DGT Branding Toolkit and Style Guidelines

WRITTEN STYLE

Abbreviations There is no need to put a full stop at the end of the most common abbreviations – Mr, Dr, the Rev, MP, for example. Don’t abbreviate days of the week – use Monday and Tuesday, not Mon and Tues. Acronyms Generally, the rule is to put words or phrases in full for the first reference in your text, even if it is well known, and include the abbreviation or acronym in brackets afterwards. Subsequently you can refer just to the acronym.

Apostrophes (‘) Apostrophes have two functions:

• To show possession, as in: John’s board report (that is the report that belongs to John).

When showing possession the apostrophe goes after the person or thing possessing, so if it’s singular it goes before the ‘s’ (as in the example above). If there are plural possessors, it goes after the ‘s’, as in: Our patients’ feedback is vital in developing our services. And also note that you should add ‘s to personal names that end in ‘s’ when showing the possessive as in: Thomas’s work was first class.

Example: write Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (DGT) the first time and then simply say DGT.

Try not to repeat abbreviations and acronyms too often as they are difficult to read. Judge whether an abbreviation requires the definite article by reading the sentence out loud. The NHS is the exception to the rule, and does not need to be spelt out.

• To show that letters have been missed out, as in: we’re committed to providing excellent care [we’re = we are].

An apostrophe is not used in pronouns – hers, his and (the one which many people get wrong) its. It’s is the contraction for it is. Apostrophes are never used to show plurals. This is sometimes known as the greengrocer’s apostrophe as in apple’s and pear’s 50p – it should be apples and pears 50p.

Ampersands (&) Do not use unless it’s part of a name – for instance Marks & Spencer.

Examples: Wrong usage - MP’s, 1990’s, GCSE’s Correct usage - MPs, 1990s, GCSEs