Quiz

IN GENERAL: Use only the most commonly recognized abbreviations on first reference, i.e., AAA, AARP, AFL-CIO, AMVETS, CIA, FBI, NASA, UNICEF and YMCA. Also, ABC, CBS and NBC for the broadcasting networks, ABM for anti-ballistic missile, AIDs for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, IBM for the company, ICBM for intercontinental ballistic missile, ID foridentification as in ID card, NPR for National Public Radio, OB-GYN for the medical specialty obstetrics and gynecology, PTA for Parent Teacher Association (note that there is no hyphen in this name), UFO for unidentified flying object. Less well-known but still common abbreviations, such as NATO and OSHA, may be used after they have been spelled out in full on first reference. In most cases, however, the stylebook suggests using a generic reference such as the agency or the organization or the medical practice for all references after the first, to avoid alphabet soup.

Use capital letters and periods according to the listings in the stylebook. For words not listed, use the first-listed abbreviation in Webster’s New World College Dictionary.  

Generally, omit periods in acronyms in the body of a news story unless the result would spell an unrelated word. But always use periods in two-letter abbreviations used in the body of a news story:  U.K., U.N., U.S., B.A., B.S. However, it’s GI, ID, EU. Use UN and US in headlines only. Use all caps, no periods, in longer abbreviations when the individuals letters are pronounced: ABC, CIA, FBI.

         Don’t put abbreviations in parentheses after the first reference (for example, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) … ). Instead, either repeat the full name on subsequent references or use a generic reference, such as the society. 

         Use the traditional abbreviations for state names (see the state abbreviations rule) and not the U.S. Postal Service abbreviations for states unless you are providing a full address including ZIP code, i.e., Send contributions to The Relief Fund, Box 555, Harkensville, MD, 12121. Spell out Fort in city names. Use periods in the abbreviation P.O. for P.O. Box numbers.

         Avoid these common errors by never abbreviating the following in the body of a news story:

· The days of the week

· Percent as %

· Cents as ¢

· And as & unless it is an official part of a name.

· Thorough as thoro, through as thru, or use any other text-speak.

· Christmas as Xmas.

    In fact, avoid all colloqualisms and slang except in direct quotations, i.e. kids, mom, dad.

ACADEMIC DEGREES. Generally avoid abbreviations for academic degrees. Use instead a phrase such as: Edmund Morton, who has a doctorate in history, gave the lecture. Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, doctor’s degree (do not capitalize). Use abbreviations such as B.A., M.A., LL.D. and Ph.D. only when identifying many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome, or when a list of credentials must be used after a name; set the latter off with commas: “Paul Newsome, LL.D., Ph.D., was the keynote speaker.” (See also Ph.D., Ph.D.s below.)

COMPANY. Abbreviate and capitalize company, corporation, incorporated (Co., Corp., Inc.) when used after the name of a corporate entity. Gateway Inc. builds computers. Do not capitalize or abbreviate when it is used by itself: She works for the company. Do not use a comma before Inc. or Ltd., even if it is included in the formal name.

         A company’s formal name need not be used on first reference, i.e., Costco is acceptable for Costco Wholesale Corp., unless the story is about subject matter that could affect the company’s business, i.e., an earning’s report. However, a company’s full name always must appear somewhere in the story, to ensure the story will be among the search results of Internet users.

Use an ampersand only it if it a part of the company’s formal name, as in AT&T; otherwise, use and. Use the lowercase unless it is a part of the company’s formal name.

IN GENERAL:  Spell out all generic parts of street names (avenue, north, road) when no specific address is given, i.e., “Free parking for the bazaar will be available on South Charles Street.” When a number is used, abbreviate avenue (Ave.), boulevard (Blvd.), street (St.) and directional parts of street names: “The suspect was identified as John J. Smith of 1212 N. Hemlock St.”

ADDRESSES. Always use figures for an address number: 9 Morningside Circle.

CITIES/DATELINES. Capitalize city if part of a proper name, an integral part of an official name, or a regularly used nickname: Kansas City, Windy City. Lowercase elsewhere: a Texas city, the city Board of Education. Capitalize when part of a proper name: the Boston City Council. Retain capitalization if the reference is to a specific council but the context does not require the city name: BOSTON – The City Council … Lowercase in other uses: the council, the Boston and New York city councils, a city council. For tighter writing, avoid the redundancy of city of with the name of the city.  

         Use state IDs with U.S. city names on first reference except when the city in the story is in the same state as the city named in the dateline or when the city named is one that the AP says may be named without a state, county or territory ID. These are: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington. 

Certain major international cities, mostly capitals, also may be mentioned on first reference without their country IDs, i.e., Amsterdam, Baghdad, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Dublin, Geneva, Havana, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Rio De Janeiro, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Vienna, Zurcj.

         For New York City, use New York in datelines, not the name of an individual community or borough such as Flushing or Queens. Identify the borough in the body of the story if pertinent.

DIRECTIONS. Abbreviate compass points used to indicate directional ends of a street or quadrants of a city in a numbered address: 562 W. 43rd St., 600 K St. N.W. Do not abbreviate if the address number is omitted: East 42nd Street.

STREETS. Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures with two letters for 10th and above: 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St. Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Spell out and capitalize Avenue, Boulevard and Street when part of a formal street name without a number:Pennsylvania Avenue. All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) are always spelled out.

STATE NAMES. Spell out all state names in the body of a story. We no longer abbreviate state names except in datelines and in political affiliations after a person’s name. See the state abbreviations rule for the abbreviations. Spell out the state names as modifiers in an organization’s name, i.e., New Jersey Department of Education. See also the cities/datelines and political parties rules.

IN GENERAL:  Avoid unnecessary capitals. Use a capital letter only if it is required by one of the principles listed here.

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS. When mentioning an academic department, use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English, the English department.

AWARDS/EVENTS/HOLIDAYS/WARS. Capitalize awards (Medal of Honor, Nobel Prize), historic events (Camp David Peace Treaty), periods (the Great Depression, Prohibition), holidays (Christmas Eve, Mother’s Day) and wars (the Civil War, Gulf War). n.b. It’s Medal of Honor recipient, not Medal of Honor winner.

BIBLE/GOD. Capitalize Bible (no quotation marks) to refer to the Old and New Testaments and God to refer to any monotheistic deity. Capitalize Gospel when referring to any or all of the first four books of the New Testament: the Gospel of St. John, the Gospels. Lowercase in other references: She was a gospel singer before she switched to jazz. Lowercase pronouns referring to the deity (he, his, thee). The preferred spelling for the Muslim holy book is Quran. Use Koran only if it’s preferred by a specific organization that you’re mentioning in your news story, or in a specific title or name.

BRAND NAMES. Capitalize brand names: Buick, Ford, Mustang. Lowercase generic terms: a car. Use brand names only if they are essential to a story. Do not use trademarked brand names for generic references, i.e., it’s adhesive bandage, not Band-Aid (a trademark), cat box filler, not kitty litter or Kitty Litter (the brand name), and copy paper or to photocopy, not Xerox paper (the brand name) or to Xerox unless in a direct quote.

