Remember:
************AP guidelines have changed. All states are now spelled out in full.*****************
FORMER AP abbreviations for states:
Ala. Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. Del.
Fla. Ga. Ill. Ind. Kan. Ky. La.
Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont
Neb. Nev. N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C.
N.D. Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D.
Tenn. Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo.
There are many rules for numbers, but in general, spell out numbers one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above.
State abbreviations are NOT the same as Post Office abbreviations for states. For example, Massachusetts is abbreviated Mass. -- NOT MA. Abbreviate states when they follow the name of a city/town but not when they stand alone. For instance, "Michelle lives in Amherst, Mass.," but "Michelle lives in Massachusetts." Shorter state names, like Texas and Maine, are not abbreviated.
Do NOT capitalize: academic subjects, academic grade levels, like freshman, sophomore, junior, job titles unless they directly precede the job holder's name or seasons.
Commas and periods go INSIDE quotation marks! Colons and semicolons go OUTSIDE.
ABBREVIATIONS
Spell out abbreviations or acronyms on first reference
"Harrisburg Community College... HCC"
"Amherst Police Department... APD"
Abbreviate and capitalize titles before names such as Mrs. Sen. Rep. Gov. Lt. Sgt. Gen. Dr. etc. Also never abbreviate President, ever.
Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. Spell out when using alone or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, dat, and year, set off the year with commas.
CAPITALIZATION
Capitalize without quotation marks with terms like Sunshine State, the Old Dominion, Motown, the Magic City, Old Hickory, Old Glory, Galloping Ghost.
Lowercase “spring” “summer” “fall” and “winter” and derivatives like “springtime” unless it is part of a formal name. Ex. My favorite season is the fall. The Summer Olympics are always fun to watch.
PUNCTUATION
The comma is omitted before Roman numerals and before Jr. and Sr. in names:
************AP guidelines have changed. All states are now spelled out in full.*****************
FORMER AP abbreviations for states:
Ala. Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. Del.
Fla. Ga. Ill. Ind. Kan. Ky. La.
Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont
Neb. Nev. N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C.
N.D. Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D.
Tenn. Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo.
There are many rules for numbers, but in general, spell out numbers one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above.
State abbreviations are NOT the same as Post Office abbreviations for states. For example, Massachusetts is abbreviated Mass. -- NOT MA. Abbreviate states when they follow the name of a city/town but not when they stand alone. For instance, "Michelle lives in Amherst, Mass.," but "Michelle lives in Massachusetts." Shorter state names, like Texas and Maine, are not abbreviated.
Do NOT capitalize: academic subjects, academic grade levels, like freshman, sophomore, junior, job titles unless they directly precede the job holder's name or seasons.
Commas and periods go INSIDE quotation marks! Colons and semicolons go OUTSIDE.
ABBREVIATIONS
Spell out abbreviations or acronyms on first reference
"Harrisburg Community College... HCC"
"Amherst Police Department... APD"
Abbreviate and capitalize titles before names such as Mrs. Sen. Rep. Gov. Lt. Sgt. Gen. Dr. etc. Also never abbreviate President, ever.
Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. Spell out when using alone or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, dat, and year, set off the year with commas.
Spell out the names of organizations, agencies, universities and others in the first reference, but abbreviate in the second reference and so on. EXAMPLE: The University of Massachusetts Amherst saw an increase in freshman enrollment in the fall of 2010. UMass will have 4,500 students entering campus in the 2011 school year.
EXAMPLE: August 2011 was a hot month, but Aug. 5 was the hottest day. My birthday is Aug. 16, 1992.
EXAMPLE: August 2011 was a hot month, but Aug. 5 was the hottest day. My birthday is Aug. 16, 1992.
CAPITALIZATION
Capitalize without quotation marks with terms like Sunshine State, the Old Dominion, Motown, the Magic City, Old Hickory, Old Glory, Galloping Ghost.
Lowercase “spring” “summer” “fall” and “winter” and derivatives like “springtime” unless it is part of a formal name. Ex. My favorite season is the fall. The Summer Olympics are always fun to watch.
PUNCTUATION
The comma is omitted before Roman numerals and before Jr. and Sr. in names:
Ex: Richard Stevenson III or John Elliot Jr.
In a series, omit the final comma before and and or
Examples:
STYLE
Nicknames -- A nickname should be used in place of a person's given name in news stories only when it is the way the individual prefers to be known: ex. Jimmy Carter. In sports stories/columns, commonly used nicknames may be substituted for a first name without quotation marks: ex. Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson.
Avoid successive numerals in an expression. For example, “15 six-inch boards.” This creates confusion for the reader and can disrupt the flow of the sentence.
SINGULAR-PLURAL
In a series, omit the final comma before and and or
Examples:
red, white and blue
no job, no money and no car
small, medium or large
SPELLING
Email is spelled without a hyphen, but other e- words are hyphenated: e-commerce and e-book.
Ex. Sue sent Bob an email linking to his favorite e-book.
STYLE
Nicknames -- A nickname should be used in place of a person's given name in news stories only when it is the way the individual prefers to be known: ex. Jimmy Carter. In sports stories/columns, commonly used nicknames may be substituted for a first name without quotation marks: ex. Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson.
Avoid successive numerals in an expression. For example, “15 six-inch boards.” This creates confusion for the reader and can disrupt the flow of the sentence.
Avoid the use of quotation marks with slang expressions or single words where the meaning is clear.
Incorrect: He called the youth a “hippie”
Correct way: He called the youth a hippie.
SINGULAR-PLURAL
alumnus- masculine, singular but can often be used for a female as well
alumna- feminine, singular
alumni- masculine, plural
alumnae- feminine, plural
