Proofreaders

Thank you for agreeing to proofread The Grace Bible. Some draft chapters have been emailed to you. Some notes and a style guide are below:

Notes:

• Please send us PC-based files (e.g., .docx). Do not send Apple files. If you are an Apple user, please export files to Word as follows: FILE > EXPORT TO > WORD. If you use Google Docs, please export to Word: FILE > DOWNLOAD > MICROSOFT WORD (.docx)
• If you are able, please use MS Word’s track changes feature as this makes it easier for us to see what you have changed: Review > Track Changes. Alternatively, please indicate any corrections as clearly as possible.
• Scriptures in the Grace Bible are copied and pasted from the NASB95 with permission from the publisher. Any typos in the quoted scriptures reflect Lockman’s style.

Style guide

Spelling: US (not UK)

Tense: present tense is preferred (e.g., “Paul writes to the Ephesians…”).

Clarity and readability are our guiding principles. If a 50/50 judgment call must be made, swing for simplicity. If a sentence sounds better when it ends with a preposition, hang the rules.

Quotes that are complete sentences should open with a capital letter. Quotes that are fragments of a sentence or which are interrupted mid-sentence do not need a capital letter.

Common capitalized words

• Jesus the King, the Word, the Lamb of God, etc.
• the Messiah (but a messiah)
• the Second Coming
• Judgment Day
• the Old/New Testament
• the Law of Moses
• the Book of the Law
• the Scripture(s) when referring to the Bible as a whole (e.g., “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled…” (John 19:28) or the “Hebrew Scriptures,” but not when referring to specific scriptures (e.g., “as another scripture says, ‘They will look on the one they have pierced’ (John 19:37))
• the Law of Moses, the Law of God (but not the law of sin and death, law of right and wrong, law of righteousness)
• the Scripture(s) when referring to the Bible or specific book but not when referring to scriptures in general
• the Last Supper
• the Fall of Man
• Satan

Uncapitalized words

KingsPress follows the practice of some English Bibles in under capitalizing:

• personal pronouns associated with God: he, him, his, etc.
• body of Christ
• day of wrath
• heaven, hell, earth
• new/old covenant
• the church
• the cross
• the saints (unlike the Christians)
• the gospel
• the great commission
• the church
• the cross
• the temple
• the rapture
• the antichrist (like the devil)
• the saints (unlike the Christians)
• patriarch
• death row
• upper room
• lake of fire
• satanic

Tricky words

• use capitals when referring to the Law as in the Law of Moses or the Book of the Law or the Law of Christ, but not when referring to the law in general or other laws (the law of liberty)

Note: major translations such as the NASB and ESV are inconsistent in referring to both “the Law of Moses” and “the law of Moses.” In some instances, the law is both capitalized and uncapitalized in the same verse (e.g., Rom 4:15, NASB95 and NASB2020). The “law of God” is not capitalized (e.g., Rom. 7:22, 25).

• use a capital S when the Spirit is clearly the Holy Spirit (“having begun by the Spirit”) but not when it is referring to our spirits (“walk by the spirit”)

Numbers

• Use a comma to separate thousands; the year 2000 but 2,000 years (and never two thousand years)
• 1, 2, 3 (there’s always a space when numbers are listed in series)
• Elide numbers in full (281–282). Give years in full (e.g., 1924–1925)
• Write out numbers up to 20, except in a discussion that includes a mixture of numbers above and below this, in which case all of them should be in figures
• Refer to chapters of books using arabic numerals (e.g., 1 John 4)
• “Percent” is always written out in full

Abbreviated words

• use “etc.” only in brackets (e.g., kings, governors, judges, etc.), otherwise use “et cetera”

Acronyms

• use “Mount Sinai” not “Mt. Sinai”
• use acronyms for Bible translations when they are in brackets (e.g., Heb. 4:6, KJV), otherwise write out on full (e.g., King James Version)

Hyphens

Hyphenate compound adjectives and adverbs that precede a noun (“born-again believer”), except for compounds with adverbs ending in -ly (“dearly loved child”).

Hyphenated words and phrases: grown-up, gut-wrenching, law-keeper, law-keeping, like-minded, long-suffering, love-gift, loving-kindness, red-letter teachings, , bond-servant (hyphenated in NASB but not ESV or NKJV)

Non-hyphenated words and phrases: earthsuit, fault finding, grace killer, grace preacher, manmade, work in progress, preemptive, dearly loved children of God

Italicized words

Non-English words (usually Hebrew or Greek) are usually italicized, e.g., rabbi, kyrios, geenna, except when they well-known, e.g., shalom

Commas

When to use a comma:

• In a series, for example: “Peter, James, and John”
• In compound sentences: When joining two independent clauses (complete sentences) with a coordinating conjunction (such as “and,” “but,” “or,” “nor,” “for,” “so,” or “yet”), it is typically correct to use a comma before the conjunction. For example: “She went to the store, and he stayed home.” The comma helps distinguish between the two independent clauses.
• Before introductory phrases: When a sentence begins with an introductory phrase or clause, it is often followed by a comma before the main clause. For example: “After dinner, we went for a walk.” The comma helps indicate the transition from the introductory phrase to the main clause.
• With nonessential elements: When including nonessential elements (such as appositives or nonrestrictive clauses) within a sentence, it is common to use commas to set them off from the rest of the sentence. For example: “John Smith, my neighbor, is a doctor.” The commas indicate that “my neighbor” is additional information but not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
• To lead into or out of a quote. Example 1: “Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none.” Example 2. “Silver and gold have I none,” said Peter.

When not to use a comma:

• In short and simple sentences or when the conjunction joins two closely related phrases or clauses, a comma may be omitted for the sake of brevity and clarity
• When the subject has two verbs, for example: “The Lord addressed the crowd and called for repentance.”

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We will update this guide from time to time, so feel free to make suggestions using the comment form below.