BUILDINGS/ROOMS. Capitalize the proper names of buildings, including the word building if it is an integral part of the proper name: the Empire State Building. Also capitalize the names of specially designated rooms: Blue Room, Oval Office. Use figures (for room numbers) and capitalize room when used with a figure: Room 2, Room 211.

CAPITOL. Capitalize U.S. Capitol and the Capitol when referring to the building in Washington, D.C., or to the capitol of a specific state. n.b. Use capital to refer to the city where a seat of government is located.

CONGRESS. Capitalize U.S. Congress (first reference) and Congress when referring collectively to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Lowercase when used as a synonym for convention. Lowercase congressional unless it is part of a proper name: congressional salaries, the Congressional Record.

CONSTITUTION. Capitalize references to the U.S. Constitution, with or without the U.S. modifier. Lowercase constitutional in all uses. Also capitalize Bill of Rights, First Amendment(and all other amendments to the Constitution). When referring to the constitutions of states or other countries, capitalize only when used with the name of the state or country:French Constitution, Montana Constitution.

DIRECTIONS/REGIONS. Lowercase when they indicate compass directions: north, south, northeast, northern, etc. Capitalize when they designate regions, including widely known sections of states or cities: the Atlantic Coast states, Deep South, Sun Belt, Midwest. A cold front in the Midwest is spreading east toward Pittsburgh. Expect showers on the East Coast late Thursday. He drove west. The North was victorious. She has a Southern accent. He grew up on the East Side of New York City. She moved to Southern California.

DO NOT CAPITALIZE. Administration, first lady, first family, government, presidential, presidency, priest, seasons of the year (summer, fall, winter, spring), and years in school (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). Also lowercase the common-noun elements of all names in plural uses: the Democratic and Republican parties, Main and State streets, lakes Erie and Ontario.

EARTH. Generally lowercase earth; capitalize when used as the proper name of the planet.

FEDERAL. Use federal. This word should not be capitalized.

GOVERNMENT. Capitalize city, county, state and federal when part of a formal name: Dade County, Federal Trade Commission. Also capitalize city council, county commission, city hall,police department, legislature, assembly and all other names for governmental agencies when they are part of a proper name: Boston City Council, Los Angeles Police Department. Retain capitalization if the reference is to a specific city council, legislature, police department, etc., but the context does not require the specific name: The City Council met last night. Generally, lowercase elsewhere: The council approved the ordinance.

INTERNET. This is a proper noun and must be capitalized.

MILITARY. Capitalize names of the U.S. armed forces: the U.S. Army, the Navy, Marine regulations. Use lowercase for the forces of other nations: the French army.

NATIONALITIES/RACE. Capitalize the proper names of nationalities, races, tribes, etc.: Arab, Caucasian, Eskimo. However, lowercase black, white, mulatto. Do not use the wordcolored. In the United States, the word is considered derogatory.

PAGE, CHAPTER, ROOM NUMBERS. Capitalize page when used with a figure: Page 1. If a letter is used with the page number, do not hyphenate: Page 2A. Capitalize chapter when used in reference to a section of a book or legal code: Chapter 20. Always use Arabic figures for these words. Lowercase the words when standing alone. Lowercase room except when used with the number of the room or when part of the name of a specially designated room: Room 315, the Roosevelt Room.

PLURALS. To form the plural of a number, add s (no apostrophe): 1920s. To form the plural of a single letter, add ’s. To form the plural of multiple letters, add only s: Mind your p’s and q’s. She knows her ABCs.

POLITICAL PARTIES. Capitalize both the name of a political party and the word party: the Democratic Party. Also capitalize Communist, Conservative, Republican, Socialist, etc., when they refer to a specific party or to individuals who are members of it. Lowercase when they refer to a political philosophy. Lowercase all plural uses: The Libertarian and Green parties. After a name, use this short form, set off by commas (not parentheses): D-Minn., R-Ore., Sen. Hubert Humphrey, D-Minn., said. . . . Note: The party affiliation designations used with a politician’s name should be treated as appositives and set off by commas, not by parentheses. It’s Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., not Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). Also note: The state designations used with a politician’s political affiliation are abbreviated using traditional abbreviations and not the U.S. Postal Service’s abbreviations. See the state abbreviations rule for those abbreviations.

PROPER NOUNS. Capitalize proper nouns that constitute the unique identification for a specific person, place or thing: Mary, Boston, the Columbia River. Lowercase common nouns when they stand alone in subsequent references: the party, the river, the city.

SEASONS. Lowercase the names of the seasons unless they are used in a proper name: the Summer Olympics.

TITLES. Capitalize formal titles when used immediately before a name: Mayor, Chairman, former President Bill Clinton. Lowercase formal titles used after a name, alone or in constructions that set them off from a name by commas: Bill Clinton, the former president. Use lowercase at all times for terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles:astronaut John Glenn, movie star Tom Hanks, peanut farmer Jimmy Carter. Do not capitalize or abbreviate professor when used before a name.

IN GENERAL: Spell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above. Exceptions: Figures are used for all ages, betting odds, dates, dimensions, percentages, speeds, times and weights. Also, spell out a number at the beginning of a sentence, except for a calendar year. Avoid beginning a sentence with a large number or a calendar year. If unavoidable, spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence: Ten thousand people marched on the capital. Never spell out years, even at the beginning of a sentence: 1999 was a terrible year for technology companies.

AGES. Use figures for all ages. Hyphenate ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun: a 5-year-old boy, the 5-year-old, but the boy is 5 years old. The boy, 7, has a sister, 10. The woman is in her 30s (no apostrophe). Generally, use ages in profile stories and obituaries, and for significant career milestones or achievements unusual for the age. Include ages in crime stories. Do not use ages for sources commenting on or providing information in an official capacity.

CENTS. Spell out the word cents and lowercase, using numerals for amounts less than a dollar: 5 cents, 12 cents. Use the $ sign and decimal system for larger amounts: $1.01.

COURT NAMES. For courts identified by a numeral, use ordinal numbers: 2nd District Court, 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Capitalize the full proper names of courts at all levels. Retain capitalization if U.S. or a state’s name is dropped: the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court, the state Superior Court, the Superior Court, Superior Court.

DECADES/CENTURY. Use Arabic figures to indicate decades of history. Use an apostrophe to indicate numbers that are left out; show the plural by adding the letter s: the 1890s, the ’90s, the Gay ’90s, the mid-1930s. Lowercase century and spell out numbers less than 10: the first century, the 21st century.

DOLLARS. Lowercase dollars. Use figures and the $ sign in all except casual references or amounts without a figure: The book cost $2. Dollars are flowing overseas. For amounts of more than $1 million, use the $ sign and numerals up to two decimal places: He is worth $2.65 million. He proposed a $150 million budget.

FRACTIONS. Spell out amounts less than one, using hyphens between the words: two-thirds, four-fifths, seven-sixteenths. For precise amounts larger than one, convert to decimals whenever practical: 1.25, 3.5.

