Abbreviations
What title abbreviation would you use before the name “Jane Doe” if she were a governor?
What is Gov.?
How would you correctly write “January 5”?
What is Jan. 5?
In AP style, should you use brackets in news writing?
No, use parentheses or rephrase instead.
Where does attribution (the source) usually go in AP style? Before or after the quotation?
After the quotation
What is the inverted pyramid structure?
It is a structure that places the most important information at the beginning, with the details slowly becoming less important.
True or False: Academic degrees like “Ph.D.” can be used after just a last name.
False (only after a full name).
Which months are never abbreviated?
March, April, May, June, July
Where do commas and periods go with quotation marks?
Inside the quotation marks.
True or False: It’s OK to change words inside a direct quotation if you want to shorten it.
False. Never alter quotes.
What should the lead sentence answer?
What, when, where, why and how
What’s wrong with writing a date like “Sept. 1st”?
AP style says to avoid “st” or “th” after dates. The correct form is Sept. 1.
Which months are abbreviated when used with a specific date?
Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
True or False: AP style uses the Oxford comma in all lists.
False
How should you handle a very long quotation in a news story?
Break it up. Put the attribution somewhere in the middle.
Why do journalists use the inverted pyramid style?
So readers get the most important information quickly.
Rewrite this correctly: “John Smith Ph.D. is giving a lecture.”
John Smith, Ph.D., is giving a lecture.
Write this correctly in AP style: “The event was in the 1990’s.”
The event was in the 1990s.
Fix this: “The recipe requires the following ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.”
The recipe requires the following ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs and butter.
What should the introductory to the quote include (the sentence before the quote)
It should include the speaker’s full name, role/grade level, and general context to the quote
What is the order of importance?
1. Most important facts: Key details. Mainly the lead sentence, which answers what, when, why, where and how.
2. Additional details: Supporting information which mainly includes quotes.
3. Background: Interesting but not necessarily essential.
Which of these is correct in AP style?
A) “Doctor Jane Doe”
B) “Dr. Jane Doe”
C) “Jane Doe, Dr.”
What is Dr. Jane Doe?
Today is Sept. 23, 2025. How would you write this in AP style?
Today is Aug. 27.
In AP style, where should the exclamation point go in this sentence?
“I can’t believe we won the game”! she said.
“I can’t believe we won the game!” she said.
Should quotes always be serious?
No, have some fun with it sometimes. If every quote was boring, no one would want to read it.
If you were writing about a fire, what detail would go at the top of the pyramid?
Who/what/when/where/why/how (ex. “A fire broke out at Houston County High School Tuesday morning.”)