AP Style
What you need to know
Abbreviations J.Wangerin
Use only commonly known abbreviations that people will
recognize at first glance such as
Dr.
Mrs.
Jr.
Sr.
Mr.
Rep.
Abbreviations cont.
Abbreviate words that come after names such as:
Ltd.
Corp.
Inc.
It is appropriate to abbreviate time periods:
B.C.
A.D.
a.m.
p.m.
Abbreviations cont.
DO NOT follow an organization‟s full name with an
abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by
dashes.
Don‟t – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA)
Do- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Second mention would use PETA
Punctuate correctly with periods and commas.
Don‟t use periods in acronyms unless the letters make
an unrelated word.
NBC
Don‟t use periods with CIA FBI or ABC
Apostrophe (‟)
T.Balleau
Plural Nouns not ending in S:
Add „s
Example: The Alumni’s contributions, women’s rights.
Plural Nouns ending in S:
Add only an apostrophe
Ex: The churches’ needs, the girls’ toys, the horses’
food, and the ships’ wake, states’ rights, the VIPs’
entrance.
Nouns plural in form, singular in
meaning
Add only and apostrophe
Ex: Mathematics; rules, measles’ effects
(see Inanimate objects)
Inanimate Objects
Apply the same principle when a plural word occurs in the
formal name of a singular object.
Ex: General Motors’ profits, the United States’ wealth
Nouns the same in singular and
plural
Treat them the same as plurals, even if the meaning is
singular.
Ex: One corps’ location, the two deer’s tracks, the lone
moose’s antlers
Singular nouns not ending in S
Add „s
Ex: The Church’s needs, the girl’s toys, the horse’s food,
the ship’s route, the VIP’s seat
Apostrophe alone or „s?
Some style guidelines say that singular nouns ending in
s sounds such as ce, x, and z may take either the
apostrophe alone or „s. (see special expressions) But
otherwise, for consistency and ease in remembering a
rule, always use „s if the word doesn‟t end in the letter s.
Ex: Butz’s policies, the fox’s den, the justice’s verdict,
Marx’s theories, the prince’s life, Xerox’s profits
Singular common nouns ending
in S
Add „s unless the next word begins with the s
Ex: The hostess’s invitation, the hostess’ seat; the
witnesses answer, the witness’ story
Singular proper names ending in
S
Use only an apostrophe
Ex: Achilles’ heel, Agnes’ book, Ceres’ rights, Dickens’
novels (An exception in St. James’s Palace)
Special Expressions
The following expressions to the general rule for words not
ending in s apply to words that end in an s sound and are
follows by a word that begins with s
Ex: For appearance’ sake, for conscience’ sake, for
goodness’ sake
Use „s otherwise:
The appearance's cost, my conscience’s voice
Pronouns
Personal interrogative and relative pronouns have separate
forms for the possessive. None involves an apostrophe.
Ex: Mine, ours, your, yours, his, hers, its, theirs, whose
Caution: If you are using an apostrophe with a pronoun,
always double-check to be sure that the meaning calls for a
contraction.
Ex: You’re, it’s, there’s, who’s.
Follow the rules above in forming the possessives of other
pronouns.
Ex: Another’s idea, others’ plans, someone’s guess
Compound Words
Applying the rules above, add an apostrophe or „s to the
word closest to the object possessed
Ex: The major general’s decision, the major generals’
decisions
Joint Possession, Individual
possession
Use a possessive form after only the last word if ownership
is joint
Ex: Fred and Sylvia’s apartment, Fred and Sylvia’s
stocks
Use a possessive form after both words if the objects are
individually owned.
Ex: Fred’s and Sylvia’s books
Descriptive Phrases
Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is
used primarily in a descriptive sense.
Ex: Citizens band radio, a Cincinnati Reds infielder, a
teachers college, a Teamsters request, a writers guide
Memory Aid: The apostrophe usually is not used if for or by
rather than of would be appropriate in the longer form.
Ex: a radio band for citizens, a college for teachers, a
guide for writers.
An „s is required however, when a term involves a plural
word that doesn‟t end in s.
Ex: A children’s hospital, a people’s republic.
