NASA Procedures and Guidelines
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NPR 1450.10C Eff. Date: March 06, 2000 Cancellation Date: March 24, 2006	NASA Correspondence Management and Communications Standards and Style
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APPENDIX F. Compound Words

1. For rules on compounding, the GSA U.S. Government Correspondence Manual (1992) recommends the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Style Manual (1984) in the preparation of governmental correspondence. Therefore, use the GPO Style Manual as the first reference for compounding words.

2. When a word cannot be found in the GPO Style Manual, use the dictionary as a second reference (the most recent edition of Webster's takes precedence over other dictionaries).

3. In applying the rules of compounding, keep in mind that word forms are constantly changing. Two-word forms often acquire the hyphen first, then later become one word. Current language trends point to closing up words which, through frequent use, have become associated in the reader's mind as units of thought.

4. Generally, whenever a word form (or applicable rule) cannot be found in the GPO Style Manual or dictionary, it should be two words.

5. The following represents the most commonly used compound words. The abbreviations indicate function: adv. (adverb), n. (noun), v., vt., vi. (verb), adj. (adjective), u.m. (unit modifier), and c.f. (combining form). Words followed by (GPO) can be found in the GPO Style Manual, Guide to Compounding, pages 82-116.

As stated in item 5 above, this listing is a representation of the most commonly used words at NASA. It is not intended to be an inclusive listing.

across-the-board (dic.-adj., adv.)

ad hoc (dic.-adj. & adv.) (...an ad hoc committee)

aero (GPO-as c.f., generally one word)

aerospace (n., adj.) (aerospace medicine), but National Aero-Space Plane (this term exception to rule)

Agencywide (capitalize when referring to NASA); but agencywide (general usage), (see Governmentwide in GPO)

African-American (Gregg, p. 190, 818.c-adj.) (...African-American customs)

African American (Gregg, p. 95, 348-n.)(Louise is African American.)

airfare (GPO, p. 82-n.)

airmail (GPO, p. 82-n., vt.) (Please airmail this letter.)

all hands ( The Associate Administrator has called for an all hands meeting on Monday.)

Anglo-American (dic.-n., adj.)

assemblyperson (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11-n.)

backscatter (GPO, p. 83)

backup (GPO, p. 83...n., u.m.) ( A backup pilot will accompany this mission.)

back up (dic. -v.) (Please back up your data on a diskette.)

baseline (GPO, p. 83)

benchmark (GPO nonliteral, p.74, rule 6.8 and p. 84)

bed rest (dic.-n.) (The doctor said he needed bed rest.)

bedrest (NASA preference) (adj.) (He volunteered for the bedrest project.)

biweekly (GPO, p. 77, rule 6.29)

bona fide (GPO, p. 77, rule 6.24...two words)

breakthrough(GPO, p. 85-n., u.m.)

broadminded (GPO, p. 85)

buildup (GPO, p. 85-n., u.m.) (There was a gradual buildup of that military base.)

build up (v.) (They are trying to build up their reputations.)

businessperson (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

buyout (Gregg p. 181, 803d) (Are you applying for the buyout?)

buy out (dic.-vt.) (We want to buy out your company.)

callup (GPO, p. 86- -n., u.m.)The callup for nominations was received yesterday.

call up (dic.-vt.) I can call up any subject on the computer.

cannot (GPO, p. 86)

carryout (GPO, p. 86- -n., u.m.) (Are you ordering carryout food tonight?)

carry out (dic.-v) (The office will carry out the plan to transfer...)

carryover (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11) (The carryover from 1994...)

carry over (dic.-v) (The funds will carry over into 1996.)

centerwide (refer to Governmentwide), capitalize when referring to specific NASA Centers.)

checklist (GPO, p. 86)

checkout (GPO, p. 86-n., u.m.) (There are several checkout buildings at KSC.)

check out (dic.- -v.) (The primary objective was to check out the Shuttle system.)

class action (dic.-n.) (The employees are considering a class action.)

class-action (GPO, p. 87) (The employees filed a class-action suit.)

clearcut (GPO, p. 87- -n., v.) (It was a clearcut decision.)

clear-cut (GPO, p. 87- -u.m.) (It was a clear-cut victory.)

closedown (GPO, p. 87- -n.)

closeout (GPO, p. 87-n., u.m.)

closeup (GPO, p. 87-n.) (That is a nice closeup picture of you.)

