G
government
Always lowercase and never abbreviate: the federal government, the state government, the U.S. government.
GPS
Abbreviation for global positioning system.
grade, grader
Hyphenate both the noun forms (first-grader, second-grader, 10th-grader) and the adjectival forms (a fourth-grade pupil, a 12th-grade pupil).
grade point average
Spell out on first reference: His grade point average is 3.8. Abbreviate on second reference: His high GPA earned him many awards.
grades
Examples: an A, a B, a C, a D, an F, an I (Incomplete), a WP (Withdraw Passing), a WF (Withdraw Failing).
Spell out the last three items on first reference because they are not commonly known. Do not use quotation marks around A or B, etc.
When talking about grades in the plural, use an apostrophe: A's, B's, C's, etc.
graduate
As a verb, use graduate in the active voice: She graduated from the University. Passive voice is correct, although unnecessary: He was graduated from the University. Do not drop from: John Smith graduated from SMU.
gray
Not grey. But, greyhound for the animal, and Greyhound for the bus company.
Greek(s)
Capitalize when used in reference to a Greek-letter fraternity or sorority.
groundbreaking
One word as an adjective and noun.
H
he, she
Avoid using as a generic term. Avoid the problem where possible by changing to plurals; otherwise, use he or she: The campus always seems strange to a first-year student (rather than him or her). The students will prepare for their exams. If he or she cannot attend AARO, a new date must be scheduled.
Hilltop Society
Recognizes donors who make gifts and pledge payments in consecutive fiscal years.
historian, historic, historical, history
A historic event is an important occurrence, one that stands out in history. Any occurrence in the past is a historical event. Always use a – not an – before each of these words: a history, a historian, a historic event, etc.
home page
Two words.
House of Representatives
Capitalize when referring to a specific governmental body: the U.S. House of Representatives, the Texas House of Representatives, etc.
Also capitalize shortened references that delete the words of Representatives: the U.S. House, the Texas House, etc.
hyphen
See the punctuation entry in The AP Stylebook and Table 6.1 in The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition. Normally, close words with the following prefixes: re, pre, non, post, unless the second element begins with the same vowel or a proper noun. Pre-element, re-election, post-Renaissance. For noncontinuous numbers use hyphens: 214-768-9999.
Certain terms are hyphenated, as well, whether they are adjectives or nouns: President-elect Doe has yet to select any Cabinet members. The president-elect will be sworn into office January 20.
I
i.e.
"That is" or "such as" should be used instead, except with certain technical or legal references.
imply vs. infer
Writers or speakers imply with the words they use. A listener or reader infers something from the words.
insure
See the ensure, insure entry.
Institute
Uppercase when referring to a specific SMU institute or the George W. Bush Institute. The Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute brings together experts from diverse fields. Events organized by the Institute generate great interest.
Internet
Always capitalize.
intranet
Lowercase.
iPhone
it's vs. its
It's is a contraction for it is or it has: It's up to you, It's been a long time. Its is the possessive form of the neuter possessive pronoun: The company lost its assets.