Don’t use an addition symbol, unless as part of a trademarked name or when expressing mathematics.
Never use in place of “and.”
Use for Glip Pro+.
Ampersand ( & )
Avoid using an ampersand wherever possible (with a few notable exceptions).
Use an ampersand in a title, subhead, or menu item where there isn’t room for “and” (rewrite if possible).
Use ampersands in initialisms (abbreviations where the letters are pronounced individually): R&D.
Use ampersands in trademarked or product names: AT&T, H&R Block.
Apostrophe ( ’ )
Use an apostrophe to form a contraction: don’t, you’re.
Use to show possession: Mary’s car, five years’ time.
Use to indicate missing characters: ’80s music, a ’57 Chevy. Note that in this usage, the apostrophe must face the same direction as it does in a contraction. (Many word-processing programs will treat an apostrophe at the beginning of a word as an open or right-facing single quotation mark.)
To type a right-facing apostrophe on a Mac, press opt + shift + [ } ]. In Windows, hold alt and type 2019.
To type a left-facing apostrophe on a Mac, press opt + [ } ]. In Windows, hold alt and type 2018.
Don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name: keep up with the Joneses, not: keep up with the Jones’.
Do not use straight apostrophes (') unless referring to the foot symbol.
Brackets ( [ ] )
Use brackets to clarify a direct quotation and avoid reader confusion. Ensure that you don’t change the meaning of the quotation. (Avoid if possible.)
When expressing a parenthetical thought or displaying a term’s acronym within parentheses, brackets function as parentheses within parentheses. (Avoid if possible.)
Colon ( : )
Use a colon to introduce a list of items.
Use a colon to separate two clauses (of which the second expands or illustrates the first).
Use to indicate proportion between two numbers: a ratio of 10:1.
Use to separate hours from minutes in numerical times of day: 4:30 p.m.
In a sentence, lowercase after the colon unless it is followed by two or more complete sentences.
There is one food I really love: pizza.
Pizza is the best food ever: You can share it with friends. You can also eat it for breakfast.
In a title or heading, capitalize the word after the colon.
Comma ( , )
Use a serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma) when listing three or more items. Correct: A notorious gambler, Charlie Sheen owed money to his ex-wives, Billy Bob Thornton, and Hugh Grant. Incorrect: A notorious gambler, Charlie Sheen owed money to his ex-wives, Billy Bob Thornton and Hugh Grant.
Use a comma when addressing someone directly: Karen, please help.
Use a comma after i.e., and e.g., as well as before such as when what follows isn’t restricted to the meaning of the sentence.
Commas go after parentheses. TV show episodes (series are in italics), webinars and webcast titles, and articles are set in quotation marks.
Use a comma after an introductory phrase (usually a prepositional phrase): Usually, there are too many cooks.
Adding states, country names, or academic degrees after city or state/names is considered parenthetical. Paris, France, is the best. Qamar Hussein, MD, is speaking today.
Use a comma before a conjunction to join independent clauses of a compound sentence. She tried to finish the steak, but it was too much food.
Use a comma to avoid confusion (rewrite if possible): first, second-place winners will eat.
Use a comma to separate thousands (three digits) in numbers: 5,555.
Use commas to offset a parenthetical or nonessential clause: Apple’s mobile phone, the iPhone, is large.
When listing items that contain commas, use semicolons to separate the listed items. | See semicolon.
Use the copyright symbol to denote copyright ownership for works other than sound recordings.
To create a copyright symbol on a Mac, press opt + [ g ]. In Windows, hold alt and type 0169.
When a copyright symbol is needed in plain-text format, use a lowercase “c” in parentheses:(c) 2016 RingCentral.
Currency symbols ( $, £, € )
Canadian dollar ($): Use with numerals: $100. If “CAD” is needed for clarity, use in parentheses: $100 (CAD).
European currency (€): Use with numerals and without “EUR”: €100, not: €100 EUR.
Great Britain pound (£): Use with numerals and without “GBP”: £100, not: £100 GBP.
US dollar ($): Use with numerals: $100. If “USD” is needed for clarity, use in parentheses: $100 (USD).
Em dash ( — )
Use an em dash to indicate an abrupt change in thought, offset a parenthetical clause, or list examples.
Limit em dash use. Consider using semicolons, colons, or commas instead.
Don’t capitalize the first word after an em dash unless it’s a proper noun.
Don’t use spaces before or after an em dash.
When possible, avoid using an em dash near a hyphenated term or en dash.
To type an em dash on a Mac, press opt + shift + [ - ] (hyphen key). In Windows, hold alt and type 0151.
To type an em dash on an iOS or Android device, press and hold [ - ], and then select [ — ] (the longest dash).
Use 2 dashes in plain text. When an em dash is needed in plain-text format, use 2 hyphens: great features--voice, fax, text.
