15 factor This word is often misused. It should be used to indicate an ingredient or an aspect of a subject. • Exercise is an important factor in maintaining good health. It should not be used to modify a noun. • NOT We must consider the personal safety factor. • BUT We must consider personal safety. faculty Use this word only if you’re referring to the singular, collective body of teachers at a school. Staff and other collective nouns follow the same rules as faculty. • The students are high achievers, and the faculty is known for excellent teaching. When you’re referring to individual teachers (singly or in a group), use the more personal faculty member or faculty members. • She is the faculty member most popular with students. • Students and faculty and staff members are part of the NSU community. • Students and faculty members served on the committee. Singular: faculty—one group entity faculty member—one person Plural: faculties—more than one faculty faculty members—more than one person Note: The phrase student/faculty ratio is incorrect; most colleges have only one faculty, regardless of the number of students. Use student/professor ratio or student/teacher ratio instead. See also collective nouns. See also ratio. farther, further Farther denotes physical distance; further denotes an extension of time or degree. We must not go any farther into the woods until we have further considered our strategy. fax (adj., noun, verb) This word, which is short for facsimile, is not an acronym; it should not be written in all caps. See also phone numbers. federal No initial cap unless the word is part of a proper name. • The federal guidelines are very clear. • We sent the package via Federal Express. • The U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates. fewer See less. first, firstly When you’re conveying information in order of importance, and you want to alert your reader to this strategy, use first, second, third—NOT firstly, secondly, thirdly. first-class (adj.), first class (adv., noun) • We stayed in a first-class hotel. • He pronounced the accommodations first class. first-come, first-served (adj.) NOT first-come first serve firsthand (adj.) One word, no hyphen first-year student This phrase applies to students pursuing an initial year of study in NSU’s graduate programs. For a first-year undergraduate, use the term freshman. See also freshman. foregone, forgo Foregone means to have gone before. To forgo means to abstain from. That she would forgo roast beef when she became a vegetarian was a foregone conclusion. foreign words If you’re using words that have been assimilated into the English language and appear in the main section of the dictionary, skip the diacritical marks. Examples: cafe, cliche See also accents, diacritical marks, résumé. F
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