Font Size:
Welcome! Today is Thursday, July 02, 2009
NOTE: Subscribers to AP Stylebook Online can submit questions. Subscribe now.
| Q. Should it be "an architecture firm" or "an architectural firm"? I'm thinking the first, along the lines of historic vs. historical. – from Boston, MA on Thu, Jul 02, 2009 A. We lean toward architectural firm, but architecture firm is also widely used in the profession. |
| Q. Is nonunion one word or hyphenated? How about
top-down or bottom up? – from Washington, DC on Thu, Jul 02, 2009 A. nonunion; top-down authority; bottom-up approach |
| Q. What is your view on a trend we're seeing regarding time zones: the use of PT, CT and ET instead of the more specific PDT, CDT and EDT? The thought is that the shorter PT is usable no matter what time of year it is.
Thanks. – from Menlo Park, CA on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. AP news stories circulate across all time zones nationally and internationally, requiring more precise time designations than the abbreviations you refer to. See "time zones" entry for details. |
| Q. Here on Cape Cod, a big tourist draw for families is minigolf ... or is that mini-golf? I know, by the rules there should be no hyphen. But am I the only one who sees minig-olf when it's all mushed together? (I admit, I still think miniseries rhymes with miseries.) And don't tell me to just write "miniature golf." That is so ... New York. – from Hyannis, MA on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. It's often hyphenated, and sometimes spelled as two separate words. In absence of a definitive ruling, take your pick. |
| Q. Would AP consider changing its policy on "Web site" (two words, capped)?
The dominant form on the Web is "website," one word, lowercase. And the AP's dictionary of choice, Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, also uses that form. Why fight the dictionary? – from Minneapolis, MN on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. AP has no plan to change the spelling of Web site (two words), which is widely used by news organizations, including those with their own style guides. Note that Web is a component of World Wide Web, three separate words. |
| Q. Landscaper or landscapist? Both are in the dictionary... – from New York, NY on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. sure, and they have very different meanings. |
| Q. After using the capitalization "PlayStation" for all previous versions of the system, I see that Sony went with all caps for the trademark of the PLAYSTATION 3. From what I can tell, AP stories are sticking with the old version, only capitalizing the P and the S. Is this correct? – from Cary, NC on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. yes, PlayStation 3 |
| Q. Are CD titles capitalized? How would you format the following? "My favorite song is 'Debby's Hat' from the band's I See Blue CD." – from New York, NY on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. That's covered in "composition titles" |
| Q. I've noticed AP continues to refer to the hospital as UCLA Medical Center, even though it was renamed Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center about a year ago when it opened in new facilities. http://bit.ly/im0x0
Is that official policy? – from Chicago, IL on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. The full name is used on first reference in some AP stories, the shorter version in others. Names of medical institutions may be abbreviated based on how the local community refers to them. |
| Q. Two quick questions: Is it 1-2 times weekly, one to two times weekly or one- to two times weekly? (Once or twice weekly isn't an option in the sentence, unfortunately.)
Also, the AP rule is that commas should be used to set off dates ("We planned meetings for Monday, Oct. 25, and Tuesday, Nov. 20."). But isn't the comma after the date creating the impression that the date is a nonessential clause? Unless Oct. 25 is this coming Monday, I've always omitted the second comma for accuracy's sake. – from St. Louis, MO on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. Spell out one or two times weekly, per OTHER USES explanation in "numerals" entry. For the date, set off the day and calendar date with commas. See example in "months" entry. |
| Q. Doing an invitation for an investment firm, Lorem
Ipsum Partners, should it be "invites" considering the organization as an entity, or "invite" considering it is a group of people. – from Philadelphia, PA on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. Lorem Ipsum Partners? Surely you jest. Singular verb for a partnership or firm is customary, though. |
| Q. My company lists cell phone numbers for most employees; however, the company designates the cell phone on business cards and Web sites with an "m" for mobile phone rather than a "c" for cell phone. Can you advise whether cell phone or mobile phone is more appropriate? In other words, is mobile phone outdated? – from Chesterfield, MO on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 A. AP generally uses cell for numbers of handhelds, though mobile is certainly understood. |
| Q. I searched the database and was unable to find the answer to this question - when using the date- month-year format for a date, is there a comma after the month?
Is it:
30 June, 2009 (with a comma)
or
30 June 2009 (no comma) – from Renton, WA on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. June 30, 2009. AP style doesn't use date, month, year. |
| Q. What is correct: health reform or healthcare (health care) reform? – from Reisterstown, MD on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. health care overhaul |
| Q. Regarding capitalization for awards: If someone is named an association's Claims Professional of the Year, do the C, P and Y get capitalized?
Usage is: named Claims Professional of the Year in 2005.
Thank you. – from Livingston, NJ on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. Looks like an official, recurring award so the name is properly capped. |
| Q. Do I use hyphens when using the terms "travel size" and "retail size"? For example, "Includes trial sizes of..." and "...so they return quickly to purchase the full retail size." – from Los Angeles, CA on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. no hyphens. |
| Q. I'm a little confused on noun phrases in regards to hyphens. Would "lipid soluble vitamin C" or "lipid-soluble vitamin C" be correct? thanks! – from San Jose, CA on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. no hyphen in this noun phrase. |
| Q. LEGO Group or Lego Group?
Thanks. – from Washington, D.C. on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. The second. |
| Q. Should a "specially-designed" item be hyphenated? What about others like: a quickly-moving object? What is the rule for these descriptive combos before nouns? – from Wallington, NJ on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. See "-ly" entry. |
| Q. How does AP handle a first reference to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts? Full name? Or something shorter?
Thanks – from arlington, VA on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A. Under a Washington dateline, the Kennedy Center usually suffices. |
| Q. Is it "wood-plank flooring" or "wood plank flooring" Thank you. – from Petaluma, California on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 A. wood-planked flooring; wood planks |
| Q. OK, so it's "car pool" when used as a noun and "carpool" as a verb. But what about as an adjective? Is it "carpool" or "car-pool"? – from Little Rock, AR on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 A. car pool (adj.) |
| Q. should self esteem be hyphenated? – from Houston, TX on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 A. self-esteem (n.), Webster's. |
| Q. Do you read out loud or aloud? – from baltimore, MD on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 A. aloud is preferred in writing. |
| Q. Turnkey construction or Turn-key ? – from Canton, OH on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 A. turnkey (one word) as adjective and noun. |
| Q. Please excuse the multiple posts on the possessive of CBS. Using only an apostrophe would make perfect sense IF your rule were based on whether there's an S sound at the end of the word. But that's not the rule, right? (You call for "Netflix's," I believe. Quite a mouthful.) – from , California on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. In the "possessives" entry, see guidance on SINGULAR PROPER NAMES ENDING IN S: Use only an apostrophe. |
| Q. Doesn't the answer on titles separated by commas conflict with the fourth paragraph of the titles entry in the stylebook: "Lowercase and spell out titles in constructions that set them off from a name by commas ..."? – from Camarillo, Calif. on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. Correct. The response has been amended. thanks. |
| Q. So sorry; I've checked the "numerals" entry, but can't find what I'm looking for. I know Chicago Manual of Style says to use all numerals in the following type of string, but since the first numberhere is below 10, how does AP handle the "5": "Awards for 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of service were given." Thanks! – from California on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. see "numerals" OTHER USES. |
| Q. I had an editor once who hated the phrase "sudden death," saying the time of death is the same for all, just that some people take longer getting there. (Newsroom humor.) He said to use "unexpected" instead. Is there a fine line there? I see "he died suddenly" or "sudden death" much more frequently than "unexpected." – from New Jersey on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. "sudden" is an accepted medical term, as in sudden cardiac arrest or sudden infant death syndrome. Died unexpectedly fits some cases, but isn't precise for all such cases. |
| Q. There seems to be some inconsistencies, and even dispute, among the medical community on which is the proper spelling, or if it matters: orthopedic or orthopaedic? Is one preferable to the other in publications such as newsletters, websites or written communications to a patient? – from Lakeland, FL on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. AP medical stories favor orthopedic, except when orthopaedic is used in a proper name, such as a company, medical practice or university department.' |
| Q. Regarding a numerical series, should it be "5, 10 and 20" or "five, 10 and 20"? Thanks! – from California on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. Normally spell out whole numbers below 10, but see "numerals" for specific uses. |
| Q. Regarding cyber as a combining form, it seems to me that there's a hair's difference in the meaning of cyber command, as in the new office created by the defense secretary, and so it works best as two words. Do you concur? – from Washington, DC on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. Yes, cyber command is two words in AP stories. |
| Q. When a title directly precedes a name, it gets initial-capped, such as President Barack Obama. But when a comma is between the title and the name, does the title
still get initial-capped, such as in this example: "...our Chairman and CEO, Jill Hill, supported the program..."? Thanks! – from California on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 A. CORRECTION: ... our chairman and chief executive officer, Jill Hill, supported the program. In "titles" entry, the guidance is to lowercase and spell out titles set off from a name by commas. |
| Q. Hi. CBS's or CBS', please? (Please say "CBS's," since the term doesn't end in "s.") Do the stylebook or other style references deal with this specifically? – from East Bay,Calif. on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. CBS' (apostrophe only), per "singular proper names ending in s" in the possessives entry. |
| Q. Is it "low-carbon economy" or without a hyphen? – from , on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. Usually hyphenated in AP stories, though could be treated as a noun phrase without a hyphen. |
| Q. Is it "clean tech" or "cleantech"? – from CA on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. the first. |
| Q. Jackson Five or Jackson 5? – from charlotte, NC on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. The Jackson 5 |
| Q. It seems like it would be correct to say "That was just business as usual." but "He wouldn't let business-as-usual stand in the way." Does AP treat these 2 different types of usages differently, hyphenating the latter? – from Sausalito, CA on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. no hyphens in this usages/ |
| Q. Hi. Can you explain why it's apparently "two week's notice" but "three months pregnant"? Thank you. – from CA on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. two weeks' notice (quasi possessive), three months pregnant (descriptive, not possessive). |
| Q. When inserting the title of a dish from a menu into a story, is it capitalized? For example "firecracker mushrooms", "sweet temptation chocolate cake", "midnight chicken and rice", "kitchen sink cookies", etc. – from Philadelphia, PA on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. You could capitalize the names of specialty dishes unique to a restaurant. |
| Q. Maryland has a gun crime prosecution program that is referred to in most published materials as EXILE. As far as I can tell, this is not an acronym for anything.
