This document summarizes key points from the AP Stylebook about proper grammar, punctuation, and style guidelines for writing. It outlines rules for spelling out state names, identifying cities, using numerals, formatting political titles, referring to the United States and other countries, placing punctuation, writing dates and times, formatting addresses, forming possessives, and properly attributing titles. The summary highlights that the AP Stylebook is an essential reference for journalists and writers to ensure consistency in writing style.

1. AP Stylebook highlights
This will tell you 90% (no longer
percent!) of what you need to know

2. AP Stylebook highlights
With a few grammatical tips as well

3. 1. States
• The names of states are spelled out except in
datelines and political identifiers (i.e., Sen.
Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.)

4. 1. States
• The names of states are spelled out except in
datelines and political identifiers (i.e., Sen.
Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.)
• The AP does not use postal abbreviations.
Consider the following datelines:
– Incorrect: CONCORD, MA — Police arrested …
– Correct: CONCORD, Mass. — Police arrested …

5. 2. Cities
• Most cities and towns are also identified by
state. For example, Annapolis, Maryland.

6. 2. Cities
• Most cities and towns are also identified by
state. For example, Annapolis, Maryland.
• Many large cities do not need a state whether
it is in the dateline or within the article. See
“Datelines” in the AP Stylebook.
– Wrong: New York, New York
– Wicked wrong: New York, NY
– Right: New York

7. 3. Numerals
• Spell out numbers from zero through nine and
use numerals for 10 and up.

8. 3. Numerals
• Spell out numbers from zero through nine and
use numerals for 10 and up.
• Ages are always rendered as numerals:
the 5-year-old boy.

9. 3. Numerals
• Spell out numbers from zero through nine and
use numerals for 10 and up.
• Ages are always rendered as numerals:
the 5-year-old boy.
• Percentages always take a numeral: 6%.

10. 3. Numerals
• Spell out numbers from zero through nine and
use numerals for 10 and up.
• Ages are always rendered as numerals:
the 5-year-old boy.
• Percentages always take a numeral: 6%.
• Numerals with millions and billions: 7 million,
4.8 billion.

11. 3. Numerals
• Use numerals for large numbers lower than
1 million: 3,750 for example, or 375,000.
• Money always takes a dollar sign, even when
you are quoting someone:
– $46
– $4,600
– $4.6 million

12. 3. Numerals
• Use numerals for large numbers lower than
1 million: 3,750 for example, or 375,000.
• Money always takes a dollar sign, even when
you are quoting someone:
– $46
– $4,600
– $4.6 million
• The cent sign is never used. This is correct:
– 46 cents

13. 4. Politics
• Wrong: US Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) is
a longtime critic of the telecommunications
industry.

14. 4. Politics
• Wrong: US Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) is
a longtime critic of the telecommunications
industry.
• Right: U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., is a
longtime critic of the telecommunications
industry.

15. 4. Politics
• We refer to President Donald Trump (including
first name on first reference), but to the
president (lowercase) when there’s no name.

16. 4. Politics
• Official titles are capitalized when they appear
before a name, but lowercased when used
after a name.
– Right: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took office
shortly after Rex Tillerson stepped down.
– Right: Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, took
office shortly after Rex Tillerson stepped down.

17. 4. Politics
• Unofficial titles are akin to job descriptions,
and are lowercased whether they appear
before or after a person’s name.
– Right: Warren strategist Emmanuel Saez is a
professor at the University of California Berkeley.

18. 5. Our country
• Spell out United States whenever it is used as
a noun.
– Energy prices in the United States tend to fluctuate
depending on economic activity.

19. 5. Our country
• Spell out United States whenever it is used as
a noun.
• The abbreviation U.S. is sufficient when used
as an adjective.
– The state of the U.S. economy has a major effect
on energy prices.

20. 5. Our country
• Spell out United States whenever it is used as
a noun.
• The abbreviation U.S. is sufficient when used
as an adjective.
• The abbreviation US is always wrong. Two-
letter abbreviations take periods (except AP
for some reason).

21. 6. Punctuation
• Commas and periods go inside quotation
marks.
– Wrong: The author will read from his new book,
“Getting Rich”, today at 3 p.m.
– Right: The author will read from his new book,
“Getting Rich,” today at 3 p.m.

22. 6. Punctuation
• Colons and semicolons generally go outside
the quotation marks.
– We must read three novels over the summer:
Herman Melville’s masterpiece, “Moby Dick”; a
1920s classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “This Side of
Paradise”; and Toni Morrison’s best-known work,
“Beloved.”

23. 6. Punctuation
• With question marks and exclamation points,
it depends on the context.
– “Why is it taking so long to get there?” she asked.
– Have you ever read “Moby Dick”?

24. 6. Punctuation
• We use double quotes in all cases unless we
need to use them inside quotation marks.
– “He said we must read ‘Moby Dick’ before the end
of the semester.”
– Wrong: The sign said ‘Exit’ in bright red lights.
– Right: The sign said “Exit” in bright red lights.

