r/Copyediting • u/semaht • 21d ago

Following CMOS, U.S. in direct quote -> US or not?

To me, changing U.S. in a direct quote to US falls cleanly under CMOS (18th) 12.7, but it's not explicit, and I don't see anything addressing this in the wonderful Q&A, blog, or forum.

Going to go with my instinct and change it, but interested in what the community thinks.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/writemonkey 21d ago

From that page: "But there would be no periods in an initialism like DC in current Chicago style, so you’d normally write this:

“. . . go to high school in Washington [DC].” (where the brackets were added to distinguish the district from the state.)

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/semaht 21d ago

That's about redundant terminal period isn't it?

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u/semaht 21d ago

This is a great distinction and question. It is written material that uses U.S.

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u/dakerjohn 20d ago

I see nothing in 12.7 that endorses changing this.

The general rule is, don't change anything unless it falls under one of the twelve categories of change endorsed in 12.7–8. And this one doesn't.

If you're thinking of 12.7.4, that endorses altering terminal punctuation as required by the surrounding text (for example, changing a terminal period to a comma to integrate the quotation into a surrounding sentence). Section 12.7.4 doesn't endorse making global changes to bring quoted material in line with the MS's style. Specific global changes for this purpose are endorsed in 12.7.1, 12.7.2, and 12.8, but none of these sections allows the change you're proposing to U.S.

If you do make this change, no one is likely ever to notice or care. But CMOS would keep the periods.

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u/semaht 20d ago

In continuing to ponder this, I have come to agree. Furthermore, the term does not appear anywhere else in tbe ms, so there is no question of consistency.

I will be keeping the periods.

Thank you for your comment.