key AP style rules (pre classes)

Numbers

Spell out one through nine, numerals for 10 and above

Ages

Always use numerals

Dates

Abbreviate specific months when followed by a date (Jan.15, Feb. 20)

Titles

Use lowercase titles when they follow a name

(mayor Jane Doe)

Punctuation

Do not use Oxford comma before a conjunction in a simple series

Exceptions to the numbers rule

Ages, addresses, dimensions, money, dates, millions, percentages, temp, time, plural numbers, roads/highways

what NOT to abbreviate

Distances and dimensions, days of the week, in headlines, or in parentheses when stating a policy, company name, or anything like that

What you CAN abbreviate

Titles used before a name, company, incorporated (Corp, Inc), dates and numerals to ensure clarity (No.4, Dec. 8) (only abbreviate months that have a specific date). Street names (ave, blvd) but only when they are accompanied by a street name (road, circle and drive should NEVER be abbreviated).

Punctuation rules

Punctuation goes inside quotation marks

Do not place a comma before the conjunction with items in a series

Semicolons are used to clarify sentences with multiple commas

Use hyphens for compound adjectives with words that end in -ly

Capitalization

Common names are not capitalized unless part of a proper name (the river vs. the Thames River)

DO NOT capitalize plural words even when apart of a proper name

Titles

Do not use courtesy titles except in direct quotations or at the persons request (Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss.)

Do not put quotation marks around websites and titles of journals, holy book, and magazines (“To Kill a Mockingbird” vs. Time Magazine)

place titles of books, movies, operas, poems, songs, works of art, and video games into quotation marks

Capitalize titles when they appear before a persons name