Quiz 2 Prep

capitalization

In general, avoid unnecessary capitals. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it by one of the principles listed here. Many words and phrases, including special cases, are listed separately in this book. Entries that are capitalized without further comment should be capitalized in all uses. If there is no relevant listing in this book for a particular word or phrase, consult Webster's New World College Dictionary. Use lowercase if the dictionary lists it as an acceptable form for the sense in which the word is being used. As used in this book, "capitalize" means to use uppercase for the first letter of a word. If additional capital letters are needed, they are called for by an example or a phrase such as "use all caps." Some basic principles: PROPER NOUNS—Capitalize nouns that constitute the unique identification for a specific person, place, or thing: "John," "Mary," "America," "Boston," "England." Some words, such as the examples just given, are always proper nouns. Some common nouns receive proper noun status when they are used as the name of a particular entity: "General Electric," "Gulf Oil." PROPER NAMES—Capitalize common nouns such as "party," "river," "street" and "west" when they are an integral part of the full name for a person, place or thing: "Democratic Party," "Mississippi River," "Fleet Street," "West Virginia."Lowercase these common nouns when they stand alone in subsequent references: "the party," "the river," "the street." Lowercase the common noun elements of names in plural uses: "the Democratic and Republican parties," "Main and State streets," "lakes Erie and Ontario." Exception—plurals of formal titles with full names are capitalized: "Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford." POPULAR NAMES—Some places and events lack officially designated proper names but have popular names that are the effective equivalent: "the Combat Zone" (a section of downtown Boston), "the Main Line" (a group of Philadelphia suburbs), "the South Side" (of Chicago), "the Badlands" (of South Dakota), "the Street" (the financial community in the Wall Street area of New York). The principle applies also to shortened versions of the proper names of one-of-a-kind events: "the Series" (for the World Series), "the Derby" (for the Kentucky Derby). This practice should not, however, be interpreted as a license to ignore the general practice of lowercasing the common noun elements of a name when they stand alone. DERIVATIVES—Capitalize words that are derived from a proper noun and still depend on it for their meaning: "American," "Christian," "Christianity," "English," "French," "Marxism," "Shakespearean." Lowercase words that are derived from a proper noun but no longer depend on it for their meaning: "french fries," "herculean," "malapropism," "pasteurize," "quixotic," "venetian blind." SENTENCES—Capitalize the first word in a statement that stands as a sentence. In poetry, capital letters are used for the first words of some phrases that would not be capitalized in prose. COMPOSITIONS—Capitalize the principal words in the names of books, movies, plays, poems, operas, songs, radio and television programs, works of art, etc. See composition titles, magazine names and newspaper names. TITLES—Capitalize formal titles when used immediately before a name. Lowercase formal titles when used alone or in constructions that set them off from a name by commas. Use lowercase at all times for terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles.

century

Lowercase (unless part of a proper name). Spell out numbers under 10: "the first century," "the 21st century."

every one, everyone

Two words when it means "each individual item": "Every one of the clues was worthless." One word when used as a pronoun meaning "all people": "Everyone wants their life to be happy." (Don't use "his" with everyone; it presumes maleness. "They/them/their" may be used as singular in such constructions if essential, but rewriting is preferred: "All people want their lives to be happy.")

CIA

"CIA" is acceptable in all references. The formal title for the individual who heads the agency is "director of central intelligence." On first reference: "Director Gina Haspel of the CIA" or "CIA Director Gina Haspel."

complement, compliment

"Complement" is a noun and a verb denoting completeness or the process of supplementing something: "The ship has a complement of 200 sailors and 20 officers." "The tie complements his suit." "Compliment" is a noun or a verb that denotes praise or the expression of courtesy: "The captain complimented the sailors." "She was flattered by the compliments on her project."

compose, comprise, constitute

"Compose" means "to create or put together." It commonly is used in both the active and passive voices: "She composed a song." "The United States is composed of 50 states." "The zoo is composed of many animals." "Comprise" means "to contain, to include all or embrace." It is best used only in the active voice, followed by a direct object: "The United States comprises 50 states." "The jury comprises five men and seven women." "The zoo comprises many animals." "Constitute," in the sense of "form or make up," may be the best word if neither compose nor comprise seems to fit: "Fifty states constitute the United States." "Five men and seven women constitute the jury." "A collection of animals can constitute a zoo." Use "include" when what follows is only part of the total: "The price includes breakfast." "The zoo includes lions and tigers."

drunk, drunken

"Drunk" is the spelling of the adjective used after a form of the verb to be: "He was drunk." "Drunken" is the spelling of the adjective used before nouns: "a drunken driver," "drunken driving." "DUI" = driving under the influence; "DWI" = driving while intoxicated; follow official state usage.

farther, further

"Farther" refers to physical distance: "He walked farther into the woods." "Further" refers to an extension of time or degree: "She will look further into the mystery."

good, well

"Good" is an adjective that means "something is as it should be or is better than average". When used as an adjective, "well" means "suitable, proper, healthy". When used as an adverb, "well" means "in a satisfactory manner or skillfully." "Good" should not be used as an adverb. It does not lose its status as an adjective in a sentence such as "I feel good." Such a statement is the idiomatic equivalent of "I am in good health." An alternative, "I feel well," could be interpreted as meaning that your sense of touch is good.