Descriptive Names
Some governmental, corporate and institutional
organizations with a descriptive word in their names use an
apostrophe; some do not.
Ex: Actors’ Equity, Diners Club, the Ladies’ Home Journal
(see separate entries for these and similar names
frequently in the news)
Quasi Possesives
Follow the rules above in composing the possessive form of
words that occur in such phrases.
Ex: A day’s pay, two weeks’ vacation, three days’ work
Frequently, however, a hyphenated form is clearer
Ex: a two-weeks vacation, a three-day job
Double Possessive
Two conditions must apply for a double possessive- a phrase
such as a friend of John’s- to occur: 1. The word after of must
refer to an animate object 2. The word before of must involve
only a portion of the animate object‟s possessives.
Otherwise, do not use the possessive form of the word after
of.
Ex: The friends of John Adams mourned his death (all the
friends were involved) He is a friends of the college (Not
college’s, because college is inanimate)
Memory Aid: This construction occurs most often, and quite
naturally, with the possessive forms of personal pronouns.
Ex: He is a friend of mine.
Inanimate Objects
There is no blanket rule against creating a possessive form
for an inanimate object, particularly if the object is
portrayed in a personified sense. See some of the earlier
examples and note some of these: death’s call, the wind’s
murmur.
In general, however, avoid excessive personalization of
inanimate objects, and give preference to an of
construction when it fits the makeup of the sentence. For
example,. The earlier references to mathematics’ rules
would be better be phrased: the rules of mathematics.
Omitted letters
I’ve, it’s, don’t, rock ‘n’ roll, ‘tis the season to be jolly.
He is a ne’er-do-well. See contractions in the main
section.
Omitted Figures
The class of ’62. The spirit of ‘76. The ‘20s.
Plurals of a single letter
Mind your p’s and q’s. He learned the three R’s and
brought home a report car with four A’s and two B’s. The
Oakland A’s won the pennant.
Attribution: First and second mention
faculty first mention: courtesy title (for faculty) + first name + last name +
[, job title,]
faculty/adult second mention: use courtesy title and last name only.
i.e. Mrs. Elisha Strecker, journalism adviser, can only watch so
much of the news.
i.e. Mrs. Strecker can look through office supply catalogues all
day without complaint.
i.e. Dr. James Wipke, head principal, enjoys nothing more than
soccer.
Principal Wipke must have had a great soccer game
yesterday. He has no voice today.
“Every year the celebration grows more and more,” Ms. Nisha
Patel, 10th grade assistant principal, said.
“They get so excited they get here like half an hour before it
even starts,” Ms. Patel said.
Attribution: First and second mention
Titles that are capitalized and go BEFORE the name:
President (of the United States)
Principal
Superintendent
Attribution: First and second mention
student first mention: first name + last name + (grade level in parentheses)
or [,sports position,]
student second mention: use last name only.
“Veterans Day is important to honor the people that helped fight for
our country” Danielle Moore (9) said.
“We would not be able to live the rich lives we enjoy now
without the sacrifices they made then,” Moore said.
i.e. Foot positioning is vital to the game for Cole Toti, varsity
corner back, as he maneuvers around players in the field.
Toti worries that the mud may lead to major injury.
i.e. Emily Lambert, sports editor, is responsible for all sport-
related issues during class.
Lambert is not responsible for your sports pages though.
[Brackets] A.Miller
They cannot be transmitted over news wires. [news
wires are
Brackets are not the same as parentheses, there are
many differences.
Parentheses are used around logos and should not be
used a lot.
Brackets are used to classify or group together.
Avoid using these things unless necessary.
Capitalization
In general, avoid any unnecessary capitals.
Ex: My Brother and I play baseball. (Avoid
capitalizing brother because it is unnecessary to
capitalize.)
To capitalize means to use uppercase for the first letter of a
word.
Ex: Boston, Massachusetts. (The first letter is
capitalized in Boston and Massachusetts.)
Proper nouns should always be capitalized.
Ex: John, Mary, America, Boston, England.
Commas
Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in series,
however, if an integral element of the series requires a
conjunction:
I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for
breakfast.
Separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma
before the conjunction in a simple series.
The flag was red, white and blue.
He would nominate Tom, Dick or harry.
Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex
series of phrases.
The main points to consider are whether the athletes are
skillful enough to compete, whether they have the
stamina to endure the training, and whether they have
proper mental attitude.
Composition Titles
Quotation marks are placed on both sides of the title for
every type of work except for The Bible and books that
are primarily reference books (an almanac). Do not use
quotations for programs such as Windows
The Bible, Encyclopaedia Britannica, “The Star-
Spangled-Banner,” “Gone With the Wind”
Microsoft Windows.
Compound Modifiers V.Hiles
Two or more words that express a single concept- precedes
a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound
except the adverb very and all adverbs that end in –ly.
A first-quarter touchdown.
A bluish-green dress.
A full-time job.
A well-known man.
An easily-remembered rule.
Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are
not hyphenated when they occur after a noun.
The team scored in the first quarter.
The dress, a bluish green, was attractive on her.
Compound Modifiers
When a modifier that would be hyphenated before a noun
occurs instead after a form of the verb to be, then hyphen
usually must be retained to avoid confusion.
The woman is quick-witted.
The children are soft-spoken.
The play is second-rate.
Dates
o Dates always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, re, or
th.
o When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate
only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct ,Nov. and Dec.:
o Fall Open House will be held, Oct. 8.
o When a phrase lists only a month and year, do not
separate the month and the year with commas:
o The new Web site will launch in December 2007.
o When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off
the year with commas:
o Jan. 15, 2010, was the first day of the semester.
Monetary Units C.Walker
When you look up “money” in the AP Style Book the only
thing that you are able to find is “monetary units”
It says “see cents, dollars and pounds”
Cents
When writing about how many cents type the word
“cents” in all lowercase letters following the amount.
i.e. I have 9 cents.
If you have an amount over a dollar use the dollar sign
and decimal system.
Casey Walker has $9.09.
Dollars
The word “dollar(s)” is always lowercase.
i.e. I want a dollar, please.
If you want to show a certain amount put the money
sign ($) and the figure.
i.e. I want $9, please.
For amounts more than a million only use up to 2
decimal places.
i.e. $9.30 million
Numerals
G.Hafner
Numerals:
A figure, letter, word or group of words expressing a
number.
Roman Numerals
Use the letters I,V, X, L, C, D, and M.
They are used for wars or to show personal sequence for
animals and people.
Ex: World War II
Ex: King George VI.
Arabic Numerals
Use the figures 1, 2 ,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.
1, 2, 10, 101 and so on are called cardinal numbers.
1st, 2nd, 10th, 101st and so on are called ordinal numbers.
For ordinal numbers spell out the first through ninth
numeral above use a figure.
How to use them in a sentence!
When beginning a sentence with a numeral you should
spell it out. (If and only if it is not identifying a calendar
year.)
If you want you can rephrase your sentence so that the
numeral is not at the beginning.
Wrong Ex: 867 sophomores came to Eureka High
School.
Right Ex: Last year 867 sophomores came to Eureka
High School.
Casual Use of Numerals
When using numeral casually spell out the expresion.
Ex: A thousand times no!
Proper Use of Numerals
Use words or numerals according to an organization
practice.
Ex: Twentieth Century Fund
Fraction Use of Numerals
For amounts less than one in stories spell out the
numeral.
Ex: Four-fifths
For amounts larger than 1 use figures.
Decimal use of Numerals
For decimal numbers use a period and a numeral.
In textual material it should not exceed more than two
places.
For amounts less than one use the numeral zero before
the decimal point.
Ex: 0.03 meter
For anything else…
Spell out numerals 1-9 and anything above 9 use a
numeral.
Ex: They had three children, 10 cats and live in a two-story
house.
Partial Quotes
Partial quotes are quotes that are less than a complete
sentence said by an interviewee that is quoted in a
story.
Their main purpose is to get to the point of the
interviewee‟s response and eliminate useless wording.
When a partial quote is used, do NOT put quotation
marks around the words that the speaker could not have
used.
Wrong Example: She said she “was horrified at their
slovenly manners.”
Right Example: She said she was horrified at their
“slovenly manners.”
In order to be more practical and accurate, it‟s best to
avoid partial quotes and use the full quote.
