10 ‘spring cleaning’ AP style tips

Many are rejoicing online (and through open windows) that spring is finally here—as of 6:29 a.m. EDT.

With springtime comes spring cleaning—but for communicators looking to sharpen their writing skills and tighten their copy, the dusting you’ll do is inside the pages of the AP Stylebook.

Here are 10 AP style rules to commit to memory when writing your next press release or creating content for your organization’s blog:

1. Remember, we’re saving time. We moved our clocks forward an hour on March 12 for Daylight Saving Time. Note that it’s not the plural “savings time”:

Or we could let you do it for us ... https://t.co/MZyirnW7i9

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 12, 2017

@APStylebook daylight saving time 
Not savings. No hyphen. http://pic.twitter.com/EHX59zrAVC

— Nancy Clanton (@NancyClanton) March 12, 2017

Though there is no known penalty for getting this wrong, those in the know might mock you:

. @APStylebook How about a penalty for members who still screw it up like this in the @TulsaBeacon http://pic.twitter.com/9vYzuFHsar

— Shelby T 🎙🎧🎚 (@shelbytradio) March 12, 2017

2. Properly cite April Fools’ Day jokes. First off, it’s not the singular April Fool’s Day; there are plenty of patsies, stooges and chumps. If you’re planning hijinks for April Fools’ Day—or writing a guide to pull off the perfect office prank—make sure to use “sneaked” as the past tense of “sneak”:

The word "sneaked" is preferred as past tense of "sneak." Do not use the colloquial "snuck."

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 2, 2017

3. Clean up your dates. Abbreviate the following months when using it with a date:

When a month is used with a date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.: Feb. 12. Spell out the others: June 8. (1/2)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) February 22, 2017

(Yes, we know: Twitter does not observe this guideline in its time stamps.)

The same rule does not apply when you’re using a month alone, or with a year. AP Stylebook then advises to spell out each month:

Spell out all months when using alone, or with a year alone: Hit the pool in August. January 2016 was particularly cold and snowy. (2/2)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) February 22, 2017

4. Prepare your brackets. In March, many people go “mad” filling out their brackets for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s tournament. In all uses, uppercase “March Madness”:

Capitalize March Madness in all references to the college basketball championships for men and women. #marchmadness https://t.co/gl8C6woKgI http://pic.twitter.com/2FHc1V5iND

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 9, 2017

You should still capitalize it if your bracket is a marketing ploy, such as Walt Disney World Resort’s bracket for visitors’ favorite attraction. TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” created a "March Maddress” bracket, but capitalized its play on the word.

5. It’s “gambling,” not “gaming.” If you put money into your office’s March Madness pool, you’re gambling, not playing a [video] game.

Gambling is the preferred term for games of chance. Use gaming only in quotes or proper names, or when referring to video games. http://pic.twitter.com/RgTvsG6NLc

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 1, 2017

6. Colon capitalization . Speaking of capitalization, you should capitalize the word after a colon only when it’s a proper name or it begins an independent clause:

Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) February 14, 2017

[Free download: 10 punctuation essentials.]

7. Enter the Oxford comma debate. AP Stylebook’s guidance on the much-debated punctuation mark is clear: Don’t use it in a series, except when necessary for clarity.

About commas, our guidance: The basic guideline is to use common sense. Punctuation is to make clear the thought being expressed. (1/3)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 16, 2017

Most simple series don't need a final comma for clarity. But if a comma is needed to make sure the meaning is clear, use the comma. (2/3)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 16, 2017

Also: Use a comma at the end of a series if an integral part of the series uses a conjunction: orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs. (3/3)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 16, 2017

Though AP style is to omit the Oxford comma, many organizations’ internal style guides include its use. Communicators’ contention over the mark was increased recently after a court case was decided based on the absence of the serial comma.

8. Cooperate and coordinate are exceptions. If you’re using these words to describe a brainstorming session or a collaborative campaign, AP style dictates that you don’t use a hyphen.

Though you would use a hyphen with most prefixes ending in a vowel and preceding a word that starts with the same vowel, those two are the exception:

Except for cooperate and coordinate, use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel.

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) February 21, 2017

9. Watch your plurals. When using the phrase, “average of,” remember to use a plural verb in your sentence:

The phrase "average of" takes a plural verb in a construction such as: An average of 100 new jobs are created daily.

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) March 13, 2017

10. Deliver the right ratios. If your next article uses ratios to report statistics, AP Stylebook says to use hyphens and omit the word “to” if the number precedes the word “ratio.” Here are a few examples:

Use figures and hyphens for ratios: a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio, 1 in 4 voters. When numbers precede "ratio," omit the word "to."

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) February 13, 2017

 

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