GOP

"Grand Old Party." "GOP" is acceptable on second reference for "Republican Party."

grisly, grizzly

"Grisly" is "horrifying, repugnant." "Grizzly" means "grayish" or is a short form for "grizzly bear."

friend, follow, like

Acceptable in a social media context as both nouns and verbs. Actions by which users connect to other users on social networks and engage with their content. "Unfollow"—To remove an account from the list of accounts that populate one's feed on a social network.

FBI

Acceptable in all references for "Federal Bureau of Investigation."

federal court

Always lowercase. The preferred form for first reference is to use the proper name of the court. Do not create nonexistent entities such as "Manhattan Federal Court." Instead, use "a federal court in Manhattan."

corporation

An entity that is treated as a person in the eyes of the law. It is able to own property, incur debts, sue and be sued. Abbreviate "corporation" as "Corp." when a company or government agency uses the word at the end of its name: "the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp." Spell out "corporation" when it occurs elsewhere in a name: "the Corporation for Public Broadcasting." Spell out and lowercase "corporation" whenever it stands alone. The form for possessives: "Chevron Corp.'s profits."

first lady, first gentleman

An informal reference for the spouse of the president; not an official title. Always lowercase. Also: "second lady" or "second gentleman" for the spouse of the vice president. Usually reserved for families of heads of state, but acceptable at lower levels such as governor or mayor if that is the local custom. Should the individual hold or have held an official title of high office, that title takes precedence: "Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ran for president," NOT "former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton ran for president."

composition titles

Apply these guidelines to the titles of books, movies, plays, poems, albums, songs, operas, radio and television programs, lectures, speeches, and works of art: — Capitalize all words in a title except articles ("a," "an," "the"); prepositions of three or fewer letters ("for," "of," "on," "up," etc.); and conjunctions of three or fewer letters ("and," "but," "for," "nor," "or," "so," "yet," etc.) unless any of those start or end the title. More detail: — Capitalize prepositions of four or more letters ("above," "after," "down," "inside," "over," "with," etc.) and conjunctions of four or more letters ("because," "while," "since," "though," etc.) — Capitalize both parts of a phrasal verb: "What To Look For in a Mate"; "Turn Off the Lights in Silence." But: "A Life of Eating Chocolate for Stamina"; "Living With Both Feet off the Ground." (Note the different uses of "for" and "off", and thus the different capitalization, in those examples.) — Capitalize "to" in infinitives: "What I Want To Be When I Grow Up." Also: — Put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the Bible, the Quran and other holy books, and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material. In addition to catalogs, this category includes almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks and similar publications. — Do not use quotation marks around such software titles as WordPerfect or Windows; apps; or around names of video, online or analog versions of games: FarmVille, Pokemon Go, The Legend of Zelda, Monopoly. — Do not use quotation marks for sculptures: The Thinker, Michelangelo's Pieta. — Translate a foreign title into English unless a work is generally known by its foreign name. An exception to this is reviews of musical performances. In those instances, generally refer to the work in the language it was sung in, so as to differentiate for the reader. However, musical compositions in Slavic languages are always referred to in their English translations. EXAMPLES: "The Star-Spangled Banner," "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," "Gone With the Wind," "Of Mice and Men," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Time After Time," the "Today" show, the "CBS Evening News," "This Is Us," "A Star Is Born," "Star Wars," "Game of Thrones." REFERENCE WORKS: IHS Jane's All the World's Aircraft; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition. FOREIGN WORKS: Rousseau's "War," not Rousseau's "La Guerre." But: Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" if sung in English but "Le Nozze di Figaro" if sung in Italian. Mozart's "The Magic Flute" if sung in English but "Die Zauberfloete" if sung in German. "Die Walkuere" and "Goetterdaemmerung" from Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" if sung in German but "The Valkyrie" and "The Twilight of the Gods" from "The Ring of the Nibelung" if sung in English. Janacek's "From the House of the Dead," not Janacek's "Z Mrtveho Domu." — For other classical music titles, use quotation marks around the composition's nicknames but not compositions identified by its sequence. EXAMPLES: Dvorak's "New World Symphony." Dvorak's Symphony No. 9.

