Expert: Dan Smith - 11/1/2006

Question
I apologize for assuming.  Thank you for your reply.

Brandy
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Dear Mr. Smith,

I am reviewing a SOW from a vendor with serious capitalization inconsistencies when referring to phases, teams, documents, and appendix items.  Any suggestions?  I realize that many problems are simply style issues, but I'd like to give him a more definite answer.

Thank You
-----Answer-----
A SOW? You're reviewing a female pig whose owner is broke?

This is the second question this morning I've gotten from someone who assumes that I am a member of the same acronym tribe to which they belong. I am not and do not know what it stands for.

In general, capitalization should be consistent whether it is on the side of a SOW or in a document. Make it consistent. If it looks and feels like a proper noun, capitalize it. And stop using acronyms unless they are really so commonly used as to be part of the language. DUI rises to that standard, but very few other acronyms do so. They almost never aid communication, and generally actively impede it.

Hope this helps.  

Answer
You're welcome. Again, almost anything written is almost always better without the acronyms. Even if they are well known, they often screw up normal syntax.

We have a bank in Austin that used to be American Bank of Commerce. It changed its name to ABC, but then nobody knew it was a bank. Now it is the ABC Bank, which, of course, means it is the American Bank of Commerce Bank.

And ATMs are ATM machines in many quarters. It never ends.