Grammar & mechanics
The small, consistent rules that make Fortiv copy feel cared-for: capitalization, numbers, dates, punctuation, and plurals. Voice & Tone covers how we sound; this page covers how we render the details.
Capitalization
Sentence case everywhere — buttons, labels, headings, menu items, table headers. Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns. Title Case in UI reads as marketing and ages badly.
Numbers
Numerals always, even one through nine — they scan faster and this is a data product. Keep units spelled out in prose and abbreviated only in dense UI.
| Rule | Use | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Always numerals | 3 plans | three plans |
| Units in prose | 12 hours | 12h (in a sentence) |
| Units in dense UI | 12h, 30m (chips, axes) | 12 hours (in a chip) |
| Large numbers | 1,200 activities | 1200 activities |
| Percentages | 72% ready | 72 percent ready |
| Ranges | 4–8 hours | 4-8 hours / 4 to 8 hours in UI |
Dates & time
Relative for recency — it answers “is this fresh?” at a glance. Absolute for the record, where the exact moment matters for audit and compliance.
Punctuation
Punctuation carries tone. Too much makes the product shout; too little makes it terse. These defaults keep it level.
| Mark | Rule |
|---|---|
| Terminal period | No period on buttons, labels, or single-line empty-state headings. Use periods in full-sentence body and descriptions. |
| Oxford comma | Yes — “people, equipment, and facilities”. It removes ambiguity. |
| Ampersand | Spell out “and” in sentences; “&” only in tight labels and nav groups. |
| Exclamation marks | Avoid. We're calm under pressure, never excitable. |
| Em dash | Use sparingly for a beat — like this. Don't stack multiple per sentence. |
| Ellipsis | Only for genuine in-progress states (“Saving…”), never for suspense. |
Plurals & counts
Use real plural forms. The “(s)” shortcut is a tell that copy was written for the machine, not the reader — and it breaks in other languages.
Abbreviations & acronyms
The domain is full of acronyms. Default to the plain word; reach for the acronym only where space is tight and context is obvious. This mirrors the terminology rule in Voice & Tone.