City Council, city council

Capitalize when part of a proper name: "the Boston City Council." Retain capitalization if the reference is to a specific council but the context does not require the city name: "BOSTON (AP) - The City Council ..." Lowercase in other uses: "the council," "the Boston and New York city councils," "a city council." Use the proper name if the body is not known as a city council: "the Miami City Commission," "the City Commission," "the commission"; "the Louisville Board of Aldermen," "the Board of Aldermen," "the board." Use "city council" in a generic sense for plural references: "the Boston, Louisville and Miami city councils."

Greater

Capitalize when used to define a community and its surrounding region: "Greater Boston."

family names

Capitalize words denoting family relationships only when they substitute for a person's name: "I wrote Mom a letter." "I wrote my father a letter."

first class, first-class

Hyphenate as a modifier before a noun. "The restaurant was first class." "It was a first-class restaurant."

drowned, was drowned

If a person suffocates in water or other fluid, the proper statement is that the individual "drowned." To say that someone "was drowned" implies that another person caused the death by holding the victim's head under the water.

cannot, can not

preferred AP spelling is "cannot" NOT "can not."

dimension

Use figures and spell out "inches," "feet," "yards," etc., to indicate depth, height, length and width. Hyphenate adjectival forms before nouns. EXAMPLES: "He is 5 feet, 6 inches tall," "the 5-foot-6-inch man," "the 5-foot man," "the basketball team signed a 7-footer." "The car is 17 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet high." "The rug is 9 feet by 12 feet," "the 9-by-12 rug." "The storm left 5 inches of snow." "The building has 6,000 square feet of floor space." Use an apostrophe to indicate feet and quote marks to indicate inches (5'6") only in very technical contexts.

elderly

"Older adult(s)" or "older person/people" are referred over "senior citizens", "seniors" or "elderly" as a general term when appropriate and relevant. It is best used in general phrases that do not refer to specific individuals: "concern for older people"; "a home for older adults." Aim for specificity when possible: "new housing for people 65 and over"; "an exercise program for women over 70." Definitions and understandings vary about the age range denoted by the term "older adult," as well as by the terms "senior citizen," "senior" and "elderly." When an official or organization uses one of these terms, ask for specifics. Provide context and specifics to make the meaning clear. For example, a story might begin by referring to "cuts in programs for older adults," but explain soon thereafter that "the programs are for people 62 and older." Another example: "The researchers found that weekly exercise decreased the risk of diabetes among people in their 70s and 80s." The term "elderly" is acceptable in headlines when relevant and necessary because of space constraints. But aim for specificity when space allows: "Couple in their 90s die in Manhattan luxury high-rise blaze" rather than "Elderly couple die in Manhattan luxury high-rise blaze." Terms like "senior citizen" and "elderly" are acceptable in reference to an individual if that person prefers them. Do not use "the elderly" in reference to a group.

censer, censor, censure

A "censer" is "a container in which incense is burned." To "censor" is "to prohibit or restrict the use of something." To "censure" is "to condemn."

felony, misdemeanor

A "felony" is a serious crime. A "misdemeanor" is a minor offense against the law. A fuller definition of what constitutes a felony or misdemeanor depends on the governmental jurisdiction involved. At the federal level, a "misdemeanor" is a crime that carries a potential penalty of no more than a year in jail. A "felony" is a crime that carries a potential penalty of more than a year in prison. Often, however, a statute gives a judge options such as imposing a fine or probation in addition to or instead of a jail or prison sentence. A "felon" is a person who has been convicted of a felony, regardless of whether the individual actually spends time in confinement or is given probation or a fine instead. "Convicted felon" is redundant.

flounder, founder

A "flounder" is a fish; "to flounder" is "to move clumsily or jerkily, to flop about": "The fish floundered on land." "To founder" is "to bog down, become disabled or sink": "The ship floundered in the heavy seas for hours, then foundered."

federal legal holidays

Capitalize them: "New Year's Eve," "New Year's Day," "Groundhog Day," "Easter," "Hanukkah," etc. The federal legal holidays are New Year's, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. See individual entries for the official dates and when they are observed if they fall on a weekend. The designation of a day as a federal legal holiday means that federal employees receive the day off or are paid overtime if they must work. Other requirements that may apply to holidays generally are left to the states. Many follow the federal lead in designating a holiday, but they are not required to do so.

