information on how to punctuate adverb clauses, see COMMAS WITH ADVERB CLAUSES.
In English, adverbs fall into the category called modifiers. (A modifier is a word that either describes or limits the meaning of the word it refers to. There are two main classes of modifiers: adjectives and adverbs.)
Adverbs have three forms: positive, comparative and superlative.
The positive form is the adverb itself:
The comparative form is used to compare two actions:
The superlative form is used to compare three or more actions:
The comparative is formed in the following ways:
The superlative is formed in the following ways:
Note: The adverb early is an exception. Although it is longer than one syllable, it forms its comparative and superlative forms by adding ‑er and ‑est: early, earlier, earliest.
The following table shows five common adverbs with irregular comparative and superlative forms:
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
|---|---|---|
badly |
worse |
worst |
far |
farther |
farthest |
little |
less |
least |
much |
more |
most |
well |
better |
best |
Don’t combine the two forms for the comparative or superlative. Use either more or ‑er (or most or ‑est), but not both:
Don’t use the superlative when comparing only two persons or things:
In English grammar, adverbs fall into the category called modifiers. (A modifier is a word that either describes or limits the meaning of the word it refers to. There are two main classes of modifiers: adjectives and adverbs.)
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb or sometimes even an entire sentence:
Most adverbs can be divided into the following categories:
Many of the adverbs in the examples above end in ‑ly. In fact, the ending ‑ly is the common sign of an adverb. We form most of our adverbs by taking an adjective and adding the ending ‑ly: the adjective quiet becomes the adverb quietly, the adjective careful becomes the adverb carefully, and so on.
But there are also many adverbs that do not end in ‑ly. Here are some examples: almost, always, down, fast, hard, here, in, long, never, now, often, out, quite, rather, so, then, there, today, too, up, very, well.
Note: The adverbs of degree too and very cannot modify verbs. They are used only to modify adjectives and other adverbs: very happy, too fast.
Adverbs that modify an adjective or another adverb can be found in front of the word they modify: too hot, quite loudly.
But an adverb that modifies a verb or a sentence is movable. These adverbs may appear at the beginning or end of the sentence, as well as before or after the verb:
Although these words sound alike, they are not synonyms.
Adverse and adverse to refer to a thing or circumstance that is contrary, against or not in one’s favour.Averse to reflects a person’s dislike of or inclination against an activity or situation.
It is a common error to use adverse to when averse to would be the correct choice.
The noun is spelled with a c. Advice denotes helpful information, suggestions or recommendations.
The verb is spelled with an s. Advise means to offer counsel or make recommendations.
Recently, advise has been used in the sense of notify or inform.
The combining form aero‑ has two meanings.
Meaning 1: air, oxygen, atmosphere
Meaning 2: aviation
Affect and effect are easily confused. The guidelines below will help you to choose the right word.
Pashto, less frequently called Afghan, is an official language of Afghanistan. (Depending on the dialect, Pashto has a number of spelling variants, including Pushto, Pushtu and Pakhto.)
A member of the Pashto-speaking group is called a Pashtun or Pushtun. In general, natives and residents of Afghanistan are known as Afghans.
The currency of Afghanistan is called the afghani.
Afro- is a combining form meaning "Africa" or "African."
In Canada and the U.S., the preferred spelling is aging. British usage favours the variant ageing, which is also accepted in Canada.
The final e in a word is generally dropped before adding the suffix -able. However, when a word ends in -ee, both e's are retained, as in agreeable.
Agenda was originally the plural form of agendum, a Latin word meaning “something that needs to be done.” Hence, the plural agenda represented a list of items that needed to be dealt with.
However, agenda is now considered a singular noun in English and takes a singular verb. It can mean a list of items for discussion at a meeting, a plan of action, or a book in which to organize work and appointments:
The plural is agendas:
The first meaning of aggravate is to exacerbate or make worse.
However, it is now used informally as a synonym for annoy.