Would AP render it in all caps? Does it matter
how it is pronounced? Does it matter whether it is a trademark? What if it turns out to be a former acronym (like AARP)? – from Eagan, MN on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. AP stories from Maryland use Operation Exile or the Baltimore Exile program. Only the E is capped in Exile. Use normal pronunciation. |
| Q. Is it OK to use the word "whose" when not referring to people, e.g., "Part of her legacy was championing the Acme Project, an educational program whose success has impacted many lives." Thanks. – from Petaluma, CA on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. As a possessive pronominal adjective, whose may also refer to things or objects. |
| Q. The online style guide has an entry for Health Care but does not seem to have anything associated with it. – from St. Paul, MN. on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 A. The stylebook's spelling is health care (two words, lowercase), no definition required. |
| Q. When does the verb "advocate" need the word "for" after it? – from Salt Lake City, Utah on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. no. |
| Q. We're hearing more and more words such as "healthwise" and "agewise" etc. Are these acceptible or should they be "health wise" etc. I'm referring particularly to when they are parts of quotes that cannot be altered. – from Keizer, OR on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. age-wise, health-wise. Although rather slangy, such constructs are acceptable but shouldn't be overused. |
| Q. Should "click fraud" have a hyphen? – from New York, NY on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. two words, no hyphen, |
| Q. Hi, when you want to signify "times" with the character "x," do you use a lowercased one or an uppercased one, as in "3X" or "3x"? Thanks. – from California on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. lowercase x. |
| Q. Is there a usage preference or difference between "in addition" and "additionally"? – from Phoenix, AZ on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. Not to my knowledge. |
| Q. I searched but could not find a definitive answer ... Are these the correct ordinals for this sentence: "This company ranked 5th this year and 25th last year." – from Santa Barbara, CA on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. ... ranked fifth this year and 25th last year. Or, ranked No. 5 this year and No. 25 last year. |
| Q. Has AP determined a style on "netbook," given the rise in popularity of such machines? If one is allowed two questions: How about "smartphone" versus "smart phone"? Your archives show a discussion of capitalization, but I wonder about the one-word usage, given that Webster's does not yet have a listing. Thanks! – from Los Angeles, CA on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. netbook (one word), often in quotes in AP stories with a brief definition; smart phone (two words) for the generic term, though some brands use one word, capped. |
| Q. Do I say "a unique opportunity" or "an unique opportunity"? – from Charlotte, NC on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. the first. |
| Q. The Stylebook reads that No. should be used to "indicate position or rank." When referring to a NASCAR vehicle number (i.e. Jeff Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet), does this mean I should use "number?" – from Atlanta, GA on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 A. Jeff Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet is correct. |
| Q. Would "women's wear" be the correct form? Or "womenswear" following the similar style of menswear? Thanks! – from Los Angeles, CA on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. women's wear, menswear |
| Q. How to properly pronounce "Soweto" as in the South Western Township near Johannesburg. – from Wallington, NJ on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. So-WET'-toe |
| Q. Should it be "talent" or "talents" in the following context:
The show makes a profound statement about boogie woogie music, great boogie talents and the heart and soul of one Mississippi town and its people. – from Boston, MA on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. plural if you're referring to boogie-woogie pianists. |
| Q. If you have a list of cities from the same state, must you list the state after each city? For example, Lizard Lick, N.C., and Morehead City, N.C. vs. Lizard Lick and Morehead City, N.C. Thanks! – from 22301-7400, VA on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. Within text, not if you make clear in a preceding phrase that these are North Carolina communities. |
| Q. Is it rule-making hearing or rulemaking hearing? – from Denver, CO on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. rule-making hearing. See "-maker" entry. |
| Q. When quoting from a written source, such as a press release or e-mail, is it OK to change punctuation to be consistent with AP style? For example, changing "The ]Township's Yearly Audit must be complete by June 1," to "The township's yearly audit ..." Thanks. – from Warren, MI on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. AP would lowercase those words. |
| Q. The title of a program is "Back-up Care." should
the U in up be capitalized? – from Atlanta, GA on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. backup (n. and adj.) is one word in the stylebook. |
| Q. Should the name of a special event be put in quotes? For example, "Thanks A Latte" was a coffee-themed event; and they hold a volunteer "Rap Session" every six months. – from Le Mars, IA on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 A. Quotes aren't needed for capped event names. |
| Q. Is east coast, as in "on the east coast of Florida" capitalized? – from Hingham, MA on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. East Coast of Florida (capped) |
| Q. We've heard talk on our city desk that English as a Second Language (ESL) is now called English Language Learner(s) (ELL). Does AP have a specific use for this program? Should we follow whatever the particular district/program uses? Perhaps ESL is the general term and our district uses ELL as its program title? Any help would be great. Thanks. – from Bend, OR on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. Both terms are current. AP stories use English-language learners but not the abbreviation. English as a Second Language or ESL is also used. |
| Q. Our county has started calling sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and we're not sure if this is something we should do in all copy, staff and wire. Is this a widespread change or becoming common? Which does AP use? Thanks for any guidance you can offer. – from Bend, OR on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. AP uses the first term and STD abbreviation. |
| Q. Crossword puzzle clues: "32 Down"? or "32 down"? – from Fort Worth, Texa on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. lowercase d. |
| Q. Is the adjective "hardline" or "hard-line" in following? I've seen it used both ways in AP copy.
Formal relations were broken off after hardline students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. – from Redmond, Wash. on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. hard-line (adj.) should be hyphenated. |
| Q. Regarding the "at risk of" v. "at risk for" choice, is there are rule? For example, this sounds wrong to
me: "X puts you at higher risk of osteoporosis." – from Missoula, MT on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. No rule, but AP usage seems to favor at risk of. |
| Q. Based on the "academic degrees" entry, I assumed
"M.B.A." already received periods. Does it not?
