Terms and Style Items - "E"

E-Learning Course Management System
Available through MyScouting at http://www.scouting.org/myscouting, this provides a selection of courses for adult volunteers that may be taken for credit.

e-mail
Short form of "electronic mail." Do not capitalize the "E" unless it starts a sentence.

E. Urner Goodman Camping Award
Awarded annually by the national Order of the Arrow committee to two Order of the Arrow lodges in each region for excellence in camp promotion and attendance.

E. Urner Goodman Scholarship Fund program
A scholarship program for Arrowmen considering a career in the professional service of the Boy Scouts of America.

Eagle Palms
Each Palm worn on the Eagle Scout Award ribbon represents being active in the troop and patrol for at least three months after becoming an Eagle Scout or earning the last Palm, showing Scout spirit, making a satisfactory effort to develop and demonstrate leadership ability, earning five additional merit badges, and taking part in a Scoutmaster conference. The Bronze Palm represents the first five merit badges after Eagle Scout, the Gold Palm the next five, and the Silver Palm the third five. (Thereafter, combine them; e.g., one Bronze Palm and one Silver Palm for 20 merit badges after Eagle Scout.) Combinations: "Eagle Palm," "Palm," "Palms."

Eagle Scout
The highest rank for Scouts. Combinations: "Eagle Scout badge," "Eagle Scout requirements," "Eagle Scout rank," "Eagle Scout Award."

Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner (or Day)
An annual event in which the council or a group of councils recognizes Scouts who have earned the Eagle Scout Award during the previous year.

Eagle service project
While a Life Scout, a boy plans, develops, and gives leadership to others in a project that benefits any religious organization, school, or community.

Eagletter
A periodical published for members of the National Eagle Scout Association.

earth
Capitalize only in reference to the planet. The ground outside is lowercase "earth."

Eastern Orthodox churches
The term applies to a group of churches that do not recognize papal authority over their activities.

Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting
This advisory committee promotes and guides cooperative efforts between the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Boy Scouts of America.

Eastern-Rite Catholic churches
Note the use of the hyphen, which is preferred in Scouting uses. The term applies to a group of Catholic churches organized along ethnic lines traceable to churches established during the early days of Christianity.

elected officers' seminar
An annual planning and training program conducted by the Advisor for newly elected Venturing crew youth officers.

elective
A part of Cub Scout advancement. There are 24 electives in the Bear Cub Scout Book and 22 in the Wolf Cub Scout Book. For every 10 elective projects completed, a Cub Scout is awarded one Arrow Point. Capitalize only when writing about a specific elective: "Wolf Elective 4," "a Bear elective."

em dash
The longer em dash, often called just a "dash," is used in the following instances:

  • To denote a sudden break in thought or change in sentence structure: "Bathe regularly—once a day if you can—for good health."
  • To give emphasis or added explanation: "Do not break the blisters—this will compound the injury by causing an open wound." (A semicolon would also be correct here, but the dash helps add emphasis to the message.); "That's the bearing of the landmark—the number of degrees it is from magnetic north."
  • Series within a sentence: "He listed the qualities—honesty, trustworthiness, and kindness—that he felt were most important."

A dash is often denoted by two hyphens in typewriting (--); however, the use of the em dash is more professional looking in word-processed documents.

emblem
Do not capitalize: jamboree emblem, compass points emblem, Trained Leader emblem, and all of the religious emblems (God and Me emblem, Alpha Omega emblem).

en dash
Uses of the en dash:

  • To connect inclusive numbers (such as dates, page numbers, time): 1968–72, pages 113–14, 6–8 P.M.; fiscal year 1998–99. However, do not combine the en dash with words in "from/to" and "between/and" constructions: "from 1968 to 1972" (never "from 1968–72"); between 6 and 8 P.M. (never between 6–8 P.M.).
  • In a compound adjective when one of the elements is an open compound: post-Civil War period ("Civil War" is an open compound); New York-London flight ("New York" is an open compound).

hyphen. Generally, refer to the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary to determine whether a hyphen is needed. Some uses of the hyphen:

  • In phone numbers: 972-580-2000. (The hyphen with the area code is preferred to the use of parentheses.)
  • When a compound modifier—two or more words that express a single concept—precedes a noun, use hyphens to link the words in the compound except the adverb "very" and all adverbs that end in "-ly": "a full-time job," "a well-known person," "a know-it-all attitude," "a very good time," "an easily remembered rule."
  • When a modifier that would be hyphenated before a noun occurs after a form of the verb "to be" (when it is a predicate adjective), retain the hyphen: "the person is well-known," "the job is full-time," "the child is quick-witted."
  • Use a hyphen to avoid confusing duplicated vowels and tripled consonants: "anti-intellectual," "pre-empt," "shell-like."

period.

  • Initials: "the poet T. S. Eliot" (Note the space between the initials in this case.) Abbreviations using only the initials of a name do not take periods: JFK, LBJ.
  • Always place periods inside quotation marks.

semicolon.

  • For clarity, use semicolons to separate elements of a series when the individual elements already contain commas: "He leaves his son, John Smith of Chicago; two daughters, Jan Smith and Mary Smith of Denver; and a sister, Martha, wife of Robert Owen, Omaha, Nebraska."
  • Use a semicolon to link two independent clauses that are not joined by and or but (in effect, two sentences): "The package was due last week; it arrived today." (But use a comma if the conjunction is included: "The package was due last week, but it arrived today.")
  • Place semicolons outside of quotation marks.

endowment fund
Assets owned and invested by a council from which generally only the income can be expended for current operations. Endowments can be restricted for particular purposes.

Episcopal Church, The
Acceptable in all references for the U.S. national church that is a member of the Anglican Communion (the worldwide association of Anglican churches).

Ernest F. Schmidt Scholarship Grant
The American Camping Association recognizes professional Scouters active in camping with this scholarship, which covers the fees and expenses for participation in its annual conference.

Eskimo, Eskimos
This term is acceptable when making general references to native peoples of northern North America. However, Aleuts and Inuits should be called such when possible.

ethnic heritage
Do not use a hyphen for terms describing dual ethnic heritage: African American, Asian American, Hispanic American.

European Camp Staff program
Registered members of the BSA may apply to serve as staff members at a Scouting camp in Europe. Applicants are screened by the BSA national office and the prospective host council. See "International Camp Staff program."

executive
Applies specifically to the Scout executive and generally to all professional Scouters.

executive board
(1) The National Executive Board is the governing body of the Boy Scouts of America. Voting memberships include regular membership, attained by election; ex officio membership, held by regional presidents, the chairman of the Advisory Council, and the chairman of the Board of Regents of the National Eagle Scout Association; and youth membership (at any time, the board may include five or fewer youth members appointed by the president). (2) The executive board in each local council is its policy-making body. Voting members include between 25 and 50 regular council members, the chairmen of the committees of the executive board, the chairmen of the district committees, and up to two youth members. The officers of the corporation, including the Scout executive, are nonvoting members. Capitalize "executive board" only in the name of a specific local council executive board or when reference is clearly to the National Executive Board: "Orange County Council Executive Board," "the executive board of the Houston Area Council."

experience areas
Venturing is designed around social, citizenship, service, leadership, fitness, and outdoor experience areas.