Punctuation
comma — From The Associated Press Stylebook: For detailed guidance, consult the punctuation section in the back of Webster’s New World College Dictionary. IN A SERIES: Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction. Example: Their colors were red, purple and green.
dash — A dash is not the same thing as a hyphen. Dashes signify abrupt changes, pauses in the thought, or can offset a series of words. Dashes should be used sparingly. While they place a greater emphasis and importance on the offset clause, they are also highly disruptive to the reader. A single space precedes and follows the dash. On a Mac, a dash is created by holding down on shift-option-hyphen. You can also copy and paste this —
hyphen — A hyphen joins words and prefixes together; they help the writer avoid ambiguity.. When adding a prefix to a root word, it can be difficult to know if a hyphen is necessary. Again, following AP Style, here are some general rules to help you navigate hyphens.
- If joining a prefix (re-, de-, anti-, pre-, etc.) to a root word that begins with a consonant, do NOT hyphenate. Example: decommit, antisocial, replay, pregame, postgame
- If the root word begins with a vowel however, please use a hyphen. Example: re-examine, de-emphasize, pre-employment)
- There are exceptions. Some common words go against the first rules — like cooperate and coordinate — so when in doubt, look up the word in the dictionary.
- Hyphens may also be used to combine confusing compound adjectives.. Example: small-business owners. In this example the compound adjective refers to a small business; without the hyphen, this phrase could imply that the business owners are all short.
- Hyphens are not the same as a dash. See dash entry for rules on this.
period — The FanSided Network is edgy and most importantly current, therefore use only one space after a period. If you’re the sentimental type, feel free to collect your extra spaces in a blank document.
quotation mark — Commas and periods go inside quotation marks. Question marks go outside the quotes, unless it is part of the quoted phrase. Examples: Caesar said, “Et tu, Brute?” Did you know that Al Davis said, “Once a Raider, always a Raider”?
A
Achilles’ heel
a lot — Two words. Not alot.
a.m. — Lowercase, no space after first period. Include a space between the number and a.m. (9 a.m.). See “Time” on page 269.
all right — Two words. Preferable to alright. Hyphenate when it precedes the word it modifies. Examples: Do you feel all right? It was an all-right day—not great, but not bad, either.
alley-oop (n., adj.)
anti- — Generally, close up this prefix with root words unless the root word starts with an i or a capital letter—if it does, hyphenate. Examples: anti-intelligence, anti-American, antispyware.
B
backup (n., adj.), back up (v.) — One word when used as a noun or an adjective. Two words when used as a verb. Examples: The backup quarterback was a horrible backup. The defense had the offense backed up in the end zone.
backward, backwards (adv.) — Use backward in American English; backwards is more prevalent in British English.
ball carrier (n.) — No hyphen.
ball hawk (n.) — No hyphen.
Belichick (n.) — One of the more commonly misspelled names in the NFL.
billion — Use numerals with billion. Don’t hyphenate the numeral and billion even before a noun. As part of a hyphenated compound, use a hyphen between the numeral and billion. Examples: 4 billion fans, a $2 billion contract, 5-billion-year history.
blind side (n.), blindside (adj., v.),
bowl games — Capitalize when referring to official bowl games. Examples: Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Senior Bowl. Lowercase when using it generally. Example: The NFL’s bowl games are played at the end of the regular season.
C
cancellation (n.), canceled, canceling (v.) — The preferred U.S. spelling has two l’s in noun form and one l in verb forms. The preferred British spelling has two l’s in all forms.
co- — Generally, use a hyphen between this prefix and a root word unless your dictionary combines the two (for example, cooperation, coordinate). But always use a hyphen when the resulting word denotes a shared occupation or status. Examples: co-creator, co-host, co-parent, co-star, co-worker.
coach — In general uses, coach is not capitalized. Capitalize coach if it replaces the first name of the subject, e.g., Coach Cowher, Coach Jackson. In this case, coach operates the same way we use Mr. as a substitute for a first name. See “titles” for other coach-related usages.
D
decision maker (n.) — Two words, no hyphen.
decision making (n.), decision-making (adj.) — Two words when used as a noun, hyphenated when used as an adjective. Examples: The fans were amazed by the general manager’s decision making. A quarterback must have good decision-making skills.
decommit (v.) — one word, no hyphen.
draft — Not capitalized when used generically. Example: The Chiefs need to draft a right tackle. When writing about draft picks, use a hyphen to separate the draft round if used as an adjective. Example: He was a first-round draft pick. The Raiders traded away their fifth-round pick. See also “NFL Draft” and “numbers” for ordinal usage.
do’s and don’ts — Note apostrophes.
E
e.g. — Abbreviation meaning for example. Note periods. Don’t include a space after the first period. If used, include a comma after the last period. See also “i.e.” Example: Enter a search term (e.g., recipes, horoscopes, gifts) into the box.
end line
end zone (n.), end-zone (adj.)
F
facemask (n.)
fair catch (n.)
fanbase (n.)
field goal
fourth-and-1 (adj.)
free agent (n.), free-agent (adj.)
fullback — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
fifty-fifty — Using numerals (“50-50”) is preferable.
forward (adv.) — Use forward to refer to direction in American English; forwards is more prevalent in British English.
G
goal line (n.)
goal-line stand
goaltender (n.)
H
hard core (n.), hard-core (adj.)
halfback — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
halftime (v.)
Hall of Fame (n.), Hall of Famer (adj.)
handoff (n.), hand off (v.)
I
i.e. — Abbreviation meaning that is. Note periods. Don’t include a space after the first period. If used, include a comma after the last period. See also “e.g.”
inch — An acceptable abbreviation for inch(es) is in. (note period).
iPhone — Note capitalization of this Apple trademark.
iTunes — Note capitalization of this Apple trademark.