Thanks – from CA on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. MBA without periods is widely used and understood. |
| Q. There are no periods in MBA, but there are periods in Ph.D. What about Doctor of Business Administration ... DBA or D.B.A.? – from West Chester, PA on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 A. Webster's first choice is DBA. An AP news story would use a descriptive, such as John Smith holds a doctorate in business administration. |
| Q. How does AP write this? "Her 25 years of experience include government relations, communications, management and policy development" 25-plus? Something else? – from Mount Pleasant, SC on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 A. She has more than 25 years of experience in ... |
| Q. In writing about cosmetic products are ingredients capitalized?
For example, "The Age Regeneration Face Cream contains retinol, a form of Vitamin A, which is converted by the body into retinoic acid." I've heard mixed messages. Some say ingredients are lower case and vitamins are capitalized when listed specifically. What is AP standard? – from San Jose, CA on Sat, Jun 20, 2009 A. Look up "vitamins" entry. ingredients lowercase. |
| Q. Would you capitalize "cross" in: Jesus died on the Cross? – from Charlotte, NC on Sat, Jun 20, 2009 A. lowercase cross, unless part of a formal name: Way of the Cross procession, Holy Cross ... |
| Q. Is it correct to write "Get three months worth of your medications." or using the plural possessive "Get three months' worth of your medications." ?
Thanks,
Tim – from cincinnati, OH on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 A. the second. See QUASI POSSESSIVES section of "possessives" entry. |
| Q. I know there is no apostrophe in farmers market, but does this change when it is plural? Or is it just farmers markets? – from San Diego, CA on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 A. farmers markets, per response of Sept. 24, 2008 |
| Q. Hello David,
As a follow-up to the "principal" questions posed this week, since the entry "academic titles" lists only chancellor and chairman, can we assume that capped before names will include the following: Vice Principal, Superintendent (of a school system), Assistant Superintendent, Dean, Regent, Professor, Associate
Professor, Assistant Professor, Vice Chancellor, etc. (While teacher is simply an occupation? And what about counselor, school counselor, etc.?)
Appreciate your help in clarifying this point. Karin Lillehei (Tansa Systems) – from , on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 A. Capitalize superintendent before a name as a formal title, ditto assistant superintendent and vice chancellor. Lowercase dean and specify the responsibility following the name. Lowercase those professors preceding names. The other occupational titles are lowercase. See "academic titles," "professor," "superintendent" and "titles." |
| Q. Is the phase, "In my sted", archaic, acceptable or just plain bad grammar (and spelling)? – from Aurora, IL on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 A. stead is the more common spelling. in my stead might seem a little out of date, but it's fine gramatically. |
| Q. Do you hold a meeting or conduct it? – from Indianapolis, IN on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 A. you can do either, but to conduct a meeting may imply a leadership role, probably more so than holding a meeting. |
| Q. I noticed the question on energy-efficient vs. energy efficient (when to use a hyphen). Would the same apply to energey efficiency, as in energy-efficiency program? – from San Diego, CA on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. energy efficiency program is a noun phrase: no hyphenation. |
| Q. decommit or de-commit? – from Atlanta, GA on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. decommit |
| Q. Does "on-going research" have a hyphen, no hyphen, or is it a single word "ongoing?" I have searched the archive and dictionary and can't find an answer...thanks! – from San Jose, CA on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. ongoing (one word, no hyphen). See Jan. 5 response. |
| Q. I understand trademarked names are capitalized. What if the trademarked word is AlloDerm.
Are both the A and D capitalized in the text?
What if it is a hyphenated word like Lap-Band. Are both the L and B capitalized? Thanks – from Grand Junction, CO on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. The trademarked regenerative tissue is spelled AlloDerm. The other is lowercase and hyphendated as a modifier, lap-band surgery. |
| Q. I don't see a date on the following question. Is it time for an update? Or is PPO still not used in first reference? What about HSA - health savings account?
Q. Does AP spell out or abbreviate health maintenance organization and preferred provider organization
on first reference? Thank you.
A. HMO is widely used on first reference in the
context of managed health care. PPO should probably be spelled out first reference. (Source: Ask the Editor) – from New Jersey on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. All these abbreviations should be spelled out in news stories, if not on first reference then very quickly thereafter for clarity. |
| Q. Dear Editor:
Do you have any specific guidelines regarding the format of news releases? More specifically, should the heading be written in all capital letters, title case letters or lower case letters?
Thank you. – from Pittsburgh, PA on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Check PR Newswire for style/format tips on news releases. |
| Q. What is the correct way to abbreviate Business-to-Business? Is it B2B or BtoB? – from Greenwood Village, CO on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. B2B in occasional uses in AP stories. |
| Q. One of our reporters traveled to Natick, Mass., to gather information for a series of stories on an Army lab there. For various reasons, a couple of months will have elapsed between that trip and publication of the series. Should the stories carry a Natick dateline, or should we dateline them Washington because of the time lapse? – from ,Washington, D.C. on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Natick dateline if thrust of the stories remains information gathered there. |
| Q. Is there an accepted term for the nickname of BMW cars -- "Beamer," "Beemer" or "Bimmer"? – from Jupiter, FL on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Beemer in slang/nickname references to BMW. |
| Q. Is it, "Plastic manufacturing and incineration also creates air and water pollution, and exposes workers to toxic chemicals" or "Plastic manufacturing and incineration also create air and water pollution, and expose workers to toxic chemicals."
Thanks. – from Minneapolis, MN on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. the second is correct. |
| Q. Dear Editor,
I know from the AP Stylebook entry in print and online that the style is Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Headquarters is in Bentonville, Ark.)
However, the company's Web site and recent TV commercials show it as Walmart. The Web site does use Wal-Mart at the bottom of the home page for the copyright info.
Has there been any discussion / decision about the correct way to refer to the store, as in: a Wal-Mart bag.
Thank you ... (I have found two questions on "Ask the Editor" about this, but I did not see a date that indicates when those questions were answered.) – from Syracuse, NY on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Officially it's still Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Wal-Mart in follow up references in AP stories. Financial indexes use WalMart, though. We'll modify the stylebook entry if situation changes. |
| Q. Is it School of Hard Knox or School of Hard Knocks? – from Grand Forks, ND on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. the second for the idiom. |
| Q. What is the proper capitalization when referring to a Social Insurance number (Canada's version of the Social Security number)? We assume that the same rules apply for the SIN as they so for the SSN, that is, uppercase S on social, uppercase I on Insurance and lowercase n on number.
Thanks! – from Des Moines, IA on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Better check with the Canadian Embassy or a consulate for their advice. It's not an abbreviation used in AP stories. |
| Q. Tendinitis or tendonitis? – from Wallington, NJ on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. tendinitis, Webster's preferred spelling. |
| Q. How does AP punctuate Fiat SpA? Is it Fiat S.p.A.?
Thanks in advance! – from North Palm Beach, FL on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA |
| Q. What is AP's style to describe Kalashnikov assault rifles. My memory tells me we use Kalashnikov, but I see many references to AK-47 on the wire and in the archives. – from Australia, on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 A. Usually AK-47 assault rifle for the weapon designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. His surname is often a synonym in news stories. |
| Q. In a ratio, such as "one in three people hate the Lakers." Or "girls outnumber boys three to one," are the numbers spelled out according to AP guide numerals entry or is it always numerals? – from Thousand Oaks, CA on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. use numerals in ratios like 1 in 3 or 3 to 1. |
| Q. -fold
The guide says no hyphen, but doesn't say what to do with numbers above 10. I have a story in which is
written 20-fold. I think it should be changed to twentyfold. Am I right? – from Thousand Oaks, CA on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. twentyfold ... spell it out. |
| Q. Some companies have plural names, e.g. The XYZ Companies. Is plural or singular verb usage appropriate -- "The XYZ Companies deliver..." or "The XYZ Companies delivers..."? – from Santa Barbara, CA on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. plural verb for companies. |
| Q. How should the name of Mexico's health ministry, "Secretaria de Salud," be translated? "Secretariat of Health" OK? – from Secaucus, NJ on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. Ministry of Health or Health Ministry. |
| Q. What would be the plural of "trusty," (A prison inmate granted special privileges as a trustworthy person)? Trusties, or trustys? thanks! – from , Fort Smith, AR on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. trusties |
| Q. Are the words ensure and assure interchangeable or is there a specific rule for each? – from Minneapolis, MN on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. assure primarily means to express or instill confidence in; ensure means to guarantee; and insure is used in reference to insurance. |
| Q. Would it be: Check out our selections, or Checkout our selections, or Check-out our selections ....?
