I think the answer to your first question is "Yes." All three abbreviations for the United States are in rampant use. I believe grammarians would say U.S. or U.S.A. is technically correct. But with computer-speak, all bets are off.

As to quotation marks used with other punctuation, this seems to mystify many. I always hark back to "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. On quotations, Mr. Strunk says, "Typographical usage dictates that the comma be inside the marks, though logically it often seems not to belong there." 

I'm not a spacing expert, but I'd say authors who still use double spaces at the end of sentences, etc. were taught to so  years ago in typing class, and old habits die hard. I only double space when it looks like I need to. 

Hope this helps. 

P.S. The chapter by E.B. White in "Elements of Style" is one of the best guides to clear writing ever. 


Sandy Lynch

Executive Director

SOAR! Adult Literacy Program

slynch06 at hotmail.com<mailto:slynch06 at hotmail.com>

Office Phone 812 275-8000

Cell: 812 320-7634

Fax 812 275-8001


________________________________

> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 10:16:28 -0700

> From: tknilsso at gmail.com

> To: workplace at nifl.gov

> Subject: [Workplace 485] USA, U.S. or US?

> 

> Dear workplace readers,

> Greetings from Edmonton Canada (-17C and 35 centimeters of snow).

> I have three questions for y'all (related to spelling & formatting):

> First, what is the "appropriate acronym" for the United States of America - USA, U.S. or US? The latter reads like "us" (the objective form of we) and not like "United States", thus it confuses me. My students keep writing US instead of - what I learned - U.S. Advice? Recommendations? References that discuss this issue? Unless my eyes betray me, I haven't found any guidance in my dictionaries or styleguides.

> Second, what are the guidelines for using quotation marks, i.e. " and '. I know that for a quotation-within-quotation, we should use the single quotation mark, i.e. ' - should the quotation mark preceed commas, semi-colon, quotation marks, end points (dots) etc.?

> Third, why do some authors <still> use double-spaces (i.e. touch the spacebar on the keyboard twice before starting a new sentence). I understand that the double-spacing rule originated from the day(s) of ordinary typewriters, but I have noted on several occasions that double spacing is continued to be used. Are there any hard-and-fast-rules for when to switch between single spacing and double spacing?

> Thanks in advance!

> Tomas Nilsson


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