children

BOY, GIRL—Generally acceptable to describe males or females younger than 18. While it is always inaccurate to call people under 18 "men" or "women" and people 18 and older "boys" or "girls," be aware of nuances and unintentional implications. Referring to Black males of any age and in any context as "boys," for instance, can be perceived as demeaning and call to mind historical language used by some to address Black men. Be specific about ages if possible, or refer to "Black youths," "child," "teen" or similar. NAMES—In general, use only last names on second reference. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, generally use the first and last name on subsequent references. Generally use the name a person prefers: "Thomas" or "Tom," depending on preference; "Martine McCarthy Chang" may prefer "McCarthy Chang" or "Chang" on second reference. If an individual requests it, a public name rather than a real name may be used for a political dissident, or a nom de guerre for a rebel leader, if the person's safety is an issue. In general, call children 15 or younger by their first name on second reference. Use the last name, however, if the seriousness of the story calls for it, as in a murder case, for example. For ages 16 and 17, use judgment, but generally go with the surname unless it's a light story. Use the surname for those 18 and older. PRIVACY—Special care should be taken with regard to publishing the names of juveniles involved in crimes, or of people who may have been the victims of sexual assault or other abuse. Generally, we do not identify juveniles (under 18) who are accused of crimes or transmit images that would reveal their identity. However, regional editors or their designates may authorize exceptions to this practice. Considerations in granting exceptions may include the severity of the alleged crime; whether police have formally released the juvenile's name; and whether the juvenile has been formally charged as an adult. Other considerations might include public safety, such as when the youth is the subject of a manhunt; or widespread publication of the juvenile suspect's name, making the identity de facto public knowledge. In some situations, state or national laws may determine whether the person's name can be published. We normally do not identify, in text or through images, juveniles who are witnesses to crimes. We also do not identify, in text or through images, persons who may have been sexually assaulted (unless they have come forward and voluntarily identified themselves). We should also use discretion in naming victims of other extremely severe abuse. Sometimes a person may be identified by AP in an abduction or manhunt situation, and it develops later that - because of a sexual assault or other reason - the name should not be used. In such cases we have sometimes refrained from using the identification in future coverage.

demolish, destroy

Both mean "to do away with something completely." Something cannot be "partially demolished" or "partially destroyed." It is redundant to say "totally demolished" or "totally destroyed."

Capitol

Capitalize "U.S. Capitol" and "the Capitol" when referring to the building in Washington: "The meeting was held on Capitol Hill in the west wing of the Capitol." Follow the same practice when referring to state capitols: "The Virginia Capitol is in Richmond. Thomas Jefferson designed the Capitol of Virginia." Use "capital" for a city or town that is the seat of government.

Governor

Capitalize and abbreviate as "Gov." or "Govs." when used as a formal title before one or more names.

Chief, chief

Capitalize as a formal title before a name: "She spoke to police Chief Michael Codd. He spoke to Chief Michael Codd of the New York police." Lowercase when it is not a formal title: "union chief Walter Reuther."

cities and town

Capitalize official names, including separate political entities such as "East St. Louis," "Illinois," or "West Palm Beach, Florida." The preferred form for the section of a city is lowercase: "the west end," "northern Los Angeles." But capitalize widely recognized names for the sections of a city: "South Side" (Chicago), "Lower East Side" (New York).

days of the week

Capitalize them. Do not abbreviate, except when needed in a tabular format: "Sun," "Mon," "Tue," "Wed," "Thu," "Fri," "Sat" (three letters, without periods, to facilitate tabular composition).

