Ask the Editor: Highlights
Ask the Editor is a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the AP Stylebook. AP Stylebook editor Paula Froke fields questions posed by subscribers to AP Stylebook Online. Below is a sampling of recent questions Paula has answered.
Click on a topic below to learn more about AP style:
Question from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 02, 2022
"The Food and Literacy Center's (FLC's) objectives are available to read online."
Or should it be:
"The Food and Literacy Center's (FLC) objectives are available to read online."
Answer
AVOID AWKWARD CONSTRUCTIONS: Do not follow the full name of an organization or company with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it.
Also: A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Some others are acceptable, depending on the context. But in general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize.
Your example is another reason not to do it. There's no good way to punctuate it.
If you must include the acronym in parentheses, your best bet is to rephrase: Objectives of the Food and Literacy Center (FLC) can be read online.
Question from Vermont, on Aug. 01, 2022
I know the forum has taken this question before, but several years have passed. Is B.C. still preferred to BCE?
Please let me know. Thanks for all you do.
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Question from Franklin, Tennessee, on July 15, 2022
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When I search online for "United States," I get that entry (which doesn't address the question). So I search for U.S. and find the answer. Either United States or U.S. is OK when standing alone. If you're using the print book, the lengthy index in the back is very helpful.
Question from Washington, District of Columbia, on July 11, 2022
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Question from Danville, California, on July 08, 2022
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Of course, you could choose to follow a different style or create your own. If you or your client prefers postal abbreviations, that's your choice as well. We use postal abbreviations only in full addresses that include a ZIP code.
Question from on July 27, 2022
"During the flood, Park Ranger John Smith was able to help a family to safety."
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Question from Aliso Viejo, California, on July 25, 2022
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Question from on July 21, 2022
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Looked at another way, in the U.S. we don't see a need to vary the word choice. And we wouldn't refer to the Minnesota Legislature as parliament on another reference.
Question from on June 07, 2022
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Question from New York, New York, on June 07, 2022
I've reviewed the cryptocurrency/blockchain entry, but would just like confirmation/clarity on the following:
Any reference to a cryptocurrency, whether the blockchain technology or the coin itself, should now be lowercase. Before I believe the technology was capitalized, but coins were lowercase.
Thanks for the help!
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Question from Washington, District of Columbia, on July 22, 2022
She got sick with COVID-19 in March OF 2020? Or
She got sick with COVID-19 in March 2020?
Thanks!
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months
Question from on June 10, 2022
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Question from Boulder, Colorado, on May 16, 2022
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Question from Louisville, Kentucky, on April 19, 2022
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Question from Kalamazoo, Michigan, on April 14, 2022
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Question from Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 11, 2022
P.S. I just love the 'Ask the Editor' section! I check it often, even when I don't have a specific question.
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You're probably not surprised when I say we don't have specific guidance on style for measurements of beef sections. But my instinct agrees with your instinct. Do what makes sense to readers. And wholes, halves, quarters, eighths and 1/16ths is just weird. "Weird" is my technical term for it. Go with sixteenths for consistency and readability.
Question from Federal Way, Washington, on July 08, 2022
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Or: Half of school-aged children. A third of schools ...
If you have to use the ratios and they have to start the sentences, I'd spell it out: One in two and One in three ...
Question from Virginia Beach, Virginia, on July 06, 2022
- grades three through 12
- grades 3-12
- grades three through twelve
- grades three-12
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Question from Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 22, 2022
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Question from Washington DC, on June 08, 2022
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percent, percentage, percentage points
In casual uses, use words rather than figures and numbers: She said he has a zero percent chance of winning.
For a range, 12% to 15%, 12%-15% and between 12% and 15% are all acceptable.
Use percentage, rather than percent, when not paired with a number: The percentage of people agreeing is small.
Be careful not to confuse percent with percentage point. A change from 10% to 13% is a rise of 3 percentage points. This is not equal to a 3% change; rather, it’s a 30% increase.
Question from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 27, 2022
"I wanted to ask if there is additional information, documents, or resources you have access to."
