JAM 201: A Mixed Bag

General Information on Style and Usage

Reference Materials

• Associated Press Stylebook (AP Stylebook):

  • Serves as a primary guide for spelling, style, and usage questions.

  • In cases not covered, consult additional resources.

• Webster’s New World Dictionary:

  • This dictionary is authoritative for spelling, style, and usage that the AP Stylebook does not address.

  • It should be referenced to find the first spelling listed, unless specifically noted otherwise in the AP Stylebook.

  • Additionally, it is the first reference for geographical names that fall outside the scope of the AP Stylebook.

Capitalization Rules

General Rules

• It is important to avoid unnecessary capitals. A capital letter should only be used if justifiable by principles outlined in the guidelines.

• If there are no relevant listings in the AP Stylebook, refer to Webster’s New World College Dictionary and use lowercase when that is an option.

Basic Principles of Capitalization

• Proper Nouns:

  • Proper nouns should always be capitalized.

  • Common nouns should be capitalized when they form part of the full name for a person, place, or thing. For example, the Democratic Party, Mississippi River, and West Virginia.

• Common nouns should be written in lowercase when used in a standalone context in subsequent references. Examples include:

  • "The river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico."

  • "What party represents your viewpoints best?"

Plural Usage

• Lowercase common noun elements of names in plural usages such as:

  • "the Democratic and Republican parties"

  • "Main and State streets"

  • "lakes Erie and Ontario"

Specific Capitalization Rules

• Popular Names:

  • Capitalize popular names such as "the South Side" and "the Badlands."

  • This principle extends to one-of-a-kind events such as "the Series" and "the Derby."

• Derivatives:

  • Capitalize words derived from proper nouns that still depend on the proper noun for their meaning, such as "American," "Christian," and "English."

  • Lowercase derivatives that no longer depend on the proper noun, e.g., "french fries," "venetian blinds," and "pasteurize."

• Titles:

  • Capitalize formal titles when they are used directly before a name.

  • Lowercase formal titles when they appear alone or within comma-separated constructions. For example:

  • "UK President Eli Capilouto wore Bermuda shorts on his vacation."

  • "Eli Capilouto, UK’s president, wore Bermuda shorts on his vacation."

Title Conventions in Writing

• Use lowercase and spelled-out titles when not associated with an individual's name. For instance:

  • "The president issued a statement about the war."

  • "The pope offered his blessing to the masses."

• Maintain lowercase and spelled-out titles in constructions separated from names by commas:

  • "Mitch Barnhart, UK’s athletics director, told both coaches to stop whining."

  • "The final decision was that of umpire Dan Greenwell."

Definition of Formal Titles

• A formal title usually indicates a scope of authority, professional activity, or an academic activity.

• Titles that primarily describe occupations without imposing authority are not capitalized, such as in:

  • "Going into space never got old for astronaut Sally Ride."

  • "The event was held to honor poet Maya Angelou."

  • "The final decision was that of umpire Dan Greenwell."

Title Formatting in Associated Press Style

Usage of Italics and Underlines

• Associated Press style does not permit italics or underlines.

• Consequently, most composition titles require quotation marks. Examples include:

  • Books, poems, songs, TV shows, movies, plays, speeches, works of art, and newspaper or magazine articles.

Exclusions in Quotation Marks

• Do not enclose the following items in quotes:

  • Names of magazines and newspapers.

  • Religious texts such as the Bible and the Quran.

  • Reference books including almanacs, dictionaries, handbooks, and encyclopedias.

  • Software titles such as InDesign, Windows, or Photoshop.

  • Sculptures like "The Thinker."

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Usage after a Name

• Abbreviate "Jr." or "Sr." when used after an individual’s name without a comma. Example:

  • "The Steelers put the ball in the hands of Benny Snell Jr. on Sunday night."

Usage before a Name

• Abbreviate titles used directly before a full name:

  • Titles such as Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Rep., and the Rev. should be abbreviated.

  • However, certain titles like "mayor" and "professor" should not be abbreviated.

• All other formal titles must be spelled out in all instances.

Academic Titles

Specifics on Use

• Use "Dr." solely in the first reference for individuals holding Doctor of Dental Surgery, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Optometry, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, etc. Do not use "Dr." before the names of individuals with other types of doctoral degrees. Example:

  • "Cassandra Case, who has a doctorate in applied mathematics, discussed black holes."

• Avoid abbreviations for titles and prefer using phrases instead. E.g.,

  • "John Jones, who has a doctorate in psychology, gave a lecture on Wednesday."

Degrees

• Use an apostrophe with degrees such as bachelor's degree, master's degree, and associate degree.

Academic Departments

• When discussing academic departments, lowercase is generally the rule, except for proper nouns or proper adjectives. Examples include:

  • "The department of history" versus "the history department."

