B

baccalaureate

Although Webster’s lists this word as a noun, it is more accurately used as an adjective to describe a bachelor’s degree or a service in which one is conferred.

backyard

One word.

based on

The safest place for this much-abused phrase is after a “to be” verb:

Our decision to reprint the admission brochure was based on last year’s increase in enrollment.

Don’t let this modifier dangle at the beginning of a sentence. Here's the test: At the beginning of a sentence, if you can substitute because of or given, do so.

Because of last year’s increase in enrollment, we decided to reprint the admission brochure.
NOT Based on this year’s increase in enrollment, we decided to reprint the admission brochure.

Note: Avoid using based upon; it is unwarranted. Do not use based off of; it is slang.

> See also: dangling modifiers | due to

because

Don’t use as a substitute for that.

The reason I left the focus group was that I felt sick.
OR I left the focus group because I felt sick.
NOT The reason I left the focus group was because I felt sick.

Beginning a sentence with because is correct as long as you are not unintentionally creating a fragment.

Because I wanted to have a glowing complexion, I vowed to drink eight glasses of water each day.
NOT Because I said so.

Note: Owing to means because of and comes at the beginning of a sentence. Due to means caused by.

Owing to the bad weather, the game was canceled.
Due to heavy rain, the dugout was flooded.

> See also: reason . . . is that | since

Bible, biblical

The noun takes an initial cap but no italics or underline; lowercase a preceding the unless it begins a sentence.

She read a verse from the Bible.
The Bible sat on the table for years.

Lowercase the adjectival form.

The biblical passage brought him to tears.

Black

Capitalize when referring to persons in a racial, ethnic, or cultural sense.

Board of Trustees

Capitalize when using the full name of Emory's board:

She was elected chair of the Board of Trustees at its November meeting.

The Emory board meets four times a year.

both to and to both

Correlative constructions such as both . . . and, either . . . or, and not only . . . but also should connect parallel sentence elements:

The new building code applies both to factories and to single-family dwellings.
The new building code applies to both factories and single-family dwellings.
Faulty: The new building code applies to both factories and to single-family dwellings.

businesses

> See also: names of businesses

businessman/men

The words business person and business people are preferred.

> See also: chair, sexism