close up (dic.-v.) (I will close up the store at 5 p.m.)

co (prefix) (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.7); e.g., coauthor, cochairman, copilot, but co-investigator, co-op (GPO, p. 77, rule 6.32)

cost-effective (dic.-adj.) (...in the most cost-effective method...)

countdown (GPO, p. 88-n., u.m.)

crewmember (GPO, p. 88)

crewmen (use crewmember) (NASA preference...gender-neutral)

cross section (dic.-n) (...a cross section of employees...)

cross-section (dic.-vt., adj.)

cutoff (GPO, p. 88-n., u.m.) (The cutoff date was April 1.)

cut off (dic.-v.) (to cut off the machine)

data base (GPO, p. 89-n.)

decisionmaking (GPO, p.74, rule 6.11)

double space (Gregg, p. 812, 812a-n.) (Leave a double space between paragraphs.)

double-space (Gregg, p. 812, 812a-v.) (Please double-space the draft.)

downsize (Gregg, p. 184, 8-1-v.)

downtime (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11) (Shuttle "downtime")

drawback (GPO, p. 90-n.)

e-mail (Gregg, p. 484)

early out (dic.-n.) (Did you take an early out during the buyout season?)

early-out (NASA preference-u.m.) (NASA has achieved early-out authority.)

earthborn (GPO, p. 90)

ex officio (GPO, p. 77, rule 6.24-foreign phrase)

fine-tune (GPO, p. 92) (dic.-vt) (...to fine-tune the format...)

first-class (GPO, p. 92-u.m.) (...a first-class individual...; ...a first-class seat...)

(dic.-adv.) (...to travel first-class...; (...mailed first-class...)

firsthand (GPO, p. 92-u.m.) (He has firsthand knowledge of the situation.)

flowchart (GPO, p. 92)

flyby (dic.-n.) (The asteroid flyby will occur next year.)

fly by (dic.-v.) (The Galileo spacecraft will fly by the planet.)

follow-on (GPO, p. 92)

followup (GPO, p. 92-n., u.m.) (A followup meeting will occur.)

follow up (dic.-v) (We will follow up the meeting with a discussion.)

free flight (dic.-n)

free-flight (dic.-adj.)

freeflyer (dic. -n.) (...to service freeflyers...)

free-flying (dic.-adj.) (see free-floating in dic.) (...a free-flying spacecraft...; ...robotic spacecraft are free-flying...)

full-cost (NASA preference) (u.m.) (NASA has implemented full-cost accounting procedures at Headquarters.)

full-time (GPO, p. 93-u.m.) (...full-time position...)

full time (dic.-n) (She works full time.)

FY 1992 (NASA preference)

GS-15 (NASA preference)

Governmentwide (GPO, p. 94) (U.S.); governmentwide (state, city)

Government-owned (GPO, p. 94-u.m.) (U.S.); government-owned (state, city)

ground-based (GPO, p. 75, rule 6.15-u.m.) (The ground-based data...)

ground based (GPO, p. 75, rule 6.18) (The information was ground based.)

ground rule (dic.-n.)

groundwork (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

hand-carry (GPO, p. 94-v.) (...hand-carry the document)

handout (GPO, p. 95-u.m./n.)(Gregg, p. 181, 803.d.)

hard-working (GPO, p. 95-u.m.)

heavy-lift (dic.-adj.) (...heavy-lift launch vehicle...; ...heavy-lift requirements...)

high-quality (dic.-u.m.) (That picture is a high-quality image taken from the Hubble

Space Telescope.)

high-speed (GPO, p. 95- -u.m)

home page or Home Page (NASA preference, ref. section 2.13)

humankind (NASA preference) ("Humankind" is a gender-neutral word used throughout the Agency.)

hundredfold (GPO, p. 97)

indepth (GPO, p. 96-u.m.) (...an indepth review...) (dic.-adj.) (...an in-depth study)

in-flight (GPO, p. 96-u.m.) (...in-flight experiment...)

in flight (dic.-v.) (The spacecraft is in flight.)

infrastructure (GPO, p. 97)

in-house (GPO, p. 96) (in-line (adj.)...in-line configuration...)

in-orbit (GPO, p. 96-u.m.) (...in-orbit repair mission...)

in orbit (dic.-v.) (The repair in orbit was successful. The satellite was placed in orbit.)

