S

seasons
See Capitalization, seasons.

self-
Always hyphenate: self-assured, self-defense, self-govern.

semi-
The rules in prefixes apply, but in general, no hyphen. Examples: semiprecious, semifinal, semiannual

semiannual
Twice a year, a synonym for biannual. Biennial means every two years.

semicolon (;)
In general, use the semicolon to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey but less than the separation that a period implies.

• To clarify a series
  Use semicolons to separate elements of a series when the items in the series are long or when individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas: He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago; three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita, Kan., Mary Smith, of Denver, and Susan of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Neb.
• To link independent clauses
  Use a semicolon when a coordinating conjunction such as and, but or for is not present: The proof was due last week; it arrived today.

Sept. 11
Sept. 11 is the preferred term to use in describing the terrorist attacks in the United States Sept. 11, 2001.

server
The computer that is host to a Web site. Also, see Computer terminology.

set up (v.), setup (n. and adj.)

sign-up (n. and adj.), sign up (v.)

song titles
See music.

speeches
See lectures, speeches.

state
See Capitalization, state.

state names
Spell out state names when they stand alone in textual material. Eight states are never abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. When abbreviating, in text, use the examples provided below, with periods followed by a comma unless at the end of a sentence. In address format, use postal abbreviations

State name Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawai'i Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersy New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Use in text Ala. Not abbreviated Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. Del. D.C. Fla. Ga. Not abbreviated Not abbreviated Ill. Ind. Not abbreviated Kan. Ky. La. Not abbreviated Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. Neb. Nev. N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C. N.D. Not abbreviated Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. Not abbreviated Not abbreviated Vt. Va. Wash. W. Va. Wis. Wyo.

Postal format AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SC TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Also, see Comma, state names and Capitalization, state.

statewide

stationary, stationery
To stand still is to be stationary; writing paper is stationery. Memory Aid: To stay is to be stationary.

street names
See Addresses, avenue, boulevard, street.

student-athlete

sub-
The rules in prefixes apply, but in general, no hyphen: subcommittee, subdivision, subtotal.