This study guide includes some frequently used items from the Associated Press Stylebook. An abbreviated version of the stylebook is included in the Appendix of your textbook. This is not meant to be a substitute for the complete AP Stylebook, which you should use as you write your stories. Interactive, self-graded quizzes on this site will be based on these terms. Some weeks include more letters than others, depending on the number and difficulty of the terms. Your instructor may wish to add more items.
Numbers
Ages: Always use numbers for ages.
Percentages: Always use numbers for percentages - and spell out the word "percent." Do not use the % symbol.
Numbers vs. words: Write words for the numbers one through nine. Use figures for numbers 10 and above.
Addresses: Use figures for numbers in addresses.
Numbers at the beginning of a sentence: Write words for numbers at the beginning of a sentence. If the number is large, it's best to avoid using it to start a sentence.
A
abbreviation of titles - (before and after names)
academic degrees
academic departments
academic titles
accept, except
addresses
affect/effect
ages
AIDS
allege
all right
alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae
a.m., p.m.
among, between
anybody, anyone, any one
average, mean, median, norm
B
backward
bad, badly
because, since
beside, besides
Bible
biweekly
black (for race)
blond, blonde
brand names
brunet, brunette
burglary, larceny, robbery, theft
bus, buses
C
cancel, canceled, canceling, cancellation
cannot
capitalization (titles)
capitol
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (note the plural Centers)
cents
city council
city hall
civil cases, criminal cases
collective nouns
company, companies
compared to, compared with
complement, compliment
compose, comprise, constitute
composition titles
Congress
Constitution
corporation
couple
courtesy titles
D
dangling modifiers
data
database
dateline selection (when to use)
daughters-in-law
daylight-saving time
days of the week
dean's list
defendant
different (from not than)
directions and regions
disabled, handicapped, impaired
distances
dollars
E
each
effect, affect
either, neither (verb agreement)
elderly
embarrass, embarrassment
employee
espresso
essential, nonessential clauses (who, that, which)
essential, nonessential phrases
every day
every one, everyone
F
farther, further
federal
felony, misdemeanor
fewer, less
fiscal year
flier, flyer
fort
fractions
french fries
G
gay
geographic names (not postal codes)
good, well
government
governmental bodies
governor
graduate
grand jury
grisly, grizzly
Gulf Coast
H
half-mast, half-staff
hang, hanged, hung
Hanukkah
harass, harassment
his, her (indefinite antecedent)
Hispanic
hit and run
homicide, murder, manslaughter
honorary degrees
hopefully
house of representatives
I
imply, infer
incorporated
Indians
indict
initials
Internet (know how to use and capitalize these terms: DNS, domain name, FAQ,
FTP, HTML, online [no hyphen] URL, World Wide Web)
it's, its
J
Jell-O
judge
judgment (not judgement)
junior, senior
justice
K
kindergarten
Kleenex
Ku Klux Klan
L
last (use day or month)
lay, lie, laid, lain
legislative titles
legislature
less
liaison
lieutenant governor
likable
like, as
livable
livid
long-distance
long term, long-term
ly words and no hyphenation
M
magazine names
mailman
majority, plurality
majority leader
marijuana
Mass (celebrated)
master's degree
M.D.
media
mid-
Middle East
middle initials
midnight
mile
miles per gallon
miles per hour (mph)
military titles (when to abbreviate)
millennium
millions, billions
months
music titles
N
nationwide
navy
Nazi, Nazism
NBC
newspaper names
nicknames
No. (as in number No.1)
non (prefixes)
none
no one
numerals (large numbers, decimals, punctuation of)
O
obscenities, profanities, vulgarities
occurred
off of
OK
on (not before days or dates)
one- (hyphenate in fractions)
over
overall
P
page numbers
pardon, parole, probation
part time, part-time
party affiliation
passers-by
people, persons
percent
percentages
Ph.D., Ph.D.s
plead, pleaded, pleading (not pled)
plurals
p.m., a.m.
police department
polls and surveys
pope
possessives
post office
pre- prefixes
presently
press conference (news conference)
principal, principle
prison, jail
privilege, privileged
professor
prosecutor
prostate gland
Protestant
Pulitzer Prizes
Q
questionnaire
quotations in the news
R
race
ratios
re- (hyphen before vowels)
Realtor
recipes
re-elect, re-election
reference works
religious references
religious titles
republican, Republican
restaurateur
Reuters
road (do not abbreviate)
Roman numerals
room numbers
S
saint
SAT
scene numbers
self- (always hyphenate)
senate
shall, will
sheriff
sister
sizable
Social Security
software titles
speeds
state names (abbreviations, punctuation)
subjunctive mood
Supreme Court
syllabuses
T
teen-ager, teen-age
TelePrompTer
television program titles
temperatures
that that, which, who, whom
their, there, they're
time element
time of day
times
titles
tomorrow (use of)
tonight
total, totaled, totaling
T-shirt
TV
U
under way
United Nations
United States
U.S. Court of Appeals
U.S. Postal Service
V
VCR
verbs (split)
versus
vice
vice president
W
Wal-Mart
weapons (caliber, gauge)
weather (blizzard, hurricane, tornado watch, tornado warning) who, whom
who's whose
women
XYZ
Xerox
X-ray
years (no apostrophe for plurals)
youth
ZIP code