# Grammar and mechanics

> The consistent small choices in capitalisation, numbers, and punctuation that keep copy scannable in one pass.

Mechanics are the small, consistent choices that let a person scan copy without
snagging: how we capitalise, write numbers, and punctuate. This page collects the
conventions we apply everywhere. The writing craft that shapes the words themselves —
concise, conversational, clear — lives in [Writing](/standards/writing).

## Capitalisation and numbers

- Sentence case everywhere — headings, buttons, labels
  ([CNT-12](/standards/catalog/cnt-12)). Capitalise the first word and proper nouns only.
- Numerals for counts ("8 projects", not "eight"). Separate a number and its unit
  with a space.

## Headings

- Statement headings, not question headings. "Verify the installation", not
  "Did it work?" — a heading says what the section does or covers.
- "And", not "&", in headings and titles, unless the ampersand is part of a
  proper name.

## Punctuation and abbreviations

- Use real punctuation: an em dash, never a hyphen standing in for one.
- No Latin abbreviations in prose: "for example", not "e.g."; "that is", not
  "i.e."; "and so on", not "etc.".
- Spell out a term before abbreviating it, and abbreviate only terms readers
  meet again ("merge request (MR)" earns its shorthand; a one-off doesn't).