Thanks! – from Carlsbad, CA on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. the first. |
| Q. The AP guidance for the term "channel" uses a television station in the example to show that one should calitalize channel whne used with a figure. Does this hold true for radio stations when they are written as channel, i.e., "XM channel 146" or "Sirius channel 209"? – from Charlottesville, Va. on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. AP stories lowercase those channels, as in in Sirius channel 123 and XM channel 144. |
| Q. Is it "farmland" or "farm land"? – from Minneapolis, MN on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. one word. |
| Q. Another from me today: jetlag, jet-lag or jet lag? And is it jet-lagged? Thanks. – from Washington, DC on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. jet lag (n.), jet-lagged (adj.) |
| Q. I asked this question, but perhaps I should have given a context. If you are on a wait-list for something, is it hyphenated or one word, i.e., waitlist?" from Leander, TX on Thu, Jun 11, 2009
A. It's waiting list (two words).
In the airline industry, an overbooked online class, or waiting for your dentist to have an opening, the answer most frequently given is, "We will put you on the waitlist." So, my question remains: is it one word or is it hyphenated? – from Leander, TX on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. waitlist (n.), wait-list (v.) in The American Heritage Dictionary. |
| Q. Question on hyphenation. Is it "HIV-positive" and "HIV-negative" for all instances - i.e., would it be "He is HIV-positive" and "An HIV-positive person" or would it be "He is HIV positive"? – from Washington, DC on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. hyphenate. |
| Q. Does the AP have any official style for capitalizing words in a sentence title or headline, i.e., capping nouns and verbs, not capping articles and prepositions, capitalizing words of four letters or more, etc.? – from Detroit, MI on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. Yes, see stylebook entries on "composition titles" and "headlines" for details. |
| Q. What does GED stand for in reference to the
equivalency degree that can sub for a high school
diploma? – from Pensacola, FL on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. It's the trademark of General Educational Development, or high school equivalency tests to earn a GED diploma or certificate. |
| Q. In degrees for martial arts achievements, do we spell out the ordinal number? E.g., third-degree black belt or 3rd-degree black belt? – from Peoria, IL on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 A. third-degree black belt is correct. |
| Q. Do you offer any online training or quizzes? We'd
like to have our communications department learn
the AP Stylebook and are wondering if you know of
any services that can helps us do that online and
track the progress of the participants.
Thanks so much,
Jessica Coville – from Oakland, CA on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. We are working on an arrangement to offer AP style training quizzes. I'll advise when it's available. |
| Q. Is yearbook one word or two words? – from St. Louis, MO on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. as written, one word. |
| Q. do you use a singular or a plural verb after "the Red Sox" – from Arlington, VA on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. team names take plural verbs, per "collective nouns" entry. |
| Q. I know Internet should be capitalized and intranet isn't, but what about extranet, cap or no cap? – from Suwanee, GA on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. lowercase. |
| Q. Should you capitalize department names within titles at your organization? – from Bethesda, MD on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. Companies often capitalize department names used in a title preceding a full name. Alternatively, full titles placed after names are lowercase in AP style and usually easier to read that way. |
| Q. I'm writing an article for a newsletter and am now questioning a fragmented sentence. I have a list of steps in the previous sentence, then have an independent fragmented sentence afterwards. Do I need to just add an em dash at the end of the list of steps sentence, or can a fragment stand on its own in this case? My fragment in this instance is "Simple, right?"
Thank you, – from Erie, PA on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. Search the archive for ANPA for how AP handles em dash. It sounds like the fragment could be used as you suggest. |
| Q. I save some of your answers whenever I need to and now I find that I have two contradictory answers. Which of the following should I keep?
The weekly book, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", is on sale ..." is the correct punctuation.
This is a rare exception because of the question mark in the title.
or
Q. I understand these constructions: The theater company will present "Hamlet," a famous play. The theater company will present "Oklahoma!" How about: The theater company will present "Oklahoma!," a famous play. Normally there wouldn't be a comma after the exclamation mark but to me it's hard to read that way. I have dropped the exclamation mark before, but that's changing the actual name, and sometimes plays or other titles include question marks, which are difficult to drop." from Sonora CA on Tue, Jul 10, 2007
A. Your grammar is correct: exclamation! comma, close quote, appositive. – from Miami, FL on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. For consistency, use the Virginia Woolf model: ... "Oklahoma!", a famous musical. |
| Q. This is sort of a silly question, but how does AP cite the word "it" when used to describe a very popular entity fleetingly at the height of cool, i.e., "Manhatten's latest It girl," or "India is the "it" destination for international retailers." – from Charlottesville, Va. on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. "it" girls, "it" destination |
| Q. How is the phrase "stop and go traffic" written in AP style?
Thank you – from Wall, NJ on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 A. stop-and-go traffic |
| Q. What is the correct abbreviation for not applicable? Is it N/A, NA or N.A.?
Thank you! – from Elm Grove, WI on Sun, Jun 14, 2009 A. Webster's allows both NA and N/A, though news stories should spell out the term. |
| Q. Should it be banker's hours or bankers' hours? – from Evansville, IN on Sat, Jun 13, 2009 A. It's banker's hours in very rare usages in AP stories. Webster's doesn't list it, but other references use the plural possessive. Take your pick. |
| Q. brown-sugar-glazed shrimp, brown sugar-glazed shrimp or brown sugar glazed shrimp – from Fort Worth, TX on Fri, Jun 12, 2009 A. brown sugar-glazed shrimp or shrimp glazed with brown sugar |
| Q. When using a dateline city (that doesn't appear in the dateline) in an article, do you leave it without the state name on first reference? (e.g., He lives in Atlanta.) – from New York, NY on Fri, Jun 12, 2009 A. A city that stands alone in a dateline may be written without the state within a story if no confusion results. |
| Q. Would you use figures for numbers under 10 when referring to horsepower? – from Charlotte on Fri, Jun 12, 2009 A. Believe so, as in 6-horsepower engine. |
| Q. Are there accepted verb forms of the word "Taser?" If so, what are they? Our reporters are constantly using phrases like "was tased" or "will tase" or "subject to tasering" or "have experienced tasing." I'm not sure if any of those would be acceptable uses. – from Salt Lake City, UT on Fri, Jun 12, 2009 A. We advise against using the trademark as a verb. |
| Q. Is it Many are expected to attend the upcoming Tea Party events? Or, Many are expected to attend the upcoming tea party events? Hyphenate? Thanks. – from Irvine, CA on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. AP stories refer to anti-tax "tea parties," which could be described as upcoming or planned. No hyphen in tea parties. |
| Q. Which is correct? 1. His competitive advantage increased proportionally to the distance covered, or 2. His competitive advantage increased proportional to the distance covered? Thank you! – from Imperial, NE on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. Perhaps in proportion, but surely there's a more direct way to describe what occurred. |
| Q. Is it co-workers with a hyphen or coworkers as one word? Please clarify. Thank you. – from Mesa, AZ on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. See "co-" entry: retain the hyphen when forming words that indicate occupation or status, such as co-worker, co-star, co-author. |
| Q. When writing out an address that has a Suite number part of the address, what would be the correct way to write the address? Example: 1234 Washington Road, Suite 200. Is there a period after "Road" or can you just leave the comma to separate? Or do you not use a comma at all and put "Suite 200" on the next line down? Thank you. – from Mesa, AZ on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. Either with comma as written, and no period after Road, or with Suite 200 on a separate line, and no punctuation. |
| Q. "You can pick up the Twilight DVD on July 7th." Is it July 7th or July 7?