Periods
Are used to declare the end of a sentence
Such as The Stylebook is finished.
Also used for abbreviations.
Such as LBJ.
Is placed after numbers.
One. Two. Three. Four.
When placed in the quotations the period needs to be
placed in the quotation mark.
“I like chocolate milk,” Alle Petralia said. “It tastes better
than white milk.”
Plurals
O.Landgrebe
Plurals Ending in ES:
Words that end in CH, S,SH,SS, X and Z you add an ES
at the end.
Ex: Lenses, Buzzes, boxes, Parishes
Words ending in O have the same rule, but with some
exceptions.
Ex: Pianos, heros, (you never use apostrophes in
plurals.)
For words ending in F you change the F to a V and add
an ES (with the exceptions on the word roof; roofs)
Ex: Leaf Leaves.
Latin Endings:
Latin-root words ending in US you change the US to an I
Ex: Alumnus Alumni (Words that have taken on
English endings by common usage are exceptions
Ex: Prospectuses)
Most endings with an A change to AE
Ex: Alumna Alumnae
Endings with UM you add an S:
Ex: Stadiums
Form Change:
Ex: Man Men, Foot Feet, etc.
When S is used with any of these words it indicates
possession and must be preceded by an apostrophe
Ex: Men‟s, Children‟s
Words that are the same in
Singular and Plural:
Ex: Corps, deer, moose, sheep
The sense in a particular sentence is conveyed by the
use of a singular or plural verb.
Words in Form Singular in
meaning:
Some take singular verbs
Ex: Measles, mumps, news
Others take singular verbs
Ex: Grits, Scissors
Compound words:
For compound words that involve separate words or
words linked by hyphen make the most significant word
plural
Ex: the Significant word first: Daughters-in-law,
Presidents-elect
Words as Words:
Do not use „s
Ex: his speech had to many “ifs”, “ands”, and
“buts”.
Proper Names:
Most ending in ES or S or Z add ES
Ex: The Joneses
Most ending in Y ass S even if preceded by consonant.
Ex: The Kennedys
For others add S
Ex: The Carters
Single & Multiple Letters:
Single Letters:
Use ‘S
Ex: Landon‟s report card had all A‟s and B‟s.
Multiple Letters:
Add S
Ex: She knows her ABCs.
Proper Nouns
Capitalize nouns that identify a person, place, or thing.
Ex. Lets go to John‟s house.
Ex. I love living in America.
Ex. Want to run to Wal-Mart with me?
Names and titles are always proper nouns, so they are
always capitalized.
Ex. Bill and Mary Smith both love going to the St. Louis
Zoo.
Proper Nouns
Capitalize common nouns like river, street, west, and
party when they are part of the full proper name.
Ex. Republican Party
Ex. Mississippi River
Ex. Main Street
Ex. West Virginia
But, when the common nouns are plural, do not
capitalize and make proper.
Ex. Democratic and Republican parties
Ex. Main and South streets
Exception: Plural forms of formal titles with full names are
capitalized.
Ex. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
Titles
o In general, confine capitalization to formal titles used
directly before an individual‟s name.
o The basic guidelines:
o LOWERCASE: lowercase and spell out titles when they
are not used within individual‟s name:
o The president issued a statement.
o Lowercase and spell out titles in constructions that set
them off from a name by commas:
o The vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, declined to
run again.
Formal Titles
o Capitalize Formal tiles when they are used immediately
before one or more names:
o Pope Benedict XVI, President Washington
o A formal title generally is one that denotes a scope of
authority, professional activity or academic activity:
o Sen. Dianne Feinstein
o Other titles serve primarily as occupational descriptions:
o Astronaut John Glenn
Trademarks
Trademarks are words, brands, symbols, etc. that are
used by a manufacturer to stop competitors from using
the same words.
Ex. Just Do It, ,Nike are all Nike trademarks.
Brand Names are an example of trademarks and should
be capitalized if used but only used when necessary.
Examples of Brand Names are Nike, Astroturf, and
Ford.
When writing use a word that is similar unless it is vital
to the story‟s purpose.
Ex. Kirkwood High School just got a new artificial turf
football field.
Instead of Kirkwood High School just got an Astroturf
Football field.