Ask the Editor
Last Seven DaysQuestion from northampton, Massachusetts, on Jan. 14, 2021
I'm confused. Is something "born of necessity" or "borne of necessity"? Thanks!
Answer
It's born of necessity.
Question from ANN ARBOR, Michigan, on Jan. 13, 2021
I have read the entry on gluten-free and all related "Ask the Editor" entries and am still not clear on whether gluten-free should always be hyphenated, or should only be hyphenated when it's used as a modifier. Thank you!
Answer
Here's the entry. Some Ask the Editor responses may have varied and I will delete those.
gluten-free
Describes foods without wheat, barley or rye grain, the three groups of whole grains that naturally contain the protein gluten. Usage: He ordered gluten-free pizza; the pizza is gluten free.
Question from Austin, on Jan. 13, 2021
Is this the correct usage of insure or should it be ensure? Thank you! "Amid turmoil in the bank and energy markets in the second quarter of 2020, Treasury, Legal, Tax and External Reporting stepped up in a big way to insure the company’s liquidity. "
Answer
That should be ensure. Here's the entry:
ensure, insure, assure
Use ensure to mean guarantee: Steps were taken to ensure accuracy.
Use insure for references to insurance: The policy insures his life.
Use assure to mean to make sure or give confidence: She assured us the statement was accurate.
Question from Austin, Texas, on Jan. 13, 2021
Is there a factual different between night and nighttime?
Answer
Not in the first two uses of the definition of night from Webster's New World College Dictionary. Here are the dictionary entries:
nighttime n. the time between dusk and dawn; also, the time between sunset and sunrise
nighttime n. the time between dusk and dawn; also, the time between sunset and sunrise
night
(nīt)
n. [[ME niht < OE, akin to Ger nacht < IE base *nekwt-, *nokwt- > Gr nyx (gen. nyktos), L nox (gen. noctis), night]] 1 a) the period from sunset to sunrise b) the period of actual darkness after sunset and before sunrise; also, a part of this period before bedtime [a night at the opera] or the part between bedtime and morning [a sleepless night] 2 the evening following a specified day [Christmas night] 3 the darkness of night 4 any period or condition of darkness or gloom; specif., a) a period of intellectual or moral degeneration b) a time of grief c) death –adj. 1 of, for, or at night 2 active, working, or in use at night –make a night of it to celebrate all or much of the night –night after night every night or for many successive nights –night and day continuously or continually
Question from TORRANCE, California, on Jan. 13, 2021
Which is correct: "non-life-threatening emergency" or "non-life threatening emergency"?
Answer
It's non-life-threatening emergency.
Question from Belmont, Michigan, on Jan. 13, 2021
What does the AP think of using "disappear" as a transitive verb but NOT used in terms of a missing person? In other words, what if a feature article would say something like, "the cold water disappeared the ache in his thighs"? Thank you.
Answer
We strongly hope such a use disappears.
Question from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 13, 2021
How should I handle suspensive hyphenation for words that wouldn't normally be hyphenated, but still need to be joined? I'm trying to avoid rephrasing because I don't have much space to work with.
Example:
This facility offers the latest chemo and immunotherapies...
This facility offers the latest chemo- and immunotherapies...
This facility offers the latest chemo- and immuno- therapies...
Example:
This facility offers the latest chemo and immunotherapies...
This facility offers the latest chemo- and immunotherapies...
This facility offers the latest chemo- and immuno- therapies...
Answer
I'd go with your second option. Arguments could be made for any of them.
Question from Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 13, 2021
What is the correct use of personal pronouns in the following: "I and my staff ..." or "Me and my staff ..."
Answer
It depends on the use. These are correct:
I and my staff hope you have a good day. My staff and I hope you have a good day. It was a good day for my staff and me. It was a good day for me and my staff.
I and my staff hope you have a good day. My staff and I hope you have a good day. It was a good day for my staff and me. It was a good day for me and my staff.
Question from Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan. 13, 2021
Naming of government organizations - is the AP Style Guide recommendation to say, "Government of X" or "X (adjective) Government" - e.g. "Government of France" or "French Government"? Thank you!
Answer
We use lowercase: French government. We may on occasion use government of France, though that's wordier and more stilted.
Answer
Yes, that still is a complete sentence and needs a capitalized The after the colon.
Question from seattle, Washington, on Jan. 13, 2021
My team frequently writes "has access to" when "has" alone seems perfectly reasonable to me. For example: "Who has access to paid family leave?" Does "access to" change the meaning of "has" that much or is it redundant?
Answer
One might argue that people don't actually have paid family leave unless and until they are actually using that leave, whereas they could have access to it without using it. But I think that distinction is lost in general usage, unless you need to get very specific about the sitution involved. I'd judge each use in the larger context, and decide case by case whether the extra words are necessary for clarity.
