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Geographical Terms

The University of Illinois, whose football team* will be in town today along with fans, has an on-line writing guide. I see I've been doing a few things wrong, at least according to today's standards. Somewhere I might have learned not to abbreviate the word "Ohio," but I certainly didn't remember that rule, probably because I lived in Illinois when I was learning the rules.

When they stand alone, spell out the names of states and U.S. territories and possessions.

Spell out the names of states, territories, or possessions when they follow the name of a city or other capitalized geographical term. Example: Chicago, Illinois. When it is necessary to save space, the abbreviations listed below can be used. Do not abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, or Utah:

Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif, Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Mev., N.C., N.D., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., Wash., W. Va., Wis., and Wyo.

Only use post office abbreviations in complete addresses that contain a ZIP code. See the current ZIP Code Directory for official Postal Service abbreviations. Example: Champaign IL 61820.

Spell out the names of countries. The abbreviation U.S. is acceptable when used as an adjective. Examples: foreign policy of the United States or U.S. foreign policy.

*Illinois (7-3, 4-2) at #1 Ohio State (10-0, 6-0)