đ¤ Garbl's Editorial Style and Usage Guide: SâZ
Entries from scores through ZIP code.
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Introduction | Punctuation | Commonly Confused Words
S
said, say See attribution, state.
scores Use numerals when giving game scores, separating the scores with a hyphen: The Seattle Mariners won 12-4. Use commas to separate team names and scores: Mariners 12, Yankees 4.
size Lowercase size and use figures to give sizes: waist size 36, 10 1/2 shoes, size 9 dress.
so-called Avoid using to modify a commonly known or questionably named term. Instead, use phrases like often known as, what supporters [or opponents] call.
speeds Use figures: The taxi slowed to 7 miles per hour.
spelling This style guide notes some frequently misspelled words. Check your dictionary or a published style manual for more guidance. AP prefers the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
If two (or more) spellings are listed in your dictionary, use the first one unless your preferred style manual lists a specific exception. If your dictionary provides different spellings in separate entries (gray and grey, for example), use the spelling followed by a full definition (gray). If a dictionary entry is listed as usually or often, use that entry.
Use computerized spelling checkers carefully; they donât catch mistyped words that are spelled correctlyânot instead of nowâor words that sound alike but are spelled differentlyâtoo, two, to.
Also see capitalization, hyphens under Punctuation, plurals, possessives, prefixes, suffixes.
state (v.) Say or said is usually preferable to state or stated, which can sound formal or stiltedâunless youâre stating something officially and specifically: The schoolâs complaint policy states, âAll letters will be researched thoroughly.â See attribution, quotations.
state names Spell out U.S. state names in the body of a story: He moved to Oregon after living 20 years in Washington. Also spell out state names when used with the names of cities, counties, towns, or villages.
For punctuation, place one comma between the city and the state name and another comma after the state name, unless ending a sentence: She moved to Portland, Oregon, from Portland, Maine.
Use state of Washington or Washington stateâwith lowercase stateâwhen necessary to distinguish the state from the national capital, Washington.
Lowercase state when used as an adjective: a state map, the state government. They visited the state of Washington. Capitalize state when writing about the state government: He worked for the State of Washington.
Do not capitalize state when used simply as an adjective to specify a level of jurisdiction: state Rep. Ellen Berger, state Department of Social Services, state funds, state Department of Ecology. But capitalize the full name of state governmental units: Washington State Department of Ecology. See governmental bodies.
state abbreviations. See standard AP abbreviations below for use in charts, tables, and certain political identifications (Sen. Mary Dermott, D-Wash.). The two-letter U.S. Postal Service abbreviations are for use in mailing addresses (in parentheses below):
Ala. (AL), Ariz. (AZ), Ark. (AR), Calif. (CA), Colo. (CO), Conn. (CT), Del. (DE),
Fla. (FL), Ga. (GA), Ill. (IL), Ind. (IN), Kan. (KS), Ky. (KY), La. (LA), Md. (MD), Mass. (MA), Mich. (MI), Minn. (MN), Miss. (MS), Mo. (MO), Mont. (MT),
Neb. (NE), Nev. (NV), N.C. (NC), N.D. (ND), N.H. (NH), N.J. (NJ), N.M. (NM),
N.Y. (NY), Okla. (OK), Ore. (OR), Pa. (PA), R.I. (RI), S.C. (SC), S.D. (SD), Tenn. (TN),
Vt. (VT), Va. (VA), Wash. (WA), Wis. (WI), W.Va. (WV), Wyo. (WY)
Postal code abbreviations for eight states that are not abbreviated in standard text: Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Iowa (IA), Maine (ME), Ohio (OH), Texas (TX), Utah (UT). Also: District of Columbia (DC).
See ZIP code.
suffixes Generally, do not hyphenate words formed with suffixes. Consult your preferred dictionary for specific spellings.
Some common patterns:
-free is usually hyphenated:
fat-free, tax-free, interest-free.
Exception: carefree.-in is often hyphenated when used as a noun:
break-in, log-in, walk-in.
Use two words for the verb.-up often follows the same pattern:
follow-up, mix-up, runner-up (nouns).
Use two words for the verb.
Most other suffixes do not require hyphens unless the dictionary lists them that way. See hyphen under Punctuation, prefixes.
T
telephone numbers Recommended forms for the United States: 206-937-XXXX, 800-XXX-XXXX. Use hyphens, not periods.
For extension numbers, abbreviate extension and separate it with a comma from the main number: 360-263-XXXX, Ext. XXX.
Refer to toll-free number instead of 800 number: 800-XXX-XXXX (toll-free). Including the number 1 for long-distance and toll-free numbers is unnecessary.
temperatures Use numerals for all except zero: Itâs 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a wordânot a minus signâto show temperatures below zero: Itâs 8 degrees below zero. Also, temperatures get higher or lower, but uses like cold temperatures and warmer temperatures are OK.
time, times Lowercase and use periods for a.m., p.m. Use numerals except for noon and midnight. Donât use 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. (In Latin, a.m. stands for ante meridiem, or âbefore noon,â and p.m. stands for post meridiem, or âafter noon.â) Times on the hour do not take zeros. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 2:15 p.m., 7 a.m., not 7:00 a.m. Hereâs the style for giving ranges of time: The hours are 9:30-11 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. (or 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.).
