Apr 14, 20 an acronym is an abbreviation that you say as a word e. Use the following guidelines to produce clean copy, style errorfree writing with unnecessary mistakes. Plurals of acronyms, letters, numbers use an apostrophe. Chile refers to any of a variety of spicy peppers or the sauces or gravies derived from them. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style. Today, all major publications and style guides im aware of recommend simply adding an s without an apostrophe. Apa style discourages the use of frequent abbreviations and acronyms in a paper. So we will attempt to shed more light on the distinctions. If possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is.
But many, many style books and grammar guides including mine recommend adding an apostrophe with the plural of a small letter in an abbreviation to make it easier to read. However, these days we use only an s to make numbers plural. Dear style experts, how do you tell whether to use a or an with abbreviations. For words not in this book use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world college dictionary. If youre writing in ap style, you are never explicitly required to use acronyms.
Associated press changes style on race, gender posted on april 5, 2019 by joe grimm th associated press stylebook sets the tone and conventions for news media across the united states and around the world. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. The sba is committed to simplifying our message by using a standard style without jargon and unidentifiable acronyms. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Jack gillespie, rowan university, purdue university writing lab and ap stylebook page 1 ap stylebook guidelines the ap style items below represent the journalistic style errors most often found in news stories. Associated press changes style on race, gender bias. What is the proper way to abrevieate purchase orders. Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word.
Using a or an with acronyms and abbreviations apa style. For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe. Regarding pluralization, abbreviations should reflect the meaning you wish to convey. See appendix d for a list of abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms common to mla publications. A few weeks ago, i was in new orleans for jazzfest, and while i was mostly off the clock, i did catch this typo on a sign while i was waiting for allen toussaint to start his set. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated. In the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style. In the vast majority of cases, you dont use apostrophes for plural forms. This guide aims to clarify our style choices in order to ensure consistency among all publications, print and digital, across the bloomberg school. Gregg, garners and ap agree on these number plurals without apostrophes.
A primer on the ap style rule for acronyms bka content. Whether you put periods after the letters in an acronym such as nasa or an initialism such as rbi is a style choice, but neither the chicago manual or style nor the ap stylebook recommend using periods. Still, the new oxford style manual points out that find all the number 7s may be useful. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. I understood that making text entities with nonletter characters into a plural form, you separate the s from the term with an apostrophe 1900s, jones, smiths, or bang. Otherswhich spelling to use, whether to use acronyms or capitalize certain termsare a matter of style. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print book s guidance. Deviations from ap style or issues specific to usda include.
Abbreviations abbreviate junior or senior after a name, but dont use a comma. In this case your teachers preference agrees with chicago. British and american style guides tend to agree that collective nouns like audience, committee, and data can be construed as either singular or plural, according to whether the word is perceived as a unit or as individual items. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Dont put acronyms in parentheses after the first reference for. I assume that an abbreviation is treated just as if it were a word, but im having trouble with some examples. Team names and musical group names that are plural take plural verbs. The associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style recommend the former, the new york times the latter. Jun 15, 2009 acronyms are words formed from the initial letters of a multiword term. Apostrophes to show the plural of abbreviations and. Be sure to use the stylebook abbreviations, and not the u. Initialisms dictionaries dont all agree on the definitions of these words and neither do style manuals.
If you choose to utilize one, you should usually begin by writing out the full phrase that makes up the acronym. This reader wants to know why we write 1980s and not 1980s. This section can be used as a primer and a quick reference, not a replacement to the gpo or ap style books. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name. Apostrophes are generally used in contractions and to indicate the possessive case, but they are not used to form plurals of numbers and abbreviations in apa style. Others are adamant in insisting that the apostrophe is wrong that it indicates a possessive and should not be used in a plural like this. Usda follows the associated press stylebook for news releases, advisories, statements, speeches and other materials targeted to the media. The style that many of us are accustomed tosimply adding an apostrophe after the s e.
Guard against following an acronym with a word that appears in the acronym itself. Tarp stands for troubled asset relief program, so writing the tarp program was controversial is redundant. Nonacademic styles, such as ap, suggest simply adding an apostrophe to the end of a word that ends in s. The sense in a particular sentence is conveyed by the use of a singular or plural verb. Ap stylebook, also known by its full name the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the associated press to standardize mass communication. The main reason for using either is that it will save space and be easier for your reader to process the information through an acronym than if you were to write out an entire phrase each time you used it. While an apostrophe is used to indicate possession and contractions, it is not generally necessary to use an apostrophe to show the plural form of most acronyms, initialisms, or abbreviations, except where clarity and sense demand such inclusion. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations.
However, some longer acronyms, such as unesco, appear fully capitalized by convention. Some style sheets suggest that an apostrophe be added to plural abbreviations like m. For singular proper names ending in s sounds such as x, ce, and z, use s for plurals of a single letter, add s do not use s for plurals of numbers or multiple letter combinations bullets. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines.
The 2009 ap stylebooks plurals entry has no section on acronyms, but mentions vips, i cant find anything addressing how to specifically pluralize acronyms. A new stylebook entry, which was announced thursday as part of the aps session at the 21st national conference of aces. Book style is simultaneously more complex and more consistent. Abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms baltimore sun. Most examples here are taken and condensed from these style books. In ap style, you use a lone apostrophe to make singular nouns and names that end with s possessive, and in chicago style, most of the time you add an apostrophe and an s, with a few rare exceptions. Too many, the ap style guide warns, produces alphabet soup. When to form a plural with an apostrophe daily writing tips. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Here are some tips for using headlinestyle capitalization. As the ap style book writes, names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words.