Agree on means to share the same opinion about items, topics or standards:
Agree to means to commit to (a course of action, a proposal, etc.):
Agree with means to have the same opinion as another person or to approve of something.
In addition, facts may agree with (correspond to) each other.
The combining form agro- means “agricultural.”
Alta. is the abbreviation for Alberta:
AB is the Canada Post symbol for that province.
Whether used as a noun or as a modifier, Albertan and Franco-Albertan are always capitalized. Note the hyphen in Franco-Albertan.
Alliteration is a figure of speech involving the repetition of a sound (usually a consonant) at the beginning of two or more words placed next to (or close to) one another. This line from Byron’s famous poem “The Destruction of Sennacherib” uses alliteration by repeating the sound s:
Alliteration is pleasing to the ear and is therefore a very effective device in both poetry and literary prose. Here are a few examples from Canadian literature.
The combining form allo‑ means “other, different.”
Redundancies are words that unnecessarily repeat information. Because again indicates repetition, the phrase all over in the familiar expression all over again is redundant.
For concise writing, use again by itself.
Allow for and make allowance for mean to take into consideration or provide for.
Make allowance for also means to pardon or excuse because of extenuating circumstances.
Allow to means to permit.
The adjective phrase all ready means “fully prepared.”
The adverb already means “by now” or “earlier than anticipated.”
The phrase all right indicates agreement, well-being, correctness or acceptability.
When added to the end or beginning of a sentence, all right emphasizes the accuracy of a statement:
The spelling alright is non-standard English and should be avoided.
Redundancies are words that repeat information unnecessarily. Since a record already includes the idea of all time (or all recorded time, at least), the expression all-time record is redundant.
The phrase all together means “in unison” or “in a group”:
The adverb altogether means “on the whole,” “in total” or “entirely.”
The phrase in the altogether is used informally to mean “naked.”
The verb allude, always followed by the preposition to, means to refer indirectly.
The verb elude means to escape from, avoid, or slip one's mind.
An allusion is an indirect reference.
An illusion applies to something which appears to be true or real, but which does not exist or is quite different from what it seems.
To write clearly and concisely, avoid almost without exception. Instead, use the adjective most or expressions like almost all or nearly every.
The primary meaning of the adjective alternate is “by turns,” “first one, then the other” or “every other one.”
Alternative refers to one of two (or possibly more) choices.
The same distinction applies to the adverbial forms alternately and alternatively.
Note, however, that alternate can also be used with the meaning of alternative.
An alumna is a woman graduate or former student of a college or university. The plural is alumnae.
Some writers now prefer the Latin masculine alumnus (singular) and alumni (plural) for both men and women.
The combining form ambi‑ means “both.”
The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. stand for the Latin ante meridiem and post meridiem, meaning before and after midday. These abbreviations should be used only with numerals (e.g. 9:00 a.m. or 9 a.m., not nine a.m.).
In Canada, these abbreviations are usually written in lower case, with periods and with no internal spacing. A non-breaking space should be used between the time and the abbreviation a.m. or p.m.
Regular capitals (A.M., P.M.) or small capitals (A.M., P.M.) are acceptable alternatives in headlines, lists or tables written in upper case.
Never use a.m. or p.m. with the expression o’clock or with the words morning, afternoon, evening or night.
If the 24-hour clock is used, a.m. and p.m. are unnecessary and incorrect.
For more information on how to write the time of day, see TIME OF DAY, ELAPSED TIME.
The Canadian motto a mari usque ad mare means “from sea to sea.” Note the different endings of mari and mare (resulting from the different cases required with the Latin prepositions a and usque ad).
This Latin phrase is placed in italics in formal writing:
The motto may be written with or without capitals:
A mari usque ad mare has been the official motto of the Dominion of Canada for nearly a century; it is inscribed on the Canadian coat of arms approved by King George V in 1921. The phrase comes from a verse in Psalm 72, translated as “he shall have dominion from sea to sea.” In addition to providing the Canadian motto, this verse is said to have inspired the choice of Dominion as the title for Canada.
