If you choose to utilize one, you should usually begin by writing out the full phrase that makes up the acronym. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date. For words not in this book use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world college dictionary. Here are 10 underrated tips that will improve your ap style writing. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. You can find abbreviations discussed in the publication manual in section 4. So, if you have an awkward abbreviation, number, or letter and adding s makes for the bestlooking plural, then go for it. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines. An abbreviation like pc can be made plural as either pcs or pcs. Abbreviations are words or phrases that have been shortened. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Ap stylebook plurals follow these guidelines in forming and using plural words. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style.
For newspapers, you simply write the name of the publication no quotation marks or italics, e. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference. They omit the apostrophe, unless there are periods in the abbreviation. Style rules examples academic degrees use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name.
According to ap style, you should put quotation marks around the names of. The news came during the aps session at the american copy editors societys. Mar 25, 2017 on saturday, the associated press announced multiple changes regarding the use of gendered and genderneutral pronouns. In all plural uses, lowercase the common noun elements. Founded in 1846, ap today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. The official style guide used by the writers and editors of the worlds most authoritative newspaper is a style guide created in 1950 by editors at the newspaper and revised in 1974, 1999, and 2002 by allan m. Oct 30, 2015 if an article the, a, an is the first or last word in a title, capitalize it. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style. Ap stylebook, also known by its full name the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the associated press to standardize mass communications. In general, avoid using abbreviations and acronyms that readers would not.
But do not use apostrophes for plurals of abbreviations without periods, or for plurals formed from figures. The elements of style is one of the best grammar books. As the ap style book writes, names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words. The sba is committed to simplifying our message by using a standard style without jargon and unidentifiable acronyms. The equivalent resource for the older apa 6 style can be found here.
Sep 15, 2014 ap style books, songs, movies generally, the titles of books, songs, movies and tv shows are placed in quotations. In subsequent references, do not continue ising the. Acronyms are pronounced as words, rather than as series of letters. The apa style guide allows individuals working in and studying the social sciences to be consistent when referencing sources used for research. Associated press style basics journalists resource. Ap style is kansas chicago manual of style apostrophe rules. The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. This common phrase is technically a plural one, although its often written in the singular. However, italicized type could not be sent over associated press teletypes and isnt supported by the computer programs in use today. If you want to follow the writing style used by magazines, newspapers, editors and journalists, then you need to study up on associated press style, or ap style. Home ap style ap style composition titles the following guidelines are rules set out in the ap stylebook for ap style book titles, computer game titles, ap style movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album titles, ap style song titles, radio and television titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, and work of art. Justice souter seems to prefer the recommendations of the chicago manual of style, which says to add the apostrophes to almost all singular nouns and names that end with s. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule.
The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. The print edition of the new york times manual of style and usage, written by two esteemed former colleagues, allan m. If possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. How to pluralize abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms.
Apostrophes are generally used in contractions and to indicate the possessive case, but they are not used to form plurals of numbers and abbreviations in apa style. Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. Instead, you place quotation marks around books, plays, poems, lectures, etc. See our full page on abbreviations and acronyms for a more in depth discussion on their differences. Add apostrophe s unless the next word begins with s. Distributed by satellite and the internet to more than 120 nations, ap services daily reach more than one billion people. Use words for zeronine and figures for 10 and above. Editorial guide brand and style guidelines university of arkansas. However, if the name of the street is a number, then you should default back to the basics. The chicago manual of style has an interesting way to address this.
Books and magazines often italicize newspaper names as well as book titles and magazine names as part of their inhouse style. An acronym is formed from the first letters of the words that make up a phrase. In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym. Use twoletter postal abbreviations only in mailing addresses which include a zip code. In apa, abbreviations should be limited to instances when a the abbreviation is standard and will not interfere with the readers understanding and b if space and repetition can be greatly. The major differences between writing style guides working. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations for print publications.