MEASUREMENTS/DIMENSIONS. Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc. Hyphenate adjectival forms before nouns: He is 5 feet 6 inches tall or the 5-foot-6-inch man. The rug is 9 feet by 12 feet or the 9-by-12-foot rug.

MILLION/BILLION. Do not go beyond two decimals: 7.51 million people, $2.56 billion. Decimals are preferred where practical: 1.5 million, not 1 1/2 million. Do not drop the wordmillion or billion in the first figure of a range: He is worth from $2 million to $4 million, not $2 to $4 million, unless you really mean $2.

ODDS. Use figures and a hyphen for betting odds: The odds were 5-4. He won despite 3-2 odds against him.

PERCENTAGES. Use figures: 1 percent, 2.56 percent. For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal point with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.6 percent. For a range, use the word once: 12 to 15 percent  r between 12 and 15 percent. The word percent always should be spelled out; never use the % symbol.

RATIOS. Use figures and a hyphen for ratios: The ratio was 2-to-1, a ratio of 2-to-1, 2-1 ratio.

SCORES. Use figures for all scores, placing a hyphen between the totals of the winning and losing teams: The Reds defeated the Red Sox 4-1. The Giants scored a 12-6 victory over the Cardinals. The golfer had a 5 on the last hole but finished with a 2-under-par score.

TEMPERATURES. Use figures for all temperatures except zero and spell out degrees: The high Wednesday was 5 degrees. Use a word, not a minus sign, to indicate temperatures below zero: minus 10 degrees.

WEIGHTS. Use figures for all weights but spell out ounces, pounds, etc.: The police seized 2 pounds of marijuana and 13 ounces of cocaine.

IN GENERAL: For the most part, AP style follows the same rules of punctuation as you were taught in elementary school, with a few notable exceptions.

COMMA

AGE. An individual’s age is treated like an appositive and set off by commas: Phil Taylor, 11, is here.

CITY-STATE. Place a comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name, unless the state name ends a sentence: He was traveling from Nashville, Tennessee, to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS. Use a comma paired with a semicolon to separate independent clauses connected by a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, thus, nevertheless, moreover, consequently, nevertheless, otherwise, etc.): The environment is the context in which all life exists; consequently, it is more than a political issue. Use only a comma when conjunctive adverbs appear within independent clauses: My father, however, was pleased with the outcome.

HOMETOWN. Use a comma to set off an individual’s hometown when it is placed in apposition to a name: Mary Richards, Minneapolis, and Maude Findlay, Tuckahoe, New York, were there. However, the use of the word of without a comma between the individual’s name and the city name generally is preferable: Mary Richards of Minneapolis and Maude Findlay of Tuckahoe, New York, were there.

QUOTATION. Use a comma to introduce a complete, one-sentence quotation within a paragraph: Wallace said, “She spent six months in Argentina.” Do not use a comma at the start of an indirect or partial quotation: The water was “cold as ice” before the sun came out, the lifeguard said. When the attribution follows the quotation, change the period at the end of the quotation to a comma: “I will veto the bill,” the governor said. Always place commas and periods inside quotation marks. “The journey must end,” she said. “We cannot go on.” 

SERIES. Use commas to separate elements in a complex series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry. A simple series is defined as one in which no elements contain the words and or or: The dinner choices were chicken, salmon or beef. Use a comma for series that include elements contain and or or: The menu offered a choice of bacon and eggs, pancakes, or waffles.

COLON

LISTS. The most frequent use of a colon is at the end of a sentence to introduce lists, tabulations, texts, etc.: There were three considerations: expense, time and feasibility. Do not use a semicolon for this function.

QUOTATIONS. Use a colon to introduce direct quotations longer than one sentence within a paragraph and to end all paragraphs that introduce a paragraph of quoted material. Also use a colon to introduce a concluding explanation, a long or formal quotation, a series following a complete sentence, or an appositive (a noun or noun phrase placed beside another that it equals and explains). A colon should not be placed between a verb or a preposition and its object. Use a colon to separate two main clauses when the second explains or amplifies the first.

HYPHEN. Use a hyphen (a short dash) to separate words that go together: The 4-year-old child climbed a tree. Use hyphens to link all the words in a compound adjective: The five-volume report called for cleaning up the area over a 10-year period. Do not use a hyphen if the construction includes very or an adverb ending in –ly: a very big project, barely legal procedures.

POSSESSIVES. Add ‘s to pluralize nouns that do not end in s: the alumni’s contributions, women’s rights. Add only an apostrophe to pluralize nouns that end in s: the churches’ needs, the girls’ toys, states’ rights. For nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning, add only an apostrophe: mathematics’ rules. Apply the same principle to plural words that occur in the formal name of a singular entity: The United States’ wealth. For nouns spelled the same as singular and plural words, treat them the same as plurals, even if the meaning is singular: the two deer’s tracks, the lone moose’s antlers, one corps’ location.

QUOTATION MARKS. Always place commas and periods inside quote marks: “I am shocked and horrified by this incident,” Brown said.  Brown said, “I am shocked and horrified by this incident.”

SEMICOLON. Use semicolons (instead of commas) to separate elements of a series when individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas: He leaves three daughters, Jane Smith of Wichita, Kansas, Mary Smith of Denver and Susan Kingsbury of Boston; a son, John Smith of Chicago; and a sister, Martha Warren of Omaha, Nebraska.Note that the semicolon is used before the final and in such a series.

Also use a semicolon to separate two main clauses when no coordinating conjunction (and, or, nor, for, yet, but) is used. Use a semicolon paired with a comma to separate independent clauses connected by a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, thus, nevertheless, moreover, consequently, nevertheless, otherwise, etc.): The environment is the context in which all life exists; consequently, it is more than a political issue. Use only a comma when conjunctive adverbs appear within independent clauses: My father, however, was pleased with the outcome.

IN GENERAL:  AP style follows Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

ACCOMMODATE (two c's, two m's)

ADVISER (not advisor)

AFFECT, EFFECT.  Affect, as a verb, means to influence: The game will affect the standings. In general, avoid using affect as a verb. Use effect as a verb to mean to cause: He will effectmany changes at the company. Effects, as a noun, means result: The effect was amazing.  The law has had little effect.

AFTER- (no hyphen when prefix is used to form a noun: afterthought; use a hyphen to form compound modifiers: after-dinner drink)

AFTERWARD (not afterwards)

AIN’T. Use only in quoted matter.

aka No periods, no capitalization. Means also known as. Use rarely.

al-Qaida (not Al Qaida, al-Qaeda, Al Qaeda, al-Khadar or Al Khadar). Always use a hyphen and a lowercase a.

ALLUDE, REFER. To allude means to speak about something without specifically mentioning it. To refer is to mention something directly.

ALLUSION, ILLUSION. An allusion is an indirect reference. Illusion means an unreal or false impression.

