Yes, abbreviations of certain formal titles preceding a name may start a sentence. These include Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., Sen. and military ranks such as Gen. or Sgt. However, Mr. is a courtesy title and not generally used by AP except in a direct quote.

Check the "quotation marks (" ") entry in the stylebook's PUNCTUATION GUIDE.

According to Webster's, wallcovering.

After the colon, start a new paragraph with the material you're quoting.

Yes, lowercase the common noun elements.

AP prefers the first example.

Use "that" for a thing ... "who" for the personal pronoun, although "that" also fits some human references. The more businesses that join, the more effective we are, etc.

Why not simplify? We'd like you to try out these features designed for your needs.

No. Use plural verb with the plural noun.

Based on titles given on the Nevada Highway Patrol Web page, trooper looks like a formal rank capitalized before a name. Better call them to confirm.

I'd write it free of cancer.

In AP style, each bullet normally ends with a period.

Mea culpa. The stylebook's "company names" entry says it should be Ikea. The company itself uses all caps. I'm accustomed to a European pronunication that seemed to meet the stylebook's guidance.

corporate (adj.) is lowercase.

in-house (hyphenated) as both adjective and adverb.

AP uses health care (two words) in all instances.

These are abbreviations, not acronymns. The plural WMDs appears in AP stories. It's miles per gallon on first reference, mpg (lowercase) thereafter, no "s" form that I'm aware of.

one word.

the former.

hyphenate as a modifier of program. Or rephrase: XYZ Co.'s new program for weight loss.

Yes, though we're not necessarily endorsing your city, country, example.

hyphenate as a modifier of increase.

First example is correct: Gonzalezes' contributions.

lowercase.

See stylebook's "millions, billions" entry.

lowercase counsel.

In AP headline style, it could be: 1Q, 1st qtr or 1st quarter, latter two hyphenated as modifier. Year is normally understood.

No AP rule on paragraphs. However, we don't advocate writing each sentence as a separate paragraph. "Moderation and a sense of order should be the main considerations in paragraphing," is the sage advice of "The Elements of Style."

The press is ... collective noun takes singular verb. However, news media are plural.

Only if earnings starts the sentence.

video game titles are enclosed in quotes.

No quotes or italics for titles of publications, so it's correct as written.

In news stories, the date or day is usually sufficient. The reception is at 5 p.m. May 20 at the state museum.

Brand name medications are capitalized.

It's hyphenated as a modifier in AP stories.

You have to decide whether the descriptive or the possessive is better for the context.

Webster's lists both spellings. In AP stories, mama seems to be used more often.

The last sentence breaks off ... Pls repeat the concluding part and I'll take a look.

lowercase, unless part of a title like Creole Tomato Festival.

one word, no hyphen.

AP wouldn't capitalize town in these references. And unless there's something really unusual about flag pole, requiring extra emphasis, doubt it needs to be in quotes.

no hyphen in the dollar figure.

It's not in stylebook or Webster's. Based on the spelling at rei.com, dry bag (two words).

one word.

Yes, AP stories use Minutemen for the plural.

AP normally lists yuan (lowercase) for China's currency, which is also known as the renminbi, or "people's currency." Dollar and euro conversions are given for large amounts, such as 6.77 billion yuan (US$969.5 billion; euro608 billion). Some conversions will be RMB/dollars, such as RMB 271.6 million ($37.2 million).

The trade show will be open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Or, the trade show will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Yes, spell out on first reference, then ATV or four-wheeler thereafter. ATV may be used in headline if full term follows in story.

Usually a modifier will define the arrangement: business partner, domestic partner.

The stylebook's "co-" entry explains why it's copay (one word).

AP spells out numbers less than 10 except when citing clock time, so three credit hours.

two words.

better use a hyphen on that one.

premiums customary.

I've seen the term written both ways. However, a hyphen isn't essential if there's no risk of ambiguity.

I'm stumped. No stylebook, dictionary or AP story uses. It shows both ways online and in various books. Flip a coin.

The first is correct ... any of us need.

OK to start with a spelled out number. There's one exception. A sentence may begin with a numeral for a calendar year. 2000 launched the new millenium.

You write out both numbers in the range.

It's lowercase in AP stories, including within quoted material.

AP stories capitalize Generation X in all variations.

No quotes for these news organizations, but their program titles are enclosed in quotes.

AP would lowercase seafood unless it's part of a proper name, such as a trademarked brand.

AP Stylebook lists homebuyer (one word), so homebuying by extension.

Looks fine as is.

Webster's prefers lifelong (adj.)

wage garnishment, n., is correct.

heartland is lowercase in this usage.

fast is the adverb, meaning rapidly or quickly. fastly is not OK.

see below.

plural in an AP story about the syndrome.

Yes, see stylebook's "decimal units" entry.