datelines

Datelines on stories should contain a place name, entirely in capital letters, followed in most cases by the name of the state, country or territory where the city is located. DOMESTIC DATELINES: A list of domestic cities that stand alone in datelines: ATLANTA ~||||~ MILWAUKEE BALTIMORE ~||||~ MINNEAPOLIS BOSTON ~||||~ NEW ORLEANS CHICAGO ~||||~ NEW YORK CINCINNATI ~||||~ OKLAHOMA CITY CLEVELAND ~||||~ PHILADELPHIA DALLAS ~||||~ PHOENIX DENVER ~||||~ PITTSBURGH DETROIT ~||||~ ST. LOUIS HONOLULU ~||||~ SALT LAKE CITY HOUSTON ~||||~ SAN ANTONIO INDIANAPOLIS ~||||~ SAN DIEGO LAS VEGAS ~||||~ SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGELES ~||||~ SEATTLE MIAMI ~||||~ WASHINGTON Stories from all other U.S. cities should have both the city and state name in the dateline, including "KANSAS CITY, Mo.," and "KANSAS CITY, Kan." Spell out "Alaska," "Hawaii," "Idaho," "Iowa," "Maine," "Ohio," "Texas" and "Utah." Abbreviate others as listed in this book under the full name of each state. Use "Hawaii" on all cities outside Honolulu. Specify the island in the text if needed. Follow the same practice for communities on islands within the boundaries of other states: "EDGARTOWN, Mass.," for example, not "EDGARTOWN, Martha's Vineyard." Use "BEVERLY HILLS, Calif." It's an incorporated city and the dateline for the Golden Globes movie awards, sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. STATE SERVICES: Additional cities in a state or region may stand alone. U.S. POSSESSIONS: Apply the guidelines listed below in the ISLAND NATIONS AND TERRITORIES section and the OVERSEAS TERRITORIES section. INTERNATIONAL DATELINES: These international locations stand alone in datelines: AMSTERDAM ~||||~ MEXICO CITY BAGHDAD ~||||~ MILAN BANGKOK ~||||~ MONACO BEIJING ~||||~ MONTREAL BEIRUT ~||||~ MOSCOW BERLIN ~||||~ MUNICH BRUSSELS ~||||~ NEW DELHI CAIRO ~||||~ PANAMA CITY DJIBOUTI ~||||~ PARIS DUBLIN ~||||~ PRAGUE GENEVA ~||||~ QUEBEC CITY GIBRALTAR ~||||~ RIO DE JANEIRO GUATEMALA ~||||~ CITY ROME HAVANA ~||||~ SAN MARINO HELSINKI ~||||~ SAO PAULO HONG KONG ~||||~ SHANGHAI ISLAMABAD ~||||~ SINGAPORE ISTANBUL ~||||~ STOCKHOLM JERUSALEM ~||||~ SYDNEY JOHANNESBURG ~||||~ TOKYO KUWAIT CITY ~||||~ TORONTO LONDON ~||||~ VATICAN CITY LUXEMBOURG ~||||~ VIENNA MACAO ~||||~ ZURICH MADRID In addition, use "UNITED NATIONS" alone, without an "N.Y." designation, in stories from U.N. headquarters. BALKANS: With the independence of Montenegro from Serbia-Montenegro formalized in 2006, use a Montenegro-only dateline, such as "PODGORICA, Montenegro." Stories originating in Serbia carry a Serbia-only dateline: "BELGRADE, Serbia." With the independence of Kosovo in 2008, use Kosovo in the dateline, such as "PRISTINA, Kosovo." CANADIAN DATELINES: Datelines on stories from Canadian cities other than Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto should contain the name of the city in capital letters followed by the name of the province. Do not abbreviate any province or territory name. COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES: For cities in the former Soviet Union, datelines include city and republic name: "ALMATY, Kazakhstan." OTHER NATIONS: Stories from other international cities that do not stand alone in datelines should contain the name of the country or territory (see the next section) spelled out. SPELLING AND CHOICE OF NAMES: In most cases, the name of the nation in a dateline is the conventionally accepted short form of its official name: "Argentina," for example, rather than "Republic of Argentina." (If in doubt, look for an entry in this book. If none is found, follow Webster's New World College Dictionary.) Note these special cases: — Instead of "United Kingdom," use "England," "Northern Ireland," "Scotland" or "Wales." — For divided nations, use the commonly accepted names based on geographic distinctions: "North Korea," "South Korea." — Use an article only with "El Salvador.: For all others, use just a country name: "Gambia," "Netherlands," "Philippines," etc. See geographic names for guidelines on spelling the names of international cities and nations not listed here or in separate entries. ISLAND NATIONS AND TERRITORIES: When reporting from nations and territories that are made up primarily of islands but commonly are linked under one name, use the city name and the general name in the dateline. Identify an individual island, if needed, in the text: Examples: British Virgin Islands ~||||~ Netherlands ~||||~ Antilles Indonesia ~||||~ Philippines OVERSEAS TERRITORIES: Some overseas territories, colonies and other areas that are not independent nations commonly have accepted separate identities based on their geographic character or special status under treaties. In these cases, use the commonly accepted territory name after a city name in a dateline. Examples: Bermuda ~||||~ Martinique Corsica ~||||~ Puerto Rico Crimea ~||||~ Sardinia Faeroe ~||||~ Islands Sicily Greenland ~||||~ Sikkim Guadeloupe ~||||~ Tibet Guam WITHIN STORIES: In citing other cities within the body of a story: — No further information is necessary if a city is in the same state as the datelined city. Make an exception only if confusion would result. — Follow the city name with further identification in most cases where it is not in the same state or nation as the dateline city. The additional identification may be omitted, however, if no confusion would result. For example, "Boston" stands alone without Massachusetts in a story datelined "NEW YORK." — Provide a state or nation identification for the city if the story has no dateline. However, cities that stand alone in datelines may be used alone in those stories if no confusion would result.

ghetto, ghettos

Do not use indiscriminately as a synonym for the sections of cities inhabited by minorities or poor people. Ghetto has a connotation that government decree has forced people to live in a certain area. In most cases, "section," "district," "slum area" or "quarter" is the more accurate word.