[The same content is available in French in the article DOLLAR AMÉRICAIN (SYMBOLE) (RECOMMANDATION LINGUISTIQUE DU BUREAU DE LA TRADUCTION).]
To standardize the way the symbol for the American dollar is written in English and French, the Translation Bureau makes the following recommendation.
In an English document, when you need to specify the type of dollar (Canadian, American, Australian, etc.), the Translation Bureau recommends using the symbol US$ to represent the American dollar.
Write the country symbol (US) first, immediately followed by the dollar sign ($) and the dollar figure:
Do not place the dollar sign before the country symbol:
Do not put a space between US and the dollar sign:
In the area of finance, especially in texts discussing currency values and exchange rates, the universal code USD is the usual symbol used.
USD is the international currency code established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to represent the American dollar. It is composed of the country code (US), followed by the letter "D" for "dollar."
Write the code first, followed by a non-breaking space and the dollar figure:
Note that the dollar sign is redundant if used with the international code USD:
In a French document, when you need to specify the type of dollar (Canadian, American, Australian, etc.), the Translation Bureau recommends using the symbol $ US to represent the American dollar.
The symbol $ US is composed of the dollar sign ($) and US, the country code established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to represent the United States.
The dollar sign is placed to the right of the dollar figure. Use a non-breaking space after the dollar figure, and between the dollar sign and the country code:
In addition, do not place the dollar sign after the country code, and do not omit the space between the dollar sign and the country code:
Note: The symbol $ US is identical in form to the symbol recommended in French for the Canadian dollar: $ CA.
In the area of finance, especially in texts discussing currency values and exchange rates, the universal code USD is the usual symbol used.
USD is the international currency code established by the ISO to represent the American dollar. It is composed of the country code (US), followed by the letter "D" for "dollar."
Write the dollar figure first, followed by a non-breaking space and the code:
Note that the dollar sign is redundant if used with the international code USD:
See CANADIAN DOLLAR (SYMBOL) (LINGUISTIC RECOMMENDATION OF THE TRANSLATION BUREAU).
Americo- is a combining form meaning "American, United States."
(A similar topic is discussed in French in the article MONTANT.)
Amount refers to something considered as a total or mass, as in an "amount of money." Note that amount is never used in reference to people.
Number refers to collective units and things that can be counted exactly or approximately, such as a "number of errors."
To write concisely, use the adjective many instead of an abundance of. Other possibilities include numerous, ample or abundant in.
The spellings analyze and analyse are both used by Canadian writers. However, there is a growing trend among Canadians to choose the ending -yze for such words as analyze, catalyze, dialyze and paralyze.
As well as can be used as a conjunction to join items in a series—but it’s not simply a synonym for and. The conjunction as well as differs from and in two important ways.
First, it acts like the correlative conjunction not only…but also, putting an unequal emphasis on the items it joins. The item following as well as has less emphasis than the item before it:
The conjunction and, in contrast, joins items of equal value and emphasis:
Second, while and can join several items, the conjunction as well as by itself cannot connect more than two. If we add a third item to the series, we have to use the conjunction and to join at least two of the items. We can do this in either of the ways shown below.
Do not use as well as in place of the conjunction and in a series of three or more items:
Most authorities recommend avoiding the expression and/or.
When used with only two options, and/or means that the possible choices include either one or the other of the two options, or both of them together (either A or B, or both).
However, and/or is unclear when used with three or more options. In addition, its use in legal writing has created serious problems in interpretation. Many also find it unattractive. For these reasons, we recommend that you avoid it by using one of the methods below.
Most situations can be expressed using and or or separately.
When both meanings are necessary, write or between the two choices, followed by the phrase or both.
Redundancies are words that repeat information unnecessarily. Since the conjunction so indicates result, the expression and so as a result is redundant. Use as a result or so by itself, or use the conjunctive adverb therefore.
