CHARLOTTE CHAMBER of COMMERCE
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Why AP Style IN STYLE Common language First guidebook 1953 Referred to as the rulebook for news writing Helps to have an accurate, consistent presentation of the printed word
Why AP Style IN STYLE Chamber sending info to numerous audiences, including the media Speak their language - increase chance of material being used Consistent language and voice Chamber brand
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations AP Stylebook uses down style Words are lowercased unless a rule says to capitalize them If you can t find a rule, use lowercase. Lowercase board, annual meeting, chamber, city, room unless part of the official name The chamber will hold an annual meeting. The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce will hold its 25 th Annual Meeting in December.
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Capitalize common nouns when part of a proper name Democratic Party, Republican Party, Catawba River Lowercase plurals of common nouns The Catawba and Whiskey rivers flow through the city. The Democratic, Republican and Independent parties will meet in Charlotte. Lowercase seasons unless part of proper name Summer Olympics
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Lowercase direction when used as indicators north, east, southwest When I leave here I m flying southwest to Texas and then west to California. Capitalize directional indicators when they refer to a specific region The Northeast is experiencing a bad storm. The South is known as the Bible Belt.
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Never capitalize job descriptions that work like titles Police officer, attorney Lowercase formal titles that follow a name Pat McCrory, governor of North Carolina Capitalize formal titles before a name Governor Pat McCrory Spell out all titles, but can use abbreviations in programs, agendas and headlines to save space
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Don t capitalize of when part of a formal name Capitalize trademarks, use only if necessary and specific Coke, Realtor, Kleenex Avoid by using generic words soft drink, real estate agent, tissue Capitalize government bodies, even without locality or state name General Assembly, Legislature, City Council
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Capitalize government buildings when referring to a specific building U.S. Capitol, North Carolina Capitol Lowercase government buildings for general references city hall, council chambers Capitalize and put quotes around titles of books, movies, plays, poems, operas, songs, TV shows, works of art, computer games. Do not italicize.
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Capitalize nationalities and races Hyphenate all except Latin American and Native American Capitalize awards and decorations The Medal of Honor, an Oscar, the Heisman Trophy
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Religion Capitalize the names of deities God, Allah, the Father, Jesus, Buddha Lowercase pronouns referring to the deity he, him Capitalize names of sacred texts Bible, Koran Capitalize holidays and holy days Easter, Rosh Hashanah
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Religions (cont.) Lowercase the word gods Capitalize the proper names of pagan and mythological gods and goddesses Zeus, Apollo Lowercase heaven, hell, angel, cherub, apostle Capitalize Hades and Satan Lowercase words like godawful, godlike, godsend Ministers on first reference are The Rev. Brenda Richardson, second reference Ms. Richardson
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Capitalize abbreviations AARP, FBI Capitalize days of the weeks and months Capitalize family words I wrote Mother a letter. vs I wrote my mother a letter. I wrote to Grandfather Smith. IN STYLE
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Capitalize historical ages, periods and events, monuments, planets, stars, constellations Lowercase moon, sun, salt of the earth, down to earth Capitalize police department where referring to the agency s formal name Capitalize names of specific animals The dog s name is Rover. For breeds, follow Webster s Boston terrier
Proper Nouns & Capitalizations Lowercase plants unless includes a proper noun Douglas fir, white fir, Scotch pine Internet terms Capitalize Internet (Net on second reference) Capitalize World Wide Web, Website is one word, lowercase Email is not hyphenated, lowercase Hyphenate e-book, e-commerce, e-business, Wi-Fi
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Numbers & Addresses This section is short in the stylebook, but lots of entries throughout the book In general spell out one through nine, write number for 10 and up Exceptions Addresses 7 Park Place Ages, but not for inanimate objects 4-year-old cat, four-year-old car
Numbers & Addresses Exceptions (cont.) Cents 8 cents Dollars - $3 no period, no zeroes for even money Dates March 4, don t write March 4 th Dimensions 5 foot 2, 5-by-9 cell Highways Interstate 85, second reference I-85 Millions/billions 6 billion people
Numbers & Addresses Exceptions (cont.) Percentages 1 percent percent one word, no symbol Speed 8 mph, not 8 miles per hour Temperatures use figures, except zero, 2 degrees Spell out numbers at beginning of sentence or recast sentence. Year is an exception. Use an apostrophe to replace missing number 80s
Numbers & Addresses Use commas to set off each group of three digits, except year and address Use decimals for up to two places $3.24 million Add s but no apostrophe to make numbers plural Money Use cardinal numbers with $ in front Don t use cents unless necessary to be that specific
Numbers & Addresses Capitalize, but don t abbreviate days of the week Capitalize, but don t abbreviate the names of months Month and year don t separate with comma December 2015 Month, date and year use comma to separate December 17, 2015 Use a comma at the end if three parts to a date On December 17, 2015, I ll be 60.
