These are some style rules that I have adopted for the purpose of consistency. They largely reflect personal preferences, although some of them may coincide with WP recommendations. Some of them are more serious than others, your mileage may vary.
If the article title is singular, use singular in the introductory paragraph as well.
GOOD:
An automobile is a kind of vehicle that runs on gasoline. They include ...
BAD:
Automobiles are vehicles that run on gasoline. They include ...
Authority: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (plurals)
Similar to the example above, the sub-header 'all-terrain automobile' should be singular also, as well as any other variants.
Avoid using an item count when enumerating a list of related items:
GOOD:
Fruit consists of: 1) apples; and 2) oranges.
BAD:
There are generally two types of fruit: apples and oranges.
Rationale: The list might change over time, and quantification encourages 'weasle words' in cases where the author is not completely certain the list is exhaustive. Also, it's redundant, most literate people know how to count.
This is the style of writing that is inconsistent with inclusion in an encyclopedia. The content sounds like a tutorial or a blog entry or marketing material or an editorial or a work of fiction:
Examples:
Avoid empty and meaningless "marketing lingo." It detracts from both credibility and quality.
For example:
These are some style rules that I have adopted for the purpose of consistency. They largely reflect personal preferences, although some of them may coincide with WP recommendations. Some of them are more serious than others, your mileage may vary.
If the article title is singular, use singular in the introductory paragraph as well.
GOOD:
An automobile is a kind of vehicle that runs on gasoline. They include ...
BAD:
Automobiles are vehicles that run on gasoline. They include ...
Authority: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (plurals)
Similar to the example above, the sub-header 'all-terrain automobile' should be singular also, as well as any other variants.
Avoid using an item count when enumerating a list of related items:
GOOD:
Fruit consists of: 1) apples; and 2) oranges.
BAD:
There are generally two types of fruit: apples and oranges.
Rationale: The list might change over time, and quantification encourages 'weasle words' in cases where the author is not completely certain the list is exhaustive. Also, it's redundant, most literate people know how to count.
This is the style of writing that is inconsistent with inclusion in an encyclopedia. The content sounds like a tutorial or a blog entry or marketing material or an editorial or a work of fiction:
Examples:
Avoid empty and meaningless "marketing lingo." It detracts from both credibility and quality.
For example: