A
Abbreviations – We use periods in abbreviations when the letters stand for separate words. For instance, F.C.C., I.B.M.
When letters within a single word are extracted for use in an abbreviation, we capitalize them without periods: DDT, TV, TB.
Periods are used in names like “Sir C.P.” (note that there is no space between the abbreviated names).
Aeroplane – This is a British variant of airplane. When Shri Mataji pronounces the word as aer-o-plane, we use the British spelling.
Affect, effect – The verb affect means to influence or change (our enlightened attention can affect the outcome of events), stir emotions (Her motherly love affected the yogis) or feign (he affected an English accent).
The verb effect means to accomplish or carry out (they effected changes in the rules).
The noun that is most often used is effect, meaning a result or a consequence (one effect of meditation is a feeling of inner peace).
AIDS – the acronym for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. With acronyms, we omit the periods.
All right – (never alright)
A lot – A lot (meaning many) is the standard spelling.
Ampersand (&) – We do not substitute & for and in our transcriptions.
And – Years ago teachers insisted that it was improper to begin a sentence with “and,” but this idea is now outmoded. If Shri Mataji begins what sounds to the transcriber as a new sentence with the word “and,” do not try to continue the prior sentence simply to avoid beginning a new sentence with “and.” These days, beginning a sentence with “And” is considered proper usage in American English but not (yet) in British (Queen's) or Australian English.
Any – Most compounds words formed with any are one word: anybody, anyhow, anywhere.
anymore (the adverb) - any more (something additional)
anyone (pronoun) – any one (if the emphasis is on singling out an individual in a group. For example: Any one of them may win the prize.)
any way (in any manner) – anyway (in any event)
Apostrophe – We use the apostrophe to create the possessive form of a noun (man’s) and to indicate a contraction or omission of letters or numerals (it’s for it is, ’07 for 2007)
We should not use the apostrophe for plurals formed from letters or numerals (p’s and q’s, B 52’s, TV’s, DVD’s
We form the singular possessive with ‘s (boy’s nose) and the plural with s’ (girls’ hats)
For a plural that does not end in s (women, children), the possessive is formed with ’s (women’s, children’s)
Almost all singular words ending in s require a second s as well as the apostrophe to form the possessive (James’s, Chris’s)
Aside comments – We do not add our comments such as “Shri Mataji laughs” to the transcription. These comments can be distracting and are not necessary.
Awhile, a while – They plan to stay for a while. They plan to stay awhile.
B
BCE – 'Before Common Era', the modern equivalent of B.C. (Before Christ).
black – Lowercase this racial designation and all others derived from skin color (white, brown, yellow, red).
But – As is the case with “and,” the idea that it is improper to begin a sentence with “but” is now outmoded. It is perfectly acceptable to begin a sentence with “but.”
C
CE – “Common Era,” the modern equivalent of A.D.
Century – Shri Mataji refers to centuries in the Indian, literal sense, thus 'twelfth century' for 1200s. This is different from the more usual usage in English of 'thirteenth century' for 1200s. Transcribe as said by Shri Mataji; clarify with a note where appropriate.
Comma – Some transcribers overuse commas in their transcriptions. The result in some cases is an unnecessary and sometimes annoying interruption of the flow of Shri Mataji’s words. Commas are intended to help clarify the written material for the reader, but overuse of commas can have the opposite effect.
Here is an example of the overuse of commas:
So, we have two chakras, left side, here, is the Lalita, and right side, here, is the Shree Chakra. These two chakras are working out the right side, Mahasaraswati's power, and left side, Mahakali's powers.
The passage reads more smoothly with fewer commas:
So we have two chakras. Left side, here, is the Lalita and right side, here, is the Shree Chakra. These two chakras are working out the right side Mahasaraswati's power and left side Mahakali's powers.
Most modern North American style guides now recommend using fewer commas rather than more.
One of the keys to understanding how to use commas effectively is knowing when not to use them. While this decision is sometimes a matter of personal preference, there are certain instances when you should definitely avoid a comma. Here are some of the most common:
• Do not use a comma to separate the subject of the sentence from its predicate.
[Incorrect] Pre-registering for the seminar before September 15, will ensure you a space in the hotel.
[Correct] Pre-registering for the seminar before September 15 will ensure you a space in the hotel.