Thanks! – from New York, NY on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. July 7, with the title in quotes. |
| Q. Is there a limit to the number of people who should be identified in a photo caption? – from Buffalo, NY on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. I'm not aware of any rule on this. |
| Q. If you are on a wait-list for something, is it hyphenated or one word, i.e., waitlist? – from Leander, TX on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. It's waiting list (two words). |
| Q. is taliban singular or plural – from Arlington, VA on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. Taliban normally takes plural verb in AP stories, as in: The Taliban have fled the Pakistani army's advance. |
| Q. What would be the correct form for "on demand" in this usage: "Our courses are available on demand 24 hours per day." Hyphen or not? Thanks! – from Leander, TX on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. No hyphen. Our courses are available on demand 24 hours a day. |
| Q. What is the preference for hyphenating the phrase
"plus size"? Most dictionaries hyphenate it, while
it's not even listed in others. Some guidelines
seem to indicate it might call for a hyphen when
used as a adjective but not as noun. Thank you. – from LaFollette, TN on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. In AP stories, it's hyphenated as a modifier, as in plus-size clothing, otherwise not. |
| Q. Is the construction "Man injured in Calif. house fire" acceptable for headlines, or would California or other state names need to be spelled out in all cases? – from Greensboro, NC on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. It's correct. See response of June 8 from "headlines" entry. |
| Q. What is the correct way to write: "students in grades 1 to 12."
...students in Grades 1-12 .... grades one to 12 ...
Thanks! – from Carlsbad, CA on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. grades one to 12, per guidance on spelling out most numbers under 10. See "numerals" for details. |
| Q. What is AP style for writing a number series that includes a range? For example, would it be 31 45-48 foot trailers, 31 45-48 ft. trailers, 31 45 to 48 foot trailers,
or 31 45- to 48-foot trailers? – from San Diego, CA on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. 31 trailers 45 feet to 48 feet long, or 31 45-to-48-foot trailers. |
| Q. In referring to the ruler of Qatar, do we need to preface his name with both Emir and Sheikh? – from Secaucus, NJ on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. Qatar's emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. |
| Q. Would you use commas or semi-colons after the colon here?
The level of a system's funding liquidity depends
on factors such as:
%u2022 organizational cash balances and cash flow,
%u2022 investment performance and philanthropy,
%u2022 availability of letters/lines of credit, – from Chicago, IL on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. See archived response of Oct. 18, 2008. |
| Q. Which is correct plural spelling? weirdos or weirdoes. Thanks. – from Grand Forks, ND on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 A. See Monday's response. |
| Q. In second ref to National Baseball Hall of Fame,
it would be lowercase, correct? Admission to the
hall of fame ... – from Secaucus, NJ on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. AP uses capped Hall of Fame, or Hall, on second and subsequent references. |
| Q. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. People here refer to "the bay" and we know what bay it is. Do I capitalize "bay" in a sentence talking about "toxic runoff into the bay"? (This is the first reference, if that matters.) – from Half Moon Bay, CA on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. Lowercase bay on follow ups, after San Francisco Bay on first reference. |
| Q. Which are the preferred past tense: dove and wound or dived and winded? – from Eagan, Minn. on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. By Webster's: wind, wound and dive, dived. |
| Q. In regards to the -wide entry. Do the same rules apply for proper nouns? Armywide? Europewide? Air Forcewide? – from Washington, D.C. on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. Armywide, Europewide, Air Forcewide by the stylebook's guidance, though it's frequently disregarded with hyphenated spellings. |
| Q. What's the best way to refer to fractions of a cent in narrative? A reporter wrote 0.75 cents, but because cents is plural and we're talking about less than a cent, does that make sense? My editor wants to spell it out: three-fourths of a cent, which is fine for nice round fractions, but what about something like 0.145 cents? – from Lincoln, NE on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. It's less than 1 cent, so should be singular 0.75 cent, as in this example: Wheat for July delivery inched up 0.75 cent to $6.145 a bushel. |
| Q. Can you make a state abbreviation possessive? As in, "Louiville, Ga.'s, Jefferson County High School..."? Would the comma after "Ga." remain? Or is it necessary to rewrite? (I understand it would be *preferable* to rewrite, but is it *necessary* per AP style?) – from New York, NY on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. Don't do that. Recast it. |
| Q. "10- by 15-inch baking ban" or "10-by-15-inch baking ban"? – from New York, NY on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 A. See archived response of April 11, 2008. |
| Q. Do I say "3-D" or "3D" when I am talking about online digital three-dimensional stuff? (Referencing Google Earth as opposed to movies?) – from Santa Monica, CA on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. 3-D is preferred. See stylebook's "three-D" entry. |
| Q. when do you use "in to" vs. "into"? – from New York, NY on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. If the preposition "into" ever needs splitting, I cannot think of any cases offhand. |
| Q. Would this phrase be capitalized as presented?
"...was a member of the Superintendent's Honor Roll..." – from Oklahoma City, OK on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. AP lowercases honor roll and dean's list. Schools may have a different policy on capitalizing certain academic terms. |
| Q. "Is this true, and does that mean looking away eases the pain?" Is a comma necessary before the "and"? Thanks. – from New York, NY on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. comma preferred. |
| Q. We have a business unit that builds turbochargers. It is called BU Turbocharging. We would prefer it to be called BU Turbochargers. We also have a unit that supplies drives, transformers and motors. They are called BU Transformers, BU Drives and BU Motors, also referred to as the motors BU, the transformers BU and the drives BU. Can you help us to impose some consistency in the use of apostrophes, gerrunds, capitalization and plurals?
Many thanks – from Zurich, XX on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. Consider these names descriptives, rather than posssesives. They don't require apostrophes. |
| Q. Headline capitalization question: Academy In Line to Win Sports Cup or Academy in Line to Win Sports Cup – from Sewickley, PA on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. Academy in line to win sports cup. See "headlines" entry. |
| Q. Should the following have apostrophes?
"a board of directors meeting"
"a workers spokesperson"
"Siemens is a competitor of GE" or "Siemens is a cometitor of GE's"
Many thanks – from Zurich, XX on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. no apostrophes. |
| Q. Hello. The Chicago Manual of Style has a rule that one use the same method for numerals when in a series, i.e., "5 days, 21 days, 64 days" instead of "five days, 21 days, 64 days." Does AP have a rule like that, or would AP always use the latter example? Thanks. – from CA on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. AP would spell out five days, and use figures for 10 days and more. Check the "numerals" entry for examples of numbers spelled out and written as figures. |
| Q. When I did a Quick Search for a particular question, the AP site offered me a link to the "Webster's New World College Dictionary" Web site for more information. However, when I clicked on the link, it took me to the Merriam-Webster dictionary Web site.
We use AP style at our agency and refer to the Webster's New World College Dictionary, because it is labeled as the official AP dictionary. We have checked in the past, and there are some differences in spelling between Webster's New World and Merriam-Webster.
So has there been a change in official AP policy, and you are now using Merriam-Webster's, or does this link need to be updated so that it goes to a Webster's New World College Dictionary site? Thanks. – from Rochester Hills, MI on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. No change in AP's preferred dictionary. Try linking at http://www.yourdictionary.com |
| Q. I am surprised that no apostrophe is needed in "a childrens book." However, it does fit with the rule that is "for" or "by" fits better than "of" in the full version of the example, no apostrophe is necessary. That said, it seems to disagree with the advice that "a children's hospital " should have an apostrophe because the plural doesn't end in an s. Can you offer any clarification? – from Zurich, XX on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. children's book is correct. |
| Q. Is it redundant to say "free of charge" for something that doesn't require payment? Would it be best to just phrase it as "free?" – from Kingwood, TX on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 A. It depends on the context. Sometimes free can stand alone. In other cases, free of charge is more precise. |
| Q. Which is correct (I work for a reinsurance company): The company has 2 million facultative submissions in force or in-force? Also, the company wants to expand its in-force or in force book of business? Thanks. – from Chesterfield, MO on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. The company has 2 million facultative submissions in force. The company wants to expand its in-force book of business. |
| Q. Hi! LAP-BAND surgery is trademarked, so should I write Lap-band or Lap-Band in my article? Capitalize the B or not? Thanks! – from Grand Junction, CO on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. lap-band surgery |
| Q. Turnaround or turn-around in the following usage?
