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.
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