This document provides guidelines for using abbreviations, titles, initials, quotations, and capitalization in writing. It explains that abbreviations use capital letters and periods, and lists abbreviations for titles, addresses, businesses, organizations, and state names. Titles like Mr., Mrs., Dr. are followed by names. Initials represent first and middle names. Quotations use specific punctuation and capitalization rules. Important words in titles are capitalized.

1. Abbreviations:
Rules and Guidelines

2. Abbreviations
• Abbreviations are shortened forms of words.
Most abbreviations begin with a capital letter and
end with a period. Use abbreviations only in
special kinds of writing, such as addresses and
lists.

3. Titles
• Mr. (Mister) Mr. Juan Albino
• Mrs. (Mistress) Mrs. Frances Wong
• Ms. (Any Woman) Ms. Leslie Clark
• Miss Jan Watson. Miss is the title of an unmarried woman.
It is not an abbreviation and does not end with a period.
• Sr. (Senior) John Helt, Sr.
• Jr. (Junior) John Helt, Jr.
• Dr. (Doctor) Dr. Janice Dodds

4. Words Used in Addresses
• St. (Street) Pkwy. (Parkway)
• Rd. (Road) Mt. (Mount or Mountain)
• Expy. (Expressway)
• Dr. (Drive)
• Ave. (Avenue)
• Blvd. (Boulevard)
• Rte. (Route)
• Apt. (Apartment

5. Words Used in Business
• Co. (Company)
• Corp. (Corporation)
• Inc. (Incorporated)
• Ltd. (Limited)

6. Other Abbreviations
• Some abbreviations are written in all capital letters,
with a letter standing for each important word.
• P. D. (Police Department)
• J. P. (Justice of the Peace)
• P. O. (Post Office)
• R. N. (Registered Nurse)

7. State Abbreviations
• The United States Postal Service uses two capital letters
and no periods in each of its state abbreviations.
• AL (Alabama) AK (Alaska) AZ (Arizona)
• AR (Arkansas) CA (California) CO (Colorado)
• CT (Connecticut) DE (Delaware) FL (Florida)
• GA (Georgia) HI (Hawaii) ID (Idaho)
• IL (Illinois) IN (Indiana) IA (Iowa)
• KS (Kansas) KY (Kentucky) LA (Louisiana)
• ME (Maine) MD (Maryland) MA (Massachusetts)
• MI (Michigan) MN (Minnesota) MS (Mississippi)

8. State Abbreviations Continued
• MO (Missouri) MT (Montana) NE (Nebraska)
• NV (Nevada) NH (New Hampshire NJ (New Jersey)
NM (New Mexico NY (New York) NC (North Carolina)
ND (North Dakota) OH (Ohio) OK (Oklahoma)
OR (Oregon) PA (Pennsylvania) SC (South Carolina)
SD (South Dakota) TN (Tennessee) TX (Texas)
UT (Utah) VT (Vermont) VA (Virginia)
WA (Washington WV (West Virginia) WI (Wisconsin)
WY (Wyoming)

9. Initials
• Initials are abbreviations that stand for a person’s
first or middle name. Some names have both a
first and middle initial.
• E. B. White (Elwyn Brooks White)
• T. James Carey (Thomas James Carey)

10. Titles
• The important words and the first and last words in a
title are always capitalized. Titles of books,
magazines, TV shows, movies, and newspapers are
italicized or underlined.
• Oliver Twist (Book) The Phoenix Express (Newspaper)
• Star Wars (Movie)
• Cricket (Magazine)
• Nova (TV Show)

11. Quotation Marks with Titles
• Titles of short stories, songs, articles, book chapters,
and most poems are set off by quotation marks.
• “The Necklace” (Short Story)
• “Three Days in the Sahara” (Article)
• “Deer at Dusk” (Poem)
• “Home on the Range” (Song)
• “The Human Brain” (Chapter)

12. Quotations
• Quotation marks are used to set off a speaker’s exact
words. The first word of a quotation begins with a
capital letter. Punctuation belongs inside the closing
quotation marks. Commas separate a quotation from
the rest of the sentence.

13. Quotations Marks Continued
• “Where,” asked the stranger, “is the post office?”
• “Please put away your books now,” said Mr. Emory.
• Linda whispered, “What time is it?”
• “It’s late,” replied Bill. “Let’s go!”

14. The End