His turn-around/tournaround jumper put Georgetown ahead by two. – from Atlanta, GA on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. turnaround, one word. |
| Q. Is it ever acceptable practice to abbreviate a state to use as an adjective in a headline, i.e., Outlook grim
for N.C. banks or Funds to relieve Ariz. districts? – from Charlottesville, Va. on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. For U.S. states in headlines, no periods for those abbreviated with two capital letters: NY, NJ, NH, NM, NC, SC, ND, SD and RI. Also DC. Other states retain periods, such as Ariz., Ga., Ky., Mont., Conn. |
| Q. Do you hyphenate "non-perishable" or do you keep it as one word, nonperishable? Thank you. – from Mesa, AZ on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. nonperishable is correct. |
| Q. Which is the correct usage? Short- and long term, or plural, as in short- and long-terms. E.g., "These and other factors position the company to succeed during the short- and long term(s). And are the hyphens still needed in this case? – from chicago, IL on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. ... during the short term and long term. |
| Q. weirdos or weirdoes? Thanks. – from Grand Forks, ND on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. weirdos, according to Webster's. |
| Q. What is the correct style for referring to Aung San Suu Kyi on second reference? Because Burmese don't have surnames, shouldn't the second reference be the full name? Making up a surname, "Suu Kyi," simply for brevity's sake strikes me not only as inappropriate and culturally insensitive, but ignorant as well. – from Erie, PA on Mon, Jun 08, 2009 A. AP adopted the shortened name in follow up references several years ago after discussions with culturally sensitive people in the region. AP isn't alone in this usage. |
| Q. "Two Hyundai products took individual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards this year: the Genesis in the Aspirational
Luxury Car category and the Sonata in the Premium Midsize Car class." In the previous sentence, should the categories be in quotes or lc, or are they OK like this? Thank you. – from New York City on Sat, Jun 06, 2009 A. If the official name is Vehicle Satisfaction Award, AP would lowercase awards in this plural use. Prize categories are generally lowercase, no quotes. |
| Q. What about small scale biodiesel processor? (Is
it "small-scale"?) – from Minneapolis, MN on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. yes, hyphenate the compound adjective. |
| Q. Hyphen or the word "to" in age ranges? ... 64 percent of those ages 31 to 44 or 64 percent of those ages
31-44? – from Tempe, AZ on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. ages 31-44 is customary, but it wouldn't be wrong the other way. |
| Q. A. seal coat; B. seal-coat; C. sealcoat. AP choice? Thank you. – from Lincoln, IL on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. seal coat (two words), in relatively rare appearances in AP stories. Admittedly, some businesses and researchers spell it as one word. |
| Q. Should we spell out NAFTA on first reference if our audience is national manufacturers? – from Minneapolis, MN on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. NAFTA works on first reference for your audience, but spell out North American Free Trade Agreement in a follow up. |
| Q. Is it correct to say "The school graduates 32 today"? Or only "32 graduated from the school today"? – from Colorado on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. The first is correct. |
| Q. Is it biodiesel or bio-diesel? Biofuel or bio-fuel?
Thanks! – from Minneapolis, MN on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. Generally spelled biodiesel, biofuel. The stylebook's bioterrorism and various Webster's spellings favor compounds. |
| Q. A recent answer said to hyphenate "flu-like."
However, the "-like" entry seems to indicate that
a hyphen is usually not used before that suffix.
Please explain. Thank you. – from Lincoln, IL on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. Usage in AP stories tends to favor flu-like, probably because flulike looks unusual. AP's medical editor recommends the hyphenated spelling as an exception. |
| Q. Is it flulike or flu-like? – from Greensboro, NC on Fri, Jun 05, 2009 A. hyphenate. |
| Q. When I click on "incorporated" on this page:
http://www.apstylebook.com/online/index.php?do=entry&id=3476&src=AE
I am directed back to the home page.
Can you tell me the rule on when to use "Inc." in copy?
Thanks. – from San Francisco, CA on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. incorporated Abbreviate and capitalize as Inc. when used as a part of a corporate name. Do not set off with commas: Time Warner Inc. announced ... |
| Q. Would AP Style write it as "a matching gift form" or "a matching-gift form"? Context referring to a form on which you can submit a matching gift. Thanks. – from Tempe, AZ on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. the first. |
| Q. Short "smartphone" be capitalized? – from Plano, TX on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. no, that's a generic term. Trademarked brands are capped, though. |
| Q. When you're talking about the generations in a workplace, is the generation singular or plural?
For example, would you say: The Silent Generation are usually very dedicated to their work. OR The Silent Generation is usually very dedicated to their work. – from Spring, TX on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. The term is a collective, which takes a singular verb. |
| Q. Does the term "1 owner" or "one owner" ever need to be hyphenated at any time, and is both ways of the spelling acceptable? Thanks. – from Las Vegas, NV on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. spell out one owner. it might be hyphenated in slangy expressions like one-owner used car. |
| Q. AP style is to cite federal Senate and House bills as S ### and HR ###, but does the same guidance apply
to state Senate or House bills? How do you cite state legislative bills where the governing body is not divided into Senate and House, but, say Assembly? – from Charlottesville, Va. on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. Normally AP stories use a concise description for pending state legislation, rather than a number. If a number is essential, use the abbreviation prevalent in the legislative body. |
| Q. Where is the apostrophe -- Mr. Goss' house or Mr. Goss's house? – from Chandler, AZ on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. Mr. Goss' house |
| Q. In an article about a tea shop serving "signature blends," would blends such as Tangerine Ginger be capitalized, or in quotes? – from Half Moon Bay, CA on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. capitalize proper noun elements of tea names, as in Roman chamomile. No quotes. |
| Q. "My grandfather always held that as a nation, we
were much better at being poor than being rich." "I am
surprised that among the 10 ideas the magazine cites, there was no mention of the most important one." Should these sentences be punctuated as they are: a dependent clause followed by an independent clause? Or should there be commas after the word "that," setting off the phrase in the first sentence and the clause in the second as nonessential elements inside an independent clause? And how do you judge whether such an element is essential; its removal almost always leaves a complete sentence. – from Tokyo on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 A. both are correctly punctuated. in both cases, the ideas immediately after that provide defining information and are not set off. |
| Q. Is the punctuation and capitalization correct in the following sentence?
Note to self: Buy more freeze-dried food. – from Half Moon Bay, CA on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. sure. |
| Q. On the insect, is it "roly-poly" or "roly poly"? Thanks. – from PORTLAND, Ore. on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. see stylebook entry. |
| Q. If you had a story in which someone was said to have attended the University of Wisconin and Universitat de Barcelona, would you change the latter to "University of Barcelona." If not, why not? – from St. Louis, MO on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. It's customary in a news story to translate the name into the more familiar form. Exceptions could occur citing a official document or in a direct quote. |
| Q. Clarifying: In a story about Chinese medicine (or feng shui), should I use qi or chi or something else - and if something else, then what? – from Half Moon Bay, CA on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. AP Beijing notes that feng shui isn't a term from Chinese medicine, but rather the art or practice of siting buildings or objects to optimize energy and luck. Use qi in pinyin for that vital energy, or chi for the older transliteration, the colleagues advise. |
| Q. Hyphen question: is it "one-stop-shop" or "one-stop shop" ?? – from Annapolis , MD on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. the second. |
| Q. In the following sentence, "More ballplayers seem to be saying no when asked whether they would use performance enhancers." should no be in single quotes? – from Secaucus, NJ on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. make it "no" if the sentence isn't a direct quote. |
| Q. In a sports story about the NCAA College World Series, the phrase "road to Omaha" -- capitalize "road"? Include "Neb."? – from Houston on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. lowercase. |
| Q. How do you write Q&A in this format:
A lively Q and A followed her remarks, ...
