MEJO 153 - AP Style Quiz M-Z

N-word

Don't use it

Obscenities, vulgarities

Only use in direct quotations

Use "antigay or sexist slur"

Confine the word in quotations

Possibly use hyphens

Flag it

Older adult

preferred over senior citizen

better used in general phrases

provide context

palate, palette, pallet

palate - roof of the mouth

palette - artist's paint board

pallet - low platform

part time, part-time

Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: She works part time. She has a part-time job.

Party affiliation

Use if readers need it for understanding

Use on first reference

Leave out when not political

Short form- R-S.C., D-Miami

people, persons

person - individual

persons - should be used only when in direct quotation or title

people - person plural, race or nation,

avoid "the" - the poor, the homeless

Percent, percentages

use the percent sign when paired with a number (no space)

less than zero --> decimal

spell out zero percent

If starting a sentence, spell out both

use percentage when not paired with a number

plurals

CH, S, SH, SS, X and Z - add es

Y - change y to ies

O - es

F - change f to v and add es

Proper names - Most ending in es or s or z add es: Charleses

Figures - 1920s (no apostrophe)

Ponzi scheme

using cash from newer investors to pay off older ones

Possessives

look in book for this one

Prefixes

Usually hyphenate if prefix end in a vowel and same vowel follows

Hyphenate if word that follows is capitalized

doubled prefixed (pretty rare though)

Principal, principle

head of school/moral or lesson

Prison, jail

jail- lesser sentences less than a year, people awaiting trial, confined on civil matters

prison - generic term for facilities for people serving sentences longer than a year

use first person language (a man who is incarcerated...)

Use inmate not prisoner

Privacy

Dont use the name of children who are accused of crimes

Dont use the name of people who have been sexually assaulted unless they have come forward

No suspect names for minor crimes

Quotations in news

Never alter quotations, paraphrase if possible

If a person is unavailable to quote, take note of attempt to try to contact them

Dont use gonna and wanna

avoid fragmented quotations

Give context

Quran

The holy book of Islam

Race-related coverage

Reporting and writing about issues involving race calls for thoughtful consideration, precise language, and an openness to discussions with others of diverse backgrounds about how to frame coverage or what language is most appropriate, accurate and fair. Avoid broad generalizations and labels; race and ethnicity are one part of a person's identity. Identifying people by race and reporting on actions that have to do with race often go beyond simple style questions, challenging journalists to think broadly about racial issues before having to make decisions on specific situations and stories.

Ratios

Use figures and hyphens

ratio was 2-to-1

a ratio of 2-to-1

a 2-1 ratio

Religious titles

look at book for this one

Roman numerals

I - 1

V - 5

X - 10

L - 50

C - 100

D - 500

M - 1000

Senate

Capitalize all specific references to a government body:

But remember it’s abbreviated as a title. “Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, visited Chapel Hill on Thursday. The senator is expected to run for reelection.”

Sexual abuse

Pay close attention to legal definitions, which can vary by jurisdiction, and the wording of the charges or convictions

Terms such as rape, sexual harassment and sexual assault can vary from one jurisdiction to another

Sexual misconduct and sexual harassment generally do not denote rape, sexual assault or sexual violence

Remember: the term "sexual relationship" suggests consent

Maine

never abbreviated

Majority, plurality

Majority is more than half

Plurality means more than the next highest number

Marshall, marshal

Marshall is the spelling for a proper name, Marshal is the verb and noun

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

No comma before Jr.

Master of Arts

master's degree

MD

Use 'physician' or surgeon" and not John Johnson, MD. - would be Dr. John Johnson for a medical doctor

Media

Generally a plural verb

Be specific on type of media

Medicaid

* we aid low-income people

Medicare

* we care for the elderly

Mental illness

Only use if important

Use diagnosis and source

avoid pity

Avoid using "the"

merger

Combination of two or more companies into a single firm

Use this word sparingly because it's usually going to be an acquisition

Metric system

Use the figure widely accepted in the area and then in parenthesis use the conversion

Use prefixes if needed

Mexico

There are 31 states and then Mexico City which is an independent federal district

Middle initials

use when needed to help identify someone, especially in criminal cases or in listing casualties

Mile

use figures in all references (even under 10)

Military titles

Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individual's name.