inter (...between, among...GPO-as prefix, generally one word) (interagency, intercenter, interoffice)

intra (...within, inside...GPO-as prefix, generally one word) (intraoffice, but

intra-Agency-GPO, p. 74, rule 6.7)

kickoff (GPO, p. 97-n., u.m.)

lakebed (GPO, p. 97) (The lakebed at Edwards AFB is dry.)

land-based (GPO, p. 97-u.m.)

lead time (dic.-n.) (The lead time for responding...)

lifetime (dic.-n., adj.)

lift-off (GPO, p. 98-n., u.m)

lightweight (GPO, p. 98-u.m./n.)

light-year (GPO, p. 98)

long-range (dic.-adj.) (...long-range plan...)

long-term (dic.-adj.) (...long-term commitment...)

long term (dic.-n.) (The committee member served a long term.)

longstanding (GPO, p. 98-adj., u.m.) (longstanding relationship)

macroeconomics (GPO, p. 77, 6.29)

mainframe (GPO, p.99)

marketplace (GPO, p. 99)

markup (GPO, p. 99-n., u.m.) (...OMB markup...)

mark up (dic.-v.) (OMB will mark up the budget request.)

member at large (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.40)

mid (GPO, p. 99-as c.f., generally one word) (midafternoon...midday...midpoint)

mid-1990's (GPO, p. 170, 12.22)

mid-August, (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.35)

mockup (GPO, p. 100-n., u.m.)

multi (GPO, p. 100-as c.f., generally one word) (multicultural...multiyear)

NASA-wide (NASA preference)

Nationwide (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

near-term (dic.-adj.) (...near-term plans...)

near term (dic.-n.) (We will evaluate it in the near term.)

non (...not...GPO, p. 101-as prefix, generally one word) (nonadvocate...nongovernment) but

non-Government or non-Federal (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.35) (U.S.)

no one (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.12-print no one as two words at all times)

northeast, northwest (GPO, p. 101)

Officials-in-Charge (NASA preference) (The memo will be sent to Officials-in-Charge of Headquarters Offices.)

offline (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11-adj.)(...offline discussions)-adv...Discussions will be held offline.)

offsite (NASA preference)

onboard (GPO, p. 101-n.;adj., one word) (...onboard experiment)

on board (dic.-adv.) (...the experiment will take place on board...; ...translating FTP employees on board into FTE...)

ongoing (GPO, p. 101)

online (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11-n.) (NASA is now online for Internet connections.)

on-orbit (dic.-adj.) (...on-orbit repair...)

onorbit (GPO, p. 101-n.; NASA preference) (. to conduct experiments onorbit.)

onsite (NASA preference)

order of magnitude (dic.-n.) (...the Earth's mass is on the order of magnitude...)

O-ring (GPO, p. 80, rule 6.51)

over (GPO, p. 101...as c.f. one word) (overstress)

paperwork (dic.-n.)

part-time (GPO, p. 102-u.m.) (A part-time position...)

part time (dic.-n.) (She works part time for the agency.)

per diem (GPO, p. 102)

phasedown (Gregg, p. 180, 803.b)

phaseout (GPO, p. 102-n., u.m.) (The phaseout of the activities...Phaseout activities will begin...)

phase out (dic.-v.) (The project will phase out at the end.)

point of contact (NASA preference-n.) (Vanessa is the point of contact for the project.)

post (GPO-as prefix, generally one word) (postdoctoral...postflight...postlaunch...postwar)

post-Cold War (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.35)

pre (GPO, p. 74-as prefix, generally one word) (preflight...prelaunch...premeeting...preorbital)

preexist (pre as prefix-GPO, p. 77, rule 6.29) (preproposal)

President-elect (GPO, p. 79, rule 6.41)

problem solving (GPO, p.75, rule 6.17)

programwide (NASA preference)

real-time (dic.-adj.) (...real-time data...)

real time (dic.-n) (The decision will be made in real time.)

reengineer (NASA preference) (NASA has completed its reengineering activities.)

reentry (GPO, p. 104)

re-register (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.33)

return to flight (NASA preference) (When we return to flight, ...)

return-to-flight (adj.) (NASA preference) (...return-to-flight activities)

rollout (GPO, p. 105-n., u.m.)

roll out (dic.-v.) (NASA preference)

roundtable (GPO, p. 105)

round trip (dic.-n) (He will take a round trip to Paris.)

round-trip (dic.-adj.) (He purchased a round-trip ticket.)

rulemaking (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

runout (GPO-n., u.m.) (The runout of the data...)

run out (dic.-v) (He will run out the data.)

runway (dic.-n.)