• Do not use a comma to separate the subject from its verb or the verb from its object:
[Incorrect] Yogis are advised to bring, a sleeping bag, a flashlight, warm clothes and a Sahaja Yoga songbook with them to the seminar.
[Correct] Yogis are advised to bring a sleeping bag, a flash light, warm clothes and a Sahaja Yoga songbook with them to the seminar.
• Do not misuse a comma after a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or, nor:
[Incorrect] Sleet and freezing rain fell heavily on the roof of the pendal but, the yogis were enjoying the bhajan session and paid no attention to the storm.
[Correct] Sleet and freezing rain fell heavily on the roof of the pendal, but the yogis were enjoying the bhajan session and paid no attention to the storm.
• Do not use commas to set off words and short phrases (especially introductory ones) that are not parenthetical or that are very slightly so:
[Incorrect] After raising our Kundalinis, we put ourselves in bandhan.
[Correct] After raising our Kundalinis we put ourselves in bandhan.
• Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements:
[Incorrect] The fingers, on his left hand, were tingling much more than those on his right.
[Correct] The fingers on his left hand were tingling much more than those on his right.
• Do not use a comma before the first item or after the last item of a series:
[Incorrect] The puja chest contains, three silk cloths, a container of vibrated kum kum, a bottle of rose water, and a box of incense.
[Correct] The puja chest contains three silk cloths, a container of vibrated kum kum, a bottle of rose water and a box of incense.
Introductory elements often require a comma, but not always. We use commas in the following cases:
• After an introductory clause. (Does the introductory element have a subject and verb of its own?)
• After a long introductory prepositional phrase or more than one introductory prepositional phrase. (Are there more than five words before the main clause?)
• If there is a distinct pause. (When you read the sentence aloud, do you find your voice pausing a moment after the introductory element?)
• To avoid confusion. (Might a reader have to read the sentence more than once to make sense of it?)
Compound words – Some compound words require a hyphen; others do not. When in doubt it is best to consult a dictionary. In general, a compound word that would be hard to decipher at a glance should be hyphenated rather than stringing the two words together. Examples: “He started to compile a to-do list.” “She had a deep-rooted fear of heights.”
Contractions – We transcribe exactly what Shri Mataji says in Her talks. If She uses a contraction, “I’ve been to Russia,” we transcribe the contraction “I’ve.” We do not transcribe it as “I have.”
D
Dashes and Hyphens – A long dash (or “em-dash”) separates and has a space on each side, a short dash (or “en-dash”) is a hyphen and connects (see section on hyphens).
We use the dash to mark a sudden break in thought or to set off an explanatory phrase that is very abrupt or has a number of commas in it.
Examples:
1) The price of gas has gone sky high – but you already know that.
2) So it is said that in this triangular bone of Maharashtra – because it is surrounded by, on all three sides, by mountains, and the plateau is in the center so the all the three sides make a nice triangle – is the Kundalini of the whole universe, of the whole world, is expressed by Mother Earth in Maharashtra.
The dash is often misused for the comma. For instance, this sentence illustrates misuse of the dash: “Shri Krishna – Who is the Deity of the Vishuddhi – has a melodious voice.
A sentence with more than two dashes is confusing for the reader.
Date – Dates may be written either May 5, 1970 (the American method) or 5 May 1970 (the British method).
DNA – We do not use periods for this common abbreviation.
Dialogue (conversation) – Many times as Shri Mataji relates a story, She makes it come alive with dialogue - directly quoted speech of two or more person having a conversation. To make dialogue easier for the reader, it is standard practice to write each person’s speech, no matter how short, in a separate paragraph. For instance:
And a lady came to Me and she said, “We are refugees, we have no place to go. And, will You be able to give me some place in Your house?”
I said, “All right.” It was a huge house of My father. I said, “It is such a big house. And, we have space outside which you can use, and also you can have a kitchen there and a bathroom. You can stay there.”
She said, “We have a friend and my husband. Can we stay here?”
I said, “That’s all right.”
Please see section on quotation marks.
E
Each other – We transcribe “each other” as two words.
Earth, moon, sun – Transcribe in lowercase, except when Shri Mataji refers to Mother Earth
East – Capitalize when Shri Mataji is referring to Asia or to the countries that were once part of the Communist bloc. Clarify specific usage with a note when necessary.
Eastern – Capitalize when referring to the eastern region of the United States, to Asia or to the countries that were once part of the Communist bloc.