Numbers and Addresses Roman Numerals may be used for wars and to establish personal sequence for people and animals World War I, King George V or Pope John Paul II But Super Bowl should be referred to by year and not Roman Number
Numbers and Addresses Centuries use figures for numbers higher than 10, spell out for nine and lower 21 st century, fifth century Century is lowercase. For proper names, follow the organization s usage 20 th Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fund Court Decisions use numbers The Supreme Court ruled 5-4. It was a 5-4 decision.
Numbers and Addresses Dates, Years, Decades February 8, 2005 Class of 99 apostrophe replaces a number The 1940s Rank abbreviate number and capitalize He was my No. 1 choice. Grades- figures for grades 10 and above, spell out first through ninth grades
Numbers and Addresses Political Districts Ward 9/ 9 th Precinct 12 th Congressional District or 5 th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Casual use Thanks a million, one at a time, an eleventh-hour decision, Dollar Store, Final Four, The Four Tops Spell our fractions less than one and use a hyphen He made two-thirds of his shots
Times Don t use colon and zeros when referring to even hours, lowercase a.m. and p.m. with periods 4 a.m. not 4 am Don t use in the morning, etc. 4 a.m. in the morning Time in sequence 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 9-11 a.m. To avoid confusion use noon and midnight Not 12 midnight or 12 noon
Directions & Regions Lowercase north, east, etc., when referring to compass directions Capitalize for regions Capitalize when part of proper name State names spell out Don t use postal abbreviation two letters, no periods
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Abbreviations & Acronyms Use commonly recognized abbreviations FBI, CIA Don t put unfamiliar abbreviations in parentheses after first reference Hands on Charlotte (HOC); instead say the non-profit, the group, etc. Abbreviate junior or senior directly after a name with no comma to set it off James Smith Jr., Albert Giles Sr.
Abbreviations & Acronyms Spell out titles representative, senator The senators will attend the two-day session. IN STYLE Capitalize when used directly before a name Governor McCrory and Representative Adams will attend the two-day session.
Abbreviations & Acronyms Academic degrees Avoid abbreviations after the name Use apostrophe and lowercase bachelor s or master s No possessive and capitalize Bachelor of Science Do not capitalize subject unless proper noun education, business, English, French, etc. Ph.D. is abbreviated and set off with commas after a name Can also say has a doctorate in
Abbreviations & Acronyms Spell out the names of months August is too hot for a visit to Florida. Spell out titles with names in direct quotes with exception of Dr., Mr. and Ms. Governor Hunt is obviously no President John F. Kennedy, she said.
Abbreviations & Acronyms Spell out all generic parts of street names, even when no specific address She lives on Tyvola Street. Spell out directional part of street name 1234 West Tyvola Street
Abbreviations & Acronyms Always spell out days of the week Don t write %, spell out Don t use, use the word cent Don t use & unless part of official name Write Christmas and not Xmas Abbreviate post office box as P.O. Box IN STYLE
Other Entries Use a person s full name on first reference, on second reference use last name with Dr., Mr. or Ms. It s website and ZIP code It s health care It s nonprofit and not-for-profit Just use said for attribution Use only one space at the end of a period Don t use quotation marks for emphasis
Other Entries Don t use a comma before a conjunction in a simple series burger, fries and a shake Use a comma before a conjunction in a complex series. French, Rhetoric and Composition, and World History Avoid parentheses when possible Write OK and not okay It s boardroom, fast-food, co-founder, countrywide
Other Entries Flier and flyer Flier is a piece of paper with information Flyer is a train or bus More than and over More than refers to things you can count Over is for spatial relationships IN STYLE
Other Entries Company names Use full name somewhere in the document Costco should be referred to somewhere as Costco Wholesale Corp. Don t use comma before Co., Inc., Ltd., LLD even if part of official name Don t use all caps unless you pronounce each letter when you say the name BMW and USA Today not Ikea
Other Entries Company names (cont.) Don t use symbols even if part of company name Yahoo and not Yahoo! Toys R Us and not Toys R Us Exception - & if part of the official company name IN STYLE
AP Style Quirks French toast, French bread, French dressing, but french fries Wal-Mart, not Walmart T-shirt BLT is now acceptable Affordable Healthcare Act not Obamacare IN STYLE
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Remember Don t panic Master the basics Make AP Style a habit Practice, practice and practice IN STYLE