Words and how we use them here at ACF. If you don't see a term listed here, please defer to and use AP style. If you have a suggestion of terms that should be added to this list, please contact ACF Digital Communications.
Acting
AP style doesn't capitalize "acting" when it is part of a job title. However, Acting is a term of law when applied to a person holding an HHS position because an acting holder of a position can have different levels of responsibility than a permanent appointee. Therefore, "acting" should be treated as a part of the formal title — capitalized when appearing before the name and lowercase when appearing after.
- Former Acting Assistant Secretary Mark Greenberg
- Mark Greenberg, former acting assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families
Agency names and use of the word “the"
Use “the” before the agency name if the agency commonly is known by that usage, either in full or the acronym.
the Office of the Inspector General
the FDA
Child, children
Child has a specific meaning in many ACF programs, and can imply age or situation — a child, a baby, or an infant. Children and kids are not necessarily interchangeable. "Kid" or "kids" can be seen as being less formal, and can imply that their issues are not as important.
Refer to your program to choose the most appropriate term.
Data
Data refers both to the singular and plural.
The data in the report is clear.
However, some data are not clear.
Flu/Influenza
See the HHS style guide .
It/They for Organizations, Institutions, or Companies
An organization, institution, or a company is is an “it” and a group of people is a “they.” A group of institutions is a plural, so is also “they.”
In terms of ACF grantees, it will depend on if you’re referring to one grantee (it) a group of grantee institutions (they) or a group of people from one institution (they)
Examples:
- The American Red Cross receives a grant from ACF. It has decided to….
- Our grantees include the A organization, the B organization and the C organization. They all….
- Our grantees came together for a meeting. They discussed….
One occasional exception: If a group of groups has a name, it can also be referred to as a singular "it".
Companies A, B, and C, formed Company Supergroup. It has taken on.....
LGBT/LGBTQ/LGBTQI
LGBT: Generally LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) is used for adults.
LGBTQ: The Q (questioning) is added when referring to children and youth.
LGBTQI: Use LGBTQI (Intersex) when referring to intersex populations.
LGBT and Two-Spirited Community: Use LGBT and Two-Spirited Community when referring to Native American communities.
States
Use lowercase in when describing a location: the state of Maine, the states of Maine and Vermont.
Four states — Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia — are legally commonwealths rather than states. Make the distinction only in formal uses.
Tobacco is grown in the state of Kentucky.
The commonwealth of Kentucky filed a suit,
Do not capitalize state when used simply as an adjective to specify a level of jurisdiction.
state Rep. William Smith
the state Transportation Department
state funds
That or which
No commas are used with “that” clauses. A “which” clause is surrounded by commas. If you can drop the clause and not lose the meaning of the sentence, use “which”; otherwise, use “that.”
I remember the day that we met.
The team, which finished last a year ago, is in first place.
For information about the use of "that" and "which" in legal documents, visit the Kent Law site .
They
Though usually the pronoun should agree in number, it's becoming more common to use they as a gender-neutral or singular pronoun.
It is particularly useful as a replacement for he/she, which can be confusing and not plain language, and instead of defaulting to male pronouns (read more about Inclusive Language and Conscious Style).
Other alternatives could include using a title that is gender-neutral (the grantee, the applicant), an indefinite (someone, anyone), or directly addressing the reader (you).
Trademarks
A trademark is a brand, symbol, word, etc., used by a manufacturer or dealer and protected by law to prevent a competitor from using it. In general, use a generic equivalent unless the trademark name is essential to the story. When a trademark is used, capitalize it.
The stadium uses AstroTurf, and only serves Coke products. Other sodas are not allowed.
Tribe, Tribes, Indian tribes
As defined by HHS Tribal Consultation Policy, “’Indian tribe’ means an Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe.'"
After first mention, Indian tribe can be replaced with “Tribe” or “Tribes”, capitalized to denote the formal title.
Use Tribe or Tribes rather than Native, as these terms have a more specific legal definition.
Upward
Use “upward,” not “upwards.”
The birds flew upward.
U.S.
Per AP style, the abbreviation for United States is U.S., with periods.
A U.S. soldier
The U.S. Department of Agriculture...
The only exception is in headlines, when the periods can be dropped.
Victim
For Human Trafficking: When possible, use “individual who has experienced trafficking” instead of “victim” or “survivor.” In contexts discussing statutory responsibility or metrics, it may be appropriate to use “victim.” In contexts where an individual who has experienced trafficking refers to themselves as a survivor, it may be appropriate to use “survivor.” If the speaker is referring to their own experience, any option is appropriate.
website, webpage
Both "website" and "webpage" are one word — no dashes, no capital letters (unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence).
Ideally, these words would be used infrequently — "page" can be substituted, or if creating a link, can be avoided altogether.
The full set of guidance is available on the Policy page.
The Administration for Children and Families has more training.
Well-Being
The word well-being should be hyphenated. When using in a headline or header that is title case, the word should be written as Well-Being.