To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about. Life magazine featured the 75yearold fort peck dam, photographed by margaret bourkewhite, in its first issue. Chicago style and ap style differ when it comes to ages. Here are a few of the helpful tips that were shared during a chat on jan. Associated press changes style on race, gender bias.
Should on point and spot on be hyphenated in predicative position. A hyphen is usually used in apa style when two or more words modify a common noun and that noun comes after the modifiers, for example, 7point scale or clientcentered counseling. Ap style writing and the ap stylebook being a freelancer. I think the hyphen, in these cases, makes it clearer for the reader. The ap stylebook says to make reference of age when it is deemed relevant to the situation. Keep up the great proofreading and for a second set of eyes on all your content, install the grammarly app.
Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives used as proper nouns. Associated press changes style on race, gender posted on april 5, 2019 by joe grimm th associated press stylebook sets the tone and conventions for news media across the united states and around the world. When discussing ap style numbers, we must address a few of our pet peeves when it comes to incorrect usage. As the leading authority of writing style in journalism, ap publishes the associated press stylebook and updates it yearly to reflect changing style preferences for grammar, politics, culture, and every other topic. In most cases, the apa style dictates that there is no hyphen after the prefix. Well, we finally settled on best seller because it was ap style, which is the style that we follow in most of our writing. Ah, yes, the familiar panic of poring over your article to make sure hyphens are correctly placed and quotes are wellattributed. Always use figures for people, animals and objects. These words work together to create a single concept that modifies a noun. Email is the first choice of websters and preferred by many newspapers. The associated press has a helpful rule about writing numbers. If you know you will be using ap style frequently, its definitely worth it to invest in a copy of the associated press stylebook 2019. Ages are like every other compound modifier that way. For those unfamiliar, ap style is an english grammar style.
The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. An ellipsis consists of three periods, with a space before and after. It is optional in most cases, a matter of taste, judgment and style sense. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in. The ap stylebook say the fewer the hyphens the better and recommends consistency in style throughout the article your press release. Look for the change to be in effect immediately in the. For the most current guidelines, see the publication manual of the american psychological association 7th ed. Use of the hyphen is far from standardized, the ap social media team tweeted. That is, when the adjectival phrase 12yearold comes before the noun it modifies child, it is hyphenated, and it is unhyphenated when it comes after the noun it modifies. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. For example, you can mention your age in figures in your profiles, forms such as admission or application forms, eulogy, etc. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Is the age of an inanimate object expressed in numerals or spelled out.
Ap style change ages common sense reigns hallelujah common sense returns to the ap stylebook when it comes to ages. Chicago style is to use the word for ages 100 and lower, and ap style is to always use the numeral for ages. If you look at these marks with style in mind, the ellipsis is most similar to the em dash. In chicago style, it is used for ranges of things such as years, ages, months, numbers, etc. Ap style holds that when referencing ages you should always use figures. Formatting dates, days, months, times, and years in ap style dates and times have a number of formatting considerations. The last time chicago made changes, for example, was when it released the 16th edition back in 2010. Appropriate background, such as mother of two young children or a world war ii veteran, may suffice instead of the actual age. This same rule applies for children under 10 years old. There are some specific areas in which you can mention your age. Ap style guidelines for hyphen usage gatehouse newsroom. Ive flagged the up page of my ap stylebook with a postit, because i check and doublecheck those entries so frequently. In the following examples, notice how the two conditions are met. Ap style has a funny little way of sneaking into your ear and whispering sweet nothings like, didnt i teach you better than to leave street designations unabbreviated.
And many of us might remember learning about compound words, too. The associated press usually announces style book changes at the meeting every year, but this year the chicago manual of style also announced updates, which only happens every once in a while. Whether youre referring to the age of a person, animal, or object, always use figures. In this case, i reached for my ap stylebook because it sits on a shelf less than a foot away and its smaller than the dictionary and found it right away under the listing for inas a prefix as one of the occasions that ap style mandates as always requiring a hyphen. Ages hyphenation a 12yearold child is 12 years old. Many newspapers and websites follow the style recommended by the associated press stylebook, which is to simply use a hyphen in place of an en dash.
