J207 Midterm Review

Times, percents, and titles

How is time written in AP style?

Always with a numeral, even when the number is less than 10, and with periods and lowercase letters for a.m. and p.m.

• This is an exception to the general rule on numbers, which spells out one-nine and uses numerals for 10+.

• Ex: 4 p.m.

• Ex: 12 a.m.

• Noon and midnight are acceptable replacements for 12 p.m. and 12 a.m.

How are time ranges written in AP style?

With ‘and’ or ‘to’ instead of a hyphen

• Ex: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

How are percentages written in AP style?

Always with numerals and the percent symbol (%)

• Ex: USC’s acceptance rate is about 11%.

• <1% uses a 0 and decimal before the number. Ex: 0.3%

How do you compare percentages to each other in AP style? How do you compare amounts?

For percentages, use percentage points rather than percent

• Ex: if one candidate got 40% of the vote, and the other got 45%, the latter won by 5 percentage points.

For amounts, use percent

• Ex: the price rose 10%, from $10 to $11

What is the difference between percent and percentage points in comparing differences?

Percent - a difference between amounts, represented as a percent difference

Percentage points - a difference between percents, represented as just a number

How are job titles capitalized in AP style?

Only when coming directly before a name, and don’t use titles after first reference (just refer by name)

• Ex: USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim

• Ex: Beong-Soo Kim took over as interim president at USC

What is the general rule for writing numbers in AP style?

Anything above 10 gets a numeral

• One through nine

• 10 and above

What are the respective special rules for numbers when used for 1) age or 2) beginning a sentence?

1. Age

   1. Always uses numerals (ex: 93)

   2. Always uses hyphens (ex: 93-year-old)

2. Number begins a sentence

   1. Always spelled out

How and when do you abbreviate street names in AP style?

If a number is in the address, shorten ‘road’ to ‘Rd.’

• The restaurant is on 4556 Harden Rd.

If no number, do not shorten.

• The restaurant is on Harden Road

All the same applies to avenue, place, etc.

How are abbreviations/acronyms for organizations written in AP style?

With periods after each letter

• U.N. General Assembly (note, no “U.N.” on its own)

How and when are months abbreviated in AP style?

When paired with a specific date, like so:

• Jan. 1, Feb. 1, Aug. 1, Sept. 1, Oct. 1, Nov. 1, Dec. 1

Do NOT abbreviate:

• March 1, April 1, May 1, June 1, July 1

With no date, do not abbreviate.

Essential and Nonessential clauses

Nonessential clauses are set apart by commas and can be removed from the sentence without changing its meaning

• Alan, who has access to my news journal, made a new comment.

Essential clauses are not set apart by commas and cannot be removed from the sentence without changing its meaning.

• Alan accessed and commented on my news journal.

Commas: that vs which

“That” does not get a comma

• The event that took place today…

“Which” does get a comma

• The event, which took place today…

“That” vs “who” in clauses

Humans get “who”

• The man who picked the roses

Everything else gets “that’

• The dog that ate the roses

Assure vs ensure vs insure

Assure - to make sure or give confidence to

Ensure - to guarantee & ‘lock in’

Insure - refers to insurance

Do -ly adjectives warrant a hyphen?

No!

• The saintly student (not saintly-student)

What is a dangling modifier? Avoid them?

Modifiers that start a sentence and do not refer clearly and logically to some word in the sentence.

• Ex: Taking our seats, the game started.

• Corrected: Taking our seats, we watched the opening of the game

Avoid!!

Persuade vs convince

Persuade - to induce someone to act through reasoning/argument

Convince - to cause someone to believe firmly in the truth of something

5 tips for lead writing (IMPORTANT)

1. Identify at least 3 of the 5 W’s.

   1. Who, what, when, where, why

2. Find the most important info.

   1. Ask: “what is the news?”

   2. Boil your lead down to a 3 word SVO construction.

3. Capture the action & use active voice.

   1. Ask: “who is doing what to whom?”

4. Be conversational.

   1. Reread your writing for good flow.

5. The simpler, the better.

   1. Ask: “how would I describe my story to a friend who knows nothing about it?”