Is it Q&A? – from Columbus, OH on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. Q-and-A within text ... though AP also uses Q&A in story slugs. |
| Q. Should the word "that" follow "ensure" in the following sentence? "The goal of the materials is to ensure (that) consumers are aware of your services." – from Kansas City, MO on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 A. Reads fine without that. See "that (conjunction)" for fuller guidance. |
| Q. Under AP style, does a comma belong anywhere in the following sentence:
"Product X also provides effective control of recurring problems like black mold and migratory fungus." – from NC on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 A. no. |
| Q. Which is correct: a best-practice bundle or a best practice bundle? – from Portland, Oregon on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. What's the context? |
| Q. When reprinting an article (with permission of
course) and leaving out part of the text following a direct quote, does the ellipsis follow the quotation
marks like this: back and rediscover." ... Joe Smith was a young man of science.
Please note that the text following the ellipsis is a new subhead in the article. – from Bartlesville, OK on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. Check the "ellipsis" entry. |
| Q. When listing the times of operation or the starting time of a continuing event, should the days of the week be plural? For example: The store is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or: Performances run through
June 27, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. and
Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thank you for your help. – from Texas on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. The first can be written either with singulars or plurals. The second is correct with plurals. |
| Q. Is there a proper way to abbreviate the financial term basis point? I've seen both BPS and BPT in usage. – from Germantown, WI on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. AP spells out the term in all instances. |
| Q. Is there a rule regarding upper/lower case in e-mail addresses. I'm editing a document and many e-mail address listings are like this:
Cindy.Thomsen@Vanderbilt.edu and other are all lower case. – from Nashville, Tenn. on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. e-mail addresses could be "case sensitive," so use the use spellings as provided. |
| Q. In an earlier query, AP advises to cite a state with a county name only if the context is unclear. Do you think a county sharing the name of a stand-alone domestic city counts as having clear context, i.e., Los Angeles County? – from Charlottesville, Va. on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. yes, that name is clear. |
| Q. Could you tell me how AP determines the cities that do not require the state or country listed with them? Is there a criteria that you use to select these? – from Arlington, VA on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. Check the DOMESTIC DATELINES: explanation in the stylebook's "datelines" entry. The same criteria influence choices of standalone international cities: population, frequency in the news, uniqueness of the name, etc. Cities are reviewed annually by AP for possible changes. |
| Q. a notorious drug-trafficking (or drug trafficking, no hyphen) case? – from Atlanta, GA on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. no hyphen. |
| Q. Is it necessary to identify a Russian city as being part of the USSR when referring to an event that occurred when the USSR still existed, or can one use Russia? Assume the political context is unimportant, e.g., "He earned his degree in Moscow, Russia/USSR, in 1975." – from Fairbanks, AK on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. He earned his degree in Moscow in 1975 during the Soviet era. |
| Q. Worshiping or worshipping? – from Colorado on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 A. worshipping |
| Q. Which is preferred, "8 p.m. to 10 p.m." or "8 to
10 p.m?" – from Washington, DC on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. 8-10 p.m. for brevity, or 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Q. Should automated external defibrillator be spelled out in all references or can "AED" be used on second reference? – from Moon Township, Pa. on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. spell it out on first reference, thereafter defibrillator or AED unit. |
| Q. "One mom writes in the afternoon when her two girls are at school, and her son is napping." Is the comma usage here correct or should there be no comma since "when" refers to both the two girls at school and the son napping? – from New York City on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. no comma. |
| Q. Some Reform Jewish groups use the word G-d instead of God spelled out. Since we're a community paper with no religious affiliation, is it correct for us to change it to God in press release stories they send us? – from Cincinnati, Ohio on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. See the "gods and goddesses" entry for AP's guidance. In brief, AP spells God for the deity of all monotheistic religions. |
| Q. Hi,
I'm trying to figure out how to refernece material according to AP style. Do the citation numbers appear in parenthesis after each sentence in text? Also, is there a section on how to format a reference list? Web
sites, books, etc.? – from Chicago, IL on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. The bibliography of the AP Stylebook might be a model for a reference list. News stories don't use citation numbers. The Chicago Manual of Style might be helpful for such formats. |
| Q. I understand we are to use "were" with the conditional "if." But sometimes it just seems downright wrong; for example: "If last week were good for
you..." What is AP's stance on this? Thanks. – from Sausalito, CA on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. Not all "if" statements are conditional. Your example expresses a fact. If last week was good for you ... |
| Q. I'm editing an article on Chinese medicine, and the author has capitalized Fire element and a number of body parts: Heart, Small Intestine, Heart Protector, Colon, and Triple Heater. Should any of these be remain capitalized? (I was assuming not, but thought I better check.) – from Half Moon Bay, CA on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. AP lowercases body organs and generic medical terminology. |
| Q. I can't find this in AP or Webster's. Should I use qi or chi or something else - and if something else, then what? – from Half Moon Bay, CA on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. what is the context? |
| Q. Re: INTRODUCING QUOTATIONS (May 07, 2009) Is a colon or a comma interchangeable before a one-sentence quote? A'"s "colon" entry says use a comma to introduce a direct quote of one sentence that remains within a graph; use a colon with longer quotes. Should it not be: Possible messages include, "We"re considering "."? And should the comma/colon follow not only "include," "says" and "said" but also "that," "like," "for," "because," "believe" or any other word that might precede a full quote? – from Tokyo on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. Comma after says, because, etc., to introduce shorter quotes or phrases. Use a colon to introduce longer quotes. |
| Q. Is it day-in and day-out, or no hyphen? – from Chandler, AZ on Sat, May 30, 2009 A. Webster's: day in, day out |
| Q. I've seen this word spelled two different ways: recumbency and recumbancy. Which is correct? – from Portland, OR on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 A. Webster's: recumbency (n.) |
| Q. Does AP Style have a rule regarding proper
placement of the word "said" in quotes? For instance, "Blah, blah, blah," Jim said. Or, "Blah, blah, blah," said Jim. – from Dayton, OH on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. Jim said is the customary attribution, though the placement can vary with phrasing needs. |
| Q. Is proper usage, best in class or best-in-class? For example, we offer best-in-class solutions. – from Dayton, OH on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. hyphenate the phrase used as a modifier, as you have it. |
| Q. When using a title as an abbreviation, is it
capitalized? For example, SVP, EVP, VP... – from Fort Washington, PA on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. AP spells out most official titles, capitalized preceding the name, lowercase after the name: Senior Vice President Jane Doe ... Jane Doe, senior vice president. |
| Q. In referring to years, what is the best way to write this sentence: "Over the past two years, XYZ company has grown tremoundsly," or "Over the past 2 years, XYZ company has grown tremoundsly." Thank you. – from Mesa, AZ on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. spell out two years. |
| Q. Is it acceptable to refer to a "stripper," or should I substitute a term like "exotic dancer"? – from Grand Prairie, Texas on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. stripper is widely used in news stories, often interchangably with exotic dancer. The euphemism may be more appropriate in some contexts. |
| Q. Is it allowed to use (s) to indicate that a noun may be singular or plural? If so, should I use the singular or plural verb form? Here are some examples: "Your eligible dependent(s) is eligible for coverage." Or "Your eligible dependent(s) are eligible for coverage." Or do I need to show both verb forms as well "Your eligible dependent(s) is(are) eligible for coverage." – from Amherst, NH on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. Suggest use plural to cover both ... and one eligible: Your eligible dependents qualify for coverage. |
| Q. Should it be "mind" or "minds" in this type of construction: "A question on everyone's mind/minds has been..."? Thanks. – from CA on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. everyone's mind ... see "every one, everyone" entry for guidance. |
| Q. What is the rationale for not placing periods behind each letter in LLP or LLC? Is it normal to ignore periods in acronyms, or...? – from Detroit, MI on Fri, May 29, 2009 A. LLP and LLC are abbreviations for limited liability partnership and company. The guidance in "abbreviations and acronymns" is to use all caps without periods in longer abbreviations and acronyms of three or more letters when the individual letters are pronounced. |
| Q. Is it "decision maker" or "decision-maker"? thanks. – from CA on Thu, May 28, 2009 A. decision-maker (see archived explanation) |
| Q. Just like "mid-2009," does AP also hyphenate "early-2009" and "late-2009"? Thanks. – from Petaluma, CA on Thu, May 28, 2009 A. generally, early 2009, late 2009. |
| Q. David, "Bond holder''_ two words _ is mentioned in the "bearer bond" entry in the stylebook's business guidelines and style section. But AP stories on the GM bondholders' rejection of the plan that would keep the automaker out of bankruptcy court make it one word. Your ruling, please. – from Syracuse, NY on Thu, May 28, 2009 A. bondholder (one word). The stylebook reference will be fixed. tnx |
| Q. What's proper usage for one stop shop, should it be hyphenated (one-stop shop)? – from Dayton, OH on Thu, May 28, 2009 A. Hyphenate one-stop as a modifier. |
| Q. Would the correct usage be "micro-blogging" or
"micro blogging"? Thanks! – from Kitty Hawk, NC on Thu, May 28, 2009 A. hyphenate micro-blogging |
| Q. "Go to your local poison control center." Should "poison control center" be capitalized? – from New York, NY on Wed, May 27, 2009 A. lowercase as a generic term. |
| Q. Which of these is better (it appears as a little bio at the end of a Q&A article):
"Expert John Doe, M.S., a registered dietitian, is a pediatric nutritionist in Alaska."