En dash ( – )
The en dash indicates a span of time or distance (through or to).
The en dash can also be used in place of a hyphen in a compound adjective when one of its elements consists of an open compound or when both elements consist of hyphenated compounds: San Francisco–style pizza.
Don’t use spaces around the en dash.
Don’t precede with “from.” The party went from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Not The party went from 1 p.m.–6 p.m.
To create an en dash on a Mac, press opt + [ - ] (hyphen key). In Windows, hold alt and type 0150.
When an en dash is needed in plain-text format, use 1 hyphen: 8:00-5:00 PT.
Ellipsis ( … )
An ellipsis indicates omitted words in a direct quote—not a thought that’s trailing off.
Don’t capitalize the first word after an ellipsis (unless it’s a proper noun).
Don’t begin a sentence with an ellipsis.
Don’t use spaces before an ellipsis. Use one space after.
If ending a complete sentence with an ellipsis, no period is needed.
To create an ellipsis on a Mac, press opt + [ ; ]. In Windows, hold alt and type 0133.
An ellipsis is one character, not three periods. However, if an ellipsis is needed in plain-text format, use three periods: Four score and seven years... a new nation.
Exclamation point ( ! )
Use very sparingly.
If using an exclamation point, use only one. Never use more (and don’t combine with other punctuation).
Do not use in email titles (will trigger spam filters).
Hyphen ( - )
Use a hyphen for compound adjectives: on-premises PBX, age-appropriate movie.
Use a hyphen to break multisyllabic words onto another line. Avoid breaking up words on separate lines.
Use when expressing a whole number with a fraction: 1-1/2.
Don’t hyphenate proper nouns, especially “RingCentral.”
Most adverbial phrases don’t need hyphens. Never use them after adverbs ending in -ly, e.g., constantly evolving newspaper, genetically modified food.
For adverbs that do not end in -ly, use hyphens only when there would be a possibility of ambiguity without one, e.g., an ill-prepared speech.
More detailed hyphenation rules can be found at chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/images/ch07_tab01.pdf
Parentheses ( ( ) )
Use parentheses to indicate a parenthetical thought or show a proper noun’s acronym: bring your own device (BYOD).
Question mark ( ? )
Use a question mark at the end of a question or interrogatory phrase: Shall we eat now?
Don’t use for an indirect or rhetorical question: The Baha Men want to know who let the dogs out. Who can blame them!
Never use more than one question mark (and don’t combine with other punctuation).
Quotation marks ( “” )
Quotation marks are used only when quoting something or someone directly. Never use quotation marks for emphasis.
Periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks in American English, outside the quotation marks in British.
Dashes, semicolons, and exclamation and question marks are placed inside quotation marks if they apply to the quoted matter or outside if they apply to the whole sentence.
When describing what a user will see on-screen, put the punctuation outside the quotes, unless the punctuation is part of the quoted item: it just shows “ERROR 8675309”.
Always use double quotation marks, with just one exception—when there is a quote within a quote.
Quotation marks are used for titles of individual pieces of larger works. Use quotation marks when citing the names of articles, book chapters, webinars, webcasts, TV show/video episodes (series are in italics), acts of a play, and songs. | See italic type.
Do not use straight quotes (") unless referring to the inch symbol.
Registered trademark symbol ( ® )
Unless specifically instructed otherwise, use this symbol on first mention only.
Always apply superscript formatting to this symbol: RingCentral®, not: RingCentral®.
To create a registered trademark symbol on a Mac, press opt + [ r ]. In Windows, hold alt and type 0174.
When a registered trademark symbol is needed in plain-text format, use a lowercase “r” in parentheses: RingCentral MVP(r).
Don’t include trademark symbols in quotes. “I love RingCentral MVP.”
Semicolon ( ; )
Use a semicolon to join independent clauses without a conjunction. An em dash may also be used, but semicolons are preferred: The admins made changes; the users benefitted.
When listing items that contain commas, use semicolons to separate the listed items: She has lived in Minneapolis, MN; Phoenix, AZ; Oakland, CA; and San Francisco.
Service mark symbol ( SM )
Unless specifically instructed otherwise, use this symbol on first mention only.
To insert a service mark symbol, either choose superscript then type SM, or go to Insert > Symbol > Symbol Browser and choose SM.
When a service mark symbol is needed in plain-text format use a lowercase “sm” in parentheses: App Store(sm).
Slash mark ( / )
No spaces on either side.
Trademark symbol ( ™ )
Unless specifically instructed otherwise, use this symbol on first mention only.
To create a trademark symbol on a Mac, press opt + [ 2 ]. In Windows, hold alt and type 0153.
When a trademark symbol is needed in plain-text format, use a lowercase “tm” in parentheses: RingCentral Messaging(tm).
Don’t include trademark symbols in quotes. “I love RingCentral MVP.”