That abbreviation takes a possessive in AP stories.

No stylebook or dictionary listings so can't be absolute. Stormwater (one word) is probably used more often than storm water in AP stories. Rain garden (two words) seems to be preferred by news media.

Under the MILITARY TITLES section are columns headed "Rank" and "Usage before a name." Most of the latter are abbreviations.

Proper noun elements in titles are capitalized when the title follows a name: Rick Wagoner, chief executive officer of General Motors Corp.

second season, Game 5

AP uses these standard abbreviations, LLC and L.P.

Yes, for emphasis.

Last month, AP quoted Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal this way: "I find that a little troubling, not in a big 'D' Democratic Party sense, but in a small 'd,' representative democracy sense."

yes, in reference to the frontier days of America.

The purpose of the AP Stylebook, outlined in the Forward, is to provide a uniform presentation of the printed word, to make a story written anywhere understandable everywhere.

AP uses the numeral for acres, even when less than 10, as a dimension: 5 acres.

The preferred dictionary spellings are hard core (n.) and hard-core (adj.). Despite that, hardcore (one word) is used frequently as a noun or modifier, including in the genre you cite.

yes.

worst-case scenario, though often written without a hyphen.

For AP stories transmitted worldwide, ST. LOUIS is a standalone dateline. A locating phrase may be included in the text, such as the Missouri city.

poolside, as in Webster's. One word seems to be standard: lakeside, roadside, etc.

See stylebook's "possessives" entry, which cites other x-ending words: fox's den, Marx's theories, Xerox's profits.

semi-automatic (hyphenated) is preferred for weapons.

As I responded previously, the phrasing is acceptable, but shouldn't be overused.

The AP Stylebook would only use USS Arizona in italics as an example, to differentiate from a definition. In AP news stories, italics aren't used because the typeface doesn't transmit through all computers.

"we" or "our" are appropriate pronouns for the company brochure to impart a sense of informality, familiarity and esprit.

Not in stylebook. However, in AP baseball stories, at-bat is normally hyphenated.

... effectively stopping cattle shipments out of the state unless the animals are certified as free of bovine tuberculosis. Thereafter, TB-free.

... Red Sox's only home run.

Not aware of any difference beyond singular and plural.

BAC is the stock listing. In the stock charts in newspapers, it's often BankAm.

AP lowercases such terms.

It's something we'll put up with.

AP uses Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (no hyphen), and FLDS abbreviation in subsequent references.

yes.

hyphenate as adjective. as an adverb, it's back and forth (no hyphens).

Roberts court (lowercase), but Roberts-led court or Supreme Court are preferred.

sure, and a few examples: radar, laser, NATO, OPEC

The dropped letter would be in quotes, capitalized or lowercase depending in how it was used in the title. (I'm scratching my head trying to imagine it.)

Based on the stylebook's "organizations and institutions" entry, lowercase names of internal elements that are widely used generic terms. So human resources and similar department names are generally lowercase in AP stories.

AP book reviews use this style: "Arnie and Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry" (Houghton Mifflin Co., 368 pages, $26), by Ian O'Connor: Start of review...

For the updated 2008 edition, we've settled on cross-country (hyphenated).

capitalize University of Nebraska Board of Regents as integral parts of proper name. In other instances, board of regents or regents board may be lowercase, per stylebook's "board of directors, board of trustees" entry.

The first, though it could be trimmed: He has succeeded as a hitter and base-runner.

The military rank normally goes first if the individual is on active duty. Capt. Joe Smith, an Air Force neurosurgeon, won a federal grant for medical research.

No, but online announcements by PR Newswire might be helpful.

lowercase.

Either is correct depending on individual preference. Check whether the dealer uses singular or plural for the store name.

Check the NLGJA stylebook supplement at this site: http://www.nlgja.org/resources/index.html

Your question breaks off. However, the stylebook's "gay" entry is not intended to bar the term homosexuality. This noun is used frequently in AP stories.

Based the AP Stylebook's "workplace" entry, workspace (one word) looks right.

All three are legitimate attribution phrases. The writer's name can also be included, such as ... Smith wrote in the letter.

The answer cited "recognized titles." The examples ... a Broadway musical and the show's hit song ... illustrate spelling variations in similar titles. Some leeway is allowed in principal (meaning capitalized) words. A short (three or fewer letters) modifier, verb or pronoun is customarily uppercase if it starts the title. It may be capitalized or not within the title depending on emphasis given by the writer.

only if part of a capitalized brand name.

St. Louis before San Francisco

skill sets or skill set in most AP stories, including direct quotes from education experts.

Football references also vary. NCAA rules uses place kick (two words), and NFL rules list placekick (one word). Another of our references, The American Heritage Dictionary, uses place kick (two words).

Place kicking is his forte. He's determined to win the place-kicking job.