Ellipsis – This symbol (...) is used to indicate an omission of one or more words. Especially in dialogue, the ellipsis mark indicates a pause or a deliberately unfinished statement.
An ellipsis has a space on either side. If it comes at the end of a sentence, there is no space after it, thus there are four dots, the fourth one being the period.
Enamored – not enamoured
Especially – Shri Mataji usually pronounces the word “specially.” Therefore, we transcribe it as “specially.”
ESP – We do not use periods with this abbreviation.
Exclamation point – This punctuation mark is used to express strong emotion. When overused, the exclamation point loses impact.
To avoid overuse of the exclamation point, we use a comma after mild interjections, and end mildly exclamatory sentences and mild imperatives with a period. Examples: “Oh, what a wonderful concert.” “I want you to leave now.”
We do not use a comma or a period after an exclamation point.
F
Formatting – Please break up your transcript into paragraphs and place two spaces in between paragraphs. This means that when you have finished a paragraph and are moving on to the next paragraph you will be hitting the “Enter” key three times.
For ease of reading, we avoid excessively long paragraphs where possible.
We number the pages of our transcriptions using the “Insert” function on the toolbar.
H
Handmade – this compound word does not require a hyphen.
hell – Lowercase
Housewife – is one word
Hyphens and Dashes – A long dash (or “em-dash”) separates and has a space on each side, a short dash (or “en-dash”) is a hyphen and connects.
We use the hyphen in constructions like three-mile hike and pay-as-you-go plan, and to avoid confusion in words like re-form (meaning form again). We do not use hyphens in compound modifiers when the meaning is clear without them.
Italics – With the exception of words that are commonly used in Sahaja Yoga, we italicize Sanskrit and other Indian words. Mainstream words and terms familiar to most of us such as kundalini, chakra, dharma, guru, havan and mantra are not italicized.
We do not italicize proper names of deities, people and places.
Italics are used for titles of books, movies, newspapers, etc.
Its, it’s – Its is the possessive form of it (meaning of it). Example: The town got its name from a famous Civil War hero.
The contraction it’s means it is. Example: Oh, it’s a beautiful day today!
M
Maneuver – is the US English spelling, not manoeuver
Man-made – this compound word requires a hyphen.
May God bless you – We do not capitalize the word “bless.”
Mohammed Sahib - Shri Mataji often speaks of Mohammed Sahib, one of the ten Primordial Masters.
N
Numbers – In general, we spell out numbers that can be expressed in one word or two. We use figures for other numbers. Examples: 1) There are seven major chakras and three major nadis. 2) Shri Jesus Christ incarnated two thousand years after Shri Krishna 3) There are 365 days in a year.
We hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.
We use hyphens when we write out numbers used as adjectives. Examples: 1) She had been practicing Sahaja Yoga for three-and-a-half years. 2) They took a three-mile hike through the forest.
We write out a number if it begins a sentence: “Sixteen thousand yogis attended the havan.”
P
Pai – In Her talks, Shri Mataji uses this colloquial Hindi word which is, pronounced “pie,” like the dessert. In the same way that we would say, "I'm not going to give you a cent,” we can say, "I'm not going to give you a pai." The paisa was a monetary unit in India, equal to one hundredth of a rupee. Plural is paise.
Paragraphs – For optimum readability of the transcription, it is important that we insert paragraph breaks rather than typing long blocks of text. Using more rather than then fewer paragraphs will help the reader. We begin a new paragraph whenever Shri Mataji introduces a new idea. Also we begin a new paragraph when a dialogue is being quoted; a new paragraph should begin with each new voice.
With the exception of dialogue, in general, a paragraph contains at least two sentences. Please see the section on dialogue for examples.
Poetry - A lot of rules can be broken in poetry, especially rules of capitalization and punctuation.
Possessives – Ordinarily we form a possessive by adding ‘s to a singular noun (the man’s shoe, the yogi’s mantra book). If the plural ends in an s or z sound, we add only the apostrophe (ladies’ sarees, the Joneses’ lawn, seven dollars’ worth). If the singular ends in an s or z sound, we add the apostrophe and s for words of one syllable. We add only the apostrophe for words of more than one syllable unless we expect the pronunciation of the second s or z sound (the boss’s desk, Moses’ brother, Eloise’s letters).
Punctuation with parenthesis – A period, question mark or exclamation point may occur inside or outside a closing parenthesis, depending on the surrounding structure.