Brand names, such as ipad, sometimes use camel case an internal capital letter, but in standard english such style is unacceptable for anything other than names. Instead, simply use the abbreviation the second time that you refer to the organization. Guard against following an acronym with a word that appears in the acronym itself. Do you know the big differences between ap, apa, chicago, and. If youre writing in ap style, you are never explicitly required to use acronyms. Here are a few answers to common style issues, based on the ap stylebook. This page reflects the latest version of the apa publication manual i. On wednesday, professor james currier, who has a doctorate in biology and a masters in economics, will argue that improving automobile fuel efficiency from an average of 17 to 22 miles per gallon would save billions of dollars and protect endangered.
Any time you start to abbreviate, think or go to your stylebook. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce. I oversee an online version that includes many changes and updates since the book s publication in 1999. Pluralize numbers and abbreviations without apostrophes. See the lists that follow to determine whether the title should be spelled out or abbreviated in regular text. The ap stylebook now allows writers to use they as a singular pronoun when rewriting the sentence as plural would be overly awkward or clumsy. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the full name of a member of the military.
Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. Use a figure and spell out pounds if the actual figure is relevant. The chicago manual of style says, use no periods with abbreviations that appear in full capitals, whether two letters or more and even if lowercase letters appear within the abbreviation. Add apostrophe s if singular, and add an apostrophe if plural. Jun 15, 2009 acronyms are words formed from the initial letters of a multiword term. Emoji is used as both the singular and plural form of these symbols. The new york times manual of style and usage wikipedia. Acronyms are formed by the first letter of each word in a phrase. Even more than this, each service branch has its own systems of abbreviating officer and enlisted rankse. High speed micro sd card 4gb 8gb 16gb 32gb 64gb memory card microsd c1. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Different style guides proffer different advice on this one, making it largely a question of personal choice. Click a question below to jump straight to its answer.
On first reference, dont put an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses after an organization or. Some exceptions to this general numerals rule include ages, dimensions, weights, time, temperatures, percent, dollarscents and millionsbillions. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Chicago manual of style, gregg reference manual, and morsons. The empire state building is located at 350 fifth avenue. However, the department of defense uses the ap stylebooks military titles in news releases because the abbreviations are more easily understood. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. A new stylebook entry, which was announced thursday as part of the aps session at the 21st national conference of aces. Ap style for first time allows use of they as singular pronoun. For apa style, place quotation marks around journal articles, song. Refer to aps datelines entry for use of certain wellknown city names alone. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Justice thomas, whose name ends with an s, seems to favor ap style, which recommends leaving off the extra s.
The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. All you need to know about titles in ap style gatehouse. Wayne writes from the business school with a question about abbreviations and acronyms. A style guide for the 2020 elections, based on the ap stylebook and common usage in ap stories. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. For example, cd is easier to say than compact disc. The choice between ebook and ebook could be considered a style choice, but ebook is simply wrong. Oxford university press usa publishes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, childrens books, business books, dictionaries, reference books, journals, text books and more. Associated press ap style is a specific form of writing that is used in magazines, newspapers, certain websites and other journalistic publications. Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individuals name. The associated press stylebook and websters new world college dictionary are. The most common, such as nasa, fbi and cia, can be used on all references.
Apostrophes to show the plural of abbreviations and. The same rule applies to words of fewer than four letters. See special expressions, but otherwise, for consistency and ease in remembering a rule, always use s if the word does not end in the letter s. The utilization of acronyms as plurals is not always understood or implemented consistently by writers. Dont put acronyms in parentheses after the first reference for. Jul 21, 2016 in ap style, you shouldnt follow the name of an organization with the abbreviation offset by parentheses or dashes. If you leave out the periods, you can write mas but youd still have to write phds. Sep 15, 2016 if possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. Also use apostrophes for plurals formed from single letters. When to form a plural with an apostrophe daily writing tips. Both style guides have nuances for different types of titles, so we recommend checking the official books sites for specific rules. The next references should identify the person only by his or.
Short for associated press and briefing on media law, the ap stylebook or even shorter, ap style is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the ap over the last century to standardize mass communications. The associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style recommend the former, the new york times the latter. Sep 28, 2011 the ap stylebook uses websters new world college dictionary, fifth. Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word. These can be names of organizations nato, nations usa, and phrases faq. While acronyms are highly efficient, care needs to be taken when using them. Ap doesnt use italics for titles at all, while chicago uses italics for some titles and quotes for others. The obama administration told public schools to grant bathroom access even if a students gender identity isnt whats in their record. Jack gillespie, rowan university, purdue university writing lab and ap stylebook page 2. The president of the united states lives at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Too many, the ap style guide warns, produces alphabet soup. Writing blog posts in ap style linkedin slideshare. This makes it difficult to show a plural of an otherwise normallooking abbreviation. Associated press style cheat sheet compiled with assistance from online resources, including scribd, purdue university and towson university abbreviations and acronyms as a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations.
