Hyphens, PB&J and more: A back-to-school AP style guide

It’s back-to-school time again.

Whether you’re writing about classes that are already in session or finishing a guest post about academic preparation, AP Stylebook’s recent guidance and updated entries can help your copy make the dean’s list (note the lowercase).

Sharpen your No. 2 pencils for a survey course in AP style rules:

1. To hyphenate—or not to hyphenate?

It can be confusing to know whether you should hyphenate a term, write it as one word or break it up into two.

A student “dropout” (n.) is one word, but if you’re planning to “drop out” (v.) of your university, it’s two.

AP Stylebook has guidance for several other back-to-school terms:

Schoolboy, schoolgirl and schoolwork: one word for each. School year, school day: two words. Back-to-school tips: https://t.co/zRUWfeYz0M

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 23, 2017

Note that “home schooling” as a noun is two words, but “home-schooler” (n.), “home-school” (v.) and “home-schooled” (adj.) are all hyphenated.

Also of note is AP Stylebook’s guidance on grade levels:

Hyphenate first-grader, 10th-grader, first-grade student, 10th-grade classes. But: She is in the fifth grade. More: https://t.co/N2GnCPNZCe

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 14, 2017

2. Hone your apostrophe and comma use.

AP Stylebook changed its “possessives” entry and, on Wednesday, announced that it had updated its “apostrophe” entry, as well. Here’s the revised entry:

SINGULAR COMMON NOUNS ENDING IN S: Add 's:the hostess's invitation, the hostess's seat; the witness's answer, the witness's story. (A change from previous guidance calling for just an apostrophe if the next word begins with s.)

Along with adding “’s” to singular nouns that end in “s,” writers should note that singular letter grades receive the same treatment. Here’s the example, from AP Stylebook:

an A , two B's and three C's

Note that “ABCs” does not use an apostrophe.

Though some writers are fans of the Oxford comma, AP style does not generally include its use. The exception is with sentences that require it for clarity.

[RELATED: Learn practical, engaging and informative tips for advancing your writing prowess.]

A reminder about part of our comma guidance: Include a final comma in a simple series if omitting it could make the meaning unclear. (1/3)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 17, 2017

He called his closest advisers, Schneider and Torres. (If Schneider and Torres are his closest advisers, don’t use the final comma.) (2/3)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 17, 2017

He called his closest advisers, Schneider, and Torres. (If he called advisers plus Schneider and Torres, use the final comma.) (3/3)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 17, 2017

If your sentence looks more like Morse code than prose, AP Stylebook offers the following advice:

If a sentence becomes cluttered with commas, semicolons and dashes, start over. Try breaking a complex sentence into two simpler sentences.

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 10, 2017

3. Ace your abbreviations.

AP Stylebook notes that “PTA” is “acceptable in all references for Parent Teacher Association.” It also allows “GPA” in all references to “grade-point average.”

Write the “three R’s” when referring to those scholastic staples. AP Stylebook’s entry explains:

They are: reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic.

4. Clarify names.

If you’re writing about students with the same names as their fathers, AP Stylebook offers this change in protocol:

Revised guidance: The construction Smith Jr. or Smith Sr. is OK on second reference if needed to distinguish between the two. (1/2)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) July 12, 2017

No comma before Jr. or Sr. The possessive: Smith Jr.'s career. Second references to the elder Smith and the younger Smith are also OK. (2/2)

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) July 12, 2017

The Stylebook entry also says:

… The notation II or 2nd may be used if it is the individual's preference. Note, however, that II and 2nd are not necessarily the equivalent of junior; they often are used by a grandson or nephew.

Be clear in distinguishing between father and son on second reference if both names appear in a story.

5. What’s for lunch?

Along with previously mentioned abbreviations, it’s acceptable to use “PB&J”—a popular item in student’s lunchboxes—on first reference:

PB&J is acceptable in all references to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) August 22, 2017

However, use “Marshmallow Fluff” (note the capitalization) only if a student’s sandwich includes that particular brand of sticky, sweet sandwich material:

Marshmallow Fluff is a trademark. Use the term marshmallow spread unless referring to the Marshmallow Fluff brand.

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) July 10, 2017

All of this will be on the final exam.

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