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Welcome! Today is Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ask the Editor provides answers, clarification and guidance on style issues that go beyond the pages of the AP Stylebook. Before posing a question to AP editor David Minthorn, search the accompanying style archives for your topic. With thousands of questions and answers on file, your topic has very likely been covered. For typical style questions and responses, visit Ask the Editor FAQ.
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"Ask the Editor" questions from the past week:
| Q. Should "year" be capitalized when referring to a 10-year Treasury note? I don't see anything on this in the archives. – from St. Petersburg, FL on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 A. 10-year Treasury note |
| Q. Which is correct? "earnings per share (WAS/WERE)" Thanks. – from Charlotte, NC on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 A. were |
| Q. We're going around and around on this in the newsroom, so I'll pull my secret weapon and ask the experts online. When referring to Police Department and Fire Department separately for a city, the terms are uppercase. Our disagreement is when using the words in the plural. One editor says to follow the capitalization entry which would lowercase the common noun of proper names "Police and Fire departments." The other editor says to follow the govermental bodies entry which says all words that are part of a proper name should be lowercased when used in the plural, "police and fire department." What's the answer? Thanks! – from Florence, AL on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 A. Assuming these are formal names, capitalize with or without the city name and lowercase the plural: Police and Fire departments. See "police department" entry. |
| Q. When you write, he was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months in prison do you use the suspended hyphenation 11 1/2- to 23-months or would you use the suspended hyphenation only when it is used as an adjective? – from Fort Washington, PA on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 A. hypenation for modifier |
| Q. Searched archive and couldn't find anything on this matter. We often use the terms postdoctoral fellow and post-doctoral fellow. Which one is correct - the one with the hyphen or the one without? – from RTP, NC on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 A. postdoctoral fellow, per example in "post" entry. |
| Q. I'm not sure if it should be "noninsulin-dependent" or "non-insulin-dependent" (when discussing Type 2 diabetes). – from Milwaukee, WI on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 A. noninsulin-dependent diabetes |
| Q. Is it "old-fashioned" ceremony, or "old-fashion" ceremony? I've seen it both ways and prefer the sound of the first. Does it matter? Thanks for the help. – from Binghamton, NY on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 A. old-fashioned (adj.) ceremony. |
| Q. My understanding from AP precedent was that if a "compound word" (such as "underperformance") is not in Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition" as one word, it should be hyphenated. What is your ruling on "underperformance"? Thanks! – from Petaluma, CA on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 A. for words that start with "under," in general no hyphen: underperform is customary, underperformance by extension. |
| Q. We have some text that ends in an ellipsis, and we do not know how the text continues or even if it continues. The verbiage before the ellipsis is grammatically a sentence: "One of our plants produced 20,000 units ...."
In AP style, does the ellipsis take three periods or four? Thanks. – from Clemmons, NC on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 A. You could put a period after units to end the complete sentence, then a space followed by ellipsis. |
| Q. Breathalyzer is a trademarked name. What does AP recommend using in place of it -- blood alcohol level tester? – from Miss. State, MS on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 A. that should work, or perhaps device to test blood alcohol level. |
| Q. Wheni s appropriate touse the % sign instead of the word percent? – from Canton, MA on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 A. In "figures, numerals" category in this archive, see Dec. 9 response: In a graphic when space is tight. Otherwise, spelled out in AP stories and headlines. |
| Q. To clarify your response to a question about the need for punctuation in the parenthetical "(select all that apply)" when used in a survey questionnaire: You said no cap or period required within the parenthetical, but add a colon after it. Does this apply even when there's terminal punctuation in the sentence BEFORE the parenthetical? Example:
How do you market your services? (select all that apply):
A. newspaper
B. radio
C. Internet
D. other – from Greensboro, NC on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 A. A colon isn't required in such cases -- at least in my experience of posing survey questions in that form. |
| Q. What's the correct usage of "distrust" and "mistrust"? – from melville , NY on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 A. The Webster's definitions of both words are virtually identical. Usage is about even in AP news stories. |
| Q. I grew up with the music of the sixties and seventies. What is the proper way of expressing the decades? Is it 60's or 60s? – from Manchester, NJ on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 A. see "decades" entry |
| Q. Is the "Cuban Missile Crises" initial-capped (or solely "Cuban" in that phrase)? Thanks. – from Petaluma, CA on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 A. Cuban missile crisis |
| Q. There seems to be a lot of confusion over the use of health care and if a hyphen is ever called for when it is used in conjunction with another noun. What is your ruling on that? – from Hanford, CA on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 A. hyphen unneeded: health care system, health care reforms, health care overhaul, health care legislation, etc. |
| Q. Does the word "by" need to be included in the following sentence? Our net income increased "by" 34 percent. – from Houston, TX on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 A. not required, but either way is fine. |
| Q. What is the correct way to write a date range when it crosses months? Is is Jan. 31 - Feb. 2; Jan. 31 to Feb. 2; or January 31 to February 2? – from Evanston, IL on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 A. Jan. 31-Feb. 2 is preferred in AP news stories; Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 is acceptable. |
| Q. In survey questionnaires, is it necessary to capitalize and include a period in the parenthetical "(select all that apply)" when several response options follow? Here's an example: How do you market your services? (select all that apply) [then a list of response options follows, with one response per line]. What if the parenthetical is longer, such as in this example: How often do you perform chart reviews? (please skip this question if you do not perform chart reviews) [then a list of response options follows, with one response per line]. – from Greensboro, NC on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 A. caps and period aren't required in those brief instructions when a colon follows the closed parenthesis preceding the choices. |
| Q. Marjah instead of Marja or Marjeh.
