My favorite thing about Associated Press Style is that the rules help you know how to write certain things... except when the rule doesn't apply. Did you read my sarcasm in the last line? I hope so. Numbers are a perfect example of this AP Style rule that is not really a rule. The general rule is that numbers 10 or more should be written as … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Using Its Correctly
This Nerd Note addresses one of my biggest pet peeves—the inappropriate use of the possessive its. It's means it is or it has. For example, It's cold outside. There is no possessive form of its. So, unless you mean it is or it has, you never use the apostrophe with its. For example, Is the sock with its mate? Remember that … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Writing Decades
Whether you're writing about when someone was born, when they died or how they remember a certain era, you're likely to find yourself wondering how to write about decades. According to the Associated Press Stylebook: Use numerals when writing about decades. For example, I miss the 1990s. Use apostrophes only where numbers are missing. For … [Read more...]
AP Style Tips for Covering Election Day
Journalists everywhere are covering the election between incumbent President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. As the precincts begin to report results, here are a few election-related AP Style terms to remember: battleground states Contested states where campaigns are spending money and polls show a split electorate. This is not a formal … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Hopefully Journalists Won’t Embrace This Change
It sometimes seems like the Associated Press is just trying to jack with writers. I can't think of any other reason the AP would change the style rule on starting sentences with the word hopefully. In case you missed it, the AP announced the stylebook change earlier this month during the annual copy editors' conference. Hopefully, you will … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Saving Daylight
If you're anything like me, you've been reading a lot about this one. You've also probably seen it written incorrectly dozens of times in the past couple of days. It's daylight saving time, according to Associated Press Style. It is not "savings." Daylight saving time also is lowercase on all references. I don't like springing forward … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Post a Flier for Rides on the Flyer
I love letters to the editor. They're the best way ever to fill up the opinion page; I mean to receive reader feedback. One of my favorite letters received by the student newspaper editors I advise was about the number of grammatical errors in the paper. The letter, of course, was drowning in a sea of its own grammatical mistakes. The … [Read more...]