J
K
kickoff (n., adj.), kick off (v.)
L
left back — Two words, not capitalized. See “positions.”
linebacker — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
left-hand side — Don’t use. Use left side instead.
lineup (n.), line up (v.)
lineman (n.) — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
line of scrimmage (n.)
M
matchup (n., adj.), match up (v.) — One word when used as a noun or an adjective. Two words when used as a verb. Examples: Bill Belichick liked the matchup of Tom Brady to Tim Tebow. The Giants and the Patriots will match up in the Super Bowl..
million — Use numerals with million. Don’t hyphenate the numeral and million, even before a noun. As part of a hyphenated compound, use a hyphen between the numeral and million. Examples: 2.8 million, a $30 million contract, a 7-million-year-old stadium.
min. — Acceptable abbreviation for minute(s). Note the period. Include a space between the number and min.
minute — An acceptable abbreviation for minute(s) is min. Note the period.
multi- — Generally, close up this prefix with root words unless the root word starts with an i or a capital letter—if it does, insert a hyphen. Examples: multiplayer, multiuser, multi-industry.
N
netminder (n.) — one word, no hyphens
NFL — Accepted abbreviation for the National Football League.
NFL Draft — Capitalize. See “draft.”
No. 1 — Abbreviation for number one. Note capitalization. See also “number one.”
numerals — Spell out numbers one through nine; use figures for numbers higher than 10. Spell out any number that begins a sentence, although it is preferable to reword so a number does not start the sentence. One exception to this rule is a year. Example: Incorrect – 3 coaches were fired last year. Corrected – Last year three coaches were fired. Correct: 2012 saw the Super Bowl rematch of the Patriots and Giants.
For ordinal numbers, spell out first through ninth; use figures for 10th and above.
number one (n., adj.) — No hyphen as an adjective. Example: Andrew Luck is projected to be the number one pick in the NFL Draft. OK to abbreviate as No. 1.
O
offseason — No hyphen.
out of bounds (adv.), out-of-bounds (adj.)
P
pass-rusher (n.)
percent — Spell out. Do not use the percent symbol.
pickup (n.), pick up (v.),
place kick
place-kicker
playaction (n.), play-action (adj.)
play-caller (n.), play-calling (n., adj.)
playoff(s) (n., adj.)
podcast
post- — Generally, close up this prefix with root words unless the root word starts with a capital letter—if it does, use a hyphen. Examples: postgame, postproduction, post-Dick Vermeil era.
positions — Do not capitalize position names. However, capitalize when using the abbreviation of a position. Plural abbreviations should not contain apostrophes. Examples: fullback, linebacker, QB, RB, WRs, TEs.
postseason
pound — An acceptable abbreviation for the unit of English measure pound(s) is lb. (note period).
pre- — Generally, close up this prefix with root words unless the root word starts with an e or a capital letter—if it does, use a hyphen. Examples: pre-enrollment, preproduction, pregame.
pregame
preseason
Pro Bowl — Note capitalization. See “bowl game.”
Q
quarterback — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
R
re-sign — To extend a contract. Hyphenated. Not to be confused with resign, which means to quit. Example: The Chargers re-signed their tight end.
resign — To relinquish duties. No hyphenation. Not to be confused with re-sign, which means to extend the current contract. Example: Rather than being fired, the head coach chose to resign from coaching duties.
right tackle — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
running back — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
S
seasons — Lowercase the names of seasons and derivatives (for example, springtime, wintertime). Don’t include a comma between a season name and a year. Example: The lockout ended in fall 2011.
Senior Bowl — Note capitalization. See “bowl game.”
setup (n., adj.), set up (v.)
signal-caller (n.)
skill set (n.)
Super Bowl — Note capitalization. See “bowl game.”
T
tailback — One word, not capitalized. See “positions.”
than/then — Then is used to sequence events (Example: We walked down the street, then we turned left). Than is used in comparisons (Example: The forward for the visiting team was taller than the home team’s forward). Quick check: if you have a word ending in -er, it is most likely that you’ll want to follow it with than — rather than, bigger than, taller than, faster than, more than, etc. More than can be tricky though, because it can be separated by another word (adjective), more important than, more colorful than, more powerful than, etc.
thousand — In general, spell out thousand, but K is an acceptable abbreviation.
tight end — Two words, not capitalized. See “positions.”
titles — Capitalize title if the full, official title is used before the person’s name. Lowercase if partial title is used, or in general reference. Examples: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Romeo Crennel; Patriots head coach Bill Belichick; Jets’ general manager.
titles of publications, movies, TV shows — Newspapers, movie titles, and TV shows should all be written in italics, unless the section of text is already italicized, then in plain text. You must use italics each time the title is mentioned, even if shortening the name. Examples: Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post; AMC’s hit program, Breaking Bad,;
toward, towards — The preferred U.S. spelling is toward. Towards is chiefly British.
trainwreck (n.)
trash-talking (n., adj., v.), trash-talker (n.)
touchback (n.)
touchdown (n.)
T-shirt — Note capitalization and hyphen.
U
V
W
Weeks in a season — Always capitalize Week followed by the numeral for to identify a particular week during the season. Examples: Week 1, Week 10
well-being
West Coast offense (n.)
wide receiver — Two words, do not capitalize. See “positions.”
wild card (n.), wild-card (adj.) — Examples: His pitching style was unknown, making him a wild card for the team. The team secured the wild-card game.
X
Xbox — One word. Note capitalization of this Microsoft trademark.
X-ray — Note capitalization and hyphen.
Y
yard — An acceptable abbreviation for yard(s) is yd. (note period). Use numerals for yardage. Examples: 10-yard line, 5-yard gain, he took the kick from the 2, he ran 50 yards.
Z
