Common Errors of AP Style (P-Z)

This is the last of the common errors I have. Read carefully and learn something!

Common Errors of AP Style (P-Z)

Explanations:

PART ONE:

1. Principal refers to a person in charge, while principle is a noun that means fundamental truth. (See AP Stylebook 2010–principal/principle, pg. 229)
2. The term real estate agent is preferred. Only use Realtor if you need to indicate the person is a member of the National Association of Realtors. (See AP Stylebook 2010–Realtor, pg. 240)
3. According to AP Style, you must capitalize polictical parties, such as Communist, Conservative, Democrat and Liberal. (See AP Stylebook 2010–political parties and philosophies, pg. 220)
4. Toward is never spelled with an “s”. (See AP Stylebook 2010–toward, pg. 282)
5. Woman’s Christian Temperance Union
6. Right-to-work should be hyphenated. (See AP Stylebook 2010–right-to-work, pg. 282)
7. Percent is one word. (See AP Stylebook 2010–percent, pg. 282)
8. Totally is redundant in this case. The church is destroyed–meaning completely and totally.
9. You pedal when you ride a bicycle. When you sell something, you peddle it. (See AP Stylebook 2010–pedal/peddle, pg. 282)
10. South Dakota is abbreviated as S.D. not SD. (See AP Stylebook 2010–state names, pg. 266)
11. Capital is used in a financial sense. Capitol refers to U.S. capitol and therefore, the above edit is “STET”. (See AP Stylebook 2010–capitol, pg. 46)
12. Professor should never be abbreviated in AP style. (See AP Stylebook 2010–professor, pg. 231)
13. Christians, just as Muslims in my last post, must be capitalized.
14. Only capitilize president when it is used as a formal title before a name. (See AP Stylebook 2010–president, pg. 231)

Common Errors of AP Style (P-Z)

Explanations:

PART TWO:

1. Pope is only capitalized when it serves as a title before a name. (See AP Stylebook 2010–pope, pg. 231) Blacks is a derogatory term. If possible, it should be avoided. The abbreviation of Arizona is Ariz. (See AP Stylebook 2010–state names, pg. 266)
2. Whiskey is spelled with an “e”, unless in conjunction with Scotch. (See AP Stylebook 2010–whiskey/whiskeys, pg. 231)
3. Sun Belt is two words and refers to states in the South and West. (See AP Stylebook 2010–Sun Belt, pg. 269)
4. Tennessee is abbreviated as Tenn. (See AP Stylebook 2010–state names, pg. 266) When referring to the full name of a time zone, such as Eastern Standard Time, capitalize it, otherwise don’t capitalize “time zone”. (See AP Stylebook 2010–time zones, pg. 278)
5. Soft-spoken is a modifier that needs to be hyphenated.
6. Roads, terrace, drive, alley, etc. are always spelled out. (See AP Stylebook 2010–addresses, pg. 4) Rank-and-file as an adjective is hyphenated, but at a noun is not.(See AP Stylebook 2010–rank and file/rank-and-file, pg. 239)

Common Errors of AP Style (P-Z)

Explanations:

PART THREE:

Abbreviation-

• Percents are always numerical.
• New York is abbreviated N.Y.
• Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah are never abbreviated.

Capitalization-

• Styrofoam, Sheetrock and Xerox are brand names

Punctuation-

• Commas are used to show possession.
• There is a difference between small-business men and businessmen.
• Rock ‘n’ roll (in AP style) not rock and roll.
• Decades are formatted ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, etc.

Common Errors of AP Style (E-O)

Here are a few more common errors that journalists make when copy editing for AP style:

Common Errors of AP Style (E-O)

Explanations:

PART ONE:

1. Military titles can usually be shortened (See AP Stylebook 2010–military titles pg. 180)
2. Forefathers is one word (See AP Stylebook 2010–fore- pg. 115)
3. Legislatures is only capitalized when it is preceded by the name of a state. (See AP Stylebook 2010–legislature pg. 161-162)
4. It’s stands for it is. Its is possessive. (See AP Stylebook 2010–it’s/its pg. 161-162)
5. Refer to number four.
6. National Institutes of Health is plural. There is more than one. (See AP Stylebook 2010–National Institues of Health pg. 161-162)
7. No change needed.
8. Gross domestic product is not capitalized, but GDP can be used in second references. (See AP Stylebook 2010–gross domestic product pg. 127)
9. FORTRAN
10. Over is a spatial term, while more than is used with numerals. (See AP Stylebook 2010–over pg. 210)
11. Grand jury is always lower case. (See AP Stylebook 2010–grand jury pg. 126)
12. While ordinal numbers first through ninth are usually spelled out, “some ordinal numbers, such as those indicating political or geographic order, should use figures in all cases”, according to the Purdue OWL. (See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/735/02/)

PART TWO:

1. Fewer than is used were referring to individual items. Less than is used for bulk. (See AP Stylebook 2010–fewer/less pg. 111)
2. magnitude
3. To gibe means to taunt or sneer, to jibe means to shift directions. (See AP Stylebook 2010–gibe/jibe pg. 123) Ghetto should not be used and is very discriminate. Section, district, slum area or quarter should be used instead. (See AP Stylebook 2010–ghetto/ghettos pg. 122)
4. Farther refers to distance while further refers to an extansion of time or degree. (See AP Stylebook 2010–farther/further pg. 108)
5. Writers imply in the words they use. Listeners infer something from words. (See AP Stylebook 2010–imply/infer pg. 140)

