S                                                                                     

safe and sane fireworks

Saigon -- use Ho Chi Minh City

Saint/St. - As per AP stylebook, it's always St. (regardless of how the church, hospital, whatever, spells it) Specifically: St. John's Hospital and Health Center, Santa Monica; Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Wilmington

SCROC—No longer used. It's SoCal ROC for Southern California Regional Occupational Center

skate park (two words) UNLESS the formal name of the facility has it as one word

  Staples Center (not The Staples Center)

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church in Los Angeles (named for a nun, so it's Frances, not Francis).

St. Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church (singular possessive)

St. Monica's Catholic Church (not St. Monica)

St. Patrick's Day Run for the Blind - do NOT call it the Mobil 10k or the Mobil St. Patrick's Day Run (per Jean 3/97)

Samohi (pig Latin for Santa Monica High School) - Do not use newsside under any circumstances (sports gets away with it ... for now)

San Fernando Valley - It's OK to use "the Valley" as long as it's clear you're referring to the San Fernando

Valley. In a headline you can say "Valley" or "the Valley."

San Francisco - When you need to refer to the entire region surrounding San Francisco and including

Oakland, San Mateo, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose, etc., use Bay Area )

San Gabriel Valley - do not use "the Valley" or "the valley" on first reference as it might be confused with the San Fernando Valley; can use "the valley" on second reference if there's no chance of confusion (do not use "the Valley" on second reference as that is reserved for the San Fernando Valley eff. 7/97)

Santa Monica/neighborhoods - Pico Neighborhood (by Kerry Webster 10/92) Sunset Park

Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (note apostrophe)

Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran - former L.A. County coroner. It's Sathyavagiswaran on second reference (AP announced 6/13 it will honor his request to be called Lakshmanan on second reference but we - and the New York Times -stuck with the S word (6/14/95)

savings bond

U.S. Savings Bond

Series EE savings bond

savings bond

scam - Hal Fuson, Copley's attorney and libel expert, advised us not to use the word "scam" in stories, heds, teasers, captions when talking about specific cases. (Unless it has been so adjudicated in court -- it strongly implies legal guilt.) . It’s OK in a generic sense: such as “Internet scams cost billions each year.”.

schools

Saint Monica High School (drop the 's; eff. 10/92)

Schwarzenegger – preferred way to break this over two lines is after the z:

scrapyard (one word)

SEAL (U.S. Navy)

sell-off

Sept. 11, Sept. 11, 2001, 9-11 are all acceptable if context is clear

seniors - use plural in adjectival form (panel rejects SP seniors project; NOT panel rejects SP senior project) avoid use of word elderly when writing about an individual; acceptable in reference to the population group.

serial killers - please put nicknames in quotation marks ("Night Stalker," "Son of Sam," etc.) as these are somewhat manipulative and sometimes-sensationalistic monikers and should be presented as such.

Shah - Mohammad Zahir Shah (Zahir Shah on 2nd reference). Former king of Afghanistan

Sharks Cove – no apostrophe in Hermosa’s bar name, owner says

sheriff (also see job titles) - It's uppercase in two instances: in front of Lee Baca's name and in Sheriff's Department. It's lowercase when saying Lennox sheriff's station, sheriff's task force, etc. Don’t call deputies “sheriffs,” as in “Fifty sheriffs (showed up at the Breeze party.”

shopping (see entry in Business style on grocery stores)

Carson Town Center

Hawthorne Plaza --

South Bay Galleria (formerly The Galleria at South Bay)

Manhattan Village mall (note "mall" is not part of proper name)

Promenade on the Peninsula (formerly The Avenue of the Peninsula, formerly The Shops at Palos Verdes)

Third Street Promenade (not Third Street Mall or Santa Monica Mall; use "the promenade" on second reference)

Santa Monica Place

SouthBay Pavilion (formerly Carson Mall)--apparently capped on the B 9/08

Sierra Nevada - It's the Sierra Nevada or the Sierra. Do NOT use plural form (Sierra Nevadas or Sierras). "Sierra" means a range of hills or mountains, already the plural form, in espanol.