Moshtarak instead of Mostarak – from Washington, DC on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 A. Marjah, Afghanistan; "Moshtarak," code name of joint offensive to take the city. |
| Q. Congratulations on adding "tea party" to the stylebook. Now would you please decide whether its followers (or revelers in general) are "partyers," the spelling used in Webster's New World, or "partiers," the spelling everyone seems to use? – from Fort Wayne, Ind., on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. partyer (n.), per Webster's. |
| Q. Is it check list or checklist? – from Milwaukee, WI on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. checklist (one word, per Webster's preference) |
| Q. Which is correct: "If you or a loved one (is/are) having a heart attack ..." ?? – from Kansas City, MO on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. If you or a loved one is having a heart attack ... |
| Q. Why does AP still use garnishee when the Webster's New World College Dictionary (Fourth Ed.) indicates that garnish is the preferred even when referring to the garnishment of wages and that garnishee is "now rare in U.S. legal usage"? – from San Antonio, TX on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. Hmm. We'll look at updating that entry. In practice, garnishee and garnisheed are rarely used in AP stories. Webster's preferred spellings are pretty standard. thanks for pointing it out. |
| Q. Re: earthquakes. Is it a "magnitude 8.8 quake" or is it "8.8 magnitude" quake. I've seen it both ways, but prefer the first example. Thanks. – from Oldwick, NJ on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. magnitude-8.8 quake in Chile |
| Q. I was wondering if it was okay to use mice as the plural of mouse when talking about a computer mouse. – from Dallas, TX on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. yes, see "mouse, mice" entry. |
| Q. "An ROTC" or "A ROTC" – from Columbia, SC on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. an ROTC commission |
| Q. When listing the name of a Web site in text or in a list, how should the name of the site be punctuated (e.g., in italics, in quotation marks)? For example, "Stories have appeared on these Web sites: MSNBC, CBSNews, FOX Business" (etc.). – from Clemson, SC on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. Stories have appeared on msnbc.com, cbsnews.com, foxbusiness.com ... (AP doesn't use italics in news stories). |
| Q. I see two different answers for this question. Which is preferred?
Q. Should "thank you" in "thank you note" be hyphenated?
A. thank-you note (Source: Ask the Editor, Spelling)
Q. Does "thank you" take a hyphen when it's a compound modifier, e.g., "thank-you note"?
A. thank you note (no hyphen) 2007-10-24 (Source: Ask the Editor, Punctuation) – from Roseville, MN on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. hyphenated gets the nod, though it's not a sin spelled without a hyphen. |
| Q. In the following example, would AP put a comma after "centralized" or does "geographic location"" amount to a noun phrase? "Atlanta's centralized geographic location is the reason for its selection." Thanks. – from NC on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. no comma. |
| Q. Is this correct:
... said retired U.S. Sen. and former Florida Gov. Bob Graham. – from Gainesville, FL on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. better to put double titles in apposition: Democrat Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and U.S. senator, ... |
| Q. Can we let the comma stand in a construction like this, to separate the two parts of a compound predicate when one part is itself compound, or do we have to reintroduce the subject? "Skiff has optimized its e-reader for newspapers and magazines[,] and has been working on ways of supporting the key design qualities of the publications it carries." – from Tokyo on Thu, Mar 04, 2010 A. better without a comma so one subject governs both parts. |
| Q. I just got back from vacation and found your Feb. 20 answer on datelines: "Without the AP logo, DETROIT (space) underscore (space)." Did you really mean underscore rather than em dash? I don't think I've ever seen an underscore in a newspaper dateline. – from Camarillo, Calif., on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 A. yes, based on the ANPA specifications AP follows, an em or long dash is the underscore. |
| Q. Which is correct: "One of the most strongly held beliefs is ..." or "One of the strongest held beliefs is ..."? Is there a rule of thumb for correctly using superlative adverbial phrases, and/or can you provide a good reference for such? Thanks. – from Petaluma, CA on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 A. The first is a little less awkward. Try a standard grammar book for guidance on such constructions and how to avoid them. |
| Q. Some Web writers I work with are suggesting that "Web site" and "e-mail" be referred to as "website" and "email" since this reflects their use in the vernacular. Is there any premise for this? – from Normal, IL on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 A. These spellings are widely debated. The ease of typing unhyphenated or compound words could be one factor; evolving usage of online terms is another. AP continues to study the issues. For now we use e-mail and Web site. |
| Q. Hi. I know AP doesn't use courtesy titles; does this apply to first ladies? Is it okay to use: Mrs. Obama, Mrs. Ford?
Thanks. – from Washington, DC on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 A. AP uses courtesy titles Miss, Ms. or Mrs. only in direct quotations or after first reference when a woman specifically requests it. Mrs. Obama is her stated preference, so AP uses it for follow-ups to Michelle Obama. |
| Q. Is it climate change legislation or climate-change legislation? – from Le Mars, IA on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 A. generally not hyphenated. |
| Q. 1943 NFL Championship Game or 1943 NFL championship game? – from Atlanta, GA on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 A. Better check NFL records for official version. I've seen it spelled both ways. |
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