Common Errors of AP Style (E-O)

Explanations:

PART THREE:

Abbreviation-

1. Los Angeles is spelled out on first reference. LA can be used on second reference. (See AP Stylebook 2010–Los Angeles, pg. 167)
2. IQ should be capitalized and refers to intelligence quotient. (See AP Stylebook 2010–IQ, pg. 146)
3. NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organizations. (See AP Stylebook 2010–NATO, pg. 146)
4. Online is one word. (See AP Stylebook 2010–online, pg. 207)
5. In the 2010 Stylebook, e-mail is hyphened. In more recent editions, AP style says you can spell it as one word. (See AP Stylebook 2010–e-mail, pg. 99)

Capitalization-

1. Kleenex is a trademark and needs to be capitalized.(See AP Stylebook 2010–Kleenex, pg. 156)
2. Olympics is only capitalized when referring to the international athletic contests. (See AP Stylebook 2010–Olympics, pg. 206)
3. Muslims is captialized just as Christians, Baptists, etc. (See AP Stylebook 2010–Muslims, pg. 189)

Numerals-

• Numbers one through ten are spelled out in AP style. Numbers 11 and higher use numerals. (See AP Stylebook 2010–numerals, pg. 202)
• Exceptions include:
• Money is always in numbers($4), unless its a casual reference like “a dollar”.
• Dimensions use numerals (4 inches by 2 inches).
• Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are always spelled out.

Common Errors of AP Style (A-D)

When editing for the Associated Press style, there are many specific rules to remember. Here are some common errors that journalists make:

Common Errors of AP Style

Explanations:

1. There is nothing wrong with the first sentence, but rather many ways to right a an academic degree. For example: chemist, Sam Johnson, Ph.D.; Dr. Sam Johnson, a chemist; or Sam Johnson, who has a doctorate in chemistry . (See AP Stylebook 2010–academic degrees, pg. 3)
2. Affect (v.) means to influence. Affect (n.) is best avoided. Effect (v.) means to cause. Effect (n.) means result. (See AP Stylebook 2010–affect/effect, pg. 6)
3. A “disk” in computer related and medical related references is spelt with a “k”. A “disc” is used when referring to phonograph records, optical and laser-based devices, and a disc brake. For example: disc jockey, Blu-ray disc, and slipped disk. (See AP Stylebook 2010–disc/disk, pg. 88)
4. When referring to the cost of living as a compound modifier, hyphens are used. Otherwise, there are no hyphens in its spelling. (See AP Stylebook 2010–cost of living, pg. 72)
5. Diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, arthritis, and pneumonia are not capitalized. The only time a disease is capitalized is when it is identified with the name of a person, such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. (See AP Stylebook 2010–diseases, pg. 89)
6. District attorney must be capitalized when it serves as a formal title before a name. It is more appropriate use district attorney or lawyer on other reference, but DA may be used on second reference and therefore is not wrong in this sentence. (See AP Stylebook 2010–district attorney, pg. 89)
7. Dove is not used, use dived instead. (See AP Stylebook 2010–dive/dived/diving, pg. 89)
8. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is just simply plural. On second reference, it can be referred to as CDC. (See AP Stylebook 2010–Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pg. 48)
9. In AP style, doughnut is always spelled out this way. (See AP Stylebook 2010–doughnut, pg. 91)
10. Alley, drive, road, terrace, etc. are always spelled out. (See AP Stylebook 2010–addresses, pg. 4-5)
11. Use brunette as a noun for females. Brown-haired is used as a noun for males. (See AP Stylebook 2010–brunette, pg. 4-5)
12. A “bug” is a concealed listening device that picks up sound or an automobile. A “tap” is a device that picks up conversation on a telephone line. (See AP Stylebook 2010–bug/tap, pg. 39)
13. The last sentence has no AP errors.

More Resume Editing

Resumes must be edited not only for grammar and punctuation, but also for format, consistency and content.

I formatted the document to create unity. Here is my revised version:

Resume Editing

I  revised the resume to look and sound more professional than the original.

First Edits for Stoutonia Newspaper

Using my knowledge of Associated Press style, I copy edit the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s newspaper, The Stoutonia, bi-weekly for the first and second edits. As a copy editor, I follow AP style but also implement the newspaper’s own personal style choices. I not only correct for grammar and punctuation but also style, comprehension and clarity.

Below is an example of my editing work:

Here is the final published article that I previously copy edited:

Click here to view the PDF

Those People

There are those people–the ones obsessed with homonyms (there, their and they’re). The people that spend more time correcting their papers than they do writing them. The ones that actually enjoy learning AP style and find English rules exceptionally stimulating.

I am one of those people.

My doctor once said that my overly organized personality could be considered an OCD, but he warned me, “It’s nothing to be concerned about, doctors and lawyers all have OCDs of some sort and that’s why they are good at their jobs”.

Quite frankly, I would say my obsession with English rules has the potential to make me just that in the future–one hell of an editor.