Ask the Editor
Last Seven DaysQuestion from Shaker Hts, Ohio, on July 25, 2024
Would an epigraph from a book in Chicago style have to be in Chicago style? I would think the body of the text would be left alone, but should the epigraph be in quotation marks, etc? How does AP style format an epigraph?
Answer
I can't speak to Chicago style. AP does not have a style on epigraphs but does say: When quoting written words, retain the style used by the writer; do not alter the written words even if they don’t match AP style.
See also our poetry entry for further inspiration.
See also our poetry entry for further inspiration.
Question from Washington, District of Columbia, on July 25, 2024
"Unearthed in 1969, the site held the country’s most significant archaeological find—the Golden Man."
I don't see any reason to capitalize "golden man." I would like to rephrase as "the so-called golden man." What do you think? Thanks.
I don't see any reason to capitalize "golden man." I would like to rephrase as "the so-called golden man." What do you think? Thanks.
Answer
I'd capitalize the Golden Man under the rationale that it's a popular name along the lines of those listed in our guidance on capitalization. We also advise to avoid so-called because it can seem mocking or derogatory.
Question from Increased brand awareness, on July 25, 2024
Should the term machine translation be capitalized as Machine Translation (MT)?
Similarly, what is your advice for capitalizing and hyphenating related terms, such as machine translation post-editing (MTPE) or human-aided machine translation (HAMT)?https://apstylebook.com/ap_stylebook/hyphen-2?sconvid=2745
I haven't found specific guidance on the topic. Thank you.
Similarly, what is your advice for capitalizing and hyphenating related terms, such as machine translation post-editing (MTPE) or human-aided machine translation (HAMT)?https://apstylebook.com/ap_stylebook/hyphen-2?sconvid=2745
I haven't found specific guidance on the topic. Thank you.
Answer
AP doesn't have guidance on hyphenating and capitalizing these specific terms, and whether to hyphenate may depend on their context in a sentence. See capitalization and hyphen.
Question from Hopkins, Minnesota, on July 25, 2024
Preventive or Preventative?
Which is accurate in terms of "a preventive chemical to keep your swimming pool free of bacteria."
Which is accurate in terms of "a preventive chemical to keep your swimming pool free of bacteria."
Answer
The AP Stylebook and Merriam-Webster both prefer preventive. See also this Ask the Editor response from 2018.
Question from San Diego, California, on July 24, 2024
I have a question regarding where I put the apostrophe for users in this sentence (users' as written? or user's?):
The radio expands XYZ’s family of products with a highly integrated handheld solution to address
mission-critical communications challenges, putting resilient and assured communications capabilities directly in the users’ hands for simplified operation.
The radio expands XYZ’s family of products with a highly integrated handheld solution to address
mission-critical communications challenges, putting resilient and assured communications capabilities directly in the users’ hands for simplified operation.
Answer
It depends on whether you want to refer to one user or multiple users. If one, user's; if multiple, users'. You could make an argument for either in this sentence.
Question from North Carolina, on July 24, 2024
We have reporters who often use "this" instead of "the." I change it to "the." But is there any guidance to back up my decision?
i.e. "The county manager said he is grateful for this grant and emphasized its importance for the community." I would change this to the.
i.e. "The county manager said he is grateful for this grant and emphasized its importance for the community." I would change this to the.
Answer
I, too, tend to change this to the, but I may just be running on autopilot after being taught to do so in many copyediting classes. The rationale is that it might be unclear to which noun this -- along with these, that, those, etc. -- refers to. But I'm not sure using the solves the problem. AP doesn't appear to have guidance on this (see what I did there?), so let's chalk it up to a matter of personal preference and judgment.
Question from Cameron Park, California, on July 24, 2024
Does AP have an opinion on AFAB and AMAB (assigned female at birth, assigned male at birth)? These terms are in Merriam-Webster, but don't appear in the AP guidance on gender, sex, and sexual orientation. The context is a series of articles on a medical condition which affects hormones for fetal development, so the "assigned as" distinction is coming up frequently. Thanks!