If the passage in parenthesis falls entirely within another sentence, we put the sentence-ending punctuation outside the parentheses: She did not specify the color (it may have been red).
When parentheses surround an entire sentence or series of sentences, the sentence-ending punctuation goes inside the closing parentheses: She did not specify the color. (It was red. We already knew that.)
A comma, a colon or a semicolon never directly precedes an opening or closing parenthesis.
Either a dash or parentheses, but not both together, can signify an aside or an abrupt change in the direction of a sentence.
Q
Question mark – A question mark denotes a direct query. Example: What are the benefits of regular meditation? Indirect questions and requests in the form of questions do not require a question mark. Example: She asked if meditation could help her asthma.
Quotation marks – Her Holiness Shri Mataji frequently uses direct quotes in Her talks. For instance: Gandhiji said, “Better not go for lunch, you better have lunch here.” They said, “All right, whatever you say.”
We enclose all direct quotes with double quotation marks. Here are some guidelines:
In Canadian and American style, we use double quotation marks to:
a) Enclose direct quotes. Example: She said, "I’m a vegetarian."
b) Enclose titles of newspaper and magazine articles, poems, short stories, songs, episodes of television and radio programs, and chapters or subdivisions of books.
Example: "The Navel of the World" is the title of Episode 17 in the wonderful new novel by Grégoire de Kalbermatten.
c) Set off words used as words, words used ironically or as slang, words that are particularly significant, and words that may be unfamiliar to the reader. Note: Italics may also be used to set off words in these cases.
Example: The words "effect" and "affect" are often confused.
d) Many people incorrectly use single quotation marks in the last example. In Canadian and American style, we use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
"I was leaving the store when I heard someone yell ‘Hey, Miss, you forgot your hand bag!’" explained Clare.
Quotation Marks (position with other punctuation marks) – In American usage, periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation marks, regardless of grammatical logic. If inner and outer quotations are closing side by side, the period or comma precedes all the marks.
Example: “While you’re there,” he said, “please buy me a copy of ‘Dagad Trikon’”
We place the dash, the question mark and the exclamation point within the quotation marks when the apply only to the quoted matter. We place them outside when they apply to the whole sentence.
Examples:
Seekers ask, “What is the truth?” (The question mark applies only to the quoted matter.)
What is the meaning of the term “half truth”? (The question mark applies to the whole sentence.
Why did the seeker ask, “What is the truth?” (Both the quoted matter and the sentence as a whole are questions, but a second question mark does not follow the quotation marks.
S
Self-realization – Following the advice given by Gregoire de Kalbermatten, we capitalize only the word “Self” and use a hyphen. “Realization” is a common noun, the Self is a reflection of the Divine and so, we spell it Self-realization. In our view, we should only capitalize words use to refer to the Divine.
Semicolon – We use the semicolon to mark a division in a sentence made up of statements that are closely related but require a separation more emphatic than a comma. Example: The children were ready; the mothers were not.
We also use the semicolon to separate a series of items which themselves contain commas. Example: I came to this conclusion after speaking with three types of people: American parents, students, teachers and correspondents; the college administrators; and the foreign students themselves.
So-called – With this phrase, quotations marks are redundant. We do not need to use them. Example: We live in a so-called developed country.
Socialism, socialist – We capitalize if the reference is to a political party or movement. We lowercase if the word is used in a general sense. Example: He thought the national health plan sounded like socialism.
Specially – Shri Mataji usually pronounces the word especially as “specially.” Therefore, we transcribe it as “specially.”
Spelling – We use US English spelling. If your computer is set for another style of English spelling – Australian, Canadian, Indian, UK, for example – you can reset it to US spelling by clicking Tools, Language, Set Language, English US, OK. If you have already started your transcription in another style of English spelling, you can change to US spelling by clicking Edit, Select All, Tools. Language, Set Language, English US, OK.
T
Till – We use till, not ‘til. Till is interchangeable with until.
Time - Normally, we spell out the time of day in text even with half and quarter hours. With o'clock, the number is always spelled out. Examples: “She gets up at five thirty in the morning to meditate.” “Collective meditation will begin at seven o'clock in the evening.”
U
U.N. – for the United Nations
Y
Years - Do not use an apostrophe - 1990s, not 1990’s.
Yuppie – Shri Mataji sometimes uses this term in Her talks. It is derived from young urban professional.