Dates

write dates in dd month yyyy format

use a dash rather than an oblique (slash) for financial years

A longer dash is also used to connect extra information in a sentence (called an en-dash). It can also be used to introduce an extra idea in a sentence.

For example:

The manual – updated monthly – is available on our website.

Microsoft Word automatically converts a dash to an en-dash in the above contexts, or it can be done manually by double pressing the minus key.

A hyphen is used in compound expressions to avoid ambiguity or misreading, connecting adjectival words that are bound together (descriptors).

For example: up-to-date design high-quality teaching 47-year-old worker day-to-day event face-to-face contact high-risk claims end-of-year reconciliation sign-off procedure close-out clause long-term solution world-class education whole-school approach 12-year journey.

The phrase ’50-odd students’ refers to approximately 50 students, not 50 students who were strange. Similar examples are man-eating crocodile or littleused car.

Hyphens are also used to connect prefixes (such as pre-, post-, ex-, self-, non-)

For example: pre-term post-operative self-evident ex-partner.

Do not use a hyphen: with ‘ly’ words, which are usually adverbs eg publicly available, financially sound, socially inept when a descriptor is turned into a noun eg the issue was low risk for words such as ‘preschool’ or ‘childcare’ where our style is to write it as one word rather than ‘pre-school’ or ‘child-care centre’.

Dates are written like this:

30 June 2014 (dd month yyyy) Tuesday 30 June 2016 Not: 30th of June 2016 OR June 30th 2016.

When writing a financial year date, use a dash rather than an oblique (slash).

For example: 2018-19 not 2018/19 (do not use an oblique or forward slash).