Answer
The AP Stylebook says: Sex (or gender) assigned at birth is the accurate terminology.
If you need to clarify which sex was assigned, there's no problem with saying assigned female or male at birth. I would be wary of using the clinical abbreviations AFAB and AMAB, though, under our guidance in abbreviations and acronyms to avoid alphabet soup. If the terms are central to your series and turn up frequently, though, an exception might be made.
If you need to clarify which sex was assigned, there's no problem with saying assigned female or male at birth. I would be wary of using the clinical abbreviations AFAB and AMAB, though, under our guidance in abbreviations and acronyms to avoid alphabet soup. If the terms are central to your series and turn up frequently, though, an exception might be made.
Answer
If there is an entry for the word in the AP Stylebook or in Merriam-Webster, go with that. If not, follow our style in prefixes to generally not hyphenate unless the word that follows is capitalized or you're joining doubled prefixes.
Question from Canton, Ohio, on July 24, 2024
Hi, how do you style the party identifier for an unaffiliated congressperson?
Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bernie Sanders, ___?___
Thanks!
Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bernie Sanders, ___?___
Thanks!
Answer
Short forms like D-Ohio or R-Vt. are an option but not a requirement, so I'd consider recasting your sentence. AP stories generally refer to Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders or U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent.
Question from New York, New York, on July 24, 2024
I know AP uses numerals in headlines (i.e., "She had 3 cats."), but what about fractions? Is it correct to say "Two-thirds of Americans believe..." or "2/3 of Americans believe..." Thank you!
Answer
For fractions, generally use the same style in headlines as you would in stories: two-thirds, 3 1/2. For more complicated fractions less than 1, say eleven-sixteenths, you might want to use the numerals 11/16 for both readability and space. Or avoid using the fraction altogether, to avoid numerical soup and to be clear that you don't mean 11 out of 16.
Question from Boston, Massachusetts, on July 24, 2024
Hello, would a recipe called Nana's Italian Love Cake be capitalized? Or written like Nana's Italian love cake? How about Kentucky Derby Pie? Or Kentucky Derby pie?
Answer
Our food guidelines say: Most proper nouns or adjectives are capitalized when they occur in a food name: Boston brown bread, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, Waldorf salad. So I'd make it Nana's Italian love cake and Kentucky Derby pie. Also, Derby pie, not derby pie, since our practice is to capitalize Derby on subsequent references to the Kentucky Derby.
Question from Beijing, China, on July 24, 2024
What are your thoughts on using "overweight" as a noun? For example: The federal government has rolled out guidelines to fight overweight and obesity in schools.
Answer
I'd avoid using overweight as a noun. Our obesity, obese, overweight entry says: While some health agencies use the phrasing people with overweight, avoid that awkward term unless essential in a direct quotation. The term people who are overweight is acceptable.
Question from Ridgway, Colorado, on July 23, 2024
Hello Paula and team, can you please advise how you would handle a business name where the business capitalizes part of the name, but not the rest? The example is KEO studioworks.
Answer
Hello! It's Jeff, filling in for Paula. Our guidance on company names says to generally follow the spelling preferred by the company but to capitalize the first letter of company names in all uses. The name KEO studioworks meets that threshold, so go with it. Sometimes companies will style their logo differently from their actual name, but that doesn't appear to be the case here. My search of a business database turns up a corporation registration with that spelling and capitalization.
Question on July 23, 2024
Is "non-English speaking populations" correct or should we use something else?
Answer
It's almost correct. I'd add another hyphen: non-English-speaking populations. But it is awkward, so rephrasing might be better: populations that don't speak English or people who do not speak English.
Question from Rye, New York, on July 23, 2024
HI PF, if someone is a business-school graduate, would that supposed to need a hyphen?
Answer
Hello! It's Jeff, filling in. It could depend on its context in a sentence, but I would vote for no hyphen, since it doesn't add clarity.