SigAlert - A SigAlert is a traffic incident that blocks two or more lanes for two or more hours, according to Caltrans spokesman Russ Snyder (in a 10/21/95 "Ask Us"). Los Angeles Police Department officers coined the nickname after Loyd Sigmon, a radio reporter for KMPC radio. In 1955, Sigmon worked with the LAPD to create an early warning system on traffic accidents and tieups. After a time, department members referred to the calls they made to Sigmon as SigAlerts.

signups

Simpson, Nicole Brown - murdered June 12, 1994; please use Ms. Simpson on second reference (in stories where O.J. Simpson is also mentioned)

sing-along

Singleton, William Dean

-size/-sized AP says both are acceptable, but AP prefers “-size” for the combining term (as in lifesize)

Skid Row - (when referring to a specific geographical area, not when figuratively referring to someone down on his/her luck)

Skinhead - member of the youth neo-Nazi, racist movement

Sleepy Hollow neighborhood of Torrance

Smithsonian Institution (not Institute)

so-called if you use the term, don't use quotes on the words it describes, as in so-called "lawyer."

Social Security Administration (SSA on second reference)

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA on second reference)

-something - use 1-word construction: twentysomething, thirtysomething, etc.

song titles (see composition titles)

Soroptimist International

sound bites

soundwall

South-Central Los Angeles (South-Central on 2nd reference as L.A. is implied) (but South Los Angeles). South Los Angeles is generally the area south of downtown; South-Central a more limited area along Central Avenue that includes such areas as Watts. The difference between South Los Angeles and South-Central is not well-defined. Despite efforts to drop the South-Central name, if it's in South-Central, we're continuing to use that name.

South Coast Botanic Garden (name is singular). Address is Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Southern California Gas. Co. (Southern California Gas, The Gas Co. acceptable in subsequent references)

south Los Angeles

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA acceptable on ensuing references) - If you're quoting or referring to the Los Angeles chapter: Please use Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (there are others in the metropolitan area)

special circumstances/special allegations - These are NOT interchangeable terms. Here's the difference: Special circumstance allegations, frequently called "special circumstances," are alleged in murder cases that involved more than one crime (e.g. murder in the commission of a robbery, or multiple murder), and if found to be true can lead to the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Special allegations added to charges range from personal use of a firearm, for instance, or infliction of great bodily injury. If found true, they add extra time, but not death or life without parole.

special-education program/reform/student/etc. - use the hyphen as it's a compound modifyer and a floating "special" could alter the meaning (ie is it a special effort at reform or reform of special education)

Note: with proper names, respect the group's preference as in Willenberg Special Education Center (in San Pedro) which does not use a hyphen.

speedskater

Spider-Man

Standard & Poor's ratings (see BUSINESS entry)

stand-up comic

Staples Center (usually without the “The”)

State of the Union address

states (see addresses)

stealth bomber, B-2 stealth bomber (lowercase as formal name has not yet been selected)

stem cell research (not stem-cell research)

Stock quotations: Use decimals and dollar signs, rather than fractions. eg., $10.125 rather than 10 1/8. Both NYTimes and Wall St. Journal use this style; AP occasionally uses a hybrid that we should avoid: $10.12½ . (5/20/97, SRT)

stormwaters (since rainwater and floodwater are one word)

Story line

strew, strewed, strewn (avoid the variant strewed)

The Strand - "The" and "Strand" are uppercase as they refer to a designated beachfront walkway stretching through Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.

Top 10 list (unless it's a formal name)

streetlight (per Webster’s Fourth)

strip-search (n. and v. - as per Webster's Third)

Styrofoam cups – Dow Chemical says it does not make Styrofoam cups. Try foam cups or something like that.

subprime

suicide, apparent (see apparent suicide)

sulfur (not sulphur)

Supermarkets (see entry in the separate Business file)

Super Tuesday (upper case, no quotation marks)

SuperScooper - As of 1996, L.A. County was leasing two Canadair CL-215T SuperScoopers. The distinctive yellow planes are designed to skim the surface of the ocean or lakes, scooping up 1,410 gallons of water in 10-12 seconds for water-bombing runs on blazes. To fill the SuperScooper, a pilot needs a body of water at least 2,000 feet long, 300 feet wide and 6 feet deep. (from AP 7/3/96 and 10/11/94)

Sybil Brand Institute for Women (not Cybil -- county's jail for women in downtown L.A.)

