The premier source for journalists, now revised and updated for 2015. Does the White House tweet? Or does the White House post on Twitter? Can "text" be a verb and also a noun? When should you link? For anyone who writes--short stories or business plans, book reports or news articles--knotty choices of spelling, grammar, punctuation and meaning lurk in every line: Lay or lie ? Who or whom ? That or which ? Is Band-Aid still a trademark?  It's enough to send you in search of a Martini . (Or is that a martini ?) Now everyone can find answers to these and thousands of other questions in the handy alphabetical guide used by the writers and editors of the world's most authoritative news organization. The guidelines to hyphenation, punctuation, capitalization and spelling are crisp and compact, created for instant reference in the rush of daily deadlines. The 2015 edition is a revised and condensed version of the classic guide, updated with solutions to problems that plague writers in the Internet age: · How to cite links and blogs · How to handle tweets, hashtags and other social-media content · How to use current terms like “transgender,” or to choose thoughtfully between "same-sex   marriage" and "gay marriage" With wry wit, the authors have created an essential and entertaining reference tool.   ALLAN M. SIEGAL and WILLIAM G. CONNOLLY both joined The Times in the 1960s and served for decades in a variety of top editing roles. Since their retirement, a team of current Times editors has overhauled the style guide for today’s readers and writers. A a, an, the. Use the article a before a word beginning with a consonant sound, including the aspirate h: a car; a hotel; a historical. Also use it before words like union, euphonious and unit. Use an before a word beginning with a vowel sound: onion; uncle; honor. The choice of article before an abbreviation, a numeral or a symbol depends upon the likely pronunciation: an N.Y.U. student; a C.I.A. officer; an 11-year-old girl. Avoid the journalese practice of dropping A or The at the beginning of a sentence. If several consecutive sentences or paragraphs begin with the same article, recast some to break the monotony. An article should appear before each parallel noun in a series or a pair: The ambulance carried a nurse, a paramedic and a doctor; The hero and the heroine received medals. Make an exception if the nouns convey a single idea: a bow and arrow; a hook and eye. In the title of a literary, artistic or musical work—in English or a foreign language—omit the opening word a, an or the when it follows another article: an “Old Curiosity Shop” character. If the opening article in a title is necessary information, rephrase the surrounding sentence to avoid direct juxtaposition with a second article. If a foreign-language expression begins with an article and appears in an English-language passage, translate the article: at the Arc de Triomphe. But if the article forms part of a title, uppercase it, untranslated: Le Monde; La Scala. Also see the. A.A. for Alcoholics Anonymous. AAA (without periods). The former American Automobile Association has adopted the initials as its full official name. A.&P. for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, the supermarket chain. In a headline, insert a thin space after the ampersand, to balance the appearance of the preceding period. AARP, an association of middle-aged and older Americans, was the American Association of Retired Persons until 1999. The newer name, written without periods, is officially considered neither an abbreviation nor an acronym. A.B. or B.A. for Bachelor of Arts. Also: a bachelor’s degree. A.B.A. for the American Bankers Association, the American Bar Association or the American Booksellers Association. In headlines, abbreviate only when the context is unmistakable. abbreviations. Commonly used abbreviations are listed separately. In general, spell out the names of government bureaus and agencies, well-known organizations, companies, etc., on first reference. In later references, use short forms like the agency or the company when possible because handfuls of initials make for mottled typography and choppy prose. Here is an example of what not to do: The U.A.W. and the U.M.W. supported the complaints made by the W.H.O., Unicef and the F.A.O., but A.F.L.-C.I.O. leaders did not. When abbreviations are highly familiar, though, long or cumbersome expressions may be shortened even on first reference, and especially afterward. Examples include A.F.L.-C.I.O., C.I.A. and F.B.I. If the article deals centrally with such an organization, the full name should appear somewhere in the copy. Abbreviations may be used more freely in headlines. A title that would be spelled out in copy may be shortened with a surname in a headline: Gen. Barany; Gov. Lamb; Rep. Berenich (but not Sen., even in a headline). Place designations and company terms may also be abbreviated in headlines: