ap style quiz and lecture
TRANSCRIPT
AP Style Quiz 1
1. The American Revolution isa/anhistoric event.
a
an
AP Stylebook entry: "a, an"
2. Doctor/Dr.Roberts is a well-respected physician.
Doctor
Dr.
AP Stylebook entry: "abbreviations and acronyms"
3. The 8 am/a.m. meeting is mandatory.
am
a.m.
AP Stylebook entry: "abbreviations and acronyms"
4. Let's meet at 530 WatermelonRd./Road.
Rd.
Road
AP Stylebook entry: "abbreviations and acronyms"
5. The girl is15/fifteenyears old.
15
fifteen
AP Stylebook entry: "ages"
6. Apple Valley,Minn./MN, is Larrys hometown.
Minn.
MN
AP Stylebook entry: "Minnesota" and "state names"
7. The U.S.army/Armyled American forces into Iraq.
army
Army
AP Stylebook entry: "Army"
8. We greetedambassador/AmbassadorJohnson upon his arrival.
ambassador
Ambassador
AP Stylebook entry: "ambassador" and "titles"
9. The New Testament is part of thebible/Bible.
bible
Bible
AP Stylebook entry: "Bible"
10. The television stationbroadcast/broadcastedthe public service announcement yesterday.
broadcast
broadcasted
AP Stylebook entry: "broadcast"
AP STYLE QUIZ 21. The feature story should have included aby-line/byline.
by-line
byline
AP Stylebook entry: "bylines"
2. I had5 cents/$.05in my pocket.
5 cents
$.05
AP Stylebook entry: "cents"
3. Mark watches"Wheel of Fortune"/Wheel of Fortuneevery night.
"Wheel of Fortune"
Wheel of Fortune
AP Stylebook entry: "composition titles"
4. We visited the wildlife habitat at Gulf StatesCorp./Corporation.
Corp.
Corporation
AP Stylebook entry: "corporation"
5. Anderson and Rockwallcounties/Countiescontain large metropolitan areas.
counties
Counties
AP Stylebook entry: "county"
6. With careful planning, we were able to avoid bothcrisis/crises.
crisis
crises
AP Stylebook entry: "crisis, crises"
7. Martha placed aBand-Aid/band-aidon her daughters knee.
Band-Aid
band-aid
AP Stylebook entry: "Band-Aid" and "trademark"
8. Police stepped in tobreak up/break-upthe fight.
break up
break-up
9. AP Stylebook entry: "break up (v.), breakup (n. and adj.)"
He miscalculated theaffect/effectof his actions.
affect
effect
AP Stylebook entry: "affect, effect"
10. The child is mydependant/dependent.
dependant
dependent
AP Stylebook entry: "dependent (n. and adj.)"
AP STYLE QUIZ 3
1. The Whartons travelednorth/Northon Interstate 65.
north
North
AP Stylebook entry: "directions and regions"
2. Mark hasbright's disease/Bright's disease.
bright's disease
Bright's diseaseAP Stylebook entry: "diseases"
3. There are seven continents onearth/Earth.
earth
Earth
AP Stylebook entry: "earth"
4. John Turner is theEditor-in-Chief/editor-in-chiefof the magazine.
Editor-in-Chief
editor-in-chief
AP Stylebook entry: "editor-in-chief"
5. Either they or heis/aregoing.
is
are
AP Stylebook entry: "either...or, neither...nor"
6. Send anemail/e-mailannouncing the meeting time and place.
AP Stylebook entry: "email"
7. We took steps toinsure/ensureaccuracy.
insure
ensure
AP Stylebook entry: "ensure, insure, assure"
8. We developed aFAQ/faqWeb page.
FAQ
faq
AP Stylebook entry: "FAQ"
9. The store isfurther/fartherdown the road.
further
farther
AP Stylebook entry: "farther, further"
10. Let's post thefliers/flyersaround the building so all students can see them.
fliers
flyers
AP Stylebook entry: "flier, flyer"
AP STYLE QUIZ 41. He wrote afull length/full-lengthstory.
full length
full-length
AP Stylebook entry: "full-"
2. Makingits/herlandfall near New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina caused $75 billion in damages.
its
her
AP Stylebook entry: "hurricane"
3. My uncle lives in Springfield, Illinois/Ill. Illinois
Ill.
AP Stylebook entry: "Illinois" and "state names"
4. He opened the door and ran in/intothe room.
in
into
AP Stylebook entry: "in, into"
5. TheInternet/internetis a decentralized, worldwide network of computers.
Internet
internet
AP Stylebook entry: "Internet"
6. John Smith,U.S. Circuit Judge/U.S. circuit judge, has been married for 14 years.
U.S. Circuit Judge
U.S. circuit judge
AP Stylebook entry: "judge"
7. Have you ever been to Kansas City,Kansas/Kan.?
Kansas
Kan.
AP Stylebook entry: "Kansas" and "state names"
8. Sonyalays/lieson the beach for two hours each day.
lays
lies
AP Stylebook entry: "lay, lie"
9. The Vermont legislature/Legislature approved the amendment.
legislature
Legislature
AP Stylebook entry: "legislature"
10. Come to the meeting in business-like/businesslike attire.
business-like
businesslike
AP Stylebook entry: "-like"
AP STYLE 5
1. Mary danceslike/asa ballerina.
like
as
AP Stylebook entry: "like, as"
2. The house is inliveable/livable condition.
liveable
livable
AP Stylebook entry: "livable"
3. Betty and Sue arelong time/longtime friends.
long time
longtime
AP Stylebook entry: "long time, longtime"
4. We live near thebadly-damaged/badly damaged island.
badly-damaged
badly damaged
AP Stylebook entry: "-ly"
5. President Bush appeared on the cover ofTime/"Time" magazine.
Time
"Time"
AP Stylebook entry: "magazine names" and "composition titles"
6. Television and radio are different media/mediums.
media
mediums
AP Stylebook entry: "media"
7. We visited the Lincoln memorial/Memorial.
memorial
Memorial
AP Stylebook entry: "monuments"
8. They were married in Jan./January1999.
Jan.
January
AP Stylebook entry: "months"
9. iPods useMP3/mp3files.
MP3
mp3
AP Stylebook entry: "MP3"
10. He readsthe/TheNew York Times on Sundays.
the
The
AP Stylebook entry: "newspaper names"
AP STYLE 6
1. We arrived atnoon/12 noon.
noon
12 noon
AP Stylebook entry: "noon"
2. You can find the informationon-line/online.
on-line
online
AP Stylebook entry: "online"
3. The organization raisedmore than/over$500 during last week's fundraiser.
more than
over
AP Stylebook entry: "over"
4. Persons/Peopleof all ages are welcome to attend.
Persons
People
AP Stylebook entry: "people, persons"
5. Only20 %/percent of our membership attended the meeting.
%
percent
AP Stylebook entry: "percent"
6. We all know thatMother Nature/mother naturecan be cruel.
Mother Nature
mother nature
AP Stylebook entry: "Mother Nature" and "personifications"
7. Thesepianoes/pianosare for sale.
pianoes
pianos
AP Stylebook entry: "piano, pianos"
8. The book isyours/yours.
your's
yours
AP Stylebook entry: "possessives"
9. He wrote a biography of Jesuss/Jesuslife.
Jesus's
Jesus'
AP Stylebook entry: "possessives"
10.USCpresident/President Steven B. Sample has increased enrollment dramatically.
president
President
AP Stylebook entry: "president" and "titles"
AP STYLE 7
1. The Pledge of Allegiance contains a reference toGod/god.
God
god
AP Stylebook entry: "religious references" and "gods and goddesses"
2. We arereluctant/reticentto publish that information before it's confirmed.
reluctant
reticent
AP Stylebook entry: "reluctant, reticent"
3. They walkedside-by-side/side by side.
side-by-side
side by side
AP Stylebook entry: "side by side, side-by-side"
4. Thestate/Stateof Alabama requires motorists to have proof of insurance.
state
State
AP Stylebook entry: "state"
5. Teen-agers/Teenagersneed adult supervision while in the park.
Teen-agers
Teenagers
AP Stylebook entry: "teen, teenager (n.), teenage (adj.)"
6. My office phone number is205-/(205)348-5166.
205-
(205)
AP Stylebook entry: "telephone numbers"
7. That product is made in the USA/U.S.A. USA
U.S.A.
AP Stylebook entry: "USA"
8. Margaret Bell is thevice-president/vice presidentof the company.
vice-president
vice president
AP Stylebook entry: "vice" and "vice president"
9. Whos/Whosethere?
Who's
Whose
AP Stylebook entry: "who's, whose"
10. The program benefits people who/thatare homeless.
who
that
AP Stylebook entry: "that (conjunction)" and "who, whom"
AP STYLE 8
1. Who/Whomdo you wish to see?
Who
Whom
AP Stylebook entry: "who, whom"
2. In an address, do not put a comma between the state name andZIP/Zipcode.
ZIP
Zip
AP Stylebook entry: "ZIP code"
3. Turning in the paper late will not beall right/alright.
all right
alright
AP Stylebook entry: "all right (adv.)"
4. The California and New Jersey assemblies/Assembliesrecently met to consider gun control legislation.
assemblies
Assemblies
AP Stylebook entry: "assembly"
5. The Halloween Meet and Greet was abazaar/bizarreevent.
bazaar
bizarre
AP Stylebook entry: "bizarre"
6. The organization'sboard of directors/Board of Directors meets bimonthly.
board of directors
Board of Directors
AP Stylebook entry: "board of directors, board of trustees"
7. Canvass/Canvasthe area for a good place to set up a picnic.
Canvass
Canvas
AP Stylebook entry: "canvas, canvass"
8. When you discuss a person's moral qualities, you are referring to his character/reputation. character
reputation
AP Stylebook entry: "character, reputation"
9.Helen now lives in New York City/city.
City
city
AP Stylebook entry: "city"
10. Mark and Thomas are coworkers/co-workers.
coworkers
co-workers
AP Stylebook entry: "co-"
AP STYLE QUIZ 91. This gold-leaf bowl dates back to the1700s/1700's.
1700s
1700's
AP Stylebook entry: "decades" and "years"
2. Mary wants to be a dietician/dietitianfor a large hospital system.
dietician
dietitian
AP Stylebook entry: "dietitian"
3. This kitten's personality is differentthan/fromthe others.
than
from
AP Stylebook entry: "different"
4. The four students looked ateach other/one another.
each other
one another
AP Stylebook entry: "each other, one another"
5. Carlosimmigrated/emigrated from Cuba.
immigrated
emigrated
AP Stylebook entry: "emigrate, immigrate"
6. We took Dad to dinner for Father's Day/Fathers Day. Father's Day
Fathers Day
AP Stylebook entry: "Father's Day"
7. One of our guests wasFirst Lady/first ladyLaura Bush.
First Lady
first lady
AP Stylebook entry: "first lady"
8. The job position is nowfull-time/full time.
full-time
full time
AP Stylebook entry: "full time, full-time"
9. Let this be our last goodbye/goodby. goodbye
goodby
AP Stylebook entry: "goodbye"
10. The banquet honored the Governor/governor.
Governor
governor
AP Stylebook entry: "governor" and "titles"
AP STYLE 10
1. The group of professors is implementingtheir/itsnew academic plan.
their
its
AP Stylebook entry: "group"
2. A company website'shome page/homepagemust be easy to navigate.
home page
homepage
AP Stylebook entry: "home page"
3. She lives at124 West 23rd St. / 124 W. 23rd St. 124 West 23rd St.
124 W. 23rd St.
AP Stylebook entry: "addresses"
4. The three friends decided to keep the discussionbetween / amongthemselves.
between
among
AP Stylebook entry: "among, between"
5. Any one / Anyoneof the students may come to the lecture.
Any one
Anyone
AP Stylebook entry: "anybody, any body, anyone, any one"
6. She feltbad / badlywhen she had the flu.
bad
badly
AP Stylebook entry: "bad, badly"
7. Ican't hardly / can hardlyhear you.
can't hardly
can hardly
AP Stylebook entry: "can't hardly"
8. As acitizen / residentof Wichita, the woman voted in the mayoral race.
citizen
resident
AP Stylebook entry: "citizen, resident, subject, national, native"
9. The two top football recruits werecoequal / co-equal.
coequal
co-equal
AP Stylebook entry: "co-"
10. The Atlanta, Charleston and RaleighCity Councils / city councilsvoted on the proposal.
city councils
City Councils
AP Stylebook entry: "city council"
AP STYLE 11
1. My twodaughters-in-law / daughter-in-lawswere busy shopping.
daughters-in-law
daughter-in-laws
AP Stylebook entry: "daughter-in-law, daughters-in-law"
2. My favorite drink isDr. Pepper / Dr Pepper.
Dr Pepper
Dr. Pepper
AP Stylebook (2010) entry: "Dr Pepper"
3. She isdown-to-earth / down-to-Earth.
down-to-earth
down-to-Earth
AP Stylebook entry: "earth"
4. Uponfarther / furtherreview of your application, we've decided to offer you the job.
farther
further
AP Stylebook entry: "farther, further"
5. Less / Fewerthan 10 people applied for the job.
Fewer
Less
AP Stylebook entry: "fewer, less"
6. He was herfiance / fiancee.
fiance
fiancee
AP Stylebook entry: "fiance (man), fiancee (woman)
7. She didwell / goodon the test.
well
good
AP Stylebook entry: "good, well"
8. She complained about beingharrassed / harassed.
harrassed
harassed
AP Stylebook entry: "harass, harassment"
9. What is the holdup / hold up with the delivery?
holdup
hold up
AP Stylebook entry: "hold up (v.), holdup (n. and adj.)
10. Our company'sintranet / Intranetmakes the exchange of internal files and information easier for our employees.
intranet
Intranet
AP Stylebook entry: "intranet"
AP STYLE 12
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. / King Jr. was a phenomenal speaker.
King, Jr.
King Jr.
AP Stylebook entry: "junior, senior"
2. He haslain / layedin the sun for the past three hours.
lain
layed
AP Stylebook entry: "lay, lie"
3. Themidsemester / mid-semesterexams were quickly approaching.
midsemester
mid-semester
AP Stylebook entry: "mid-"
4. She grewmore than / over3 inches this summer.
more than
over
AP Stylebook entry: "over"
5. Afive-year-old / 5-year-oldgirl won the contest.
five-year-old
5-year-old
AP Stylebook entry: "ages" and "numerals"
6. Over all, / Overall,the students did well on their projects.
Over all,
Overall,
AP Stylebook entry: "overall"
7. Thepeople / peoplesof Africa speak many different languages.
people
peoples
AP Stylebook entry: "people"
8. More than 25percent / %of college students skip class.
percent
%
AP Stylebook entry: "percent"
9. The test was inQ&A / Q-and-Aformat.
Q-and-A
Q&A
AP Stylebook entry: "Q-and-A"
10. Therestaurateur / restauranteurdrives a green car, which matches the color of his restaurant's logo.
restaurateur
restauranteur
AP Stylebook entry: "restaurateur"
AP STYLE QUIZ 13
1. The coals continued tosmolder/ smoulder. smolder
smoulder
AP Stylebook entry: "smolder"
2. Shesneaked / snuckinto her room late. sneaked
snuck
AP Stylebook entry: "sneaked"
3. Thestationary / stationeryhad her name on it. stationary
stationery
AP Stylebook entry: "stationary, stationery"
4. The store's telephone number is800-555-5555 / (800) 555-5555. 800-555-5555
(800) 555-5555
AP Stylebook entry: "telephone numbers"
5. The teamthat / whicharrives first will present its ideas first. that
which
AP Stylebook entry: "that, which"
6. TheUS / U.S.team won a gold medal. US
U.S.
AP Stylebook entry: "U.S."
7. TheWeb site / websitewas recently updated. Web site
website
AP Stylebook entry: "website" and "Web"
8. He has abachelor's degree, bachelorsdegree. bachelor's
bachelors
AP Stylebook entry: "academic degrees"
9. The department ofEngineering/engineering is known for its tough curriculum. Engineering
engineering
AP Stylebook entry: "academic departments"
10. She went toaccept/exceptthe award. accept
except
AP Stylebook entry: "accept, except"
AP STYLE 14
1. He was the program'sadvisor/adviser.
advisor
adviser
AP Stylebook entry: "adviser"
2. Skipping the assignmentaffected/effectedhis overall grade.
affected
effected
AP Stylebook entry: "affect, effect"
3. He was a part of theBaby Boomer/baby boomergeneration.
Baby Boomer
baby boomer
AP Stylebook entry: "baby boomer"
4. They walkedbackwards/backwardcarefully.
backwards
backward
AP Stylebook entry: "backward"
5. The town has a popularbed-and-breakfast/bed and breakfast.
bed-and-breakfast
bed and breakfast
AP Stylebook entry: "bed-and-breakfast"
6. She hasblond/blondehair.
blond
blonde
AP Stylebook entry: "blond, blonde"
7. The army fired thecannon/canon.
cannon
canon
AP Stylebook entry: "cannon, canon"
8. The U.S.Capital/Capitolis located in Washington, D.C.
Capital
Capitol
AP Stylebook entry: "Capitol"
9. The painting dates back to theninth/9thcentury.
ninth
9th
AP Stylebook entry: "century"
10. The character is introduced inChapter 8/Chapter eight.
Chapter 8
Chapter eight
AP Stylebook entry: "chapters"
AP STYLE QUIZ 151. The prize was twocomplementary/complimentarymeals at the local diner.
complementary
complimentary
AP Stylebook entry: "complementary, complimentary"
2. The boy's mompersuaded/convincedhim to study harder.
persuaded
convinced
AP Stylebook entry: "convince, persuade"
3. The passer-bys/passers-bystared at the wreck.
passer-bys
passers-by
passerby, passersby
4. She is4-feet-8-inches/4 feet 8 inchestall. 4-feet-8-inches
4 feet 8 inches
AP Stylebook entry: "dimensions"
5. She was notdiscreet/discreteenough in the meeting.
discreet
discrete
AP Stylebook entry: "discreet, discrete"
6. The house went on the market for$650,000/$650 thousand.
$650,000
$650 thousand
AP Stylebook entry: "dollars"
7. Sheemigrated/immigratedto the United States.
emigrated
immigrated
AP Stylebook entry: "emigrate/immigrate"
8. The tornado damage waswidespread/wide-spread.
widespread
wide-spread
AP Stylebook entry: "wide-"
9. Representative/Rep.Ben Fuller spoke at the luncheon.
Representative
Rep.
AP Stylebook entry: "legislative titles"
10. Rain wasforecast/forecastedevery day last week.
forecast
forecasted
AP Stylebook entry: "forecast"
AP STYLE 16
1. She decided toforego/forgopurchasing the dress.
forego
forgo
AP Stylebook entry: "forego, forgo"
2. The student was from Marietta,GA/Ga.
GA
Ga.
AP Stylebook entry: "Georgia" and "state abbreviations"
3. I feelgood/welltoday.
good
well
AP Stylebook entry: "good, well"
4. Mahlia Jackson was a famousgospel/Gospelsinger.
gospel
Gospel
AP Stylebook entry: "Gospel(s), gospel"
5. Governor/Gov.Bob Riley has a lot of supporters.
Governor
Gov.
AP Stylebook entry: "governor" and "titles"
6. Thegray/greycar was parkedillegally.
gray
grey
AP Stylebook entry: "gray"
7. Company revenues range from$10 to $12 million/$10 million to $12 million.
$10 to $12 million
$10 million to $12 million
AP Stylebook entry: "ranges"
8. Theenquiry/inquirywas made through the website.
enquiry
inquiry
AP Stylebook entry: "inquire, inquiry"
9. He was fromKansas City/Kansas City, Mo. Kansas City
Kansas City, Mo.
AP Stylebook entry: "Kansas City"
10. The governor held apress conference/news conference.
press conference
news conference
AP Stylebook entry: "press conference"
AP STYLE QUIZ 17
1. She wasfully-informed/fully informedbefore making her decision.
fully-informed
fully informed
AP Stylebook entry: "-ly"
2. The New York Cityfire department/Fire Departmentresponds quickly.
fire department
Fire Department
AP Stylebook entry: "governmental bodies"
3. A blazer can be found in themenswear/men's weardepartment.
menswear
men's wear
AP Stylebook entry: "menswear"
4. The AppalachianMountains/mountainsbegin in Alabama.
Mountains
mountains
AP Stylebook entry: "mountains"
5. The car was traveling 30miles per hour/mph.
miles per hour
mph
AP Stylebook entry: "mph"
6. The students are from Asheville,N.C./NC.
N.C.
NC
AP Stylebook entry: "North Carolina"
7. The computer wasoffline/off-line.
offline
off-line
AP Stylebook entry: "offline"
8. She felloff of/offthe short ledge.
off of
off
AP Stylebook entry: "off of"
9. The student feltOK/okayabout the test.
OK
okay
AP Stylebook entry: "OK, OK'd, Ok'ing, Oks"
10. It waspouring/poringoutside.
pouring
poring
AP Stylebook entry: "pouring, poring"
AP STYLE Please note: Through the following examples, italics are used to highlight the word or phrase in question, and not to indicate that the word or phrase should be italicized.
abbreviationsThese titles are capitalized and abbreviated before a name:
Dr.Gov.Lt. Gov.Rep.Sen. (Sens.)and all military titles (Gen., Adm., Col., Maj., Capt., Pvt., Pfc, etc.)
Professor is never abbreviated and only capitalized if part of a title, e.g. Joe Smith, the Eugene Jones Professor of Chemistry, ...
United States and United Nations -- spell out on first reference, then abbreviate U.S. and U.N. as nouns on second and subsequent references. Abbreviate always when used as adjectives.
The United States contribution to the U.N Climate Fund is larger than that of any other nation.
The U.S. ambassador said she will not protest the meeting at the United Nations. But a U.N. spokeswoman said ...
academic degreesbachelor of arts (B.A.)(a bachelors)
bachelor of divinity (B.D.)
bachelor of laws (LL.B)
bachelor of science (B.S.)
doctor of law (J.D.) (a doctorate)
doctor of laws (L.L.D.)doctor of medicine (M.D.)
doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.)
master of arts (M.A.) (a masters)
master of public policy (M.P.P.)
master of science (M.S.)
academic departmentsAcademic departments are in lowercase (the music department, the physics department) except when the subject in question is a proper noun (the English department, the German department).
Department names used in an official sense are uppercase (e.g., Duke's Department of Chemistry, the Department of Music). The same is true for institutes, centers, schools, etc.
academic titlesCapitalize titles before a name.
Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead
Trinity College Dean Laurie L. Patton
Lowercase after a name or when used alone.
Richard H. Brodhead, the president of Duke University
Laurie Patton, dean of Trinity College
Exceptions are names of chaired professorships.
Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of History William H. Chafe and
William H. Chafe, Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of History
Doctor, M.D., Ph.D.
affect, effectAffect, the noun, describes an emotion, and is used mainly in psychology. AP style says to avoid using "affect" as a noun.
The patient showed little affect.
Affect, the verb, means to influence.
His illness affected his grades.
Effect, the noun, means result or outcome.
His illness had an effect on his grades.
Effect, the verb, means to bring about, to create.
The department chair effected big changes.
alumnus, etc.An alumnus is a male graduate, an alumna a female graduate. Alumni are both male graduates and male and female graduates combined. Alumnae are female graduates.
The same endings apply for emeritus, meaning a retired faculty member.
American IndiansThe AP Stylebook suggests that this usage is preferable to Native Americans, since the ancestors of American Indians migrated to North America from Asia.
among, betweenBetween introduces two items, among more than two.
The applicant had to decide among Duke, Harvard and Princeton.
The applicant had to choose between Duke and Princeton.
Pronouns following these prepositions are in the objective case.
The choice was between us and them.
capitalizationAvoid unnecessary capitals.
Capitalize:
proper nouns: James B. Duke
proper names: Duke University, the Eno River
popular names: the Bull City, the Triangle
titles (see Academic Titles, above, and Titles, below): Dear Old Duke
University, by itself, meaning Duke, is never capitalized.
President Brodhead described the universitys master plan.
carat, caret, karatA carat is a measure of weight of precious stones. A caret is a proofreaders symbol, indicating where words or letters are to be inserted. A karat is a measure of the portion of pure gold in an alloy.
collective nounsNouns and proper nouns denoting units (class, choir, committee, fraternity, orchestra, team, Duke, Microsoft) are singular and take singular verbs and pronouns.
The Arts & Sciences Council adjourned for the summer. It meets again in September.
The team is on a road trip. It plays tonight in Atlanta.
However, team names and band names take plural verbs and pronouns.
The Beatles remain the world's most influential band.
The Blue Devils won last night. They dominated on defense.
commas in a seriesUse a comma after each item in a series except before the conjunction (unless the last item includes a conjunction.)
Example:Students eat lunch at the Cambridge Inn, the Alpine Atrium and the Perk.
compose, compriseCompose, in the passive voice, means to be made up of.
Duke University is composed of nine schools.
Comprise, best used only in the active voice, means to contain or include.
Duke University comprises nine schools.
compound nounsWhen in doubt whether a noun is open (half note, half brother), closed (halfback, halftone), or hyphenated (half-moon, half-life), consult a dictionary. (Also see Prefixes, below.) Some examples:
Afro-American
attorney general
blue greenbookkeeping
coal mining
crosswalkdecision maker
decision making
ex-presidentfirst-grader
French Canadian
full moonhalf-century
half-dollar
headache, toothacheItalian-American
key of B minor
key of B-flatkey of F-sharp
key of G major
Latin Americanmid-Atlantic
midsummer
near missnortheast
notebook, textbook
one-half, one-eighthoversight
policymaker
president-electquasi corporation
self-knowledge
vice chairmanvice president
vice provost
African-Americandeans listAlways lowercase;
Example:He made the deans list three straight semesters.
disc, diskcomputer disk or diskette
floppy diskdisc jockey
laserdisc
videodisc
disinterested, uninterestedDisinterested means impartial, uninterested means lacking in interest.
due toDue is an adjective that follows the verb to be or modifies a particular noun.
The cancellation was due to snow.
Cancellations due to snow disrupted the semester.
It should not be used in adverbial phrases to mean because of.
Instead of: Due to snow, classes were canceled.
Use: Because of snow, classes were canceled.
Dukes units, official namesArts & Sciences and Trinity College
Divinity School
Duke University Health System (lowercase "health system" if on its own)*(Duke Medicine is an umbrella term that refers to all of the component entities -- Duke University Health System, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University School of Nursing, etc. Duke University Health System refers ONLY to the clinical entities -- Duke University Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, outpatient clinics and facilities, etc.)
The Fuqua School of Business
Graduate School
Nicholas School of the Environment
Pratt School of Engineering
Sanford School of Public Policy
School of Law
School of Medicine
School of Nursing
Undergraduate women who attended Duke between 1930 and 1972 were students in the Womans College, not the Womens College.
See also: Schools and class years, below.
foreign wordsand phrasesForeign words and phrases found in a standard English dictionary are not italicized:
al-Qaida
dolce vita
fait accompli
hacienda
jihad
kibitzmah-jongg
mea culpa
troika
tsunami
Nouns that in German would be capitalized are in English lowercase: doppelgnger or doppelganger, schadenfreude, weltschmerz.
full time, part timeHyphenate the adjective, not the noun.
Full-time employees work full time. Part-time employees work part time.
fundraising, fundraiserOne word in all cases.
The Campaign for Duke was a fundraising effort. Fundraising is important to the universitys future.
handicap, disabilityPlease refer to people with disabilities or disabled rather than to the handicapped.
he or she, his or herUsing he or she and his or her to be fair to both genders can be awkward. It is often simpler to make the noun plural.
Instead of:A student gets good grades when he or she studies hard.
Use:Students get good grades when they study hard.
historic, historyWhen the h in these words is pronounced, the indefinite article should be a:
a historic momenta history professor
hopefullyThis adverb means in a hopeful manner.
The students waited hopefully for tickets.
It should not be used to mean it is hoped.
Instead of:Hopefully, tickets would be available.
Use:They hoped tickets would be available.
hurricanesAll hurricanes take an indefinite pronoun.
Hurricane Fran hit Durham in 1996. It (not she) caused extensive flooding.
hyphenationCompound modifiers before nouns are hyphenated.
The trustees approved a long-term strategic plan.Exceptions: Compounds with very and with adverbs ending in ly.
A D is a very low grade.A D is not an easily forgotten grade.Compound modifiers after the verb to be are hyphenated.
The strategic plan is to be a long-term document.
impactImpact is a noun.
The teams losing record had an impact on attendance.
Its use as a verb meaning affect or influence is common, but should be avoided.
Instead of:The teams losing record impacted attendance.
Use:The teams losing record affected attendance.
imply, inferSpeakers and writers imply, listeners and readers infer.
institutesThe seven Duke University institutes and their affiliated centers contribute problem-focused, interdisciplinary research and education, and generate knowledge in the service of society through initiation and facilitation of collaborations and programming. More information is at http://interdisciplinary.duke.edu/institutes/index.phpDuke Global Health Institute, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, Kenan Institute for Ethics, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Social Science Research Institute
Internet, Web, etc.The following capitalizations, spellings and hyphenations are recommended:
app
avatar
blogcellphone
click-throughs
crowdsourcingDuke on Demand
Duke Today
e-commerceeBay
e-reader (Kindle, Nook)GIF
geotagging, geolocationGoogle, Googling, Googledhashtag
Internet (The Net is acceptable)iPad, iPhone, iPod (iPod Nano, iPod Touch, etc.)iTunes U
JPG
mashupmicroblogging
"Office Hours"
onlinePDF
smartphone
to text, text message, texted, texting
Tumblr
Twitter (n.), tweet (n., v.)Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP on second reference)Web, website (orWorld Wide Web)
wiki, WikipediaWorking@Duke
YouTube (also, Duke's channel on YouTube)
Iran, IraqIran is not an Arab nation. Its people are Persian, Azerbaijani, Kurdish and other ethnic groups. The principal language is Farsi, an Indo-European language, also known as Persian, that is written with Arabic characters. Ninety percent of Iranians are Shiite Muslims, 10 percent Sunni Muslims.
Iraq is an Arab nation. The principal language is Iraqi, a dialect of Arabic. Sixty-five percent of Iraqis are Shiite Muslims, 30 percent Sunni Muslims.
The Kurds, Sunni Muslims who speak a dialect of Farsi, are a large minority in both countries.
italics, quotation marksIn general, do not use italics or quotation marks for emphasis or to suggest irony or special usage:
Some students questioned whether the painting should be considered art.In particular, do not use italics or quotation marks around clichs or figures of speech:
The tuition increase will have an impact on the universitys bottom line.Nicknames are enclosed in quotation marks.
Harold Spike Yoh, former chairman of Dukes Board of Trustees.
Kmart, Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, Packard Bell, etc.When in doubt about the spelling and punctuation of company names, check with the press relations department at corporate headquarters. Even official websites may contain errors.
lay, lieLay (past tense: laid; past participle: laid; present participle: laying) is an action verb meaning to put or place; it takes a direct object.
The student lays down his pencil.
The student laid down his pencil.
He has laid down his pencil.
He is laying down his pencil.
Lie (past tense: lay; past participle: lain; present participle: lying) means to be or stay at rest horizontally. It cannot take an object.
The pencil lies on the desk.
The pencil lay on the desk.
The pencil has lain on the desk.
The pencil is lying on the desk.
less, fewerIn general, less refers to things that can be measured, fewer to things that can be counted.
The student had less free time, even though he took fewer classes.
like, asLike is a preposition that requires an object.
She plays defense like a pro.
As is a conjunction that introduces a clause.
She plays defense as the coach taught her.
local placesResearch Triangle Park, then RTP in subsequent references.
the Triangle, and eight-county region in the Piedmont of North Carolina consisting of Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Harnett, Johnston, Orange, Person, Wake.
months, seasonsMonths are uppercase, seasons are lowercase. Abbreviate all months with a date except March, April, May, June, July.
May 15. July 4. Feb. 13. Dec. 25.
It was the summer of 1975. We worked hard all winter.
MohammedPreferred over Muhammad, Mahomet or other spellings for the founder of Islam.
mount, mountainsMount is spelled out, mountain is capitalized as part of a proper name.
Mount Mitchell is in the Black Mountains.
mm, mphDo not use periods; abbreviate in all uses.
The White Lecture Hall has 16mm and 35mm film projectors. (Note: No space is used.)
The campus speed limit is 25 mph.
numbersSpell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above.
The department has 15 faculty and two administrative assistants.
Exceptions:
Ages:She has a son, John, 7.She has a 7-year-old son, John.
Dimensions:The photograph is 6 inches by 9 inches.The sophomore is 6 feet 5. He is a 6-foot-5 sophomore.
Percentages:Only 4 percent of undergraduates do not return for their sophomore year.
Time:The class starts at 9 a.m. (Not: 9:00 a.m. or 9 A.M.)Try to avoid starting a sentence with a figure.Seventy students enrolled in the class.
Rewrite: There are 70 students enrolled in the class.onlyMake sure that only modifies what you want it to modify.
He only studies on weekends means that on Saturday and Sunday he does nothing but study.
He studies only on weekends means that he doesnt study Monday through Friday.
possessivesSingular nouns add an apostrophe and an s.
Example:
the teams record.Exceptions:appearance sake, conscience sake, goodness sake
The AP Stylebook lists as exceptions singular nouns ending in s and followed by words beginning with s:
the witness story, but the witnesss recollectionthe hostess soire. but the hostesss party
Plural nouns add an apostrophe:
the students grades
Exceptions:
Plural words used descriptively.The Blue Devils coach
a writers guide
Names ending in s, add an apostrophe:
Charles dog
Chameides staff
Jesus mother
Moses law
Achilles heel
Euripedes plays
For names ending in z and x, add an apostrophe and an s:
Berliozs opera
Marxs writings
Xeroxs profits
prefixesmost nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs formed with the following prefixes are closed (e.g., anteroom, neoclassical):
ante (antediluvian)
anti (antihero)bi (bisexual)
bio (biodiversity)co (coauthor, cooperate)counter (counteroffensive)extra (extracurricular)infra (infrastructure)inter (intercollegiate)
intra (intrasquad)macro (macroeconomics)meta (metadata)micro (micromanage)mid (midcentury)(but: mid-Atlantic)mini (minibus)
multi (multistory)neo (neoclassical)non (nonviolent, nonprofit)over (overvalued)post (postdoctoral)
pre (prearranged)pro (proconsul) (but: pro-choice,pro-life, pro-American)proto (prototype)
pseudo (pseudoscience)re (reunite, reexamine)semi (semiannual, semiconductor)socio (socioeconomic)
sub (substandard)super (superego, superimpose)supra (supraorbital)trans (transoceanic)
ultra (ultraconservative)un (unenthusiastic)
under (underfunded)
rangesUse this form:$5 million to $10 million, not $5-10 million5,000 to 10,000, not 5-10,000
religionsAnglicanism (Anglican)Baptist Church (Baptist)Buddhism (Buddhist)Catholicism (Catholic)Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Scientist)Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)Friends General Conference,Friends United Meeting (Quaker)Hinduism (Hindu)
Islam (Muslim)Judaism (Jew)Eastern Orthodox churches (Greek Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church)Protestantism (Protestant)Religious Society of Friends (Quaker)Roman Catholicism (Roman Catholic)Seventh-day Adventist ChurchShiism (Shiite)Shintoism (Shintoist)
Sunnism (Sunni)Taoism (Taoist)
United Methodist Church (Methodist)
religious holidaysPlease use the following spellings:Ash Wednesday
Christmas (and Christmastime)Easter
Good FridayHanukkah
Holy WeekLent
PassoverRamadan
Rosh HashanaYom Kippur
SaintAbbreviate in place names and the names of saints:
St. Paul, Minn.; St. Johns Newfoundland; St. Christopher
Exceptions:Saint John, New Brunswick; Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Scot, Scots, Scottish, ScotchA Scot is a native of Scotland.
Scots are the people of Scotland.
Scottish modifies someone or something from Scotland.
Scotch is a type of whiskey. When the two words are used together they are spelled Scotch whisky.
states, names ofThe following states are never abbreviated in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base:
Alaska
HawaiiIdahoIowa
MaineOhioTexas
Utah
Put a comma between the city and state name, and another comma after the state name, unless it ends a sentence.
Reynolds Price was born in Macon, N.C., and graduated from Duke in 1955.
If the abbreviated state name ends the sentence, use only one period.
Sen. Richard Burr attended college in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The abbreviations of the remaining states are:
Ala.
Ariz.Ark.Calif.
Colo.Conn.Del.
Md.Mass.Mich.
Minn.Miss.Mo.
Mont.N.D.Okla.
Ore.Pa.R.I.
S.C.S.D. Fla.
Ga.Ill.Ind.
Kan.Ky.La.
Neb.Nev.N.H.
N.J.N.M.N.Y.N.C.
Tenn.Vt.Va.
Wash.W.Va.Wis.
Wyo.
that, whichThat introduces clauses essential to the meaning of a sentence (and never set off by commas).
Duke is the university that James B. Duke founded.
Which introduces nonessential clauses (always set off by commas).
Duke, which was founded by James B. Duke, is located in Durham, N.C.
time elementIn external news releases, use the day of the week, not today.
President Richard H. Brodhead announced Wednesday ...
titles of books, movies, plays, etc.Put quotation marks around the titles of books, movies, operas, plays, poems, songs, television programs and works of art. Capitalize the first and last words and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs and subordinating conjunctions (if, because, as, that, etc.). Lowercase definite and indefinite articles, coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor) and prepositions.
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
It Happened One Night
The Marriage of Figaro
Death of a Salesman
Ode on a Grecian Urn
Just One of Those Things
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Adoration of the Magi
Exceptions:
The Bible, the Koran, the Torah,
Reference books, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.
Encyclopedia Britannica
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
Books In Print
Names of newspapers, journals or magazines do not take quotation marks and are not italicized. (Note:the may or may not be part of a papers name. Check each publication to be sure. Websites are a good source.)
The Herald-Sun
The News & Observer
The New York Times
New York Daily News
The New Yorker
Science
Nature
U.S. News (with a space) was formerly U.S.News & World Report (no space). Its website is www.usnews.com.
trademarksThe following words are trademarks:
Ace Bandage
AstroTurf
Band-Aid
Scotch Tape
Seeing-Eye dog
Sheetrock
Spandex
Styrofoam
Velcro
Xerox (never used as a verb)
The following are generic:
Aspirin
cellophane
escalator
nylon
pingpong (unless referring to the table tennis equipment made by Ping-Pong)
rayon
thermos (unless referring to the vacuum bottle made by Thermos)
yo-yo
(When in doubt, try typing the word into a search engine window. Trademarks often have websites, e.g., www.velcro.com, www.spandex.com.
who, whomWho refers to the subject of a sentence, clause or phrase.
The students who worked with tutors got high grades.
Whom refers to the object of a verb or preposition.
The students whom the tutors helped got high grades.
ANTI-
In AP Style, you should hyphenate all words beginning with anti, except the following ones. All of the below words have specific meanings of their own.
Antibiotic
Antibody
Anticlimax
Antidepressant
Antidote
Antifreeze
Antigen
Antihistamine
Antiknock
Antimatter
Antimony
Antiparticle (And similar terms in physics such as antiproton)
Antipasto
Antiperspirant
Antiphon
Antiphony
Antipollution
Antipsychotic
Antiseptic
Antiserum
Antithesis
Antitoxin
Antitrust
Antitussive
This approach has been adopted in the interests of readability and easily remembered consistency.
In Websters New World College Dictionary, it is anti-lock. But you should also note that the AP Stylebook has the following words as exceptions to the Websters spelling.
Anti-abortion
Anti-aircraft
Anti-bias
Anti-inflation
Anti-labor
Anti-social
Anti-war
AP Style Capital, Capitol
AP Style holds that capital is a seat of government, usually being a city. Capital can also be used in a financial sense to describe money, equipment, or property in a business of corporation among other uses. For example,
Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States.
I need a lot of capital to start my new business.
A capitol, on the other hand, is building where legislators meet to have legislative sessions. AP Style requires capitol to be capitalized when referring to the building in Washington where the U.S. Congress meets. It states that this same practice should be followed when referring to state capitol buildings. For example,
The filibuster was held in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol building.
The Massachusetts Capitol is in Boston.
Complement vs. Compliment
Complement and compliment are among the ranks of other homophones such as there, their, and theyre and to, too, and two. They are words that, despite sounding identical, actually have different meanings. Complement and compliment are especially tricky, however, because they are long words and their only spelling difference is one little vowel tucked in the middle. One word is spelled with an e and the other is spelled with an i. The following descriptions are consistent with both the AP Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style on the differences between complement and compliment.
Complement
A complement is a both a noun and a verb denoting completeness or the process of supplementing something. When used as a noun, a complement is something that completes or brings to perfection. When used as a verb, to complement means to supplement adequately or to complete. For example,
That shirt is a perfect complement for those pants. (Noun)
That shirt really complements your eyes. (Verb)
Dressing is an expected complement of salad. (Noun)
Compliment
A compliment can also be both a noun and a verb. When used as a noun, a complement is a flattering or praising remark. When used as a verb, to compliment means to praise or to express esteem. For example,
Your friend gave me a nice compliment yesterday. (Noun)
You friend complimented my hair yesterday. (Verb)
Tricks
A good way to remember the difference between these two words is to remember that I make compliments to other people. I make compliments about peoples clothes and compliment has an i in it.
AP Style Company, Companies
AP Style rules hold that you should use Co. or Cos. when a business uses either word at the end of its proper name. For example,
Ford Motor Co.
American Broadcasting Cos.
If company or companies appears alone in second reference, spell out the full word.
The forms for possessive are seen in the examples below,
Ford Motor Co.s inventory
American Broadcasting Cos. profits
AP Style Corporation
AP Style holds that a corporation is an entity that is treated as a person in the eyes of the law. It is able to own property, incur debts, sue, and be sued.
You should abbreviate corporation as Corp. when a company or government agency uses the word at the end of its name. For example,
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Spell out corporation when it occurs elsewhere in a name. For example,
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Spell out and lowercase corporation whenever it stands alone.
The form for possessives can be seen in the example below,
General Motors Corp.s quarterly profits
AP Style Decimal Units
Use a period and numerals to indicate decimal amounts. Decimalization should not exceed two places in textual material unless there are special circumstances.
For amounts less than 1, use the numeral zero before the decimal points. For example,
0.05
When the decimal is 1 or less, the type of measurement should be singular. For example,
0.35 meter
0.55 square feet
0.75 mile
AP Style Emigrate vs. Immigrate
AP Style holds that someone who leaves a country emigrates from it.Someone who comes into a country is someone who immigrates. This idea is also applied to the words emigrant and immigrant. For example,
My grandparents immigrated to the United States.
My grandparents emigrated from Norway.
In these sentences,my grandparents are immigrants here in the United States, but back in Norway, they are emigrants.
AP Style Extra
Do I Use a Hyphen with Extra?
AP Style holds that you should not use a hyphen with extra when it means outside of unless the prefix is followed by a word beginning with a or a capitalized word. For example, words like the following do not use hyphens,
Extralegal
Extramarital
Extraterrestrial
Extraterritorial
A hyphen should follow extra when it is part of a compound modifier describing a condition beyond the usual size, extent, or degree. For example, words like the following require hyphens,
Extra-base hit
Extra-dry drink
Extra-large order of fries
Extra-bland flavor
AP Style Fewer, Less
AP Style holds to the traditional distinction between fewer and less. This rule states that, in general, you should use fewer for individual items, and less for bulk or quantity. Below are a few examples,
Wrong: The trend is toward more machines and less people. (People in this sense refers to individuals.)
Wrong: She was fewer than 60 years old. (Years in this sense refers to a period of time, not individual year.)
Right: Fewer than 10 applicants applied. (Individuals).
Right: I had less than $50 in my pocket. (An amount.)
-but-
Right: I had fewer than 50 $1 bills in my pocket. (Individual items.)
AP Style Fractions
Hold to these rules when using AP Style Fractions in your writing.
Spell out amounts less than 1 in stories, using hyphens between the words. For example,
This recipe calls for two-thirds of a cup.
Are you sure? I thought I had read four-fifths.
I need a size twenty-seven-sixty-fourths drill bit.
Use figures for precise amounts larger than 1, converting to decimals whenever practical.
When using fractional characters, you should remember that most newspaper type fonts can set only 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, and 7/8 as one unit. For mixed numbers, use 1 1/2, 2 5/8, etc., with a full space between the whole number and the fraction.
Other fractions require a hyphen and individual figures, with a space between the whole number and the fraction. For example,
1 3-16
2 1-3
5 9-10
In tabular material, use figures exclusively, converting to decimals if the amounts involve extensive use of fractions that cannot be expressed as a single character.
AP Style Homicide, Murder, Manslaughter
AP Style states that homicide is a legal term for slaying or killing.
Murder is malicious, premeditated homicide. Some states define certain homicides as murder if the killing occurs in the course of armed robbery, rape, etc.
Generally speaking, manslaughter is homicide without malice or premeditation.
A homicide should not be described as murder unless a person has been convicted of that charge.
Do not say that a victim was murdered until someone has been convicted in court. Instead, say that a victim was killed or slain. Do not write that X was charged with murdering Y. Use the formal charge murder and, if not already in the story, specify the nature of the killing shooting, stabbing, beating, poisoning, drowning, etc. For example,
Mr. Jones was charged with the murder in the stabbing of his girlfriend.
Here are a few more examples,
An officer pulled over 29-year-old John White, who was arrested and charged with murder, according to Andrew Johnson, the county sheriffs spokesman.
The 66-year-old amateur photographer has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder for the slaying of four women.
The killings occurred between 1977 and 1979. Prosecutors say Adams raped, tortured, and robbed some of them before killing them.
Cook County Sheriff James Jones says a shooting that left a man injured appears to be a murder-suicide.
AP Style In, Into
What is the difference between in and into?
In indicates location. For example,
He was in the room.
The killer was in the house.
Into indicates motion. For example,
She walked into the room.
The killer walked into the kitchen.
When to Use a Hyphen With In
-in
Precede in with a hyphen. For example,
break-in
cave-in
walk-in
write-in
drive-in
sit-in
in-
No hyphens are used when in means not. For example,
inaccurate
insufferable
Other uses without a hyphen
inbound
indoor
infield
infighting
inpatient (n., adj.)
inboard
There are a few combinations that do take a hyphen, however. For example,
in-depth
in-group
in-house
in-law
If you are ever in doubt on whether or not to use a hyphen, follow Websters New World College Dictionary.
When Something is in
When employed to indicate that something is in vogue, use quotations mark only if followed by a noun. For example,
It was the in thing to do back then.
-but-
Raccoon coats are in again.
Inasmuch as
AP Style holds that this is two words.
AP Style Millions, Billions, Trillions
Use figures with million, billion, or trillion in all except casual uses. For example,
Id like to make a billion dollars.
-but-
The nation has 1 million citizens.
I need $8 billion.
The government ran a deficit of more than $1 trillion.
Do not go beyond two decimal places. For example,
7.51 million people
$256 billion
7,549,899 people
$2,234,239,000
Decimals are preferred where practical. For example,
1.5 million
-not-
1 1/2 million
Do not mix millions and billion in the same figure. For example,
2.5 billion
-not-
2 billion 500 million
Do not drop the word million or billion into the first figure of a range. For example,
He is worth $4 million to $5 million.
-not-
He is worth $4 to $5 million.
Unless that is, of course, you actually mean $4.
Note that a hyphen is not used to join the figures and the word million or billion, even in this type of phrase,
The president submitted a $300 billion budget.
In headlines, abbreviate only millions, billions. For example,
$5M lawsuit, $17.4B deficit
AP Style Months
Do I capitalize months in AP Style?
In AP Style you should capitalize the names of months in all of their uses.