Add an s but no apostrophe to a number to make it plural. Generally, for the titles of larger works like books and movies, chicago calls for italics and ap calls. Ap style requires consistency in spelling, capitalization, punctuation and. Lowercase the common noun elements of names in all plural uses. For example, radar if formed from radio detecting and ranging. A common mistake people make is to include apostrophes when pluralizing a number or an abbreviation. Do use the apostrophe to form the plural of lowercase. Ap stylebook entry on collective nouns says band names take plural verbs. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Apostrophes in plurals for uppercase abbreviations when writing titles, you are sometimes compelled to use just capital letters. Only acronyms ending in the letter s take an apostrophe. In ap style writing, many different words are abbreviated in an effort to conserve space. Mignon fogarty is the author of 101 words to sound smart. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines.
Names of most websites and apps are capitalized without quotes. Shorthand for the formal title of the health care overhaul that former president barack obama signed into law in 2010. A revised and expanded paperback edition was published in 2002. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print book s guidance. A primer on the ap style rule for acronyms bka content. The associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style.
Whether you put periods after the letters in an acronym such as nasa or an initialism such as rbi is a style choice, but neither the chicago manual or style nor the ap stylebook recommend using periods. However, ap style covers a large amount of less known rules to follow. Abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms baltimore sun. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law associated press on. Some style guides say that singular nouns ending in s sounds such as ce, x, and z may take either the apostrophe alone or s. Nov 06, 2015 always use figures for numbered addresses. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Ap style holds that acronyms are formed from the first letters or letters of a series of words. The sense in a particular sentence is conveyed by the use of a singular or plural verb. In the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style. The ap stylebooks new rules on genderneutral pronouns are a. Per ap style, use figures for ages, events, percentages.
Associated press stylebook associated press stylebook and. Acronyms are generally formed from the first letters of a longer phrase. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law. Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms when the reader would not quickly identify what it stands for. Knowing the style well and using it appropriately will positively impact credibility and utilization of media submissions. This section can be used as a primer and a quick reference, not a replacement to the gpo or ap style books. Stylebook lists are more indepth, heres basically what i need to know in the form of examples to ensure i follow a. Tarp stands for troubled asset relief program, so writing the tarp program was controversial is redundant. An abbreviation, lets take gb from above, is not an acronym. Connolly, can still be bought online and in some bookstores.
Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. To complain about ap style, write to the associated press, 450 w. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. The ap style guide goes a bit further and discusses the proper uses of punctuation, abbreviations and how to specifically write names, dates, addresses, etc. Add apostrophes if singular, and add an apostrophe if plural. If this structure makes the connection between the entity and the abbreviation unclear, its best to just skip using the abbreviation. The abbreviation for terms and conditions is a tricky one. An acronym is an abbreviation used as a word, such as the words laser, radar, and dvd. The associated press stylebook says it is opening the door to use of the singular they. In ap style, you never italicize or underline book, poem, or newspaper titles. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers.
Since this pattern violates the rule that apostrophes are not used before an s indicating a plural, many people object to it. One unusual use of the apostrophe is in plural acronyms, like icbms ngos and cds. I recall that your class taught me to not follow proper nouns that you plan to abbreviate later with an abbreviation in parenthesis. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date. However, computer game apps such as farmville are in quotes. Ap style most writing style guides contain information specifically about how to cite sources and format research correctly to reduce accusations of plagiarism. Acronyms are widely used and understood abbreviations such as nasa national aeronautics and space administration. Do use the apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation that combines upper and lowercase letters or has interior periods. Only use abbreviations and acronyms that the reader would instantly. Do not add the word degree after an abbreviation of the degree or after the full name. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Most examples here are taken and condensed from these style books.
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