semester
- Use semester not ‘term’.
- Lower case ‘s’ when referring to semester but Semester 1 with capital ‘s’.
semicolon (;)
- Use a comma, not a semicolon, to show individual items within a list of items (see lists).
- Use a semicolon to connect two complete sentences where they are so closely connected it feels wrong to separate them with a full stop, eg Work placements are compulsory for some courses; they are voluntary for others.
- Only use a semicolon if what precedes or follows is a complete sentence, otherwise use a colon or a dash (see colon and dash).
- If the sentences are joined by a connecting word, use a comma not a semicolon eg Each of our campuses has great facilities, and each is linked to the other campuses by our BROOKESbus service.
- A semicolon should never be used to introduce a list of items; use a colon instead ( see colon).
sentence length
Avoid long sentences. Ideally, 15 words should be the maximum length of a sentence. For sentences over 20 words, try splitting the sentence into two, or using punctuation to make them clearer.
social media
When referring to social media on website/materials:
- Snapchat
- Wifi
- YouTube
Include logos wherever possible
split infinitive
- The rule against splitting infinitives (eg ‘to boldly go’, or ‘to strongly object’) isn’t followed as strictly today as it used to be. However, some people still get very annoyed by them.
- Avoid splitting infinitives where possible, eg She had to finish her course work quickly’ instead of ‘She had to quickly finish her course work.’
- It’s ok to split an infinitive where it makes the sentence clearer, eg ‘I find it hard to really like that person’ rather than ‘I find it hard really to like that person.’
subject areas
- Subject areas are lower case, eg We offer a wide range of business and management degrees.
- Course titles are upper case, eg Students on our Paramedic Science course develop six core skills.
students’ union
See also Brookes Union
- as a generic term, lower case with apostrophe after the ‘s’