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Chapter 14
The AP Style
1. Those who know grammar are better writers than those who don’t
2. AP Stylebook is the journalists’ Bible
3. AP Stylebook encourages ease of reading and consistency
Parts of Speech
1. Grammatical function (subject, object, etc.)
2. Grammatical form (such as plural)
3. Meaning (names of things vs. statements of action)
Nouns
1. Words that name a person, place or thing.
2. Proper nouns need capitalization
3. Irregular nouns (women, sheep) don’t use “s” for plural form
Pronouns
1. Pronouns substitute for nouns, but need an antecedent
2. Indefinite pronouns (one, everybody, nobody) do not need an
antecedent
Verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Action words
Active voice is preferred over passive
Present tense is used in advertising
Present participle (the –ing form) is not generally used.
Present perfect tense is used in public relations writing.
Adjectives and Adverbs
1. Adjectives modify nouns or words acting as nouns.
2. Adverbs modify other adverbs, adjectives, verbs, and most other words.
Prepositions and Conjunctions
1. A preposition relates a noun, pronoun or phrase to some other part of the
sentence
2. A conjunction is used to join words, phrases or clauses together.
Clauses
1. Independent clauses always have a subject, a verb and make an
independent statement.
2. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) often separate independent
clauses. A comma is usually used.
3. Subordinate clauses rely on the independent clause for meaning.
4. Subordinate conjunctions (although, where, when) frequently introduce the
clause.
Sentences
1. A simple sentence has a single main clause.
2. A compound sentence has two or more main clauses.
3. A complex sentence has a main clause and one or more subordinate
clauses.
4. A compound-complex sentence contains two or more main clauses and
one or more subordinated clauses. It’s hardly ever used in news release
writing.
Case
1. First person is used in quotes, speeches, advertising, brochures, TV and
radio.
2. Second person is used in quotes, speeches, advertising, brochures, TV
and radio.
3. Third person is used in news releases.
Nominative
1. Use the nominative case to indicate the subject of the verb.
2. Use informal case for most new release writing. (It’s me)
3. Use the objective case for the object of a ver, verbal or preposition.
Adjectives and Adverbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
Adjectives and adverbs qualify meanings.
The key to proper use is don’t overuse them. It creates hype.
Descriptive adjectives name some quality of the object.
Limiting adjectives restrict the meaning. There are five
1. Possessive: my, their
2. Demonstrative: this, that
3. Interrogative: whose, which
4. Articles: a, an, the
5. Numerical: one, second
5. Degree or quantity
1. Positive form expresses no comparison (slow)
2. Comparative form compares two (slower)
3. Superlative form compares three or more (slowest)
Agreement
1. Two or more subjects joined by or or not, the verb agrees with the subject
nearest it.
2. Verbs agree with the subject and not the predicate noun.
3. He and she pronouns are awkward and sexist.
4. Collective nouns use singular verb is it’s a group and plural if it’s
members.
Verbals
1. Two of the most common types of modifies are participles and gerunds.
2. Verbals are derived from verbs but normally are used as nouns and
adjectives.
3. A participle is can act as an adjective.
4. A gerund always is used as a noun.
Parallel Construction
1. Phrases and clauses must be structured in the same way.
2. Lists or bulleted items must be kept parallel.
3. Mixed construction shifts verb tense or from one “voice” to another.
Commas
1. Internal punctuation marks (commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and
parentheses) indicate the relationship of elements within a sentence.
2. Commas indicate a simple pause.
3. Use commas to separate items in a series. Simple series requires no
comma before conjunction.
4. Use commas to separate coordinate adjectives of equal weight.
5. Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses.
Semicolons
1. Substitute for commas when ideas are strong enough to appear almost as
separate sentences.
2. Use semicolons to separate two clause not joined by a coordinating
conjunction.
3. Use a semicolon to separate main clause joined by a conjunctive adverb.
Colons
1. Colons are overused in writing.
2. Most common use is to introduce a list.
3. Do not use when introduce a list that’s the object of a introductory
statement.
Dashes and Parentheses
1.
2.
3.
4.
Dashes and parentheses are used in place of commas to add emphasis.
You still need punctuation if you use parentheses.
Use a period if the matter within a parenthesis is a complete sentence.
Brackets are used to set off editorial corrections. Don’t use them in news
release writing.
Quotation Marks
1. Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.
2. Colons and semicolons go outside quotation marks.
3. Place dash, question mark or exclamation point inside the marks only
when it applies only to the quote.
4. Exclamation points never are used in news release writing.
5. Don’t use a punctuation mark outside the question marks if one has been
used inside.
Apostrophes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apostrophe are used in contractions
Don’t confuse its with it’s.
Use an apostrophe to form the plurals of letters, numbers and words.
Don’t use an apostrophe to indicate decades (1960s).
Use an apostrophe to show possession.
Hyphens
1. Many compound modifiers use hyphens.
2. Use a hyphen o form compound numbers 21 through 99 and separate
fractions.
Mechanics
Don’t underline
Use quotation marks for titles of articles.
Use Italics for titles of magazines or books.
Capitalize title before a name. Lower case title and separate with commas
after a name.
5. Spell out numbers one through nine.
6. Spell out numbers to begin sentences.
7. Spell out fractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.