Capitalization
• • • • • • • • •
AA PP
Titles preceding a name Holidays, historic events, ecclesiastical feasts, fast days, special events, hurricanes and typhoons Political parties The names of races Days of the week Earth in reference to the planet Specific geographic regions Trademark names Fanciful nicknames
A
Lowercase
a
• Titles standing alone or following a name • Occupational jobs or job descriptions • Fields of study • Seasons
Print this Quick Guide off and keep it at your desk to use as an additional reference to the AP Style Guide
Academic Degrees Avoid abbreviations. Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s or master’s degrees, but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.
“
Quotations
Use for: titles of books, songs, video games, films, TV shows, speeches and works of art. Do not use for: names of magazines or newspapers. Quotes require a new paragraph.
”
{ TIP: The comma and the period always go inside the quotation marks }
AP Style
Quick Guide
• • • • • • •
Word Usage
Affect (verb: to influence), effect (verb: to cause, to bring about) Among (more than two), between (two) Different from (never use different than) Eminent (great, famous), imminent (to occur shortly) Farther (physical distance), further (extension of time or degree) Fewer (refers to individual items), less (refers to bulk or quantity) Infer (assume, draw from), imply (suggest, signify)
{ TIP: The hearer infers, the speaker implies } • • •
Recur (never use reoccur) Till (acceptable for until. Don’t use ‘til or ‘till) Toward (never use towards)
States • • •
Spell out states when they stand alone Abbreviate states when they follow cities or towns, military bases, national parks and reservations Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.C., N.D., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W. Va., Wis., Wyo.
{ TIP: Alaska, Hawaii and states with fewer than six letters are never abbreviated } Addresses • •
Spell out Road, Drive, Place, Circle, Lane and Terrace whether accompanied by a street number or not If the street number is not included, spell out Street, Avenue, Boulevard
Abbreviate: • Jan. • Oct. • Feb. • Nov. • Aug. • Dec. • Sept. Do not abbreviate: • March • June • April • July • May
{ TIP: In addresses that include the
• •
the acronym STAB to remember this } If the street number is given, abbreviate N., S., E., W., NW, SE, NE, SW If the street number is not given, spell out North, South, East, West, Northwest, etc.
{ TIP: Months with five or fewer letters always get spelled out }
Numbers
Months
Times
Spell out: Noon and Midnight On-the-hour times do not require :00 Ex: 9 a.m. not 9:00 a.m. Use a.m. and p.m. Ex: 9 a.m. not 9 am
• • • • •
number, abbreviate St., Ave., Blvd. Use
2 1 3
Write out numbers one through nine Use numerals for 10 or higher Use numerals for percentages, dimensions, money, ages, dates and times Write out percent, do not use % Write out numbers when placed at the beginning of a sentence
Commas
Use: • In a series • Before a conjunction when two independent clauses are joined by a conjunction • To set off an attribution • In a series of more than three numbers Do not use: • Before the conjunction in a series • Before roman numerals, jr., sr., ampersand, dash in street addresses, telephone numbers and serial numbers and after Co., Inc.
,
;
Semicolon
Use a semicolon to separate elements of a series when individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas. Use semicolons to separate statements of contrast and statements too closely related.
Dash
-
Use the dash to indicate a sudden change. Use the dash to mark a summing up at the end of a sentence.
{ TIP: Use the dash sparingly. Commas frequently serve the purpose better} Apostrophe Use: • •
Hyphen Use: • • •
‘
In contractions In omission of figures and in plural of figures and letters
Whenever ambiguity would result if it were omitted When a compound modifier precedes a noun To designate dual heritage
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