ALL- Use a hyphen, i.e., all-around (not all-round)

ALL READY (everyone is prepared; all are ready); ALREADY (completed action)

ALL RIGHT (not alright)

ALTAR (table in church); ALTER (modify)

ALTHOUGH. Not though. Ever. Even though should be avoided as unnecessarily wordy and emphatic.

AM Acceptable in all references to the amplitude modulation system of radio transmission. This is not the same as the “a.m.” used in time designations. See the time rules.

AMID (not amidst). Ever.

AMONG (not amongst). Ever.

APP. Short for application. Acceptable on first reference but explain the word in terms of the application within the body of the story.

ASSUME, PRESUME. Both mean to believe something before it happens, but when you assume you're not really sure. To assume is to suppose or believe something without any proof while presume means to come to a conclusion without proof, based on probability: Based on your survey answers, we assume you're a recent college graduate. In her latest video, Britney Spears arrives on earth — an alien, we presume — to spread the message of consumerism. Assume also means to take over, usually responsibilities and duties, such as with a job, or to take on a look or attitude.

AT. Do not use at with a time element unless needed to clarify ambiguity: The next meeting will be 7 p.m. Wednesday or The next meeting will be Wednesday at 7 p.m.

AVERSE, ADVERSE. To be averse means to oppose. Something that is adverse is legal jargon for unfavorable.

AX (not axe)

BABY-SIT, BABY-SITTING, BABY SITTER

BACKWARD (not backwards)

beef Wellington. A fillet of beef wrapped and roasted in pastry. Note capitalization.

BIAS (n.) Only put an “-ed” on it when you’re using the word as a past tense verb: biased.

BROADCAST (n., v.) The past tense is broadcast, not broadcasted.

Bundt pan. A trademarked name for a fluted cake pan or tube pan. Note capitalization.

CANCELED, CANCELLATION (not cancelled)

CANNON (n.), a weapon; CANON (n.), a law or rule, particularly of a church, or a musical composition.

CANVAS (n.), a heavy cloth; CANVASS (n., v.), a survey, to survey (take a poll).

CAPITAL, CAPITOL.  Capital refers to the city where a seat of government is located. Do not capitalize.   Use capitol when referring to the building in Washington or similar state capitol buildings. Capitalize when it is part of a proper noun, as in the U.S. Capitol or Thomas Jefferson designed the Capitol of Virginia. When used in reference to finances, capital means money, equipment or property used in business.

CARAT, CARET, CARROT, KARAT. The weight of precious stones, especially diamonds, is expressed in carats. A caret is an editing mark. Carrots are root vegetables. The proportion of pure gold used with an alloy is expressed in karats.

CASTER, CASTOR. A castor is a roller (wheel). Castor is the spelling for the oil and the bean from which it is made.

CELLPHONE (not cell phone)

CENTURY. Lowercase. Spell out numbers less than 10: the ninth century, the 21st century. For proper names, follow the organization’s practices: 21st Century Fox, Twentieth Century Ltd.

CHECK-IN (n., adj.), CHECK IN (v.)

CHECKOUT (n., adj.), CHECK OUT (v.)

CHECKUP (n., adj.); CHECK UP (v.)

CHICKENPOX (not chicken pox)

CHILD CARE (not childcare)

CHURCH. Capitalize as part of the formal name of a building, a congregation or a denomination; lowercase in other uses. Lowercase and pluralize in reference to more than one building, congregation or denomination: the Catholic and Episcopal churches.

CIGARETTE (not cigaret)

CD-ROM Acronym for compact disc acting as read-only memory. CD-ROM disc is redundant.

COLA. Use in reference to all cola drinks except Coca-Cola, which is Coke, and Pepsi-Cola, which is Pepsi on second reference.

COMPOSE, COMPRISE.  Compose means to create or combine. Comprise means to include.

CROCK-POT. A trademarked brand name. Use slow cooker.

DAMAGE (for destruction); DAMAGES (for a court award)

DEATH, DYING. Do not use euphemisms like passed on or passed away except in a direct quote.

DISABLED, HANDICAPPED. In general, do not describe an individual as disabled or handicapped unless it is clearly pertinent to a story. If a description must be used, be specific:Actor Michael J. Fox swayed noticeably from the effects of Parkinson’s disease in his television appearance. Avoid descriptions that connote pity, such as afflicted with or suffers from. Avoid words that can be pejorative, i.e., cripple, deaf and dumb, confined to a wheelchair and wheelchair-bound.

DISCREET (prudent, circumspect), DISCRETE (detached, separate).

DISK, DISC. Use disk for computer-related references (diskette) and medical references (slipped disk). Use disc for optical and laser-based devices (a Blu-ray Disc) and for disc brake.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Abbreviate D.C. only in rare uses in datelines: WASHINGTON, D.C. Use Washington in the body of a news story. Use District of Columbia within a story only to avoid confusion with Washington state or other localities of that name. The District is acceptable on second reference, not D.C.

DO’S AND DON’TS (plural)

DOT-COM (not .com or dot.com)

DOUGHNUT (not donut)

DRUNK, DRUNKEN. Use  drunk after a form of the verb to be: He was drunk. Use drunken as an adjective before a noun: a drunken driver, drunken driving. Follow official state usage for the criminal charge: driving under the influence and DUI on second reference; driving while intoxicated and DWI.

DVD Abbreviation for digital video disc. Acceptable on first reference.

DVR Abbreviation for digital video recorder. Acceptable only on second reference.

DYEING (the process of changing colors), DYING (refers to death).

EARTH Generally lowercase; capitalize when used as the proper name of the planet. Capt. Kirk hoped to move heaven and earth in his determination to find 23rd century Earth.

e-book (not eBook). Note capitalization.

EMAIL (not E-mail or e-mail). This is a fairly recent change in AP style.

EMPLOYEE (not employe)

ENSURE, INSURE, ASSURE. Use ensure to mean guarantee: He worked hard to ensure the story’s accuracy. Use insure in references to insurance: He insured his home for $500,000.Use assure to mean make sure or give confidence: He assured us the story was accurate.

ENVELOP (v.), ENVELOPE (n.)

EQUALED (not equalled)

ERA Acceptable in all references to baseball’s earned run average. No periods.

FACEBOOK (not FaceBook)

FARMERS MARKET (not farmers’ market, farmer’s market)

FARTHER, FURTHER.  Use farther for physical distances and further for increases in degree or time.

FERRIS WHEEL. Capitalize Ferris, lowercase wheel.

FIBERGLASS is used in reference to the glass fiber; FIBERGLAS without the second s is a trademarked brand of fiberglass.

FIREFIGHTER, FIREMAN. Use firefighter to describe a person who fights a fire, i.e. a member of a fire department. Fireman is an acceptable synonym for a male firefighter but use sparingly. A fireman also can be someone who tends fires in a furnace, as some iron- and steelworkers do.

FIRST LADY. Not a formal title. Do not use as a courtesy title: Bono said he was thrilled to meet first lady Michelle Obama.

FISCAL, MONETARY.  Fiscal applies to budget matters. Use monetary to describe money supply.

FITFUL means restless, not the condition of being fit.

FLAMMABLE, INFLAMMABLE. Both mean to burn easily. The in- in inflammable was derived from the Latin preposition meaning en- (as in enflamed) and not from the Latin prefix meaning -un.

FLAUNT, FLOUT.  To flaunt is to make an ostentatious or defiant display: She flaunted her good looks. To flout is to show contempt for: He flouts the law.

FLOUNDER, FOUNDER. A flounder is a fish (singular and plural); to flounder is to move clumsily or jerkily: The flounder floundered on the beach. To founder is to bog down, become disabled or sink: The cow floundered in the bog, finally foundering.

FORBEAR, FOREBEAR. To forbear is to avoid or shun. A forebear is an ancestor.

FOREGO, FORGO. To forego means to go before, as in the pleonasm foregone conclusion (avoid using redundant phrases such as pleonasms and tautologies). To forgo means to abstain from, as in The student athlete decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility.

FORWARD (not forwards)

4-H CLUB (preferred over Four-H Club). Members are 4-H’ers.

4x4 Use only as part of a car model’s proper name. Note lack of capitalization. Use four-wheel drive for descriptions.

401(k) (no space; lowercase the k)

FRACKING. Acceptable on first reference with a brief explanation, as in a technique to extract oil and gas from rock by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals. Also known as hydraulic fracturing.

FRENCH BREAD, FRENCH DRESSING, FRENCH TOAST but french fries, which refers to a style of cut, not the nation.

GANTLET (a flogging), GAUNTLET (a glove). To throw down the gauntlet (a glove) means to issue a challenge. To take up the gauntlet means to accept a challenge.

GED (adj.) The trademarked abbreviation for General Educational Development tests, a battery of five exams to measure high school equivalency. Do not use it as a noun. Those who pass the tests earn a GED diploma or certificate, not a GED.

GIBE, JIBE.  To gibe means to taunt or sneer. Jibe means to shift, as in the direction of a boat or colloquially, to agree (Their stories didn’t jibe.).

-GOER Used with nouns to create one word, as in moviegoer.

GOODBYE (not good-bye)

GRADE, GRADER. Hyphenate as a compound modifier: a fourth-grade student, a 12th-grade student, first-grader, 10th-grader.

GRADUATE (v.) Use graduate in the active voice, as in She graduated from Vassar, It is correct but unnecessarily wordy to use the passive voice, as in She was graduated from Harvard. Always use from: John Adams graduated from Harvard, not John Adams graduated Harvard.

GRAY (not grey)

GRISLY, GRIZZLY.  Grisly is horrifying, repugnant. Grizzly means grayish or can be used as the short form for grizzly bear.

HALF-MAST, HALF-STAFF. Use half-mast for flags displayed on ships and at naval installations. Use half-staff for all other flag displays ashore.

HEAD-ON (adj., adv.)

HIGHWAYS. Use these forms, as appropriate for context, for highways identified by numbers: U.S. Highway 1, U.S. Route 1, U.S. 1, state Route 34 (note capitalization), Route 22,Interstate Highway 95. On second reference only for Interstate: I-495 (note hyphen). When a letter is used with a number, capitalize it but do not hyphenate: Route 1A.

HIT-AND-RUN (n. and adj.), HIT AND RUN (v.)

HIV Means human immunodeficiency virus. The abbreviation is redundant with virus as in HIV virus.

HOMEBUILDER, HOMEBUYER, HOMEOWNER, HOMEFRONT, HOMEMADE, HOMETOWN (each is one word), but HOME PAGE (two words), HOME SCHOOLING (n.), HOME-SCHOOLER (n.), HOME-SCHOOL (v.) and HOME-SCHOOLED (adj.).

HOMICIDE, MURDER, MANSLAUGHTER.  Homicide is a legal term for slaying or killing. Murder is a malicious, premeditated homicide. Manslaughter generally refers to a homicide found to be committed without malice or premeditation. A homicide should not be described as murder unless a person has been convicted of that charge. Do not say that a victim was murdered until someone has been convicted in court. Use was killed or slain. Do not write that someone was charged with murdering someone else. Use the formal charge and specify the nature r the killing (shooting, stabbing, beating, poisoning, drowning, etc.): McCloskey was charged with murder in the shooting of his roommate. Other examples: An officer pulled over James Dickson, 19, of Pearson, Iowa, who was arrested and charged with murder… The 66-year-old truck driver pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder in the slaying of a Short Hills, New Jersey, woman.

IMPLY, INFER.  Imply means to express something in an indirect way: The detective implied that the judge’s death was not accidental. To infer means to form a judgment from evidence: It is difficult to infer meaning from your double entendre.

INCREDIBLE, INCREDULOUS.  Incredible means unbelievable. Incredulous means skeptical.

INDISCREET, INDISCRETE.  Indiscreet means imprudent. Indiscrete means not separated into distinct parts.

INNOCENT, NOT GUILTY. Use innocent rather than not guilty in describing a jury’s verdict, to guard against the word not being dropped inadvertently.

IRREGARDLESS. This word is a meaningless double negative. Use regardless.

IT'S, ITS. "It's" is a contraction that means it is, or it has. "Its" is a possessive and means belonging to it. Whenever you must choose one or another in a sentence, try inserting the phrase "it is" or "it has." If one of those pairs makes sense, then use it's (the apostrophe means “to be.”)

JAIL. A building used to confine individuals who are serving sentences for minor crimes, who are unable to gain release on bail and are in custody awaiting trial for felony or misdemeanor charges, or who are confined in civil proceedings, i.e., such as for failure to pay alimony. Capitalize jail when linked to the name of a jurisdiction: Los Angeles County Jail. The word is not synonymous with prison. See the prison rule.

JUDGMENT (not judgement)

KINDERGARTEN, KINDERGARTNERS (do not capitalize). But pre-K and grades K-12.

LAY, LIE. The action word is lay. It requires a direct object: I will lay the book on the table. Laid is its past tense form and its past participle. Laying is its present participle. Lie indicates a state of reclining and does not take a direct object: I will lie down now for a nap. Its past tense is lay. Its past participle is lain. Lying is its present participle: Sam is lying on the beach. When lie is used to describe an untrue statement, the verb forms are lie, lied, lying. 

LECTERN, PODIUM, PULPIT, ROSTRUM. A speaker stands behind a lectern, on a podium or rostrum, or in a pulpit.

LIGHTING (n.), LIGHTENING (v.), LIGHTNING (n.). Use lighting in reference to lights. Lightening is the present participle of the verb "to lighten," and refers to the process of making something lighter in color or lighter in weight.  Use lightning for electrical discharges, i.e., storms.

LIKE, AS.  Like is a preposition used to introduce a noun that is being compared to another noun. She flew across the stage like a butterfly.  As is a conjunction used to introduce a clause with a noun and a verb: Her feet flashed across the stage as lightly as a butterfly flies.

LIKABLE (not likeable)

LITERALLY, FIGURATIVELY.  Literally means in an exact sense; do not use it figuratively. Wrong: He literally bled them white. (Unless the blood actually was drained from their bodies.) Figuratively means in an analogous sense, not in an exact sense. He bled them white.

LOGIN, LOGON, LOGOFF (n.), log in (v.). Do not hyphenate these words.

MANTEL, MANTLE. A mantel   is a shelf. A mantle is a cloak.

MARSHALL (n.), MARSHAL (n. & v.), MARTIAL (adj.). A person's name, a military rank or a verb meaning to guide, and an adjective meaning military.

MASS. It is celebrated, not said. Always capitalize the first letter when referring to the ceremony, but lowercase any preceding adjectives: high Mass, low Mass, requiem Mass.

MEASLES. A childhood disease. This word is singular: As a result of high vaccination rates, measles has not been widespread in the United States for more than a decade.

MEDIA. This word is plural, as in news media, and must be used with a plural verb or referred to by a plural pronoun: they. 

MEGACHURCH (not mega-church, mega church). Most words with the mega prefix are closed compounds. 

MOLDING (not moulding) 

MSG Acceptable on first reference for monosodium glutamate.

MYRIAD (adj.) Means countless or an extreme number. This word should not be followed by of, as in The library contained a myriad of books on art. Correction: The library contained myriad books on art.

9/11 Acceptable on first references to the attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Also acceptable as Sept. 11.

911 Acceptable for references to the U.S. emergency call number.

NOUNS/VERBS. Nouns that denote a unit take singular verbs and pronouns: class, committee, family, group, herd, jury, team. The committee is meeting to set its agenda. The jury reached its verdict. When used in the sense of two people, the word couple takes plural verbs and pronouns: The couple were married Saturday.

OFFICEHOLDER (not office holder)

OK (not O.K., Okay or okay)

ON Do not use on before a day of the week or other time element unless needed to clarify ambiguity: The meeting will be held Monday.

ONE- Hyphenate with fractions: one-half, one-third. Use phrases such as a half or a third if precision is not needed.

ONETIME, ONE-TIME, ONE TIME. Use onetime to mean former; one-time to mean once; one time to mean only one time: He is the onetime (former) heavyweight champion. She is the one-time (once) winner in 2003. He did it one time.

ONLINE (one word in all references to the computer connection term)

-OUT. Follow Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary as usage varies, i.e., cop-out, fade-out, fallout, flameout, hideout, pullout, walkout, washout as nouns and fade out, hide out, pull out, walk out and wash out as verbs.

OUT-. Follow Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary, i.e., outbox, outfox, outpatient (n., adj.), outpost, output, outscore, outstrip, outtalk.

OVER. May be used to in counts, as in The house was valued at over $5 billion.

OVER- A hyphen seldom is used in these compound words, i.e., overall (adj., adv.), overalls (n.), overbuy, overexert, overrate, override.

PALATE, PALETTE. A palate is the roof of the mouth. It can also mean the sense of taste, as in to have a sophisticated palate. A palette is an artist’s paint board.

PANTSUIT (not pant suit)

PANTYHOSE (not panty hose)

PARI-MUTUEL (not parimutuel, not pari-mutual, not parimutual)

PERCENT (one word, spelled out). It takes a singular verb when standing alone or when a singular word follows an of construction: The teacher said 80 percent was the highest grade. He said 60 percent of the membership was present at the meeting. It takes a plural verb when a plural word follows an of construction: He said 60 percent of the members were present at the meeting. See the numerals rules for how to use this word with figures and ranges.

PERSON, PEOPLE. Use person when speaking of an individual. The word people (not persons) is preferred in all plural uses. Some rich people pay little in taxes. There were 17 people in the room.

-PERSONS. Do not use words such as chairperson or spokesperson except in direct quotations or infrequently for formal descriptions of an office. Use chairman or spokesman if referring to a man or the office in general. Use chairwoman or spokeswoman if referring to a woman. Or, use a neutral word, i.e., official, leader, representative.

Ph.D., Ph.D.s Do not abbreviate on first reference. Say the person holds a doctorate and name the area of specialty, as in the late Sally Ride, who held a doctorate in physics. Do not use “Dr.” in front of the person’s name as that would be redundant with the degree as well as a violation of the AP’s courtesy titles rule. Note capitalization.

POLICYMAKER, POLICYMAKING (one word)

POPE. Capitalize when used as a formal title before a name; lowercase in all other uses. Pope Francis gave his blessing. The pope gave his blessing. Use Francis on second reference. See the titles rules.

POST OFFICE. Do not capitalize. Use U.S. Postal Service on first reference to the organization. Use lowercase in referring to an individual office: He left an hour ago for the post office.

PTSD Means post-traumatic stress disorder. Acceptable only on second reference.

PRESS CONFERENCE. Use news conference.

PRESS RELEASE. Use news release.

PRESS SECRETARY. Always use lowercase, even when used before an individual’s name: press secretary C. J. Cregg.

PRINCIPAL (meaning primary or major, as in the title of the high-ranking school official)

PRINCIPLE (a fundamental law or doctrine)

PRISON. Not synonymous with jail. Use prison in reference to the facilities where people serve sentences for felonies. The word may be applied to maximum security institutions also known as penitentiaries and to medium security facilities called correctional institutions or reformatories.

         Use the formal names for these institutions when commonly accepted substitutes do not exist: Massachusetts Correctional Institution-Walpole may be called Walpole State Prison.Do not invent substitutes when the formal name is accepted, i.e. Colorado State Penitentiary, not Colorado State Prison.

         Use the state prison, the prison, the state penitentiary, the penitentiary on second reference.

         Use lowercase for plural constructions: the Colorado and Kansas penitentiaries.

PRIVILEGE (not priviledge)

QURAN. Preferred spelling for the Muslim holy book. Use Koran only if preferred by a specific organization or in a specific title or name.

RAISED, RAZED, REARED. Only humans may be reared. Any living thing, including humans, may be raised. Buildings get razed (destroyed).

REALTOR. Use real estate agent. Use Realtor if the individual is a member of the National Association of Realtors and always capitalize the word.

RENOWN (not reknown). The word means fame. Renowned is its adjective form meaning famous. The word reknown does not exist in the English language.

RETICENT, RELUCTANT.  Reticent means quiet, restrained, silent. Reluctant means resisting, unwilling, disinclined. 

REV. Use the when this abbreviation appears before a person’s name, as in the Rev. James Arnold.

SABBATH. Capitalize in religious references.

SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION. These are not banks. Do not call them banks.

SATAN. He's uppercase, but devil is not. Neither is satanic.

SCOT, SCOTS. People from Scotland are NOT "Scotch." That's a drink which should be written scotch (using a lowercase first letter).

SENIOR CITIZEN, ELDERLY. Use sparingly. Do not use these terms unless they’re essential to story meaning and clearly relevant: The politician expressed concern for the elderly. Use an age when available.