  • "The department of English" versus "the English department."

General Information on Style and Usage

Reference Materials

• Associated Press Stylebook (AP Stylebook):

  • Serves as a primary guide for spelling, style, and usage questions.

  • In cases not covered, consult additional resources.

• Webster’s New World Dictionary:

  • This dictionary is authoritative for spelling, style, and usage that the AP Stylebook does not address.

  • It should be referenced to find the first spelling listed, unless specifically noted otherwise in the AP Stylebook.

  • Additionally, it is the first reference for geographical names that fall outside the scope of the AP Stylebook.

Capitalization Rules

General Rules

• It is important to avoid unnecessary capitals. A capital letter should only be used if justifiable by principles outlined in the guidelines.

• If there are no relevant listings in the AP Stylebook, refer to Webster’s New World College Dictionary and use lowercase when that is an option.

Basic Principles of Capitalization

• Proper Nouns:

  • Proper nouns should always be capitalized.

  • Common nouns should be capitalized when they form part of the full name for a person, place, or thing. For example, the Democratic Party, Mississippi River, and West Virginia.

• Common nouns should be written in lowercase when used in a standalone context in subsequent references. Examples include:

  • "The river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico."

  • "What party represents your viewpoints best?"

Plural Usage

• Lowercase common noun elements of names in plural usages such as:

  • "the Democratic and Republican parties"

  • "Main and State streets"

  • "lakes Erie and Ontario"

Specific Capitalization Rules

• Popular Names:

  • Capitalize popular names such as "the South Side" and "the Badlands."

  • This principle extends to one-of-a-kind events such as "the Series" and "the Derby."

• Derivatives:

  • Capitalize words derived from proper nouns that still depend on the proper noun for their meaning, such as "American," "Christian," and "English."

  • Lowercase derivatives that no longer depend on the proper noun, e.g., "french fries," "venetian blinds," and "pasteurize."

• Titles:

  • Capitalize formal titles when they are used directly before a name.

  • Lowercase formal titles when they appear alone or within comma-separated constructions. For example:

    • "UK President Eli Capilouto wore Bermuda shorts on his vacation."

    • "Eli Capilouto, UK’s president, wore Bermuda shorts on his vacation."

Title Conventions in Writing

• Use lowercase and spelled-out titles when not associated with an individual's name. For instance:

  • "The president issued a statement about the war."

  • "The pope offered his blessing to the masses."

• Maintain lowercase and spelled-out titles in constructions separated from names by commas:

  • "Mitch Barnhart, UK’s athletics director, told both coaches to stop whining."

  • "The final decision was that of umpire Dan Greenwell."

Definition of Formal Titles

• A formal title usually indicates a scope of authority, professional activity, or an academic activity.

• Titles that primarily describe occupations without imposing authority are not capitalized, such as in:

  • "Going into space never got old for astronaut Sally Ride."

  • "The event was held to honor poet Maya Angelou."

  • "The final decision was that of umpire Dan Greenwell."

Title Formatting in Associated Press Style

Usage of Italics and Underlines

• Associated Press style does not permit italics or underlines.

• Consequently, most composition titles require quotation marks. Examples include:

  • Books, poems, songs, TV shows, movies, plays, speeches, works of art, and newspaper or magazine articles.

Exclusions in Quotation Marks

• Do not enclose the following items in quotes:

  • Names of magazines and newspapers.

  • Religious texts such as the Bible and the Quran.

  • Reference books including almanacs, dictionaries, handbooks, and encyclopedias.

  • Software titles such as InDesign, Windows, or Photoshop.

  • Sculptures like "The Thinker."

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Usage after a Name

• Abbreviate "Jr." or "Sr." when used after an individual’s name without a comma. Example:

  • "The Steelers put the ball in the hands of Benny Snell Jr. on Sunday night."

Usage before a Name

• Abbreviate titles used directly before a full name:

  • Titles such as Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Rep., and the Rev. should be abbreviated.

  • However, certain titles like "mayor" and "professor" should not be abbreviated.

• All other formal titles must be spelled out in all instances.

Academic Titles

Specifics on Use

• Use "Dr." solely in the first reference for individuals holding Doctor of Dental Surgery, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Optometry, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, etc. Do not use "Dr." before the names of individuals with other types of doctoral degrees. Example:

  • "Cassandra Case, who has a doctorate in applied mathematics, discussed black holes."

• Avoid abbreviations for titles and prefer using phrases instead. E.g.,

  • "John Jones, who has a doctorate in psychology, gave a lecture on Wednesday."

Degrees

• Use an apostrophe with degrees such as bachelor's degree, master's degree, and associate degree.

Academic Departments

• When discussing academic departments, lowercase is generally the rule, except for proper nouns or proper adjectives. Examples include:

  • "The department of history" versus "the history department."

  • "The department of English" versus "the English department."