Question from Belton, Missouri, on Jan. 13, 2021
Which is preferred and/or correct:" a way to go" or "a ways to go"?
Answer
If you mean "this is a way to go to San Francisco," then only way is OK. Not ways.
If you mean "I have a long way to go" or "I have a long ways to go," either is acceptable. Some consider ways to be more informal.
If you mean "I have a long way to go" or "I have a long ways to go," either is acceptable. Some consider ways to be more informal.
Question from Columbia City, Indiana, on Jan. 12, 2021
In a multiple-word salutation and complimentary close of an email or letter, do you only capitalize the first word or all words? Example "To whom it may concern" or "Best Regards" or "Best regards." Thank you!
Answer
We don't have a style on that. In general, AP favors less capitalization. Whichever way you choose, keep it consistent.
Question from Lansing, Michigan, on Jan. 12, 2021
I would like guidance on the word urge.
School Association urges members to fill out our Covid-19 survey. Is that correct? Or is it urge?
School Association urges members to fill out our Covid-19 survey. Is that correct? Or is it urge?
Answer
It's urges, in the U.S.
Question from Curham, North Carolina, on Jan. 12, 2021
Is this correct for indicating a span of days?: Jan. 3-10. And is this format also OK for a headline?
Answer
Yes, that's good.
Question from on Jan. 12, 2021
Hello! Should it be pretraining or pre-training?
Answer
Question from portsmouth, Virginia, on Jan. 11, 2021
Is there an accepted way to abbreviate identified in a headline?
Answer
ID'd is fine, assuming the meaning is clear from the context.
Question from Evanston, Illinois, on Jan. 11, 2021
Which does AP prefer on first reference - messenger RNA or mRNA?
Answer
We use messenger RNA on first reference, with explanation. Here's an example:
These shots are made with a brand-new technology that injects a piece of genetic code for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. That messenger RNA, or mRNA, induces the body to produce some harmless spike protein, enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the real virus.
These shots are made with a brand-new technology that injects a piece of genetic code for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. That messenger RNA, or mRNA, induces the body to produce some harmless spike protein, enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the real virus.
Question from Columbia, Maryland, on Jan. 11, 2021
Does AP style use "less than" when referring to percentages and fractions of plural entities? Or should these be fewer? E.g., Less than 10% of students came to school today. Less than two-thirds of the machines are in working order.
Answer
I'd use fewer in both of those cases, considering the students and machines as individuals and not as one collective mass.
Question from Huntington Beach, California, on Jan. 11, 2021
On our blog we write out numerals in article headlines. For example, "5 Reasons Why Gen Zers Are Changing Activism" would become, "Five Reasons Why Gen Zers Are Changing Activism." Is is acceptable to use the numeral or should it always be written out if it is below 10?
Answer
We always use numerals in headlines, including under 10. You could choose a different style, and that's perfectly acceptable. Speaking of headline style, our style for headlines is to capitalize only the first word and proper nouns/proper names. So you're already differing from AP in your approach. That, too, is just fine if that's your choice.
Question from on Jan. 11, 2021
Hello! Would you hyphenate this: It has a two-to-five times increase in production. Thank you!
Answer
Yes.
Question from Austin, on Jan. 10, 2021
Would you add a comma before such in this sentence? "A certified copy may be required for claiming
assets such as life insurance benefits, savings and retirement plan benefits."
assets such as life insurance benefits, savings and retirement plan benefits."
Answer
No comma there.
Question from Austin, on Jan. 09, 2021
This acronym has been introduced in the paragraph. Would it be appropriate to start the next sentence with it since it has been identified what it stands for? "ngTDC provides a more complete approach to managing diabetes."
Answer
If you wanted to start the sentence with the abbreviation (it's not an acronym), you would need to capitalize the n, which would make the already unfamiliar abbreviation that much more awkward. I'd suggest recasting the sentence.
Question from Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 08, 2021
Does people pleasing (adj.) need a hyphen? How about people pleaser (n.)?
Examples: He is quite the people pleaser.
Her people-pleasing habit has gotten more expensive of late.
Their people pleasing (n.) is known around the company.
Thanks a bunch, y'all!
Examples: He is quite the people pleaser.
Her people-pleasing habit has gotten more expensive of late.
Their people pleasing (n.) is known around the company.
Thanks a bunch, y'all!
Answer
I'd use the hyphen for sure in the second example (people-pleasing habit). The other two are more a matter of preference, I'd say. I'd lean toward no hyphen in quite the people pleaser but yes hyphen in their people-pleasing. Is that totally logical? Probably not. But much about hyphens defies logic. You could use a hyphen in all three and that would be just fine. It would please lots of people.
From the Pronunciation Guide
From the Topical Guides
2020 Holiday Style Topical Guide
Spellings and definitions of terms associated with religious and cultural events around the turn of the year. Some are in the AP Stylebook; some are in our primary dictionary, Webster’s New World...
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