Sump - a pit for draining, collecting, or storing liquids; cistern, reservoir. Term is common in Southern California but an explanation would be helpful for non-natives.

superstar/superstardom

SUV - SUV is OK on first reference if the context is clear.

Swearing - It most often occurs in quotes, and context is everything. Is it absolutely essential to the story? What audience is likely to see it. If not vital to the story, consider ellipses or killing the quote outright. "Joe Jones is a ... nitwit." If keeping something like God damn is essential, make it goddamn. Best thing to do: check with a supervisor. Phillip or Toni can be called late at home if essential.

T                                                                                     

Talib - one person who is a member of the Taliban. For instance, John Walker Lindh is a Talib. He can also be referred to as an American Taliban soldier, etc.

Taliban – (update) although the words means students, common usage nows has it taking a singular verb: Taliban releases hostages.

talk show/talk-show host

Taser gun or Taser stun gun

taps seems to be the preferred form for the bugle call. No cap, no quotes. It’s not the formal name of a piece of music.

Taxiway 45 - think of taxiway as "street" which we capitalize when we use the full name; 45 is the taxiway's proper name.

Teamsters - Capitalize when referring to a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (which negotiates for several types of work, not just truck drivers), which is the vast majority of usage. If a subject describes his or her occupation as a "teamster" (and if they are a truck driver not an employee of the union) it's lowercase.

tee ball (But there's an organization called Tee Ball Baseball)

tee-ball game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (not Teen-age)

Teenager IDs – our informal policy in identifying teenagers through high school in the news sections allows them to be identified by first name on secondary references IF the story takes a featury approach. Stick to last names if it’s a hard-news story (a crime, for example).

telephone (phone is acceptable on all references but is not mandatory); also see phone

teleprompter

television show titles (see composition titles)

television stations - Example: in news stories, KCBS Channel 2, KTTV Channel 11, etc.; just Channel 2 or Channel 11 is acceptable on TV page. Please don't use CBS2, NBC4, Fox 11 etc.

Terminal 1 (at the airport, for example)

the/the - We will capitalize "The" if it is part of the proper name of a company, development, newspaper or other entity. Examples: The Daily Blat (see Newspapers for specific newspaper names), The Avenue of the Peninsula, The Arbors (residential development), The Body Shop Intl.

theater/theatre - in proper nouns ONLY, keep the spelling as is. Do not automatically change Theatre to Theater as AP so woefully dictated until we, the oppressed, overthrew them (ps 1992 AP stylebook has stopped this foolishness). See individual theater listings, such as James Armstrong Theatre.

thirtysomething

three strikes - Shortened in all references from "three strikes, you're out" in 8/96 due to public's familiarity with the concept. Shortened version reflects the language the public now uses. Quote marks around the term are dropped as of 10/02, unless required by context. Do not use numeral (ie "3 strikes..") in body or caption type; it's acceptable in headlines, however.

And, in probably 90 percent of the usages it'll be used as a compound modifier so it needs a hypen. Examples: three-strikes law, three-strikes case, etc. (hyphen should also be used if appropriate, in the first reference).

Tiananmen Square

Ticketmaster

Tidepool

tildes, etc. In a compromise, copy desk will leave in these marks when reporters use them, but copy desk won't go out of its way to insert them on its own EXCEPT for words like the Spanish ano, which changes meanings in an unfortunate way without the tilde.

timeline (a change to reflect Webster's College Dictionary Fourth Edition)

timeout (to match Sports style)

time zones, labeling - Whenever a time appears in a story with a non-Pacific time zone dateline, please consider the need to label the time zone. Often it's helpful to translate it into PST to make it easier for our readers but sometimes it makes more sense to know, say, a bombing took place in a crowded plaza at lunch time in Cairo. Examples: A New York-datelined story reports an AOL blackout "began shortly after 2 p.m." Is that EST or PST? In this case, once the time zone's confirmed, it would have been better to translate into PST. The way it appears, however, readers haven't a clue.