Month Abbreviations AP Style
When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. All other months should always be completely spelled out. Also, all months should be spelled out when they stand alone or are alone with a year. For example,
The play will be shown beginning on July 17. (Appears with date but is not a month that is abbreviated)
The last day of the play is Aug. 15. (Appears with date and is abbreviated)
My birthday is in September. (Appears alone and is spelled out)
September 1975 was a very cold month. (Appears alone with a year and is spelled out)
Punctuating Months
When a phrase lists only a month and year, do not separate the two with commas. When a phrase lists a month, day, and year, set off the year with commas. For example,
September 1975 was a very cold month.
Feb. 12 is Lincolns birthday.
Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809.
He alleged it was Wednesday, Jan. 5, when the crime was committed. (Set off by commas)
For use with tabular material, use the following three-letter forms without periods,
Jan
Feb
Mar
AprJun
Jul
Aug
SepOct
Nov
Dec
AP Style Noon, Midnight
AP Style states that a 12 should not be placed in front of noon or midnight. For instance, sentences should be written as follows,
Correct: We met for lunch at noon.
Wrong: We met for lunch at 12:00 noon.
Correct: Eating dinner at midnight is far too late.
Wrong: Eating dinner at 12:00 midnight it far too late.
AP Style also notes that midnight is part of the day that is ending, not the one that is beginning. For example,
The invasion took place on August 21 at midnight.
In this example, the midnight that is happening is at the end of August 21st, not the beginning of August 22nd. Reference this withChicago stylingon use of midnight.
AP Style Numbers
In general you should spell out numbers one through nine in AP Style. Consider the following examples of AP Style numbers,
The Chicago White Sox finished second.
She had six months left of her pregnancy.
You should use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things. Also use figures in all tabular matter, and in statistical and sequential forms.
Use Figures For
Academic course numbers:
Calculus 2
English 101
Addresses:
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Spell out numbered streets nine and under. For example,
The address is 5 Sixth St.
Go to the restaurant at 1500 32nd St.
See also AP Style Addresses.Ages:
A 6-year-old boy
An 8-year-old car
A 4-year-old house
Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun. For example,
The 5-year-old boy
-but-
The boy is 5 years old
Also,
The boy, 5, has a sister, 10.
The race is for 3-year-olds.
The woman is in her 30s.
She is a 30-something.
-but-
Thirty-something to start a sentence.
See also AP Style Ages.
Planes, ships, and spacecraft designations:
B-2 bomber
Queen Elizabeth 2
QE2
Apollo 9
Viking 2
(Do not use hyphens.)
An exception to spelling out numbers for planes, ships, etc. is Air Force One, the presidents plane.
Use Roman numerals if they are part of the official designation. For example,
Titan I
Titan II
See also AP Style Aircraft Names, AP Style Boats, Ships, and AP Style Spacecraft Designations.Centuries:
Use figures for numbers 10 or higher.
21st century
Spell out for numbers nine and lower.
fifth century
Note, century is lowercase. For proper names, follow the organizations usage,
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fund
Court Decisions:
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4.
A 5-4 decision.
The words to is not needed, except in quotations. Example,
The court rules 5 to 4.
Dates, Years, Decades:
Feb. 8, 2005
Class of 99
The 1940s
For the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 9/11 is acceptable in all references.
Decimals, Percentages, and Fractions With Numbers Larger Than 1:
7.2 magnitude quake
3 laps
3.7 percent interest
4 percentage points
Decimalization should not exceed two places in most text material. An exception is blood alcohol content, which is express in three decimals. For example,
.056
For amounts less than 1, precede the decimal with a zero. For example,
The cost of living rose 0.05 percent.
When the decimal is 1 or less, the type of measurement should be singular. For example,
0.35 meter
0.55 cubic feet
0.75 kilometer
Spell out fractions less than 1, using hyphens between the words. For example,
two-thirds
three-fifths
In quotations, use figures for fractions. For example,
He was 3 seconds behind with 2 laps to go.
See also AP Style Decimal Units, AP Style Fractions, and AP Style Percent. Dimensions:
He is 5 feet 6 inches tall.
The 5-foot-6 man is here (inch is understood)
The 5-foot man
The basketball team signed a 7-footer.
The car is 17 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 5 feet high.
The rug is 9 feet by 12 feet.
The 9-by-12 rug.
A 9-inch snowfall.
Exception: a two-by-four. Spell out the noun, which refers to any length of building lumber 2 inches thick by 4 inches wide.
See also AP Style Dimensions.
Distances:
She walked 5 miles.
He missed a 10-foot jump shot.
Golf Clubs:
3-wood
7-iron
3-hybrid (note hyphen)
Highway destinations:
Interstate 5
U.S. Highway 1
state Route 1A
Route 66 (Do not abbreviate Route and do not hyphenate.)
See also AP Style Highway DesignationsMathematical Usage:
Multiply by 4
Divide by 6
He added 2 and 2 but got 5.
Military Ranks:
Used as titles with names, military terms, and weapons.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alan Markow
1st Sgt. David Triplett
M16 rifle
9 mm pistol (note the space)
6th Fleet
In military ranks, spell out the figure when it is used after the name or without a name. For example,
Smith was a second lieutenant.
The goal is to make first sergeant.
See also AP Style Military Units. Millions, Billions, Trillions Dollars:
Use a figure-word combination.
1 million people, not one million
$2 billion, not two billion
Also note no hyphen linking numerals and the word million, billion, or trillion.
See also AP Style Millions, Billions, Trillions Dollars. Monetary Units:
5 cents
$5 bill
8 euros
4 pounds
See also AP Style CentsOdds, Proportions, and Ratios:
9-1 longshot
3 parts cement to 1 part water
a 1-4 chance, but one chance in three
See also AP Style Betting Odds, AP Style Proportions, and AP Style Ratios.Rank:
He was my No. 1 choice.
Note abbreviation for Number. Do not this abbreviation in names of schools or in street addresses. For example,
Public School 19
There is one exception, No. 10 Downing St., which is the residence of Britains prime minister.
School Grades:
Use figures for grades 10 and above.
10th grade
12th grade
Spell out for first though ninth grades.
fourth grade
fifth-grader (note hyphen)
Sequential Designations:
Page 1, Page 20A
They were out of sizes 4 and 5.
Magnitude 6 earthquake
Rooms 3 and 4
Chapter 2
Line 1, but first line
Act 3, Scene 4, but third act, fourth scene
Game 1, but best of seven
See also AP Style Act Numbers, AP Style Chapters, AP Style Earthquakes, AP Style Line Numbers, AP Style Page Numbers, and AP Style Scene Numbers.Political Districts:
Ward 9
9th Precinct
3rd Congressional District
5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
See also AP Style Congressional Districts and AP Style Political Divisions. Recipes:
2 tablespoons to 1 cup of milk
See also AP Style RecipesSpeeds:
7 mph
winds of 5 to 10 mph
winds of 7 to 9 knots
Sports scores, Standings, and Standards:
The Giants defeated the Lions 14-7 (No comma between the team and the score).
In Golf
3 up, but a 3-up lead, led 3-2
a 6-1-2 record (six wins, one loss, two ties)
par 3
5 handicap
5-under-par 67
he was 5 under par (or 5 under with par understood)
In narrative, spell out nine and under except for yard lines in football and individual and team statistical performances.
The ball was on the 5-yard line.
Seventh hole
Three-point play, but a 3-point shot
In statistical performances, hyphenate as a modifier.
He completed 8 of 12 passes.
He made 5 of 6 (shots is understood).
He was 5-for-12 passing.
He had a 3-for-5 day.
He was 3-for-5.
He went 3-for-5 (batting, shooting, passing, etc., is understood).
Temperatures:
Use figures, except zero.
It was 8 degrees below zero or minus 8.
The temperature dropped from 38 to 8 in two hours.
See also AP Style Temperatures.Times:
Use figures for time of day except for noon and midnight.
1 p.m.
10:30 a.m.
5 oclock
8 hours
30 minutes
20 seconds
a winning time of 2:17.3 (two hours, 17 minutes, 3 seconds)
Spell out numbers less than 10 standing alone and in modifiers.
Ill be there in five minutes.
He scored with two seconds left.
An eight-hour day.
The two-minute warning.
See also AP Style Times, AP Style Time Sequences, and Is Noon AM or PM? Votes:
The bill was defeated by a vote of 6 to 4.