25. 6. Punctuation
• We use double quotes in all cases unless we
need to use them inside quotation marks.
• No serial (Oxford) commas with AP style:
– Wrong: Tom, Dick, and Harry.
– Right: Tom, Dick and Harry.

26. 6. Punctuation
• We use double quotes in all cases unless we
need to use them inside quotation marks.
• No serial (Oxford) commas.
• No commas with Jr.
– Wrong: Ken Griffey, Jr., was the greatest player of
his era until injuries slowed him down.
– Wicked wrong: Ken Griffey, Jr. was the greatest
player of his era until injuries slowed him down.

27. 6. Punctuation
• We use double quotes in all cases unless we
need to use them inside quotation marks.
• No serial (Oxford) commas.
• No commas with Jr.
– Right: Ken Griffey Jr. was the greatest player of his
era until injuries slowed him down.

28. 7. Time
• 1 p.m. or 10:15 a.m. Not 1 o’clock in the
afternoon or a quarter after 10 in the
morning.

29. 7. Time
• 1 p.m. or 10:15 a.m. Not 1 o’clock in the
afternoon or a quarter after 10 in the
morning.
• Midnight and noon are rendered just like that,
without a 12.
– The Rotary Club will meet from noon to 1:30 p.m.

30. 7. Time
• Months are spelled out when used without a
date.
– She is hoping to take two weeks off in August.

31. 7. Time
• Months are spelled out when used without a
date.
– She is hoping to take two weeks off in August.
• Months are abbreviated when used with a
date.
– She plans to begin her vacation on Aug. 13.
(Please note that it’s not 13th.)

32. 7. Time
• Months are spelled out when used without a
date.
– She is hoping to take two weeks off in August.
• Months are abbreviated when used with a
date.
– She plans to begin her vacation on Aug. 13.
(Please note that it’s not 13th.)
• We do not specify the year unless it’s in the
past or the future.

33. 8. Addresses
• Street names are spelled out when not used
with a specific address.
– He lives on Whalley Avenue.

34. 8. Addresses
• Street names are spelled out when not used
with a specific address.
– He lives on Whalley Avenue.
• Street names are abbreviated when used with
a specific address.
– He lives at 7 Whalley Ave.

35. 8. Addresses
• Street names are spelled out when not used
with a specific address.
• Street names are abbreviated when used with
a specific address.
• Some types of streets are always spelled out,
the most common example of which is road.

36. 8. Addresses
• Street names are spelled out when not used
with a specific address.
• Street names are abbreviated when used with
a specific address.
• Some types of streets are always spelled out,
the most common example of which is road.
• Lowercase when referring to more than one.
– The intersection of Smith and Jones streets.
– The intersection of Smith Street and Jones Road.

37. 9. Possessives
• Some style guides form the possessive of a
proper name ending in s with ’s.
– Fred Jones’s car is a rusting hulk of metal and
random wires.

38. 9. Possessives
• Some style guides form the possessive of a
proper name ending in s with ’s.
– Fred Jones’s car is a rusting hulk of metal and
random wires.
• AP style eliminates the second s.
– Fred Jones’ car is a rusting hulk of metal and
random wires.

39. 10. Titles
• AP style does not use italics at all except,
incongruously enough, in the AP Stylebook in
order to distinguish rules from examples, as is
also the case with this slideshow.

40. 10. Titles
• The names of newspapers, websites and
magazines are rendered without any
punctuation or italicization.
– The Boston Globe (capitalize The because it is part
of the name; always check)
– BuzzFeed
– Entertainment Weekly
– Talking Points Memo

41. 10. Titles
• The names of books, movies, TV shows,
albums, songs, video games and the like
should be in quotation marks.
– “Spotlight”
– “In Cold Blood”
– “30 Rock”
– “Call of Duty: Black Ops”
– “Highway 61 Revisited”

42. 11. People
• People are referred to only by their last name
on second reference.
– John Smith is Smith
– Mary Jones is Jones
– Honorifics (Mr., Ms., Mrs.) are generally used in
obituaries
– Reintroducing someone by his or her first and last
name is good practice when writing a long story

43. 12. Special digital considerations
• The AP has modernized its approach to the
internet in recent years. Thus:
– The word web is always lowercase
– The word website is lowercase
– The word internet is lowercase

44. 13. A grammatical tip
• Spend some time reading and understanding
the stylebook’s sections on essential and
nonessential clauses and phrases.
• If you can understand why this sentence is
telling us that Mary Smith has more than one
husband, then you’re starting to get it:
– Mary Smith and her husband John Jones appeared
before the Planning Board on Tuesday.

45. Must-read stylebook entries
• abbreviations
• capitalization
• datelines
• essential clauses/nonessential clauses
• essential phrases/nonessential phrases
• numerals
• possessives
• A Guide to Punctuation

46. On Twitter
@APStylebook
@FakeAPStylebook

47. Credit
• This organizational scheme of this
presentation is based on the short guide to AP
style in “Writing and Reporting for the Media”
(11th edition), by Bender, Davenport, Drager
and Fedler.