In recent years, most publishers have moved away from using needlessly gendered language. The inclusivity of using gender-neutral terms goes a long way for many readers, and it often has the added benefit of making your meaning clearer.
You don’t have to jump through hoops to use gender-neutral language. For the most part it usually involves replacing one commonly used word with another. The image here shows a quick list of some examples.
Be aware that gender-neutral terminology is evolving, and some ideas are being adopted more quickly than others. The term Latinx is popular in academic circles to avoid Latino or Latina, but the term is not widely used outside of these circles. The University Style Guide recommends against using it unless it’s in a direct quote or name. More unfamiliar terms including alumnx (instead of alumna or alumnus) are out there, but are too unknown to generally be understood by readers. When in doubt, consider your readers and what will make the most sense to them.
To read more about this topic, check out the links below. And, as always, my email is open if you have any questions or want to discuss further.
The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill: Gender-Inclusive Language
American Psychological Association Inclusive Language Guidelines
Pop quiz
What is the preferred style for full phone numbers?
March pop quiz winner
Congrats to Jenny Petersen, officer assistant in the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research, the winner of the March pop quiz!
Is everyday an adjective or an adverb? Adjective
Everyday, when it’s one word, is an adjective, meaning it describes a noun.
For example: Losing an hour in traffic has become an everyday occurrence in the lives of L.A. residents. Here, “everyday” is describing the occurence.
Every day as two words is an adverb, meaning it describes a verb.
On average, L.A. drivers lose an hour of their lives every day in gridlock. Here, “every day” is describing the verb lose.
These two terms are commonly confused, but because they are different parts of speech, they are not interchangeable. For more info on this, see this video from Merriam-Webster.
What we’re reading
AP continues focus on topic guidance in news stylebook updates
ACES: The Society for Editing
Video: Exploring Craft — A master class in copyediting from the author of Dreyer’s English
National Press Club Journalism Institute
Latest Style Guide updates
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first-year, freshman
Where possible, use the term first-year over freshman or freshmen when referring to first-year students. - - The first-year students decided to sit together in the dining hall.
- - His first year at Notre Dame was marked by joining two new clubs.
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first-year, freshman
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911
Use 911 with no hyphens or other punctuation for the emergency number.
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RSVP
Do not use periods in RSVP. It is short for the French répondez s’il vous plaît, which means “please reply.” For some audiences, the phrase please RSVP is redundant because RSVP already includes the “please.” However, other communications may be better off keeping the please to emphasize being courteous. Writers may choose whichever option best fits their intended audience.
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