governmental bodies

Follow these guidelines: FULL NAME: Capitalize the full proper names of governmental agencies, departments and offices: "The U.S. Department of State," "the Georgia Department of Human Resources," "the Boston City Council," "the Chicago Fire Department." WITHOUT JURISDICTION: Retain capitalization in referring to a specific body if the dateline or context makes the name of the nation, state, county, city, etc. unnecessary: "The Department of State" (in a story from Washington), "the Department of Human Resources" or "the state Department of Human Resources" (in a story from Georgia), "the City Council" (in a story from Boston), "the Fire Department" or "the city Fire Department"(in a story from Chicago). Lowercase further condensations of the name: "the department," "the council," etc. FLIP-FLOPPED NAMES: Retain capital names for the name of a governmental body if its formal name is flopped to delete the word "of": "the State Department," "the Human Resources Department." GENERIC EQUIVALENTS: If a generic term has become the equivalent of a proper name in popular use, treat it as a proper name: "Walpole State Prison," for example, even though the proper name is the "Massachusetts Correctional Institute-Walpole." PLURALS, NONSPECIFIC REFERENCES: All words that are capitalized when part of a proper name should be lowercased when they are used in the plural or do not refer to a specific, existing body. Some examples: "All states except Nebraska have a state senate.""The town does not have a fire department." "The bill requires city councils to provide matching funds." "The president will address the lower houses of the New York and New Jersey legislatures." NON-U.S. BODIES: The same principles apply. Capitalize the names of the specific governmental agencies and departments, either with the name of the nation or without it if clear in the context: "French Foreign Ministry," "the Foreign Ministry." Lowercase "the ministry" or a similar term when standing alone.

courtesy titles

In general, do not use courtesy titles except in direct quotations. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, as in married couples or brothers and sisters, use the first and last name.

directions and regions

In general, lowercase "north," "south," "northeast," "northern," etc., when they indicate compass direction; capitalize these words when they designate regions. Some examples: COMPASS DIRECTIONS: "He drove west." "The cold front is moving east." REGIONS: "A storm system that developed in the Midwest is spreading eastward. It will bring showers to the East Coast by morning and to the entire Northeast by late in the day." "Showers and thunderstorms were forecast in the Texas Panhandle." "High temperatures will prevail throughout the Western states." "Settlers from the East went to the West in search of new lives. The customs of the East are different from those of the West." "The Northeast depends on the Midwest for its food supply." "She has a Southern accent." "He is a Northerner." "Asian nations are opening doors to Western businessmen." "The candidate developed a Southern strategy." "The storm developed in the South Pacific. European leaders met to talk about supplies of oil from Southeast Asia. She studied Eastern civilizations. He was a student of Western philosophy. WITH NAMES OF NATIONS: Lowercase unless they are part of a proper name or are used to designate a politically divided nation: "northern France," "eastern Canada," "the western United States." But: Northern Ireland, South Korea. WITH STATES AND CITIES: The preferred form is to lowercase directional or area descriptions when referring to a section of a state or city: "western Montana," "southern Atlanta." But capitalize compass points: — When part of a proper name: "North Dakota," "West Virginia." — When used in denoting widely known sections: "Southern California," "West Texas," "the South Side of Chicago," "the Lower East Side of New York." If in doubt, use lowercase. IN FORMING PROPER NAMES: When combining with another common noun to form the name for a region or location: "the North Woods," "the South Pole," "the Far East," "the Middle East," "the West Coast" (the entire region, not the coastline itself),"the Eastern Shore," "the Western Hemisphere."

fewer, less

In general, use "fewer" for individual items, "less" for bulk or quantity. Wrong: "The trend is toward more machines and less people." (People in this sense refers to individuals.) Wrong: "She was fewer than 60 years old." (Years in this sense refers to a period of time, not individual years.) Right: "Fewer than 10 applicants called." (Individuals.) Right: "I had less than $50 in my pocket." (An amount.) But: "I had fewer than 50 $1 bills in my pocket." (Individual items.)

collective nouns

Nouns that denote a unit take singular verbs and pronouns: "class," "committee," "crowd," "family," "group," "herd," "jury," "orchestra," "team." Some usage examples: "The committee is meeting to set its agenda." "The jury reached its verdict." "A herd of cattle was sold." Team names and musical group names that are plural take plural verbs. "The Yankees are in first place." "The Jonas Brothers are popular." Team or group names with no plural forms also take plural verbs: "The Miami Heat are battling for third place." Other examples: "Orlando Magic," "Oklahoma City Thunder," "Utah Jazz," "Alabama Crimson Tide." Most singular names take singular verbs, including places and university names in sports: "Coldplay is on tour. Boston is favored in the playoffs." "Stanford is in the NCAA Tournament." Some proper names that are plural in form take a singular verb: "Brooks Brothers is holding a sale." PLURAL IN FORM: Some words that are plural in form become collective nouns and take singular verbs when the group or quantity is regarded as a unit. Right: "A thousand bushels is a good yield." (A unit.) Right: "A thousand bushels were created." (Individual items.)

far-off

Preferred AP Spelling. From Webster's New World College Dictionary (5th Edition)—"adj. distant; remote."