SMARTPHONE (not smart phone)

SMOLDER (not smoulder)

SO CALLED (adv.), SO-CALLED (adj.). Use sparingly. Do not follow with quotation marks. Example: The actor plays a gunrunner caught up in a feud over so-called blood diamonds.

SOS is the acronym for the distress signal. S.O.S (no final period) is the trademark for a brand of soap pad.

SPINOFF (n.), not spin-off; SPIN OFF (v.)

SPOKESPERSON. Do not use this word. Use representative if you do not know the gender of the individual, and spokeswoman and spokesman if you do.

TEACHERS COLLEGE. (no apostrophe)

TEEN, TEENAGER. (n.); TEENAGE (adj.). (Do not use teenaged.)

TEMBLOR (not tremblor). Means earthquake.

TEXT, TEXTING, TEXTED. Acceptable for to send a text message.

THAT (conjunction). Use the conjunction that to introduce a dependent clause if the sentence sounds or looks awkward without it. That usually is not necessary with attributions: The president said he had signed the bill. Use that when a time element intervenes between the verb and a dependent clause: The president said Monday that he had signed the bill. In general, when in doubt, use that.

THAT, WHICH (pronouns). Use that and which in referring to inanimate objects and to animals without a name. Use that for essential clauses important to the meaning of a sentence; do not set off with commas: I remember the day that we met. Use which for nonessential clauses and set them off with commas: The team, which finished fourth, was formed only last year.

THERE, THEIR, THEY’RE. Basic differences: There indicates direction (Our office is there.); their is possessive (Their office is next to ours.); they’re is a contraction for they are (They’re moving into the office next door.).

THREESOME (not three-some)

THUMBS-UP, THUMBS-DOWN

TIMEOUT (one word)

TiVo. This is the trademark for one type of DVR. Do not use TiVo to describe the generic DVRs offered by many cable systems. Note capitalization.

TOWARD (not towards)

TRADEMARKS. Do not use trademarks to reference common nouns, i.e., cat box filler, not Kitty Litter; copy, not Xerox; facial tissue, not Kleenex; transparent tape, not Scotch tape.Capitalize Google in reference to the company and the trademarked Web search engine. Use Google, Googling and Googled as verbs for searching for information on the Internet.

TRADE-IN (n. and adj.); TRADE IN (v.)

TRADE-OFF (n. and adj.); TRADE OFF (v.)

TRAVELED, TRAVELING, TRAVELER (not travelled, not traveller)

TRYOUT (n.); TRY OUT (v.)

T-shirt (not T-Shirt).

TV. (n. or adj.) Acceptable as an abbreviated form of television, pref. on second reference.

24/7. Acceptable on first reference. Better: around the clock.

TWITTER. (n.) Use in references to the message-distribution service. The verb is to tweet, tweeted, tweeting (not twittering). A single Twitter message is called a tweet.

VICE PRESIDENT (no hyphen)

WEB (capitalized). Short form for the proper noun World Wide Web. Although web (in lowercase) is acceptable as a synonym for all the many interconnections that make up the Internet, do NOT use the Web (capitalized) as a synonym for the Internet. The Web is not the Internet but rather, a subset of the Internet.

Web browser, Web feed and Web page but website, webcam, webcast and webmaster. Note capitalization.

WENT MISSING. An unnecessarily wordy, passive voice colloquialism meaning disappeared. Use disappeared, vanished or other appropriate active voice verb.

WEST (THE). Defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a 13-state region of the United States. The eight Mountain division states are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The five Pacific division states are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.

WHETHER OR NOT. Avoid this cliché. The word whether already means to choose among alternatives, so or not is a redundant pleonasm. Better: Kerry did not say whether an interim nuclear deal was possible.

WHO, WHOM.  Both words are personal pronouns that must be used in reference to people. Who refers to the subject of a clause (aka, a sentence) and whom refers to the object of the clause. Here’s a trick: Answer the sentence using the word him (or he). If him works, then the correct usage is whom. For example: Whom did you visit? Tip: I visited him (not I visited he). If he works, then the correct word is who. Example: Who sent this email? Tip: He sent the email (not Him sent the email).

WHO’S, WHOSE. Who’s is the contraction for who is, not a possessive: Who’s there? Whose is the possessive: I do not know whose coat that is.

HOURS AND MINUTES. Use figures except for noon and midnight. Do not put a 12 in front of them. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 11:15 a.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:30 p.m.Avoid such redundancies as 10 a.m. this morning or 10 p.m. Monday night. Use time + a day of the week as in 10 a.m. Monday or 10 p.m. Monday. Avoid the redundancy of a date with a holiday, as in Jan. 1, New Year’s Day.

Avoid the redundancy of the word “at” with a day and time designation, as in the meeting will be at 2 p.m. on Monday or the meeting at 2 p.m. Monday. Write as concisely as possible. Better: the 2 p.m. meeting Monday.

The hour is placed before the day. Use a.m. and p.m. in lowercase, with periods. Do not use AM (which means amplitude modulation rather than the abbreviation for the Latin ante meridiem or “before midday”) or PM (the abbreviation for post meridiem or “after midday”).

DAYS. Avoid the words today, this morning, tomorrow, tonight, yesterday, etc., except when they occur in direct quotes, in stories intended for publication in afternoon newspapers on the day in question, and in phrases that do not refer to a specific day: Customs today are different from those of a century ago. Use the day of the week in stories intended for publication in morning newspapers as in the day after you write them, and in stories filed for use in either publishing cycle. News leads should always include a reference to the day of the week when the news development occurred.

DATES. Use Monday, Tuesday, etc., for days of the week within seven days before or after the current date: The council will meet Wednesday. Use the month and a figure for dates beyond this range: The council will meet May 27. Avoid such redundancies as last Tuesday or next Tuesday. Avoid using the redundancy of the word “on” with a day of the week, as in on Tuesday.

MONTHS. Capitalize the names of the months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, use these abbreviations: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Jan. 2 was the coldest day of the month. Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June or July. His birthday is June 26. Spell out the names of all months when using alone or with a year alone:August is too hot for a visit to Florida.

When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. January 1978 was a cold month. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas: Feb. 14, 1976, was the target date. Do not use st, nd, rd or th after the Arabic number in a date.

IN GENERAL:  Formal titles that appear directly before a name are capitalized and abbreviated, when appropriate: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. If the title comes after a name or is alone, then it should be lowercase and spelled out: The president issued a statement. Pope John Paul II gave his blessing. Do not repeat a title the second time you use a person’s name: Sheriff Sam Smith arrested the driver. Smith did not give details of the arrest. Some titles, such as mayor, sheriff and president, have no abbreviations. Do not use a job description as a title. It’s chemistry professor Ady Dewey or Ady Dewey, the chemistry professor.

BOY/GIRL. The terms boy and girl are applicable until the age of 18. Use man, woman, young man or young woman for people 18 or older.