Anglo- is a combining form meaning "English, England, Great Britain."
Capitalize the words anniversary and birthday when they appear in the title of a card, scroll, banner or poster:
Do not capitalize the words anniversary and birthday in general writing, as in a letter or message:
The phrasal verb answer for indicates responsibility for an action or an object.
Answer to means to be accountable to a person or an authority.
The prefix ante‑ means “before” in time or space.
The prefix anti‑ has various meanings.
Meaning 1: opposite to
Meaning 2: different from the usual
Meaning 3: opposed to, against
Meaning 4: preventing
Meaning 5: acting against
The original meaning of the verb anticipate was to prepare for a future circumstance or avoid an expected future event:
However, in addition to its original meaning, it now frequently has the sense of foreseeing or looking forward:
Normally, anxious about and anxious at are used to express concern. Anxious about refers to the subject of worry, and anxious at refers to the cause of worry.
Anxious for indicates a positive concern or a desire for something.
Anxious to also indicates eagerness and is followed by a verb.
Follow the guidelines below when forming compounds from the words any, every, no and some. Note that these compounds take a singular verb, whether they are written as solid compounds (i.e. one-word compounds) or as two separate words.
The words any, every, no and some form solid compounds when combined with body, thing and where:
Write someone as a solid compound:
Write no one as two separate, unhyphenated words in all situations.
Write anyone and everyone as solid compounds when they could be replaced by anybody and everybody:
Write any one and every one as two separate, unhyphenated words if one is followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of:
Note that anyone, every one and some one refer only to people; however, any one and every one can refer either to people or to things.
In informal writing, use apostrophes to replace omitted letters in contractions. The most common contractions in English involve verbs.
The contraction ‘d is short for the verb had or would:
The contraction ‘ll is short for the verb will or shall:
The contraction ‘m is short for the verb am and is used only with the subject I:
The contraction n’t is short for the adverb not; it is attached to a helping verb:
The contraction ‘re is short for the verb are:
The contraction ‘s is short for the verb is or has, or for the pronoun us in Let’s:
The contraction ‘ve is short for the verb have:
Note the differences in spelling between these contractions and their homonyms:
Certain plurals are sometimes written with ’s:
an overabundance of is’s and which’s
Note: It is not necessary to use the apostrophe in set expressions such as "the dos and don’ts," "no ifs, ands or buts," "the whys and wherefores."
The primary use of the apostrophe is to indicate possession. A word which does not end in a sibilant (s or z sound) forms the possessive by the addition of ’s:
Note that it is the pronunciation, not the spelling, which determines the possessive form. The word conscience ends in a sibilant; Illinois does not.
To form the possessive of French words ending in a non-sibilant s or x, add an ’s:
Regarding the appropriate form for singular words that end in a sibilant, pronunciation is again the determining factor. If it would be natural to pronounce an extra s, add ’s; if an additional s would be difficult to pronounce, add only an apostrophe:
Since awkwardness of pronunciation is the basic criterion, the decision to add or omit a possessive s ultimately depends on the writer’s own sensitivities. One option is to rephrase:
Plural forms which do not end in a sibilant are no exception to the general rule:
Plurals ending in a sibilant (that is, most plurals) take only the apostrophe:
With inanimate "possessors" (in particular, abstract concepts), the apostrophe is generally not used to denote possession. Use an "of" construction instead:
not
However, certain expressions of time and measurement do take the apostrophe:
Figurative compounds of the sort bull’s-eye or crow’s-nest retain ’s in the plural:
When the possessive of a compound noun or a noun phrase is formed, add ’s to the last word only, unless there is a possessive relation between the words within the phrase itself:
but
If possession is shared by two or more subjects, add ’s to the last word only:
To indicate individual possession, ’s is added to each element in the series:
The apostrophe is often omitted in geographical names:
but
Note also Saint John (city in New Brunswick) and Hudson Bay—but Hudson’s Bay Co. Consult the Gazetteer of Canada when in doubt.