According to ap style, you dont have to write your exact age in figures everywhere. Unfortunately, these examples show up frequently on tv, in the press and on marquees. Has ap considered changes in style for email, internet and web site. But what is a compound adjective compound adjectives are two or more connected words acting as one modifier e. In running text, it is best to use words instead of an en dash or hyphen in ap style. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Email is consistent with other hyphenated, electronic age terms. Associated press stylebook we are retiring our boards here but you can stay in style on twitter, facebook, instagram and linkedin. This page reflects guidance from the sixth edition of the publication manual. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. The associated press ap stylebook, or more commonly known as the bible around pr agencies and newsrooms, has released its latest edition.
If someone is quoted as saying, im too old to go back to school. If the age is used as an adjective or as a substitute for a noun, then it should be hyphenated. Ap style says the kids are all right, never alright. Write like a journalist part 2 5 more ap style tips. It wasnt about my prose, reporting, or lede, but that i neglected to abbreviate september. If you say someone is 2 years old you do not hyphenate. My favorite thing about associated press style is that the rules help you. Todays style change puts things back the way they were before the illadvised change a couple of years ago that had us spelling out one to nine for inanimates and using figures in all other uses. If a word has the same spelling but different meanings, it might be prudent to use a hyphen after the prefix to differentiate them. Apa style capitalization in titles and headings, capitalize all words with four or more letters. While the ap stylebook admits that there is not necessarily a standard way to use them, and that most instances come own to personal style or taste, it does say the fewer hyphens the better. The most common error, it seems, is the tendency to link a verb with the subsequent adverb with a hyphen. This is the basic difference in how ellipses are rendered in ap style and chicago style. While relief was in sight after one more day of misery in the northeast, the south was forecast to stay hotter than usual at least through the end of the week.
The associated press is reversing some of its march 2019 guidance on how we use the wedding band of the punctuation world. The new 2018 issue, which became available in may, has more than 200 new entries to help guide journalists and other commutators accurately cover the changing social, political and cultural arenas. The associated press wire service has been shaping writing, grammar and style choices around the world since its founding in 1846. Washington ap sweltering temperatures across half the country had people doing what they could to stay cool today. Whether a noun gets hyphenated is often a style issue. Using hyphens in apa style in academic writing enago academy. Ap style writes health care as two words, no hyphen. I remember when i filed one of my first bylines for a newspaper only to get my inbox slammed with emails from my editor in chief. Being a picky editor type which ive come to know here is prescriptivism i tend to love hyphens and that rule about hyphenation of compound modifiers. And the ap stylebook kept wording it has used previously that says use of the hyphen is far from standardized and, as in the past, note that it can be a matter of taste, judgment and. Use a hyphen whenever a sentences meaning could be ambiguous without it.
When to hyphenate year old is the age describing a noun. Today we change ap style from email to email, no hyphen. The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. Twelve common mistakes of ap style apr 19, 2011 admin. That preference presumably dates from the leadtype era, when compositors didnt want to be bothered about trying to distinguish a from a on a piece of. We talk about when to use and not use hyphens in ages, and when its ok to say, i listen to this podcast that covers language instead of i listen to a podcast that covers language. When do you need to use a hyphen for compound words. There you have it 20 common ap style mistakes youll never make again.
After a colon, capitalize the first word beginning a complete sentence. Dear ap style, how can i possibly take anything you say seriously when you dont require the oxford comma. And, as always, count on proofreadingpal to catch and correct any style, usage, grammar, or other errors you may make to ensure your finished writing is. When multiple modifiers have a common base, the base can be omitted in all except the last modifier, but the hyphens should be retained. Associated press style basics journalists resource. If the answer is yes to these two questions, hyphenate. Hyphens join words together and should be used to help form a single idea from two words or avoid ambiguity in your writing. Hyphens join words together and help form a single idea from two words or avoid ambiguity. For example, from the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law 2002. Serving as an authority for working journalists on grammar, capitalizations, abbreviations, spelling and so much more, the ap stylebook can be found in almost every newsroom in the country.