Federal, federal

Use a capital letter for the architectural style and for corporate or governmental bodies that use the word as part of their formal names: "the Federal Trade Commission." Lowercase when used as an adjective to distinguish something from state, county, city, town or private entities: "federal assistance," "federal court," "the federal government," "a federal judge." Also: "federal court" (but "U.S. District Court" is preferred) and "federal Judge Ann Aldrich" (but "U.S. District Judge Ann Aldrich" is preferred).

cents

Spell out the word "cents" and lowercase, using numerals for amounts less than a dollar: "5 cents," "12 cents." Use the $ sign and decimal system for larger amounts: "$1.01," "$2.50." Numerals alone, with or without a decimal point as appropriate, may be used in tabular matter.

geographic names

The basic guidelines: DOMESTIC: Do not use the postal abbreviations for state names. Abbreviate "Saint" as "St". (But abbreviate "Sault Sainte Marie" as "Sault Ste. Marie.") FOREIGN: The first source for the spelling of all foreign place names is Webster's New World College Dictionary as follows: | Use the first-listed spelling if an entry gives more than one. | If the dictionary provides different spellings in separate entries, use the spelling that is followed by a full description of the location. If the dictionary does not have an entry, use the first-listed spelling in the National Geographic Atlas of the World. Online: http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps NEW NAMES: Follow the styles adopted by the United Nations and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for new cities, new independent nations and nations that change their names. CAPITALIZATION: Capitalize common nouns when they form an integral part of a proper name, but lowercase them when they stand alone: "Pennsylvania Avenue," "the avenue"; "the Philippine Islands," "the islands"; "the Mississippi River," "the river." Lowercase common nouns that are not a part of a specific name: "the Pacific islands," "the Swiss mountains," "Zhejiang province."

either, or; neither, nor

The nouns that follow these words do not constitute a compound subject; they are alternate subjects and require a verb that agrees with the nearer subject: "Neither they nor he is going." "Either they or he is going."

disabled, handicapped, impaired

The terms "disabilities" and "disabled" include a broad range of physical and mental conditions both visible and invisible. People's perceptions of disabilities vary widely. Use care and precision when writing about disabilities and people with disabilities, considering the impact of specific words and the preferences of the people you are writing about. Avoid writing that implies "ableism": the belief that typical abilities — those of people who aren't disabled — are superior. Ableism is a concept similar to racism, sexism and ageism in that it includes stereotypes, generalizations and demeaning views and language. It is a form of discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities. Do not describe an individual as having a disability unless it is clearly pertinent to the story. For example: "Merritt, who is blind and walks with the help of a guide dog, said she is pleased with the city's walkway improvements." But not: "Zhang, who has paraplegia, is a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies." Be specific about the type of disability, or symptoms. For example: "The woman said the airline kicked her family off a plane after her 3-year-old, who has autism, refused to wear a mask. She said her son became upset because he does not like to have his face touched." When possible, ask people how they want to be described. Some people view their disability as central to their identity, and use "identity-first language" such as "an autistic woman" or "an autistic." Others prefer "person-first" language such as "a woman with autism" or "a woman who has autism." In describing groups of people, or when individual preferences can't be determined, use "person-first language." In general, refer to a disability only if relevant to the story, and if a medical diagnosis has been made or the person uses the term. If relatives or others use the term, ask how they know, then consider carefully whether to include the information. Avoid the term "handicap" for a disability or "handicapped" for a person. Avoid using disability-related words lightly or in unrelated situations. Some examples: calling a person or an idea "demented," "psychotic," "blind," "catatonic," "moronic," "retarded," "on the spectrum," etc.; saying a plan" falls on deaf ears" or "he turned a blind eye" or "the awards show is 'schizophrenic.'" As in all writing, consider word choice carefully. Words that seem innocuous to some people can have specific and deeply personal or offensive meanings to others. Consider alternative phrasing.

