2022
CPUT Style Guide
cause, course
“Cause”, noun, a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition, e.g. “The cause of the accident is not clear.”; or a principle, aim, or movement to which one is committed and which one is prepared to defend or advocate, e.g. “She devoted her whole adult life to the cause of deaf people.” “Cause”, verb, make (something, especially something bad) happen, e.g. “This disease can cause blindness.” “Course”, noun, a route or direction; a procedure adopted to deal with a situation, e.g. a course of action; a dish, or a set of dishes served together, e.g. a three course meal; an area of land set aside for sports; a series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject, leading to an examination or qualification; a series of repeated treatments or doses of medication. “Course”, verb, (of liquid) to move without obstruction; flow The phrase “of course” is used to introduce an idea or action as being obvious or to be expected. From OED. The phrase is not: “off course” or “of cause” or “off cause”
cellphone
One word; preferred to “cell” or “mobile” or “cellular telephone”
century
Lower case; in text, centuries may be written out, e.g. eighteenth century or abbreviated, e.g. 18th century, but be consistent
chairperson, chair
Do not use “chairman” to avoid gender bias
Christian name
Prefer to use “first name” to avoid religious bias
cloud, the
In reference to software and services that run and can be accessed on the Internet, instead of locally on your computer. Lower case when used in sentence; if used as a noun, couple with “the”; when used as an adjective, omit “the”.
co-
Compound words that start with “co” are most often not hyphenated, even if the other part of the word begins with a vowel, but consult a dictionary if unsure about specific usage, e.g. cooperate; cooperative; cooperation; coordinate; coordination; coordinator
colloquium
Note spelling
commence
Very formal; prefer to avoid; rather use “begin” or “start”
committee
Note spelling
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