Or,
"I wanted to ask if there are additional information, documents, or resources you have access to."
Should it be "are" because there are multiple things listed, or should it be "is" because the first listed item, "information," is singular. I also get confused because this list uses "or" instead of "and." I imagine that if this list used "and," it would be more evident that the verb tense should be plural.
Answer
Or make it easier on yourself:
"I wanted to ask if there are additional documents, resources or other information you have access to." (Because this is a very simple series, we don't use the Oxford comma.)
And by the way, I have a Little Free Library here in Philly. Thank you for all you do!
Question from Bangalore, on June 23, 2022
Which is correct here? Do we apply "the expression 'the number of' takes the singular verb" rule here?
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Question from Denver, Colorado, on June 15, 2022
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If you are referring to that entity, use the singular verb: The City and County of Denver is planning a program to help people pay property taxes.
Note: Generally our style is to use lowercase: the city of Philadelphia. But I could see arguments for capitalizing in the Denver case when referring to the government entity. It helps specity the actual government organization and activities related to it, vs. general references to the area.
But if you're talking generally about Denver city and county, use lowercase. Or often simply Denver works.
Question from Tokyo, on June 07, 2022
Should we use a plural or singular verb here? Prevent or prevents?
"The shame and fear that they will not be believed prevent many male victims from speaking about their experiences."
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Question from Washington, District of Columbia, on May 26, 2022
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I'd rephrase it, which has the added benefit of making people sound more like people. Staff members at the hospital ...
Question from Phoenix, Arizona, on Aug. 04, 2022
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QUASI POSSESSIVES: Follow the rules above in composing the possessive form of words that occur in such phrases as a day's pay, two weeks' vacation, three months' work, five years' probation. The apostrophe is used with a measurement followed by a noun (a quantity of whatever the noun is). The examples could be rephrased as a day of pay, two weeks of vacation, three months of work, five years of probation.
Question from San Marcos, Texas, on Aug. 04, 2022
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Question from Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug. 03, 2022
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Question from Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 02, 2022
We offer one of the shortest wait times in the country for children needing a liver, and have performed more than 600 liver transplants since our program began.
We offer one of the shortest wait times in the country for children needing a liver and have performed more than 600 liver transplants since our program began.
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WITH CONJUNCTIONS: When a conjunction such as and, but or for links two clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences, use a comma before the conjunction in most cases: She was glad she had looked, for a man was approaching the house.
So, no comma in your example. Of course, my preference would be to break it into two sentences. We offer one of the shortest wait times in the country for children needing a liver. We've performed more than 600 liver transplants since our program began.
Question from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Aug. 01, 2022
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Question from Corvallis, Oregon, on July 19, 2022
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Question from Longmont, Colorado, on April 08, 2022
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Question from West Lafayette, Indiana, on Aug. 03, 2022
Looking for guidance on cleanroom vs. clean room. Hope you can decide this issue!
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Webster's New World College Dictionary uses two words, and we concur:
clean room a room, or other enclosed area, designed to create and maintain an atmosphere virtually free of such contaminants as dust, pollen, or bacteria: used in hospitals, laboratories, etc.
Merriam-Webster also uses two words.
Of course, be sure the meaning is clear and include a definition if necessary. It's not just any random room that is tidied up ...
Question from on Aug. 01, 2022
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The dictionary doesn't list preloved. Thus: pre-loved.
Question from Roseville, California, on July 29, 2022
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And no hyphen in intraoperative, intraop. I wouldn't use those terms for general audiences, though.
Question from Kansas City, Missouri, on July 29, 2022
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As for the question, that gets us into dictionary differences and consistency issues again. According to our guidance, it's post-trial since Webster's New World College Dictionary doesn't list posttrial. But, Merriam-Webster does list posttrial. Why, you might ask, does WNWCD make it pretrial but no posttrial? I do not know. After the trial works just fine, too, and is much easier to read.
Question from Somerville, Massachusetts, on July 20, 2022
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