Avoid redundancies such as 12 noon or 12 midnight and 8:30 a.m. this morning or 8:30 p.m. Monday night. Instead, use noon, midnight, 8 a.m. today, 8:30 p.m. Monday. The construction 2 oâclock in the afternoon is acceptable but wordy.
Also, spell out numbers less than 10 standing alone and in modifiers: Weâll be at the mall in five minutes. She scored with four seconds left. A seven-hour workday. The three-minute warning.
Also see dash; dates; midnight, noon; time zones; tomorrow, yesterday.
time zones Capitalize the full name of the time in a particular zone: Pacific Standard Time, Eastern Standard Time. Capitalize the region but lowercase time zone and time in shorter uses: Pacific time zone, Pacific time. Use time zone abbreviations (without periods) only when giving a time: noon EST, 7:15 a.m. PST. Donât put the abbreviations between commas or parentheses.
titles Abbreviate these position titles when using them before a full name outside direct quotations: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Rep., Sen., the Rev. Spell out all except Dr., Mr., Ms., and Mrs. when using them before a name in direct quotations. See academic degrees, titles; legislative titles; Miss, Mr., Mrs., Ms.
AP distinguishes between formal titles and occupational descriptions. For practical purposes, follow this simpler approach:
Capitalize a title before a personâs name (with no punctuation separating them) when it identifies a unique position with broad authority over a significant function or functions within an organization: State Attorney General Michael Wonder, Finance Department Director Aretha Turner.
Lowercase titles before names when theyâre held by several staff with similar responsibilities or have minimal authority over other functions or personnel: camera operator George McCartney, water quality planner Paul Starkey.
In all cases, lowercase and spell out titles when they stand alone or are separated from a personâs name by commas. When applicable, capitalize only the names of departments, divisions, and other groups: The state attorney general, Michael Wonder, spoke âŚ; Aretha Turner, Finance Department director; Aretha Turner, director of the Finance Department; George McCartney, camera operator; Paul Starkey, water quality planner.
Long titles are less awkward after a personâs name: Tina Hope, manager of the long-range service planning project, said ....
Also see capitalization, composition titles, magazine names, newspapers.
today, tonight Avoid using these words except in direct quotations, documents meant for reading on the day of publication, and nonspecific uses: Many baby boomers prefer golden oldies over todayâs music. Also, Avoid the redundant 6:30 p.m. tonight. Instead, use 6:30 tonight or 6:30 p.m. today.
tomorrow, yesterday Use only in direct quotations and in phrases that do not refer to a specific day: The world of tomorrow must be more peaceful. Yesterday when we were young. Use Monday, Tuesday, and so on for days of the week within seven days before or after the current date: The advisory committee will meet Thursday. Use the month and a figure for dates beyond that range. See months. Using today in a dated publication is OK: The AmeriCorps team today visited the regional headquarters.
trademark A brand, design, phrase, symbol, or word used by a manufacturer or dealer for its products and protected by law to prevent inappropriate use by a competitor. Unless use of a companyâs trademark name is essential in a document, use a generic equivalent (lowercased): facial tissue, not Kleenex; photocopy, not Xerox; cola, not Coke. When using a trademark or proper name of a product, capitalize the first letter of each word.
Unless the trademark owner is paying you to follow a different style, capitalizing the first letter is your only obligation in using a trademark; do not capitalize every letter unless the word is an acronym or abbreviation: Subway, not SUBWAY. You do not have to use the trademark and registration symbolsâTM and ÂŽâunless, perhaps, commercial products of another company are named in advertising. See brand names.
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Introduction | Punctuation | Commonly Confused Words
U
United States, U.S. The abbreviation is acceptable as both a noun and an adjectiveâbut consider spelling it out on first use in documents for international audiences. Include the periods in the abbreviation (except in headlines). No space between the letters in the abbreviation: No U.S. president of any political party can or should speak for all citizens of the U.S.
W
weight Use figures: He weighed 10 pounds, 3 ounces at birth. She had a 10-pound, 3-ounce baby. See dimensions.
World Wide Web The shorter web is acceptable on first reference. Also, web address, web browser (two words, lowercase). But webcam, webmaster, webpage, website.
When writing about a website, use its name instead of its web addressâFacebook, not Facebook.comâexcept when directing readers to the website. See email, internet, online.
Avoid placing periods (and most other punctuation marks) after a web address; a reader may mistakenly think that the punctuation is part of the address. Instead of ending a sentence with a web address and then a period, for example, follow the web address with a phrase like on the web.
If an address breaks between lines, split it before a slash or a dot (a period) that is part of the address; donât use a hyphen unless a hyphen is part of the address.
Y
years Use numerals without commas: In 2004, a disastrous earthquake hit the region. Use an s without an apostrophe to show spans of decades or centuries: 1790s, 1900s, â90s.
Years are an exception to the rule against beginning a sentence with numerals: 1994 was a wonderful year. See dates, months, numerals.
If itâs necessary to spell out a year, avoid using and within the number: two thousand one, nineteen sixty-eight.
Z
ZIP code Use all caps for the abbreviation for Zone Improvement Program but always lowercase the word code. Donât put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code: Seattle, WA 98126-2225. The U.S. Postal Service created the ZIP code abbreviations for use only in mailing addresses. See state names for abbreviations.
AâB | CâD | EâL | MâO | PâR | SâZ
Introduction | Punctuation | Commonly Confused Words