The ’s is often omitted in names of institutions, especially in the case of plural nouns that are adjectival rather than strictly possessive:
The official or customary form should be used, whatever it may be:
Note that there is no apostrophe in the possessive forms yours, hers and its. It’s is always a contraction of it is.
Apparent and obvious are synonyms. Both adjectives denote something that can be clearly seen or known upon immediate contact.
Evident is used in situations where evidence or indications point to certain conclusions.
When they express an internal condition or a state of being, appear and seem can be used interchangeably in many situations.
However, when the verb show up or arrive can be substituted, use appear.
An appositive is a word or word group placed next to another word to rename, define or explain it. Most appositives are nouns or pronouns, together with their modifiers (if any). Appositives are often added to sentences to give further detail.
Usually, appositives follow a noun; however, they can also come before the subject of a sentence. In the examples below, the appositives are in bold font:
Many appositives are set off with commas, but some are not. The use of punctuation depends on whether the appositive is essential to the meaning of the word it is attached to (called the headword).
There are cases when the appositive is too closely related to the meaning of the headword to be separated from it:
Here, the appositive Mindemoya identifies the headword name: without the appositive, we would not know what name was meant. Therefore, the appositive is essential and is not separated from the headword with commas.
But many appositives give only non-essential information:
In the two examples above, the places referred to are already identified by the noun phrase Manitoulin’s largest reserve and by the name Manitoulin Island. Therefore, the appositives give only secondary, additional information and are set off with commas.
An appositive that comes before the subject is always non-essential and must be set off with a comma:
Appraise means to assess an object, a situation or a person's abilities or characteristics.
Apprise means to inform or make aware of.
Approval suggests agreement or consent and can be followed by the preposition of or to.
Approve means to sanction or ratify.
Approve of means to think well of.
The combining form aqua- or aqui‑ means “water.”
Arabo- is a combining form meaning "Arabian."
The combining form arch- means “chief, principal.”
Armeno- is a combining form meaning "Armenia, Armenian."
According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, around is an adverb or preposition that has several meanings, including the following:
Around is often redundant and can be omitted.
To write plainly and concisely, use because of or owing to instead of as a consequence of.
To write clearly and concisely, use the conjunction because instead of as a result of the fact that. Other possibilities include since, considering that or given that.
The noun ascent can mean a climb, a high place, advancement or progress; ascend is its verb form.
Assent means giving approval; it is both a noun and a verb.
As far as reflects a distance or limit.
When the intended meaning is in my (his, her, your, etc.) opinion, the usual expression is as far as I am concerned (as far as he is concerned, etc.).
The expression as far as (someone, something) is concerned can also mean with respect to or as for:
Avoid as far as on its own, as a substitute for the phrase as for or the full expression as far as … concerned.
The verb aspire means to want to have, become or do something. Aspire is normally followed by the preposition to.
Less frequently, aspire is followed by the preposition after.
As an intransitive verb (i.e. one that does not take an object), associate with means to be involved with a group as a result of shared interests or goals.
As a transitive verb (i.e. one that takes an object), associate with means to establish a link between one thing and another.
Associate to is non-standard English.
The verb assume is followed by a statement that may be true but has not been verified.
Presume is followed by what the subject believes to be true for want of proof to the contrary.
Assure is used in the sense of offering a guarantee or removing doubt, uncertainty or worry.
Ensure means to make sure or certain.
Insure is related primarily to the field of insurance, and sometimes to preparing for the future.
When an asterisk and a punctuation mark (e.g. period, question mark, exclamation mark) appear at the end of a sentence, the asterisk follows the punctuation mark, with no space between them. For example:
As for the explanation at the bottom of the page (e.g. author’s, editor’s or translator’s note), place the asterisk immediately before the explanation.
Notes referenced by an asterisk or other symbol should come before any numbered footnotes in the list at the bottom of the page.