The abbreviations and acronyms section is also of no help. As a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules.
There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. Capital letters used as words, numerals used as nouns, and abbreviations usually form the plural by adding s. Per jhu and ap stylebook, omit the possessive s when following a sibilant in a. Aug 12, 2019 years ago, this used to be a style choice, and it was quite common for style guides to recommend using an apostrophe to make abbreviations plural, but as time went on, more and more style guides stopped recommending the apostrophe. The associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style. One unusual use of the apostrophe is in plural acronyms, like icbms ngos and cds. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start. You can find abbreviations discussed in the publication manual in section 4. Sep 15, 2016 if possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. Ap style also revised its sage guidance to clarify the difference between chile and chili.
Sp 17 ap style guide university of texas at austin. A lot of people today use the words acronym and initialism interchangeably, but there are actually a few things to keep in mind when understanding the differences between these terms. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Without an apostrophe, the s in the plural abbreviation looks like part of the principal term. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Chili, meanwhile, refers to the meat andor beanbased dish. No exception is made depending on whether singular nouns preceding and following the apostrophe end and start with s, respectively. A common mistake people make is to include apostrophes when pluralizing a number or an abbreviation. The book was written in the 21st century, not the second century. On first reference, dont put an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses after an organization or government agencys name. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules.
Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Apostrophes in plurals for uppercase abbreviations when writing titles, you are. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. All states are spelled out in the body of the text. Since you say the letters of emt, its an initialism.
If you want to follow the writing style used by magazines, newspapers, editors and journalists, then you need to study up on associated press style, or ap style. Both initialisms and acronyms are under the abbreviation umbrella. Associated press style cheat sheet compiled with assistance from online resources, including scribd, purdue university and towson university abbreviations and acronyms as a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations. Team or group names with no plural forms also take plural verbs.
So, if you have an awkward abbreviation, number, or letter and adding s makes for the bestlooking plural, then go for it. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Mar 24, 2017 the associated press stylebook says it is opening the door to use of the singular they. Otherswhich spelling to use, whether to use acronyms or capitalize certain.
And yes, chile is a south american country ripe with furry spitting llamas, plump. Personally, i omit using apostrophes unless i cant avoid it. To aid comprehension, lowercase letters form the plural with an apostrophe and an s. Since this pattern violates the rule that apostrophes are not used before an s indicating a plural, many people object to it. This is the style guide that professional media use.
The equivalent resource for the older apa 6 style can be found here. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Improve your writing with this cheat sheet for the associated press ap style guide for. For example, when pluralizing an acronym, such as cv for curriculum vitae, all you need to do is add an s to the end, as in cvs. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. Just as with numbers, dont include an apostrophe when pluralizing abbreviations. Whew, so that seemed complicated, but remember most of the time its simple. Clearness is secured by using words that are current and ordinary. Ap style cheat sheet for wjeas writeoff contests and beyond student journalists should have at least these two sources available to answer basic style questions.
Acronyms are pronounced as words, rather than as series of letters. According to ap style, you should put quotation marks around the names of. As for the plural, in either case, it doesnt matter. For singular common nouns ending in s, add s for singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe. What if the abbreviation already stands for something plural or the final word has an irregular plural form. But just between you and me, you can use this shootfromthehip style in personal email. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style.
Jun 02, 2016 in the past, some publications used apostrophes to make acronyms and abbreviations plural, so until a few years ago, it was common to see something like rbis or cds in the new york times. Some abbreviations of trade names, organizations, or innovations function as initialisms or acronyms e. In fact, style rules at the times and some other publications, including the chicago manual of style do call for using an apostrophe in the plural of abbreviations that include periods. An abbreviation like pc can be made plural as either pcs or pcs. However, all plural nouns are treated the same as in ap style. It never hurts to check the ap stylebook or a direct. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Use all caps, but no periods, in abbreviations that are longer. If you are referring to a plural object, then a plural form with an s is appropriate e. In apa, abbreviations should be limited to instances when a the abbreviation is standard and will not interfere with the readers understanding and b if space and repetition can be greatly avoided through abbreviation. The most common, such as nasa, fbi and cia, can be used on all references. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. Please check the style guide of whatever format youre using to make sure youre in line with their recommendations.
Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. Ap stylebook entry on collective nouns says band names take plural verbs. Ap style for first time allows use of they as singular pronoun. Jun 12, 2015 ap style has a funny little way of sneaking into your ear and whispering sweet nothings like, didnt i teach you better than to leave street designations unabbreviated. While acronyms are highly efficient, care needs to be taken when using them. We use headlinestyle capitalization, also called title case, which means the main words are capitalized and the less important words are lowercased in titles and headings. In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym. In the past, some publications used apostrophes to make acronyms and abbreviations plural, so until a few years ago, it was common to see something like rbis or cds in the new york times. Latinate um neuter endings that are a part of the language eg stadium take an s plural. This deviates from ap style, which uses sentencestyle capitalization. These can be names of organizations nato, nations usa, and phrases faq. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and refer to it when in doubt.
The ruling, however, is that you can use s to show an awkward plural. Department of agriculture and names of agencies and programs in the first reference and use acronyms thereafter. Add an s but no apostrophe to a number to make it plural. An acronym is formed from the first letters of the words that make up a phrase. The apostrophe in the contraction dont seems to make people want to use an apostrophe to make do plural dos and donts, but then to be consistent, youd also have to use an apostrophe to make dont plural, which becomes downright ugly dos and donts. Ah, yes, the familiar panic of poring over your article to make sure hyphens are correctly placed and quotes are wellattributed.