Secretary-designate (GPO, p. 79, rule 6.41)

self-confidence (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.34)

shortfall (GPO, p. 106-n.)

short-term (dic.-adj.) (A short-term loan...)

short term (dic.-n. ) (He will begin in the short term.)

shutdown (GPO, p. 107)

side-mount (dic.-adj.) (...side-mount concept...)

single-space (dic.-u.m.) (This is a single-spaced document.)

single space (dic.-v.) (I will single space the document.)

slapdown (GPO, p. 107-n., u.m.) (...slapdown loads...)

southeast, southwest (GPO, p. 108)

space-based (dic.-u.m.) (...the space-based experiment...)

spaceborne (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

spacecraft (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

spacefaring (dic.-n.) (refer to seafaring)

space-related (dic.-adj.) (This is a list of space-related words.)

space related (GPO, p. 75, rule 6.18) (The material is space related.)

space flight (NASA preference is two words.)

Spacelab (NASA preference)

spacesuit (dic.-n.)

spacewalk (dic.-n, vi)

spinoff (GPO, p. 108)

stand-alone (dic-adj.) (...stand-alone computer...)

standdown (GPO, p. 108-n., u.m.)

startup (GPO, p. 109-n, u.m.) (The startup of the activity...; the startup date...)

start up (dic.-v.) (The activity will start up next week.)

state of the art (dic.-n) (The technology is state of the art.)

state-of-the-art (GPO, p. 75, rule 6.15-u.m.) (...state-of-the-art technology...)

stationkeeping (dic.-n.) (see housekeeping)

staytime (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

stretchout (GPO, p. 109-n., u.m.)

STS-9 (NASA preference)

sub (...under, below...) (GPO, p. 77, rule 6.29...subagency... suborbital...substandard...)

takeoff (GPO, p. 110-n., u.m.)

teamwork (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

time-consuming (GPO, p. 111-u.m.) (...a time-consuming task...)

time consuming (dic.-n.) (Logging the mail is very time consuming.)

timeframe (GPO, p. 111)

timeline (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11)

timetable (GPO, p. 111)

tradeoff (GPO, p. 112)

troubleshooting (GPO, p. 113)

turnaround (GPO, p. 113-n., u.m.)

under (GPO, p. 113--as prefix, generally one word) (undergone...underway)

under way (GPO, p. 77, 6.29-adv.) (Plans are under way to monitor...)

upfront (dic.-adj.) (upfront payment)...adv. (to pay upfront)

up-to-date (GPO, p. 113-u.m.) (...an up-to-date report...)

up to date (GPO, p. 113) (The report is up to date.)

videotape (dic.-n., v.)

videotape recorder/recording (dic.-n)

voice mail, voice-mail message (NASA preference) but voice mailbox

walk-through (Gregg, p. 181, 803.k.)

Web page, Web site (NASA preference)

well-being (GPO, p. 114-n.)

well-received (dic.-adj.) (It was a well-received speech.)

well received (GPO, p. 75) (The speech was well received.)

whistle-blower (dic.-n.) (The employee had a reputation as being a whistle-blower.)

wide-angle (GPO-u.m.) (...wide-angle lens...)

wind-shear (GPO, p. 115-u.m) (The wind-shear conditions concerned the pilot.)

wind shear (dic.-n.) (The presence of wind shear concerned the pilot.)

workaround (dic.-n.)

workforce (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.10) (workhour...workload... workplan...workstation...workyear)

workplace (GPO, p. 115)

world-class (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.8-adj.-u.m.)

worldwide (GPO, p. 74, rule 6.11-adj.-adv.)

World Wide Web (always initial cap, NASA preference)

wrap-up (GPO, p. 116-n., u.m.)

x-ray (GPO, p. 116-u.m.) (...an x-ray tube...)

x-ray (dic.-v) (The technician will x-ray the components.)

x ray (GPO, p. 80, rule 6.51-n.) (The x ray penetrates solid substances.)

zero-base, zero-based (dic.-adj.) (...zero-base budget...; The budget is zero-based.)

zero gravity (NASA preference in formal correspondence)

zero-g (NASA preference...for informal correspondence only)

zero-sum (dic.-adj.) (...the zero-sum amount...)

zero sum (dic.-n.) (The calculations had a zero sum.)

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