"Expert John Doe, M.S., is a registered dietitian and pediatric nutritionist in Alaska."
"Expert John Doe, M.S., RD, is a pediatric nutritionist in Alaska."
Thanks! – from New York City, NY on Wed, May 27, 2009 A. AP would not use expert or M.S. in this sentence. The descriptions of Doe suffice. |
| Q. Which is correct - NY Fed, N.Y. Fed, or New York Fed? – from St. Petersburg, FL on Wed, May 27, 2009 A. New York Fed |
| Q. Would we write Mexico president or Mexico embassy or Mexican president or Mexican embassy? – from Arlington, VA on Wed, May 27, 2009 A. The latter two. |
| Q. Can you please give direction on comma usage with "etc.," including when it is used at the beginning or middle of a sentence? – from Charlotte, NC on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. In a series, put a comma after etc. if the sentence continues. The abbreviation doesn't start a sentence. As the last element of a sentence, etc. ends it with the period. |
| Q. Does "neither" follow the same structure as "each" (for its accompanying verb)%3B i.e., "Neither fund has options." or should it be "Neither funds have options."? Thanks. – from California on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. See "either ... or, neither ... nor" entry. In brief, neither fund has options. |
| Q. Is "stress testing" hyphenated both when used as a noun phrase as well as a verb phrase, or would one of those cases not be hyphenated? Please advise. Thanks. – from California on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. AP stories use "stress test," avoiding the participle. |
| Q. Does your rule below apply to proper names when used in a grouping? We've generally capitalized as follows: "Visitors to Wright Woods and Half Day Forest Preserves should have an easier time finding their way around this summer." Alone they would be Wright Woods Forest Preserve, Half Day Forest Preserve.
AP Rule: "Lowercase the common noun elements of all names in all plural uses" – from Lake County, IL on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. Wright Woods and Half Day forest preserves, abiding by the AP guidance you cite. |
| Q. Has AP changed its style for the abbreviation of United Arab Emirates? The Stylebook says use periods with U.A.E., but we see a lot of AP copy with UAE instead. Thanks. – from Washington, D.C. on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. AP Stylebook allows U.A.E. (with periods) in quoted matter, but the country name shouldn't be abbreviated elsewhere. |
| Q. We always hear of the W-9 form, but according to IRS.gov, the proper name seems to be Form W-9. Does AP have a standard for this? Example: If a tax ID number or Social Security number change is indicated, please attach a W-9 form. – from Louisville, KY on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. W-9 form, or W-9 if the context is clear. Form W-9 if directly quoting an official document. |
| Q. 1) Is it "chip set" or "chipset"? 2) What is the rule re if something is one word or two words if we do not find it listed in Merriam-Webster's? Do we assume it is two words? Thanks – from California on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. chipset (one word), per AP's technology editor. AP's first reference is Webster's New World College Dictionary Fourth Edition. There's no fool-proof, default rule on such spellings. |
| Q. Treehouse, tree house or tree-house? Thanks. – from Annapolis, Md. on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. treehouse, per Webster's. |
| Q. Referring to portable generators of electricity, is it an electric generator, an electricity generator or an electrical generator? We seem to find it all those ways. – from Baton Rouge, LA on Tue, May 26, 2009 A. AP stories favor portable generator, with electrical understood. |
| Q. In a previous question about medispa vs. medi spa, the answer was that AP uses medispa--one word. (Can't find this in the book or online version, though.) What should the writer do if the name of the company is "The Medi Spa"--two words? Keep it consistent as two words? Thanks. – from Roanoke, Va. on Mon, May 25, 2009 A. use medical spa, or spa, on subsequent references. |
| Q. For the buy-local eat-local movement, would AP use localvore or locavore? Thanks. – from Hyannis, MA on Sun, May 24, 2009 A. I've seen it both ways. Could be a regional preference. Vermonters seem to favor localvore, on the West Coast it's locavore. |
| Q. Is a child "booster seatless" or "booster-seatless?" – from Nashville on Sun, May 24, 2009 A. Better use a few words: the child doesn't have a booster seat. |
| Q. In these two sentences, which is correct? 1. The (rocks' weight) or the (rocks weight) caused me to crush the chair. 2. I think I'll head to the (bears') or (bears) cottage. – from Chicago, IL on Sat, May 23, 2009 A. possessives for both. |
| Q. Is hula-hoop a trademark and if so, what is the generic equivalent? – from El Cajon on Fri, May 22, 2009 A. Hula Hoop (caps) is the trademark of the toy. Lowercase hula hoop or hula-hoop are widely used generics. |
| Q. Is it "Webinar" or "webinar" (lower-case or capitalized)? – on Fri, May 22, 2009 A. the second, in quotes, with a few words explanation of a term that isn't in wide use. |
| Q. Would you use a suspended hyphen here? "Our workshop will help veterans, servicemen and -women and their
families." – from Kansas City, MO on Fri, May 22, 2009 A. Our workshop will help veterans, servicemen and servicewomen and their families. |
| Q. Hello. When distinguishing U.S. currency from foreign currency, is "USD" included? If so, where is this placed? Is there also a dollar sign? Thanks! – from Portland, OR on Fri, May 22, 2009 A. AP uses $ to designate amounts in U.S. dollars, as in $1 million or $1. When the story involves other dollar currencies: AU$ for Australian dollars, CA$ for Canadian dollars, SG$ for Singapore dollars. NZ$ for New Zealand dollars, HK$ for Hong Kong dollars, NT$ for New Taiwan dollars and ZW$ for Zimbabwe dollars. |
| Q. Is the college classification for research universities "Tier 1," "Tier I" or "Tier One"? – from Fort Worth TX on Thu, May 21, 2009 A. Suggest use the spelling of the rating group used as the source. |
| Q. An entry says: "For international numbers use 011 (from the United States), the country code, the city code and the telephone number: 011-44-20-7535-1515." U.S.-based publications can be read worldwide online and even in print, so I'm wondering how to list a phone number for say a company in England, if readers are in the U.S. as well as Europe, Asia etc. Would it just start out with 44-20? – from New Jersey on Thu, May 21, 2009 A. In a company phone book, you could list the country and city codes in parentheses before the number, but without international access code, which vary: (44-20)7535-1515. |
| Q. When do you say "northeast Minnesota" versus "northeastern Minnesota"? – from Minn. on Thu, May 21, 2009 A. The terms seem virtually interchangable for directional or geographic purposes. |
| Q. Is it bullet-riddled body or bullet-ridden body? – from Roosevelt, Utah on Thu, May 21, 2009 A. the first. |
| Q. Can "additionally" and "as well as" be used in a same sentence? Example: Additionally, the company offers wheel alignment solutions, as well as inspection services for heating and cooling equipment. – from Omaha, Neb. on Thu, May 21, 2009 A. Would you consider recasting: The company also offers wheel alignments for vehicles and inspections for heating and cooling equipment. |
| Q. Because we are not to hyphenate compound modifiers where the first word is an adverb ending in "ly," how do we hyphenate phrases like these: "a heavily-male-dominated industry"? Thanks – from California on Wed, May 20, 2009 A. a heavily male-dominated industry, though male-dominated hardly needs an extra modifier. |