Softphone or soft phone? As in, "We will replace our desk phones with RingCentral softphones to save money."

Would the term "hand trimmed" need a hyphen if it is not preceding a noun? As in:

The salmon is hand trimmed.

Thanks!

I've searched and can't find an answer to this: Does AP render pre-exposure prophylaxis via anti-HIV drugs as PrEP or something else? 

Hi,
I did see that you do not need to use the trademark/registered symbol when using the word Emmy, but the Emmy guidelines state that it should be used.  Where do you stand on the issue of going against the guidelines of the Emmys?

Thanks.

Is "gifted" now an acceptable replacement for given? Say "I was gifted this tie" vs "I was given this tie." 

Can you please clarify the use of three and 3 (or third) in a headline. In a story, based on a 2006 reply, it is two-bedroom home in a story. 2-Bedroom Home or Two-Bedroom Home in a headline? Third-Most Expensive or 3rd-Most Expensive? Most importantly, how do you make the distinction?

My company makes baked goods sold in the freezer section of grocery stores. How should we style product names in a sentence or list when they are generic-sounding, not a brand name like Advil? Ethel's English Muffins or Ethel's English muffins? Ethel's Gluten-Free Pepperoni Pizza Pockets or Ethel's gluten-free pizza pockets?

When referring to the glass, is it "Old-Fashioned glass" since it's named for the drink, which AP capitalizes? Or lowercase since coupe glass, hi-ball glass, low-ball glass, etc. are lowercase?

In a company blog post title, do you have guidance for usage of "Announcing..." vs. "Introducing..."? We tend to use them interchangeably, as many of our posts are announcing/introducing new products or features.

It would be really helpful if AP could weigh in and clarify its rule on "half." We have two competing answers in Ask the Editor:

I see there's a rule for fractions less than one that aren't modifiers (AP rule is to spell out and hyphenate). What if it's a fraction greater than one that's a modifier? As in: He served for eight and a half years as president. Should it be as written, or: He served as president for eight-and-a-half years? Thank you!

Would you capitalize gospel using the phrase 'spread the gospel'? We are using it in a religious context, to describe the work of a missionary - but her particular brand of Christianity did not exactly adhere to the precise teachings of the New Testament, as her church had its own texts despite being a Christian faith … so in a way, we're using gospel in a slightly generic way … but there is an overall Christian context. What would you do? 

What is the correct way to write a time slot? Example: "We will schedule a one-to-two hour session with you." Or, is it " We will schedule a 1-2 hour session with you."

My company is wrestling with something and we need clarity from AP, which seems to answer a question inconsistently with its rule:

QUESTION from Lisle, IL on July 25, 2018
This isn't specifically addressed in the "Company Names" entry: If a company uses the word "Company," spelled out, in its official name, should it be abbreviated in text? In other words, should The Davey Tree Expert Company become The Davey Tree Expert Co.? (They do uppercase The.) Thanks, Beth Botts
ANSWER
AP style abbreviates Co. in that use (and all similar uses) and also lowercases the.

However, the "Company Names" rule specifically says:
If "The" is part of the formal company name it should be included. For example: The Walt Disney Co.

So which is correct for running text? We find capitalizing "the" quite distracting but want to follow AP. Thank you!

What is the proper treatment for titles of online news sites with no physical product? I know actual newspapers are italicized but not sure if this applies to web-only pubs. Sorry if this question has already been answered, just haven't been able to locate any entry that addresses it. Thanks! 

Proper capitalization? Aloe vera or aloe vera.
Italicized or not?

Hi there!
Please will you tell me if high-caste (hyphenated) or high caste is correct? The sentence reads: Born into a high-caste family, he was next in line to inherit a status few could imagine. I don't see mention of it anywhere.
Thanks a bunch.

If a headline has two brief sentences, would you use a period (or semi-colon) in the middle and no period at the end or two periods, one after the first sentence and one after the second? And, if you use a colon in the middle, should the word following the colon be capitalized only if it's a proper name? Or, if the phrase following the colon is a full sentence, should the first word following the colon be capitalized? Thank you.

I periodically see incoming copy from reporters referring to a trifecta in state government, ie a governor of one political party with the Legislature controlled by the same party. My thought is to avoid this because it's an inside political baseball term for something rooted in horse racing lingo. What think?

Is a hypen used after a number; 100-course offerings

How do you handle numbered lists within running text? "She went to the store to pick up 1.) milk; 2.) bread; and 3.) cheese." Or, "She went to the store to pick up (1) milk, (2) bread, and (3) cheese." Or something else?

Re asking question I never saw an answer for.

QUESTION from Broken Arrow, OK on March 29, 2019

What is the proper way to write the following sentence? Should headquarters be with possession or not?

In October 2018, we broke ground on our headquarters expansion. Construction is underway and is projected to be complete in the Spring of 2020. 

One out of four workers was/were out of work?

Hi! Would you please tell me which is correct, using a brand name as an adjective or letting it stand alone? For example, “The XXX monitoring system is easy to install." or "The XXX is easy to install." Thanks! 

Is it "Employees will be entered in a drawing for swag" or "Employees will be entered into a drawing for swag"?