The general guidance is to capitalize a title denoting seniority and authority directly before a name. However, when a title is multiple words, it's often better for comprehension to put the title after the name and lowercase or use well-known abbreviations: John Smith became chief financial officer in 2002. His promotion to CEO was announced Friday. "I'll be a bottom-line chief executive officer," Smith vowed.

AP lowercases status of forces agreement in most instances. It might be capitalized for a specific situation involving the U.S. and another nation when used as a formal title or within a quotation, if the source material has it that way.

Latin America includes South America, the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Within a quotation, Holy Father is capitalized.

The rank is private, or pvt. The pay grade is E2, up from private E1 while undergoing basic training. The next promotion is to private first class, pfc., pay grade E3.

IM Acronym for instant message; sometimes used as a verb IM'ing, IM'ed. Acceptable on second reference for instant messaging.

Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish (pl.)

In admittedly rare appearances in AP copy, the geographic doldrums is lowercase and without separate quotes.

I'm not aware of any qualms about using kid or kids in news stories, particularly lighter fare. It may be that the more formal child or children could be more appropriate for some topics.

In AP style, internal elements of organizations may be lowercase if the names are widely used generic terms. Human resources department seems to fall into this category, but practices may differ on that. The stylebook's "department" entry describes U.S. government units, such as State Department, which are capitalized. Additional guidance is that when department is part of a formal name, such as Los Angeles Police Department, it is capitalized.

AP uses elder law, as in National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

I told governs both direct objects linked by a conjunction so no comma is needed.

the phrasing should be fine.

The subjunctive expresses a possibility or wish rather than a completed action or a fact. Check a grammar book for elaboration.

nonathletes preferable, but not a capital offense to hyphenate as is often done.

You could argue that either way. However, a superlative that requires a qualifier may not be the "best" choice.

AP uses blood-alcohol content or level on first reference, and sometimes the abbreviation on second reference.

9-by-12-inch pan.

one word in AP stories.

that works if the sequence is clear, presumably victories, draws and losses.

President Bush has been referring lately to war on terror, which AP spells lowercase.

The Reds' front office ... the Red Sox's front office.

16-hour-long ordeal.

AP uses lowercase for baseball's opening day and the like.

the plural is correct.

When in doubt, look 'em up in Webster's. That's what I do.

AP might well use "the attorney," without his surname, on a subsequent reference if the occupational description clearly stands for Smith. Manila-area company is an acceptable locator.

It's not in the AP Stylebook or Webster's, but prevailing usage seems to favor two words, in country.

CORRECTION: the pan is 9 inches by 12 inches (no hyphens when dimensions follow the noun).

If you're referring to e-mail alerts on AP Stylebook updates, the last was in March on ethnic-related issues (Chicano, Latino, etc.). We've revised the stylebook with about 1,000 changes, not all of which got e-mail alerts. Changes are listed on the online stylebook's home page. The 2008 printed edition is due out in early May.

premed or pre-med (we see it both ways), but pre-veterinarian is clearer.

one-two punch, though just a one-two will do.

Stanley Cup playoffs, finals (lowercase).

lowercase fellow, though AP would leave the title at Dr. Troy Griffiths, a podiatric surgeon.

yes, but the go-to guy cliche should be benched.

No caps in either instance: Use lowercase for internal elements of an organization when they have names that are widely used generic terms. (See stylebook's "organizations and institutions" entry.)

The Tony and Grammy awards-winning musical

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language gives these plural uses: state tax moneys; monies set aside for research and development. Moneys is preferred under the AP Stylebook's "plurals" entry for WORDS ENDING IN Y.

Hyphenate those words following the general rule on prefixes: a hyphen is used if a prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel.

Like cow's milk, cow's cheese works in many situations. However, let the context determine whether to use singular, plural or possessive.

With the exception of Dr. for medical doctor, AP rarely uses professional or academic abbreviations, instead specifying registered nurse, physician assistant, etc. If a a public health degree is relevant to a news story, the specialty will be described without MPH. Same goes for the other abbreviations.

Used in connection with corporate personnel issues, the plural looks right.

AP lowercases these Olympic event categories.

AP capitalizes U.S. Ski Team, but the specialist squads within the team are normally lowercase. The proper name of the overall organization is U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

That makes sense for consistency in your situation. AP's reason for not using italics in news copy is that the typeface doesn't transmit through all computer systems.

For a one-month period, either works: Jan. 14-Feb. 15 ... Jan. 14 through Feb. 15.

Probably clearer as FMS's, though an argument could be made for the other version. This abbreviation may often be a descriptive (e.g., the FMS data), meaning no apostrophe.

... portion of the flight June 30-July 1 also established a 24-hour record for speed. The second example works, too.

cost prohibitive is jargon. Possible alternative: too expensive.