titles (see individual entries including: boat titles, courtesy titles, city councils/city & county departments, job titles). For publications, see composition titles.

toll-free calls (800 or 888 prefix, see phone entry)

Toxic is an adjective -- NOT a noun -- meaning poisonous

Toxicant is the noun form of toxic

Ideally, toxin IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE with toxicant, toxin refers strictly to ORGANIC poisons (those found in plants and animals, such as bacteria and snake venom). IN PRACTICALITY, almost no one uses toxicant.

touch-screen voting (until the dictionary morphs it)

Town house, town home

Toys R Us (per 2008 AP style guide)

Trademark Hotline 212-986-5880 (btwn 11 am & 2 pm Pacific Time) - Offered by U.S. Trademark Association, NY, NY

Transportation Security Administration (TSA on second reference)

Tree section - A Manhattan Beach neighborhood. The "T" is indeed capped.

Trick or treat - Trick-or-treating

trooper/trouper (as in "What a t-----") - We're going with the theatrical derivation, ie trouper; do not use the military spelling in this context

Trump National Golf Club

21-gun salute – mostly for presidents and heads of states. For military funerals, more likely is rifle salute (experts argue that “guns” would refer to cannon). Some suggest 21-volley salute as an alternative.

24/7 (Though don't overuse it)

U                                                                                    

UCLA at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center. The Hammer Museum or UCLA Hammer Museum are OK on second reference

Unabom/Unabomber - should we revise this and give up? To spare reader confusion about why there's no b on the end, it's best to avoid using "Unabom" if you can easily substitute "Unabomber suspect" or

"Unabomber case." By way of background, William Safire wrote in a column (6/96) "UNA stood for universities and airlines," the targets of the bomber, and "BOM stood for bomb. Nobody at the (FBI) is willing to take responsibility for dropping the second b." Reporters picked up the FBI usage and wrote of "the Unabom" case.

So, if you must use "Unabom," insert an explainer, such as "the FBI code name for the case" or "the code-named Unabom Task Force," etc. Please try to never use "Unabom" in the headline as there's no room to explain why it's misspelled. (4/96)

under way - Use as two words in virtually all circumstances (the meeting is under way; naval maneuvers are under way)

union members (see individual entries for Teamsters, longshoremen, machinists)

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR on first or second reference)

UNITE HERE – or so it seems for now

United States Geological Survey (USGS on second reference)

United We Stand America (no longer a comma after Stand as of 4/93) Ross Perot's campaign supporters' organization which he changed into a political watchdog group Jan. 11, 1993

Universal CityWalk - a shopping and restaurant attraction at Universal Studios

U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Attorney

utility-users' tax

V                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Valentine's ...

Correct: I like Valentine's Day candy; I like Valentine's candy

Incorrect: I like Valentine candy.

Correct: Will you be my valentine?

Incorrect: Will you be my Valentine?

Valley, the (see Los Angeles County regions/neighborhoods entry)

Van pool (n.); van-pool project/plan/etc. (adj.)

Vanderpool, Vernon Thomas (please use all three names and do not use "Tom" as middle name)

PVE police officer slain by David Joseph Fukuto in Torrance Holiday Inn on Feb. 14, 1994

Venice boardwalk - keep boardwalk lowercase; it's more a state of mind than an actual place. The formal boardwalk was torn down years ago and there's no actual street or walk with that name

Venice Canals

Venice Pavilion (one l)

versus/vs.: follow AP, which now prefers versus, although guns vs. butter as an expression is

OK. In court cases, however: Jones v. Smith

Veterans Affairs (formerly Veterans Administration -- no apostrophe)

Veterans Park - No apostrophe for parks of this name in Carson, Redondo Beach and Lomita.

vetoes (n.); vetoes (v.)

videocassette recorder - By now (1/03), VCR is acceptable but not mandatory on first reference as long as the context is clear. If not, spell it out

video display terminal (VDT)

videotape

video titles: use quotation marks as for movie titles

voice mail (n.); voice-mail (adj.)

Vons (no apostrophe)