Question from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July 23, 2024
middle name as nickname when individual prefers full name on 1st reference
Hello! Would you use quotation marks around someone's middle name when the middle name is the preferred name and when that individual prefers full name listed on first reference? (e.g. William "Zachary" Smith has been named the new marketing director for Company ABC)
Answer
I wouldn't put quotation marks around someone's actual name. Make it just William Zachary Smith if, as you say, Smith wants the full name listed on first reference. But you might want to convey later in the story that Smith goes by Zachary, since you would generally use only the last name on subsequent references.
Question on July 23, 2024
Hi Paula and the AP Team,
Would "government" be uppercased in "Semi-government" in a composition title?
Thank you!
Would "government" be uppercased in "Semi-government" in a composition title?
Thank you!
Answer
I would go with Semi-government, since the prefix and hyphen render it as one word. And AP style would say no hyphen in Semigovernment, but I don't know whether you have that flexibility.
Question from Yorkshire, UK, on July 23, 2024
Would Australian Admiral David Johnston's position of "Chief of the Defence Force" be all in lowercase?
Naturally, "chief" would be lowercase, but is the title viewed in its entirety and therefore all lowercased ("chief of the defence force"), or is he "chief" of a named entity (the Australian Defence Force), and therefore "chief of the Defence Force"?
Naturally, "chief" would be lowercase, but is the title viewed in its entirety and therefore all lowercased ("chief of the defence force"), or is he "chief" of a named entity (the Australian Defence Force), and therefore "chief of the Defence Force"?
Answer
We would capitalize Defence Force in this example because it refers to the department. Just the title would be lowercase.
Question from Washington, District of Columbia, on July 22, 2024
Does AP have a list of federal agencies that can be referred to by their acronyms only, due to notoriety?
Answer
Not a list, per se. We say: Avoid acronyms when possible. A phrase such as the department is preferable on second reference because it is more readable and avoids alphabet soup.
Federal departments that can be referenced by abbreviation or acronym on second reference can be found in the department entry. You can also search keywords like agency or bureau in the online stylebook to turn up appropriate results.
Federal departments that can be referenced by abbreviation or acronym on second reference can be found in the department entry. You can also search keywords like agency or bureau in the online stylebook to turn up appropriate results.
Question from San Diego, California, on July 22, 2024
If the name of a cruise line is AMADEUS and the name of one of their ships is Brilliant, should AMADEUS Brilliant all be in italics or just Brilliant? Thank you!
Answer
AP generally doesn't use italics in news copy. We would just capitalize Brilliant and not italicize it. And to answer a question you didn't ask, make it Amadeus, not AMADEUS, unless you're creating marketing materials. The all-caps styling is a marketing logo, but from what I can gather, the company is known as Amadeus River Cruises.
Question from New York, New York, on July 22, 2024
Hi, for the South Korean golfer Kim Si-woo, AP and many news publications (and also the PGA) are styling his name as Si Woo Kim. I’m wondering if you know whether that’s his personal preference, to put his family name last rather than first? We’re trying to figure out how to style it properly. Thank you!
Answer
South Korean golf officials have asked governing bodies for the sport to westernize the names of golfers from the country, so he is known as Si Woo Kim.
Question from Gainesville, Florida, on July 22, 2024
What is the style for the phrase '9 to 5' as it refers to a regular job? Can I write: She ran a dance studio when she wasn't working her 9-to-5.
Answer
I'd go with Merriam-Webster's guidance of nine-to-five as both a noun and adjective. Unless, that is, you're referring to the composition title "9 to 5."
Question from Rye, New York, on July 22, 2024
Hello ATE (ask the editor)... what is the AP Style for 5 o'clock shadow?
hyphenate? spell out five/5?
thanks,
hyphenate? spell out five/5?
thanks,
Answer
I would go with Merriam-Webster's guidance five-o'clock shadow. AP does say to use numerals when expressing time, but this is a colloquial expression, not an exact time.
Answer
AP does not abbreviate hour or hours unless in quoted material or in the abbreviations mph and kph.
Question from Quezon City, on July 22, 2024
Should I capitalize Bar in "Bar examination"? Or should I lowercase it? I see both usages online.
Answer
Lowercase bar examination unless part of a proper name.
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