On first reference use the title, then secondary use the last name

Spell out 'retired'... So: Speaking to Congress on Tuesday was retired Gen. Mark Milley.

Millions, billions, trillions

OK if casual but use numbers if specific. Do not go back two decimal points. So it would be $2.51 billion deficit and not $2.509 billion deficit.

1.5 million not 1 1/2 million

Hyphen is not used

Misinformation, fact checks, fake news

dont label something as "fake news" if it's disputed.

say misinformation

term typically excludes opinion, satire and parody

Months

Always capitalize

When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.

Muhammad

note spelling

Names

Use only LAST NAME on second reference. But if it's two people with the same last name use both

Net neutrality

the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally by Internet Service Providers.

Newspaper names

capitalize The if its part of the official name: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal

Numerals

Spell out one through nine (goes for centuries too)

Use numbers for addresses

Use numbers for ages

Use numbers in court decisions

A'nd sorry, Earth Wind and Fire, but it's the night of Sept. 21, not the 21st night of September

And comma after year: "She remembers back in Sept. 21, 2014, when she was chasing the clouds away."

The basketball player is 6 feet, 2 inches tall ... or "the 6-foot-2 basketball player"

Carolina was ranked No. 4 in preseason (not "Number 4 or Number Four")

Use figures for temperatures

Use numbers for times except noon and midnight

Spell out numbers at the start of a sentence (and if it's awkward, write around it)

Should, would

Should is an obligation. "We should help the poor."

Would is a customary action. "We would go to the beach."

Slang

generally avoid it. The reason is many people don't know the slang and it confuses them. So "rate your fit" is fine for a college kid, not so great for a Boomer

Spanish names

Family names of mother and father generally part of person's full name

Second reference is generally the father's second name unless the individual has a different preference or is known by multiple last names

State names

Spell out the names of the 50 U.S.states when they stand alone in textual material. D: The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. Use the two-letter Postal Service abbreviations only with full addresses, including ZIP code

suicide

avoid "committed suicide" and use "killed himself" or "died by suicide"

Don't go into detail

Supreme Court

Capitalize U.S. Supreme Court and also the Supreme Court

chief justice of the Supreme Court

Taser

He got tasered.

Generally you are trying to not to proper nouns into common nouns

People might say "He had a coke" when maybe he had a Pepsi

telephone numbers

Use figures. The form: 212-621-1500. For international numbers use 011 (from the United States), the country code, the city code and the telephone number: 011-44-20-7535-1515. Use hyphens, not periods.

The form for toll-free numbers: 800-111-1000.

If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension: 212-621-1500, ext. 2.

Television shows

Use quotations around the name of the show but do not italicize

Temperatures

Use figures for all except zero. Use a word, not a minus sign, to indicate temperatures below zero.

That, which

use that and which when referring to inanimate objects and animals

Generally, there is not a comma in front of "that" and there is one in front of "which"

Them, them, their

Has to agree with the antecedent

On pronouns, many readers are unfamiliar with "they" referring to a single person

Might use "they" so someone is not identified. "The person feared for their safety."

Time element

Use days of the week, not "today" or "yesterday"

Avoid redundancies such as "last Tuesday."

"He said Saturday that he had lunch last Tuesday at Sutton's." << 'LAST" is redundant

times

Use figures except for noon and midnight

Lowercase a.m. and p.m., such as 11 a.m.

And you don't need "at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning...." the 'morning' is obvious

4 o'clock is OK, but 4 p.m. is preferred

Unique

not "most unique"

Unprecedented

never done or known before

often misused

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

the Chamber on second reference.

Capitalize full name - Durham Chamber of Commerce.

Ward, wards

not towards

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Postal Service

the Postal Service

Weapons

Preferred term is semiautomatic rifle

West Virginia

W.Va. in datelines, spell out in stories

Who, whom

Who is people and is always the subject (never the object)

Whom is when a person is the object of a verb or preposition

yesterday

use only in quotations

ZIP code

Zone Improvement Plan so it's ZIP