The combining form astro- has two meanings.
Meaning 1: relating to the stars
Meaning 2: relating to outer space
From mid-March to early November, Atlantic Daylight Time is observed in the Maritime provinces and parts of Quebec and Labrador. From early November to mid-March, Atlantic Standard Time is in effect.
Usage is divided with regard to the use of capitals in the names of time zones. However, Canadian dictionaries and most Canadian style guides treat the official names of time zones as proper nouns and capitalize all words: Atlantic Daylight Time and Atlantic Standard Time.
The name of the time zone is abbreviated when a specific time is stated; otherwise, it is written out in full. The abbreviations ADT and AST are written in upper case, with no periods.
Time zones may be stated with either the 12-hour or the 24-hour system (e.g. 3:25 p.m. ADT or 15:25 ADT).
Since the term Atlantic provinces is not an official name of a political or administrative division, the word provinces does not ordinarily take a capital:
However, it is correct to write Atlantic Provinces (with a capital) in contexts where the provinces are viewed as a geographical division in comparison with other regions of Canada:
Attentive describes a person who is caring, helpful or watchful.
Attentiveness is the noun form.
Attention indicates interest, care or concentration.
To write plainly and concisely, use then instead of at that point in time. Other possibilities to replace at that point in time include at that time and at that point.
To write plainly and concisely, use now instead of at this point in time. Other possible replacements for at this point in time include at once, immediately, right away, right now, straightaway and today.
[The same content is available in French in the article AUDIT ET TERMES DÉRIVÉS (RECOMMANDATION LINGUISTIQUE DU BUREAU DE LA TRADUCTION).]
In Canada, the French term audit in the field of accounting has long been considered an anglicism that should be replaced with vérification. However, following the adoption of the International Standards on Auditing, the situation has changed. The establishment of these standards has led to the adoption of common terminology, first in English-speaking countries, and then in French-speaking countries.
When the International Standards on Auditing were being translated, a committee of experts made up of chartered accountants and members of the Language Services of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants was formed to standardize the terminology used in the Francophonie. The committee used a list of key words established by France's Compagnie nationale des commissaires aux comptes and Belgium's Institut des Réviseurs d'Entreprises as its starting point. This list was the result of numerous compromises following international consultations. For diverse reasons, the committee decided in favour of the term audit and its derived forms.
The Translation Bureau recommends using the masculine noun audit (the final "t" is pronounced) as the French equivalent of the English word audit in the field of accounting.
This equivalent has been adopted by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec. It has also been used in the translation of the International Standards on Auditing and is listed in Louis Ménard's Dictionnaire de la comptabilité et de la gestion financière.
The Translation Bureau recommends using the following terms:
| French terms | English terms | Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| audit (n.m.) | audit (n.) | An examination of the accounting records of an entity for the purpose of determining whether they adequately reflect its financial situation. |
| auditeur (n.m.) auditrice (n.f.) |
auditor (n.) | A person who conducts an audit. |
| auditer (v.) | audit (v.) | Conduct an audit. |
See the article "De la vérification à l'audit" by Cathryn Arnold and Vincent Halde in Language Update 9, no. 1 (2012): 10 [republished in Chroniques de langue].
Austro- is a combining form that may refer either to Austria or to Australia.
Meaning 1: Austria, Austrian
Meaning 2: Australia, Australian
Avenge means to seek justice or to right wrongs fairly.
Revenge means to look for reprisal.
Both verbs are followed by the preposition on or for: avenge (or revenge) oneself on someone, for something.
The nouns revenge and vengeance are followed by on.
Azerbaijani, also called Azeri, is the official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan; it is also spoken in parts of Iran. Azerbaijani is written using the Latin alphabet in Azerbaijan and the Arabic alphabet in Iran.
A native or inhabitant of Azerbaijan is called an Azerbaijani or Azeri.
The adjective aware is followed by the preposition of.