COMPOSITIONS. Capitalize the principal words in titles of articles, books, movies, operas, plays, poems, songs, television programs, lectures, speeches and works of art. Put quotation marks around the names of all such works: Tom Clancy wrote “The Hunt for Red October.” Do not underline or italicize the titles of any of these works, i.e., “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Memory Almost Full,” “Grey’s Anatomy.” Titles of magazines, newspapers and reference works get no special treatment: Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The Associated Press Stylebook. See those rules below.

COURTESY TITLES. In general, do not use the courtesy titles Miss, Mr., Mrs. or Ms. on any reference. Instead, use the first and last names and middle initial on first reference to a person. A woman’s or man’s marital status should not be mentioned unless it is clearly pertinent to the story.

For a married woman, the preferred form on first reference is to identify her by her own first name and the last name she uses, which could be her spouse’s or her birth name:Susan Smith. Use Mrs. on the first reference only if a woman requests that her husband’s first name be used or if her own first name cannot be determined: Mrs. John Smith.

On the second reference, use only the last name of a man or woman, unless the courtesy title is needed to distinguish between two people with the same name in the same story. Never refer to a woman by her first name on second reference.

On first reference to couples, use both first names: John and Mary Smith. To distinguish them on second reference, repeat their first and last names when either or both are mentioned more than once.

Use Dr. sparingly and only in first reference as a formal title before the names of physicians and dentists when the words “physician” or “dentist” are not also used to describe the individual: Dr. Jonas Salk. The use of characterization rather than “Dr.” is preferred, as in Madeline Comstock, a physician at the Mother of Mercy Medical Center. Do not use Dr.before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees as the public more commonly associates the title with physicians. (See also Ph.D., Ph.Ds.) Do not use Dr.before the names of people who hold honorary degrees. Do not use Dr. in a name on second reference, as in Dr. Comstock; instead, refer to the individual by surname: Comstock said…. Use Drs. before the first name in a plural construction referring to multiple doctors.

Use nicknames sparingly, i.e., when an individual prefers to be known that way: Jimmy Carter. When a nickname is inserted into the identification of an individual, use quotation marks: Sen. Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson. In sports stories, commonly used nicknames may be substituted for a first name with using quotation marks, i.e., Babe Ruth, Tiger Woodsunless the given name is used: Paul “Bear” Bryant.

INITIALS. In general, use middle initials to help identify specific individuals. Middle initials are most helpful in such things as casualty lists and stories naming a person accused of a crime. Use periods and no space when an individual uses initials instead of a first name: O.J. Simpson. Do not give a name with a single initial (O. Simpson) unless it is the individual’s preference or the first name cannot be learned.

LEGISLATIVE TITLES. Use congressman and congresswoman only in references to specific members of the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Rep and Rep. are the preferred first reference forms when a formal title is used before the name of a U.S. House member. Use representative if the gender is unknown or when referring to more than one member of the House, and abbreviate it when it is used before a name: Rep. Mo Brooks; Sens. Richard Durbin and Roy Blunt. Do not use legislative titles on second reference except as part of a direct quotation. Readily recognized organizational titles may be used: Speaker John Boehner. Organizational titles should be capitalized when used before a name. Other common legislative titles include alderman, assemblyman, assemblywoman, city councilman, city councilwoman, delegate. Capitalize such words used before a name.

MAGAZINES. Capitalize magazine titles but do not place them in quotes or italics. Lowercase magazine if it is not part of the publication’s formal title: Newsweek magazine.

MILITARY TITLES. Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individual’s name. Use the appropriate title before the full name of a member of the military on first reference. Do not use the title before a name in subsequent references; use only the last name. Spell out and lowercase a title when it is substituted for a name: The general endorsed the plan.

In addition to ranks, each service as ratings such as machinist, radarman, torpedoman, etc., that are job descriptions. Do not use any of these designations as a title on first reference. If one is used before a name in a subsequent reference, doi not capitalize or abbreviate it.

Each service branch has its own system of abbreviating officers and enlisted ranks. However, the U.S. Department of Defense uses the AP’s military titles in its news released. Identify the service branch in the individual’s description, i.e. Army Lt. John Doe, Lt. John Doe, a U.S. Army officer deployed in…

A partial list of those rank abbreviations follows.

ARMY COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

ENLISTED PERSONNEL

NAVY, COAST GUARD COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

ENLISTED PERSONNEL

AIR FORCE AND MARINE CORPS: Ranks and abbreviations for commissioned officers are the same as those in the Army. Add s to the principal element in the title to pluralize:Majs. John Jones and Robert Smith; Maj. Gens. John Jones and Robert Smith. A military rank may be used in first reference before the name of a retired officer if it is relevant to the story. Do not use the military abbreviation Ret. Instead, use retired (lowercase) as part of the part of the description: The keynote speaker was retired Army Gen. John Smith.

FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS: Use the abbreviations listed when a military-style title is used before the name of a firefighter or police officer outside a direct quotation. Add police or fire before the title as needed for clarity: police Sgt. Andrew Markel, fire Capt. Matthew Ames.

NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINES. Capitalize the in a newspaper’s name if that is the way the publication prefers to be known: The New York Times. If the state in which the newspaper is published is needed but is not part of the official name, use parentheses: The Huntsville (Ala.) Times. Do not underline, italicize or add quote marks.

REFERENCE WORKS. Capitalize, but do not use quotation marks around, the proper names of books that are primarily catalogs of reference material: The Reader’s Guide. These rules also apply to almanacs (the Farmers’ Almanac), directories (the Columbus City Directory), dictionaries (Webster’s New World Dictionary), handbooks (the News & Record Employee Handbook) and encyclopedias (the Encyclopedia Britannica).

RELIGIOUS TITLES. The first reference to a clergyman or clergywoman should include a capitalized title before the individual’s name. When using the title Rev. before a name, precede it with the article the: the Rev. Franklin Graham. Use last names on second reference. If a religious leader is known only by a religious name, repeat the title: Pope John XXIII on first reference, John, the pope or the pontiff on second reference.

Use Sister or Mother as applicable before a name if the nun uses only a religious name: Mother Teresa. Use Sister Mary Ann Walsh on first reference and if she uses a surname, and Walsh on second reference.

Use Rabbi before a name on first reference but the last name alone on second reference. Use imam lowercased when describing the leader of a prayer in a Muslim mosque, capitalize before a name when used as the formal title for a Muslim leader or ruler.

Use minister on first reference to clergymen of the Nation of Islam; capitalize the word as a title on first reference to a specific minister: Minister Louis Farrakhan. Minister is not a formal title in most other religions and should not be capitalized as a formal title.

Do not routinely use curate, father, pastor and similar words before an individual’s name. If they appear before a name in a quotation, capitalize them.

Preacher is a job description, not a formal religious title requiring capitalization. Pontiff is not a formal title; always lowercase. Dali lama is a title rather than a name, but it is all that is used when referring to the man. Capitalize it Dali Lama.

Lowercase pronouns referring to the deity (he, his, thee). The preferred spelling for the Muslim holy book is Quran. Use Koran only if it’s preferred by a specific organization that you’re mentioning in your news story, or in a specific title or name.