-but-
The bill was defeated by a two-vote margin.
Spell out:
At the start of a sentence:
Fifty years was a long time to wait.
Twenty to 30 cars were involved in the accident.
The only exception is years.
1995 was a very good year.
See also AP Style Years.In indefinite and casual uses:
Thanks a million!
He walked a quarter of a mile.
One at a time
A thousand clowns
One day we will know
An eleventh-hour decision
Dollar store
In fanciful usage or proper names:
Chicago Seven
Fab Four
Big Three automakers
Final Four
The Four Tops
In formal language, rhetorical quotations, and figures of speech:
Fourscore and seven years ago
Twelve Apostles
Ten Commandments
High-five
Day One
In fractions less than one that are not used as modifiers:
reduced by one-third
he made three-fourth of his shots.
Roman Numerals:
Roman Numerals may be used for wars and to establish personal sequence for people and animals.
World Was I
Native Dancer II
King George V
Pope John Paul II
Also for certain legislative acts (Title IX). Otherwise, use sparingly. Except in formal reference, pro football Super Bowls should be identified by the year, rather than the Roman numerals.
1969 Super Bowl, not Super Bowl III
Ordinals:
Numbers used to indicate order (first, second, 10th, 25th, etc.) are called ordinal numbers. Spell out first through ninth.
fourth grade
first base
the First Amendment
he was second in line
Use figures starting with 10th.
Cardinal Numbers:
Numbers used in counting or showing how many (2, 40, 627, etc.) are called cardinal numbers. The following separate entries additional guidance for cardinal numbers.
AP Style Amendments to the Constitution
AP Style Channel
AP Style Court Names AP Style Decades
AP Style Election Returns
AP Style Fleet
AP Style Formula
AP Style Latitude and Longitude
AP Style Mile
AP Style Parallels
AP Style Proportions
AP Style Serial Numbers
AP Style Telephones Numbers
AP Style Weights
Some other punctuation and usage example for AP Style Numbers,
3 ounces
4-foot-long
4-foot-fence
The senators speech lasted 18 1/2 minutes, she said.
DC-10 but 747B
the 1980s, but the 80s
the House voted 230-205 (fewer than 1,000 votes).
Jimmy Carter outpolled Gerald Ford 40,827,292 to 39,146,157 (more than 1,000 votes).
Carter outpolled Ford 10 votes to 2 votes in Little Junction (to avoid confusion with ratio)
No. 3 choice, but Public School 3
a pay increase of 12-15 percent
-or-
a pay increase of between 12 and 15 percent
-but-
from $12 million to $14 million
a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-to-1 ratio
1 in 4 voters
seven houses 7 miles apart
He walked 4 miles.
minus 10, zero, 60 degrees
Other Uses:
For uses not covered by these listings, spell out whole numbers below 10, and use figures for 10 and above.
They had three sons and two daughters.
They had a fleet of 10 station wagons and two buses.
In a Series:
Apply the standard guidelines:
They had 11 dogs, five cats, and 90 gerbils.
They had five four-room houses, 10 three-room houses, and 12 10-room houses.
AP Style On
AP Style holds that you should not use on before a date or day of the week when its absence would not lead to confusion, except at the beginning of a sentence. For example,
The conference call will be held Monday.
The president will be inaugurated Jan. 20.
-but-
On Dec. 21, the committee will meet to discuss the issue.
Use on to avoid an awkward juxtaposition of a date and a proper name. For example,
Steve met Susie on Monday.
She told Johnson on Thursday that the appointment was cancelled.
Use on also to avoid any suggestion that a date is the object of a transitive verb. The example,
The Senate killed on Tuesday a bid to raise the debt ceiling.
The House postponed on Thursday budget talks
AP Style Percent
One word. It takes a singular verb when standing alone or when a singular word follows an of construction. For example,
The professor said 60 percent was a failing grade.
He said 70 percent of the membership was there.
It takes a plural verb when a plural word follows an of construction. For example,
He said 50 percent of the members were there.
Use figures for percent and percentages. For example,
5 percent
2.5 percent (use decimal points, not fractions)
10 percent
4 percentage points
For a range, 12 to 15 percent, or between 12 and 15 percent.
For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero. For example,
Nationwide inflation rose 0.7 percent last year.
AP Style Quotations in the News
AP Style holds that you should never alter quotations even to correct minor grammatical errors or word usage. Casual minor tongue slips may be removed by using ellipses but even that should be done with extreme caution. If there is a question about a direct, either dont use it or ask the speaker to clarify.
If a person in unavailable for comment, detail attempts to reach that person. For example,
Kate was out of the country on business. Johnson did not return phone messages left at the office.Do not use substandard spellings such as gonna or wanna in attempts to convey regional dialects or informal pronunciations, except to help a desired touch or to convey an emphasis by the speaker.
Follow basic writing style and use abbreviations where appropriate, as in No. 1, St., Gov., Sen., and $3.
Full vs. Partial Quotes
In general, avoid fragmentary quotes. If a speakers words are clear and concise, favor the full quote. If cumbersome language can be paraphrased fairly, use an indirect construction, reserving quotation marks for sensitive or controversial passages that must be identified specifically as coming from the speaker.AP STYLE QUIZ ANSWER KEY:
AP QUIZ 1
QUIZ 2
QUIZ 3
1. a
1. byline
1. north
2. Dr.
2. 5 cents
2. Brights disease
3. a.m.
3. Wheel of Fortune
3. Earth
4. Road
4. Corp.
4. editor-in-chief
5. 15
5. counties
5. is
6. Minn
6. crises
6. email
7. Army
7. Band-Aid
7. ensure
8. Ambassador
8. break up
8. FAQ
9. Bible
9. effect
9. farther
10. broadcast
10. dependent
10. fliers
QUIZ 4
QUIZ 5
QUIZ 6
1. full-length
1. like
1. noon
2. its
2. livable
2. online
3. Ill.
3. longtime
3. more than
4. into
4. badly damaged
4. People
5. Internet
5. Time
5. Percent
6. U.S. circuit judge
6. media
6. Mother Nature
7. Kan.
7. Memorial
7. pianos
8. lies
8. January
8. yours
9. Legislature
9. MP3
9. Jesus
10. businesslike
10. The
10. President
AP QUIZ 7
QUIZ 8
QUIZ 9
1. God
1. Whom
1. 1700s2. reluctant
2. ZIP
2. dietitian3. side by side
3. all right
3. from4. state
4. assemblies
4. one another
5. Teenagers
5. bizarre
5. emigrated6. 205-
6. board of directors
6. Fathers Day7. USA
7. Canvass
7. first lady8. vice president
8. character
8. full-time9. Whos
9. City
9. goodbye
10. who
10. co-workers
10. governor
QUIZ 10
QUIZ 11
QUIZ 12
1. its
1. daughters-in-law
1. King Jr.2. homepage
2. Dr Pepper
2. lain3. 124 W. 23rd St.
3. down-to-earth
3. midsemester4. among
4. further
4. more than
5. Any one
5. fewer
5. 5-year-old6. bad
6. fiance
6. Overall,7. can hardly
7. well
7. peoples8. resident
8. harassed
8. percent9. coequal
9. holdup
9. Q-and-A10. city councils
10. intranet
10. restaurateurAP QUIZ 13
QUIZ 14
QUIZ 15
1. smolder
1. adviser
1. complimentary2. sneaked
2. affected
2. persuaded3. stationery
3. baby boomer
3. passers-by4. 800-555-555
4. backward
4. 4 feet 8 inches
5. that
5. bed-and-breakfast
5. discreet6. U.S.
6. blond
6. $ 650, 0007. website
7. cannon
7. immigrated8. bachelors
8. Capitol
8. widespread9. engineering
9. ninth
9. Rep.
10. accept
10. Chapter 8
10. forecast
QUIZ 16
QUIZ 17
1. forgo
1. fully informed
2. Ga.
2. Fire Department
3. good
3. menswear
4. gospel
4. Mountains
5. Gov.
5. mph
6. gray
6. N.C.
7. $10 million to $12 million7. offline
8. inquiry
8. off
9. Kansas City, Mo.
9. OK
10. news conference
10. pouring
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