As an English teacher, I spend hours each month smacking my hand against my head as I see grammatical errors made in school publications and student work. Many of these errors are small and would be prevented with just a little more instruction or attention to detail.

Earlier this year, it was my privilege to attend a class conducted by Simon James Sharp, a textbook editor for Macmillan Publishing.  He claimed that professionals in the publishing industry face the same problems that English teachers face, inconsistent and erroneous writing.

Simon Sharp revealed that one small step publishers take to help this problem is to create an in-house editorial style guide. A style guide provides a quick reference for expectations concerning punctuation, grammar, and document formatting. Just as teachers might not comb through a grammar textbook each time they send parent correspondence, it is doubtful that professional authors and academics will look through a five-hundred page Chicago Manual of Style. However, both groups might look through a ten page quick reference sheet.

In order to help remedy the problem of erroneous writing in Christian schools, I’ve created a simple style guide that will help educators review stylistic expectations for professional writing.  Ideally, such a reference would be consulted when students complete work, teachers create assignments, and administrators send memos.  If the entire school is making a concerted effort to create consistent professional correspondence, it will inevitably filter down to increased student achievement in language arts.

Before going further, I should note what specifically makes this a Christian document. First, many of the rules contained in it are from the Grammar and Composition series, one of the most used textbook collections in Christian schools. Second, it contains sections on using spiritual language.

I’ve uploaded three versions of my hand-dandy little guide.I recommend downloading the PDF version unless you intend to make changes. Feel free to download the OpenOffice or Word formats and edit it before distributing it to your particular organization. It has a Creative Commons 3.0: Attribution, noncommercial, share-alike license; and I enjoy it when people use my material.

Style Guide for Christian Schools (PDF)

Style Guide for Christian Schools (OpenOffice Format)

Style Guide for Christian Schools (Office XP)

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