U

undergraduate (noun, adj.)

Avoid using the slang "undergrad."

under way

Two words.

unique

This word means "having no like or equal." Logically, a thing cannot therefore be more unique, most unique, or very unique. Try substituting another word: novel, exceptional, remarkable, rare, inimitable, peerless, incomparable, uncommon, unusual.

United States | US versus U.S.

CMS recommends no periods. AP style recommends periods.

Used as an adjective but not as a noun for "United States." When you need a noun, either write out "United States" or use "the nation." Avoid using the abbreviation "USA" or the word "America."

-up (suffix)

Follow Webster's; hyphenate if the word is not listed.

Sample nouns/adjectives: breakup, checkup, cleanup, closeup, follow-up, grown-up, layup, makeup, mix-up, mock-up, pileup, runners-up, setup
BUT when any of these occurs as a verb, write it as two words.

upperclass

URL addresses

URL stands for uniform resource locator, the web address used to access sites on the Internet. Do not apply special styles to URLs such as bold or italic typefaces. Do not underline.

You may shorten web address listings in various ways but always test the functionality of the abbreviated version before sharing it in print, online, or email formats. You can usually eliminate the "http://" and, often but not always, drop the "www" at the beginning of the web address.

Include a period if a URL comes at the end of a sentence, but do not hyphenate if it is broken at the end of a line. When a URL must be broken over a line, CMS recommends breaking before rather than after a slash.

The web address for Emory University's Center for Women is womenscenter.emory.edu.
The web address for Emory Healthcare is emoryhealthcare.org.

> See also: computer terms