On first reference, spell the times as you have it. That sets the standard for subsequent comparisons, in which days are expressed separately from the hours-minutes-seconds abbreviation: 20 days 9:52.30.

Yes, hyphenate as a modifer, or recast to the fence in center field.

locker room (two words).

The standard credit, updated yearly, reads: Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (There are other requirements for displaying the AP logo on photos, graphics, etc. Contact the local AP office for details.)

We recommend the more conventional guilt trip.

AP stories use Olympic torch (lowercase t).

Yes, that looks right.

"differently than" gets the nod over "differently from how" but a recast would avoid the need for either.

lowercase, in quotes and defined.

one word.

Triple-A and Class AAA are both used as descriptives in stories. (1x send, please. Repeats jam the queue.)

yes.

AP prefers goal post (two words).

check "decades" entry. Use Arabic figures to indicate decades of history: the 1920s, the '80s, etc.

He went 2 for 3, but it's hyphenated as a modifier. (your question repeated six times in the queue. 1x send is best.)

The online stylebook spelling has been amended to flaxseed (one word). Thanks for pointing it out.

G-force, three G's and the number of G's or extreme G-forces. No italics in AP style.

blog is OK as a verb; journal is a noun (though Webster's lists journalize as a verb.)

spell it out lowercase.

break-even season, Gamecocks' 13 yard line, Bulldogs' touchdown (see sports guidelines).

Abbreviate Corp. if it occurs at the end of a company name or government agency. Spell out Corporation when it occurs elsewhere the name.

sure.

no hyphen.

credit card holder is correct.

correct.

Like Webster's, AP seems to prefer racetrack (one word).

AP wouldn't capitalize it.

The last three are all but interchangeable, but roughly is less versatile. For example, AP probably wouldn't (or shouldn't) write that a child is roughly 6 years old.

Suggest recast the sentence. A publisher buys your book but doesn't promote it.

Girl applicable until 18th birthday is reached. Use woman or young woman afterward.

It's a one-of-a-kind opportunity. She's one of a kind.

yes.

They're usually hyphenated as compound modifiers preceding nouns.

In AP style, Smith without the occupational descriptive on second reference.

First sentence seems a little clearer using with.

Game 7, opening day.

golden Lab is correct. AP capitalizes only the proper name element in a breed: e.g., English springer spaniel.

As a plural possessive, kids' books.

Check the IN LISTS section of the "dash" entry of the stylebook's punctuation guide.

on the front line (two words as noun), but front-line soldier (hyphenated as adjective).

Doctors' Day and International Nurses Day, according to medical association Web pages. There's considerable variation in spellings of such days, depending on whether the honoree is rendered as a possessive (with apostrophe) or as a descriptive (no apostrophe).

no.

lowercase.

he is a former district attorney ... (though an obituary customarily uses imperfect or past tense for such details).

Without a hyphen, "small" could refer to the physical stature of the business owner, rather than the size of the business, which is made clear by the linked modifiers.

ultralow power device (see "ultra-" entry)

AP uses wrapup (n.), wrap up (v.)

AP uses Vietnam Veterans Memorial and lowercases wall.

Probably an, if SFPD is used with a noun. You have an example?

Enclose both titles in quotes.

Probably BSer and BSes, based on Webster's first citation for the abbreviation. Vulgarities are used in AP stories only in direct quotations and if there is a compelling reason.

hyphenate the footage as modifier of building and retail building.

AP hyphenates e- references, such as e-book, e-mail, e-commerce. Your newsletter, your call.

Agree it's awkward. How about determined to succeed?

It's now fixed. Thanks for outpointing.

Yes, for example: US Steel in headline and U.S. Steel in text.

lowercase traditionalists and millennials, along with the baby boomers. Generation X stays capped in the group.

educational is the adjective and education the noun. Access to education is undoubtedly preferable to education access or educational access.

U.S. entry in current stylebook says the abbreviation is acceptable as a noun or adjective for United States. Same guidance applies to U.N.

yes.

The correct term is split again.

yes.

You should read into the sports guidelines section of the stylebook.

probably two words, though it shows both ways on the Web.

two words look right, hyphenated as a modifier.

According to Webster's, downturn and upturn.

no hyphen.

Generally lowercase this descriptive, unless directly quoting a document in which the term is sometimes capitalized.

sure.

U.S. and U.N. are acceptable as nouns.

Webster's uses double caps, no commas for NW, NE, SW, SE. Cities generally use these directional abbreviations for full addresses, local practices excepted. The other forms remain unchanged.

you could rephrase to avoid it: tricks by sleight of hand.

A number of options are available, based on this guidance in Fowler's Modern English Usage: When the word number is itself the subject it is a safe rule to treat it as singular when it has a definite article and as plural when it has an indefinite.