Handbook and Postal Service

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Handbook

Postal Service

State Names and Abbreviations

Daily Writing Tips

OCTOBER 1, 2013

However, when giving an address, or in tables or other uses in which space is limited, use the US Postal Service’s symbol system, which consists of a two-letter abbreviation in which both letters are always capitalized and no periods are used (for example, NY for “New York”). How should you treat references to states? The form depends on which style guide you adhere to and why the state is being referenced. Details about how to refer to states follow.

2013

2013 Postal Service Forms

Exceptions in the Rules of Hyphenation

Daily Writing Tips

DECEMBER 12, 2011

By contrast, the US Postal Service, on its Web site, correctly styles the term nonprofit — but the Internal Revenue Service employs the hyphen, as do many such organizations.) So, why do descriptivist and prescriptivist handbooks alike exhort readers to close the gap, when so many people who use the English language to communicate in writing ignore or are ignorant of the authorities’ citations?

2011

2011 Postal Service Forms International

Assistant Edge

State Names and Abbreviations

Exceptions in the Rules of Hyphenation

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