essential clauses, nonessential clauses

These terms are used in the AP Style Manual instead of "restrictive clause" and "nonrestrictive clause" to convey the distinction between the two in a more easily remembered manner. Both types of clauses provide additional information about a word or phrase in the sentence. The difference between them is that the "essential clause" cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence | it so RESTRICTS the meaning of the word or phrase that its absence would lead to a substantially different interpretation of what the author meant. The "nonessential clause," however, can be eliminated without altering the basic meaning of the sentence | it DOES NOT RESTRICT the meaning so significantly that its absence would radically alter the author's thought. PUNCTUATION: An essential clause must not be set off from the rest of a sentence by commas. A nonessential clause must be set off by commas. The presence or absence of commas provides the reader with critical information about the writer's intended meaning. Note the following examples: | "Reporters who do not read the Stylebook should not criticize their editors." (The writer is saying that only one class of reporters, those who do not read the Stylebook, should not criticize their editors. If the who ... Stylebook phrase were deleted, the meaning of the sentence would be changed substantially.) | "Reporters, who do not read the Stylebook, should not criticize their editors." (The writer is saying that all reporters should not criticize their editors. If the "who ... Stylebook" phrase were deleted, this meaning would not be changed.) USE OF WHO, WHOM, THAT, WHICH. "That" is the preferred pronoun to introduce essential clauses that refer to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. "Which" is the only acceptable pronoun to introduce a nonessential clause that refers to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. The pronoun "which" occasionally may be substituted for "that" in the introduction of an essential clause that refers to an inanimate object or an animal without a name. In general, this use of "which" should appear only when "that" is used as a conjunction to introduce another clause in the same sentence: "He said Monday that the part of the army which suffered severe casualties needs reinforcement."

essential phrases, nonessential phrases

These terms are used in this book instead of "restrictive phrase" and "nonrestrictive phrase" to convey the distinction between the two in a more easily remembered manner. The underlying concept is the one that also applies to clauses: An "essential phrase" is a word or group of words critical to the reader's understanding of what the author had in mind. A "nonessential phrase" provides more information about something. Although the information may be helpful to the reader's comprehension, the reader would not be misled if the information were not there. PUNCTUATION: Do not set an essential phrase off from the rest of a sentence by commas: "We saw the award-winning movie 'Green Book.'" (No comma, because many movies have won awards, and without the name of the movie the reader would not know which movie was meant.) "They ate dinner with their daughter Julie." (Because they have more than one daughter, the inclusion of Julie's name is critical if the reader is to know which daughter is meant.) Set off nonessential phrases by commas: "We saw the 2019 winner of the Academy Award competition for best picture, 'Green Book.'" (Only one movie won the award. The name is informative, but even without the name no other movie could be meant.) "They ate dinner with their daughter Julie and her husband, Jesse." (Julie has only one husband. If the phrase read and her husband Jesse, it would suggest that she had more than one husband.) "The company chair, Camie Garcia, spoke." (In the context, only one person could be meant.) "Indian corn, or maize, was harvested." ("Maize" provides the reader with the name of the corn, but its absence would not change the meaning of the sentence.) DESCRIPTIVE WORDS: Do not confuse punctuation rules for nonessential clauses with the correct punctuation when a nonessential word is used as a descriptive adjective. The distinguishing clue often is the lack of an article or pronoun: Right: "Julie and husband Jesse went shopping." "Julie and her husband, Jesse, went shopping." Right: "Company Chair Camie Garcia made the announcement." "The company chair, Camie Garcia, made the announcement."

flail, flay

To "flail" is "to swing the arms widely." To "flay" is, literally, "to strip off the skin by whipping." Figuratively, "to flay" means "to tongue-lash a person."

flaunt, flout

To "flaunt" is "to make an ostentatious or defiant display": "She flaunted her intelligence." To "flout" is "to show contempt for": "He flouts the law."

gibe, jibe

To "gibe" means "to taunt or sneer": "They gibed him about his mistakes." "Jibe" means "to shift direction" or, colloquially, "to agree": "They jibed their ship across the wind." "Their stories didn't jibe."

company, companies

Use "Co." or "Cos." when a business uses either word at the end of its proper name: "Ford Motor Co.," "United Tandem Bicycle Cos." If "company" or "companies" appear alone in second reference, spell the word out. The forms for possessives: "Ford Motor Co.'s profits," "United Tandem Bicycle Cos.' profits."

doctor

Use "Dr." in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary medicine: "Dr. Jonas Salk." The form "Dr.," or "Drs." in a plural construction, applies to all first-reference uses before a name, including direct quotations. Do not continue the use of Dr. in subsequent references. Do not use "Dr". before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees. Instead, when necessary or appropriate: "Cassandra Karoub, who has a doctorate in mathematics, was lead researcher." "U.S. first lady Jill Biden, who has a doctorate in education, plans to continue teaching." "U.S. second gentleman Doug Emhoff, a lawyer, is joining the faculty of Georgetown Law." In a list: "Stephanie Sanchez, Ph.D."

ensure, insure, assure

Use "ensure" to mean "guarantee": "Steps were taken to ensure accuracy." Use "insure" for references to insurance: "The policy insures his life." Use "assure" to mean "to make sure or give confidence": "She assured us the statement was accurate."

entitled, titled

Use "entitled" to mean "a right to do or have something." Do not use it to mean "titled." Right: "She was entitled to the promotion." Right: "The book was titled 'Gone With the Wind'." Wrong: "The book entitled '1984' is by George Orwell."

female

Use "female" as an adjective, not "woman" or "girl." "She is the first female governor of North Carolina."