AP Style Bell Ringers Journalism 1 and 2

Which of these versions is correct? And WHY? A. It’s not OK to wear T-shirts at practice, coach Carter said. B. It’s not okay to wear tee shirts at practice, Coach Carter said. 1

Answer = A It’s not OK to wear T-shirts at practice, coach Carter said.  The AP stylebook says that it’s OK, not okay or o.k.  People where T-shirts.  And coach is a job description, not a formal title, so it does not need to be capitalized. 1

Which of these versions is correct? And WHY? A. General Myers met ten times with former vice president Gore. B. Gen. Myers met 10 times with former Vice President Gore. 2

Answer = B Gen. Myers met 10 times with former Vice President Gore.  Military titles are abbreviated before proper names, so it’s Gen., not spelled out General.  Numerals 10 and above use figures; below 10, they’re spelled out.  And vice president is a formal title that’s capitalized (but not abbreviated) before someone’s name. 2

Which of these versions is correct? And WHY? A. He drove East from Seattle, Washington to Boise, Idaho. B. He drove east from Seattle, Wash., to Boise, Idaho. 3

Answer = B He drove east from Seattle, Wash., to Boise, Idaho.  Compass directions (east, west) are generally lowercase; they’re capitalized when they indicate regions (the South).  Long state names are abbreviated and set off by commas when they follow city names.  Short state names (Ohio, Idaho, etc.) aren’t abbreviated. 3

Which of these versions is correct? And WHY? A. The FBI office has moved to 1250 Third Ave. B. The F.B.I. office has moved to 1,250 3 rd Avenue. 4

Answer = A The FBI office has moved to 1250 Third Ave.  FBI uses no periods.  Numbered streets are words (First, Third) if thyey are lower than 10; higher-numbered streets use numerals (12th, 42nd).  Street addresses use no commas.  Avenue is abbreviated when its part of a street address. 4

Which of these versions is correct? And WHY? A. In the 90’s, she received mostly A’s in school despite being a rock-and- roll groupie. B. In the ‘90s, she received mostly A’s in school despite being a rock ’n’ roll groupie. 5

Answer = B In the ‘90s, she received mostly A’s in school despite being a rock ’n’ roll groupie.  Decades are abbreviated with apostrophes before the numeral, not after (’90s not 90’s).  Single letters are made plural by adding apostrophe s (A’s), although multiple letter combinations don’t add apostrophes (ABCs).  And rock ’n’ roll is written this way because the apostrophes stand in for the letter a and d in and. 5

Which of these versions is correct? And WHY? A. Aaron C. Reskew Jr. is the candidate who will be elected mayor. B. Aaron C. Reskew, Jr. is the candidate that will be elected Mayor. 6

Answer = A Aaron C. Reskew Jr. is the candidate who will be elected mayor.  When the abbreviation for junior follows a complete name, it’s written Jr. but not set off by a comma.  Who, not that, is the pronoun used for people (and animals with names).  And mayor is a formal title that’s capitalized only when it precedes a name. 6

What’s wrong? “Assaults on campus increased from 20 in 2004 to 33 in 2005,” Penn State University deputy director of university police Ben Z. Dreen said. “That’s an increase of 75 percent.” There are 3 possible things!

What’s wrong? “Assaults on campus increased from 20 in 2004 to 33 in 2005,” Penn State University deputy director of university police Ben Z. Dreen said. “That’s an increase of 75 percent.” 1. Avoid long complex attributions. Long job descriptions should follow the speaker’s name. said speaker’s name, long wordy title

What’s wrong? “Assaults on campus increased from 20 in 2004 to 33 in 2005,” Penn State University deputy director of university police Ben Z. Dreen said. “That’s an increase of 75 percent.” 2. Check your math! An increase from 20 to 33 percent is a 65 percent increase.

What’s wrong? “Assaults on campus increased from 20 in 2004 to 33 in 2005,” Penn State University deputy director of university police Ben Z. Dreen said. “That’s an increase of 75 percent.” 3. This statement is not quote worthy! Avoid using quotes to present statistics or simple facts. Use quotes to add color.