Abbreviations and Acronyms
What two-letter abbreviation does not use periods between the letters?
EU - European Union
Which is correct:
He went to school with (a/an) NFL legend.
An - use "an" before vowel sounds, "a" before consonant sounds. NFL is pronounced en-ef-el.
Why do you capitalize Tylenol but not aspirin?
Brand name (proper noun) vs. generic
Band-Aid vs. bandage
Kleenex vs. tissue
Frisbee vs. disc/flying disc
In general, how do you know to spell out a number or use a numeral?
Spell out numbers zero through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above.
He was (affected/effected) by the grisly sight.
Affected - affect is a verb, effect is a noun
True or False:
Street, avenue and boulevard should not be abbreviated in numbered addresses.
False - Remember the STAB rule STreet, Avenue and Boulevard are abbreviated when used with a named roadway and a numbered address.
Which is correct:
(Over/More than) 1,000 people attended the rally.
More than - over describes a physical relationship (they flew over the city). More than refers to something countable.
The Missouri and Mississippi (Rivers/rivers) meet in St. Louis.
rivers - when proper nouns share a common word, the plural is lowercase.
The 5 year old boy or 5-year-old boy.
5-year-old - use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, (D-MO / D-Mo. / D-Missouri)
D-Mo. - AP doesn't not follow postal abbreviations for states
Which is correct:
The papers are due at (noon/12 p.m.)
Noon - Use noon or midnight to avoid confusion
Which is correct:
The committee will choose (among/between) the five finalists.
Among - use "between" for two items or two groups of items, use "among" for three or more.
Do you capitalize job titles like teacher or coach?
No - only formal job titles are capitalized
When in doubt, use a construction that sets the name or title off with commas.
The vice president, Kamala Harris, was elected in 2020.
One-fourth or 1/4?
One-fourth - if the amount represented is less than one, spell it out. If it's larger than one (1 1/2) use numerals with a full space between the whole number and the fraction.
He needed an 80 (percent/%) on the test to pass the class.
% - in most cases, use % with no space between the number and symbol. Spell it out if it starts a sentence.
True or False:
If you're using an unfamiliar abbreviation or acronym, you should put it in parentheses after the entity's full name.
False - If you don't think the readers will understand it and it's not listed in the APSB as an acceptable reference, then don't use it at all.
Fill in the blanks:
Will you ____ out my clothes while I ____ down to rest?
lay/lie
Present | Past | Past Participle
lie, lying (to tell a falsehood) | I lied to my mother | I have lied under oath.
lie, lying (to recline)| I lay on the bed because I was tired | He has lain in the grass
lay, laying (to put, place) | I laid the baby in her cradle. | We have laid the dishes on the table
A.M./P.M. or a.m./p.m.
a.m./p.m.
9th Street or Ninth Street?
Ninth - spell out numbered streets nine and under.
Which dateline is correct:
SAN DIEGO, Calif. or SAN DIEGO
SAN DIEGO - AP maintains a list of cities that require no state ID in datelines.
Which is correct:
Des Moines (Iowa, IA, Ia.)
Iowa - The six states with five or fewer letters (Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah) and the two noncontiguous states (Alaska and Hawaii) are never abbreviated.
Bad | Badly
Adverbs typically end in -ly and are used to modify action verbs. Linking verbs -- those related to your five senses -- are followed by predicate adjectives (not adverbs). "Feel" is a linking verb; "performed" is an action verb.
German Shepherds or German shepherds
shepherds - for varieties of plants, animals and food only capitalize the proper noun
(15/Fifteen) years ago is a long time to wait.
Fifteen - spell out numbers that start a sentence unless it is a year or numeral/letter hybrid (401(k) or 3D)
She is an (alumni, alumnus, alumnae).
Alumnae is the female-gendered form
Alumni is plural, alumnus is male.
Alum/alums is gender neutral singular/plural.