Now, I don't mean the man himself - I feel like I could take him if he were unarmed - I mean the way that his name is written. Title Firstname Lastname (Party-State). It's a style rule that the ‘Prince' requires its writers to follow. Of course, now I can just say "McCain," since the reader already knows I'm talking about the one who's a Republican senator from Arizona and not the other one who shows up in the news every day, but on first reference, I have to write out the whole thing. I learned this the hard way when, in a recent column, I made a very cheesy, very predictable rule-of-three joke in which McCain was the punch line. Unfortunately, I ignored the opportunity to rewrite the joke and avoid the awkward stylistic issues, thereby ruining any hope of eliciting even a lame chuckle.
Imagine, then, my great delight last week to find that the Executive Editor for Opinion [Editor's Note: who is awesome] had e-mailed the columnists a copy of the ‘Prince's very own style guide! And I thought, wouldn't it be great to educate you, the reader, in the stylistic conventions used by your favorite campus publication? It would certainly be easier than coming up with 400 more words all by myself.
The Daily Princetonian Style Guide [Excerpt]
N.B.: "N.B." stands for "nota bene," whatever the hell that means.
Although: Use "though" instead. The prefix "al-" is superfluous. Ex.: I often throw paper away, though I ways recycle uminum cans.
College and university names: Use the official names only if necessary, i.e., "Harvard" and "Yale" are acceptable on first reference. Ex.: "Harvard and Yale are not as good as we are," the stereotypical Princeton student said. N.B.: To prevent a slew of irate letters from incensed Southerners, avoid all reference to The Citadel.
COMBO: On first reference, spell out "Committee on Background and Opportunity." Ex.: The Committee on Background and Opportunity (COMBO) survey shocked us all by reporting that disparity of wealth causes social stratification, which is apparently a brand-new addition to the canon of human thought. N.B.: The pretzel-like snack food may be referred to simply as "Combo."
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: People who do not know what these are won't bother reading the articles that use them anyway, so there's no need to write out the actual name of the organization. Ex.: Until a few days ago, I thought Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were the names of actual CEOs or something. N.B.: The name Fannie Mae comes from a pronunciation of the acronym FNMA. The acronym for Freddie Mac is FHLMC, so that one kind of makes no sense.
God: Only capitalize when used to refer to the monotheistic God. Ex.: "Oh my god!" exclaimed John as God smote him for taking the Lord's name in vain.
However: Do not start a sentence with the word "however." Although you may use it at the middle or end of a sentence.
Intersession break: ‘Session' spelled with an ‘S,' not a ‘C.' Ex.: The country's financial crisis was quickly and successfully defused by the timely Intersession of the U.S. government.
Nassau Weekly: See WPRB.
Oftentimes: "Oftentimes" should never be used. However, you may use "often" instead.
Okay: Oftentimes, "ok" or "OK" may be used, although it is not okay to use "okay." N.B.: It is okay to use "JK" to indicate you are just kidding.
Parentheses: Do not use (unless absolutely necessary).
Undergraduate Student Government: Always abbreviate as USG. Ex.: People who complain about the USG do so because they care deeply about student issues and not because they are just self-important whiners who like placing blame. N.B.: Actually, some of them do care deeply about the campus pub.
I hope you enjoyed this fun lesson in style. Although you might think it won't oftentimes be useful, I guarantee you that a background in journalism has benefitted people in many fields - performers like Bono, community organizers like Gandhi, or politicians like former U.S. President and University President Emeritus Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879. At the very least, these rules will help you write those reasoned, witty online comments.
Brandon Lowden is an electrical engineering major from McKees Rocks, Pa. He can be reached at blowden@prnceton.edu.
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