Time is something we write about frequently, yet many of you may not know how to refer to it properly in your writing.
The Associated Press Stylebook has specific rules on how to write about time.
You should use figures except for noon and midnight, according to the AP. This is because the times for noon (12 p.m.) and midnight (12 a.m.) often confuse people.
As far as whether it is morning or night, use a.m. and p.m., according to the AP. For example, The class is at 9 a.m. Monday.
You never use the :00 when writing times.
If you need to include minutes instead of rounding to hour, do so in the traditional way, by separating the hours and minutes with a colon. For example, The class is at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
Separate the numbers with dashes when writing about timeframes, according to the AP. For example, The class is from 9-9:50 a.m. Monday.
Avoid redundancies like naming the time and the day part. You wouldn’t write, for example, The class is at 9 a.m. Monday morning. Instead, you would write: The class is at 9 a.m. Monday. It’s a time that happens only in the morning, otherwise it would be p.m.
Once you learn the AP Style rules regarding times, you’ll find that you use them in all of your writing. And, because you write them so often, it’s easy to learn and remember.
Now go forth and use words correctly!
