H
hajj
- The pilgrimage to Mecca.
half day (n.), half-day (adj.)
handheld (n.), hand-held (adj.)
handicapped
handmade
hands off, hands-off
- Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: Keep your hands off the cookies. This country follows a hands-off foreign policy.
hands-on
- Used as an adjective (hyphenated): hands-on experience.
- May also use the word practical as a synonym.
handwashing
- One word in all uses.
hang-up (n.), hang up (v.)
hard line (n.), hard-line (adj.), hard-liner (n.)
he/she, he or she, his/her
- Avoid the use of awkward or unpronounceable pronoun combinations:
- his or her (not his/her).
- him or her (not him/her).
- he or she (not he/she).
- However, always try to use the plural form to avoid such constructions:
- Not preferred: Every person will choose what to study according to his or her preferences.
- Preferred: Students will choose what to study according to their preferences.
- Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, ourselves, yourselves, himself, herself, itself) refer to people or things already mentioned or implied in the same sentence: I wrote the book myself. Hand in the paper to the professor yourself.
head, chair
- Heads of academic departments at AUC are referred to as department chairs, not heads.
headlines
- Capitalize the first letter of the principal words in a headline, and lowercase articles and prepositions such as the, an or in, except when they are the first word in a sentence: Of Steel and Spice, The Lost Game, A Look into the Future.
- For articles, prepositions and conjunctions, capitalize words that are five letters or more: Between, Across, Through.
- When using quotation marks in a headline, use single marks instead of double.
- Use numerals for all numbers and single quotes for quotation marks.
- Use US, UK and UN with no periods in headlines.
head-on (adj. and adv.)
headquarters
- May take a singular or a plural verb.
headscarf, headscarves
healthcare
- One word.
hemisphere
- Capitalize Northern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere.
high school (n.), high school students (adj.)
- No hyphen.
high-tech
hijab
- The headscarf worn by Muslim women.
His/Her Excellency, Her Majesty/His Majesty
- Capitalize when it appears in quotations or before a name as part of the formal title: Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah. Limit to e-vites.
historic, historical
- A historic event is an important occurrence, one that stands out in history. Any occurrence in the past is a historical event.
historical periods
- Capitalize Dark Ages, Bronze Age, Stone Age, Medieval.
- But lowercase: classic, neoclassic, modern, postmodern, information age, nuclear age.
hold up (v.), holdup (n. and adj.)
homecoming
- One word. Capitalize when referring to a specific event: 2012 Alumni Homecoming. Lowercase in generic use: This year’s homecoming was different.
homemade
hometown
- One word.
home page
homeschool
- One word in all uses.
honorary degrees
- All references to honorary degrees should state that the degree is honorary: honorary Doctorate of Science.
- Always capitalize Doctorate of Science and Doctorate of Humane Letters. Do not use unofficial versions. Incorrect: honorary humane letters doctorate; honorary science doctorate.
- Do not capitalize the word honorary: honorary Doctorate of Science, honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
honorifics
- Do not use courtesy titles or honorifics in identifying people.
- Incorrect: Mr. Ahmed Ezz Aldin was present.
- Correct: Ahmed Ezz Aldin was present.
- See titles, courtesy.
honors list/class
- Lowercase: He is on the dean’s honors list.
human resources
- The field is human resources, but remove the s when used as a compound modifier: human resource training, except in reference to the office: human resources office.
