Apostrophe s ap style book

If your name ends in s, x, z, ch, or sh, add es to the end. The general rule is that the possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and s, whether the singular noun ends in s or not. For singular proper names ending in s sounds such as x, ce, and z, use s for plurals of a single letter, add s do not use s for plurals of numbers or multiple letter combinations bullets associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. For singular proper names ending in s sounds such as x, ce, and z, use s for plurals of a single letter, add s do not use s for plurals of numbers or multiple letter combinations bullets associated press style is.

Everyday stylebook reminders you can use every day. If the noun is plural and ends in s, add just an apostrophe the beatles greatest hits. May 07, 2009 the associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. For cases like these, it s best to check a comprehensive style guide, such as the chicago manual or the ap stylebook it s do s and donts, according to the ap. Chicago manual prefers the s, but indicates that it is acceptable especially in journalism to omit it. A common mistake people make is to include apostrophes when pluralizing a number or an abbreviation. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. She smiled, youll want to read this gatehouse newsroom post about how to properly use quotation marks in ap style stories then. Aug 01, 2018 the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846.

Do not use an apostrophe if its simply a plural and not a possessive. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. There is a reason this is called a punctuation guide. No apostrophes, an exception to websters new world college dictionary guideline under apostrophe. Using apostrophes to show the plurals of abbreviations and awkward plurals the first thing to make clear before we start this lesson is that apostrophes are not normally used for forming plurals. Ap style holds that when referencing ages you should always use figures. An apostrophic dilemma marquette university law school. Yeah, dlipkin, i wouldnt mind if we purged the expression from formal writing. Oct 28, 2019 so it puzzles me that the ap stylebook, the most influential guide for journalists, argues that a simple apostrophe suffices after proper nouns ending in s. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Learn the major differences between chicago and ap style guides to assist your writing.

For my money, ill keep the s in charless book, both for consistency and because i say it. Book style is simultaneously more complex and more consistent. No exception is made depending on whether singular nouns preceding and following the apostrophe end and start with s, respectively. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. You should use it to reference the numbers you have omitted when not writing out the complete year. Therefore, in the example above, the correct usage would be adamss 20 work. Sep 04, 2015 to form the possessive of a noun that ends in s, ap style has separate rules for proper names and generic nouns. For example, i had the best time of my life in my 20s. In the united states, the leading style guides are the chicago manual of style and the associated press. Ap reporters write fast, but their stylebook moves slow. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide.

I have two bachelors degrees and one masters degree. Use an apostrophe in bachelors degree, a masters, etc. So it puzzles me that the ap stylebook, the most influential guide for journalists, argues that a simple apostrophe suffices after proper nouns ending in s. Add apostrophe s if singular, and add an apostrophe if plural.

Some style guides say that singular nouns ending in s sounds such as ce, x, and z may take either the apostrophe alone or s. Using an apostrophe to form a plural is usually a grammatical howler. Guard against following an acronym with a word that appears in the acronym itself. Ap if the word after the noun begins with an s, just use an apostrophe. Mary norriss thoughts on pesky possessives the new yorker. English literature is replete with instances of apostrophe. Please check the style guide of whatever format youre using to make sure youre in line with their recommendations. To indicate plurals of acronyms, simply add an s without an apostrophe. In ap style, if a proper noun ends in s or an s sound, add an apostrophe only. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. The grammatical use of punctuation is fairly settled. Ap and chicago if the word after the noun does not begin with an s, use apostrophe s.

The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. Too many, the ap style guide warns, produces alphabet soup. Justice souter seems to prefer the recommendations of the chicago manual of style, which says to add the apostrophes to almost all singular nouns and names that end with s. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. This is covered more in the lesson apostrophe errors with plurals. We took at look at the ap stylebook s section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines. Generally, you should use ages in for profiles, obituaries, significant career milestones, and achievements unusual for the age.

Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. A good dictionary may also be able to offer you some guidance. Ap style states that you should use an apostrophe in bachelors degree and masters degree. If the word ends with an s put the apostrophe after the s. Youll notice that the apostrophe before the number four. There are times when an apostrophe is correct as when youre specifying the decade without the entire year as in the 40s. Italicized words are still iffy for wire transmission ap stories, so book titles are enclosed in quote marks. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. The chicago manual of style 16th ed would have you do thomass and chriss. Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or legal code. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Possessives learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study.

Per apa style, the answer is that the possessive of a singular name is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, even when the name ends in s see p. Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches gatehouse. The ap stylebooks rule regarding book titles, computer game titles, movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album and song titles, radio and television program titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, and works of art states, put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the bible and books that are. Im going to focus on the difference between how the associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style handle possessives for words ending in s or.

Apostrophes to show the plural of abbreviations and awkward. Although this presentation may look awkward to some. Its often used by news organizations, magazines, and web publications, but brands often use it to form the basis of their own style guides, too. See, for example, garners modern american usage at page 624. Sometimes, its called the grocers apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements 3 oranges for a dollar. If youre not governed by a style book, then you should be able to do your preference.

Apostrophes are generally used in contractions and to indicate the possessive case, but they are not used to form plurals of numbers and abbreviations in apa style. Apostrophes to show the plural of abbreviations and. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online. Nonacademic styles, such as ap, suggest simply adding an apostrophe to the end of a word that ends in s. The dog s leash the writer s desk the planet s atmosphere. Ap style states that you should use an apostrophe in bachelor s degree and master s degree.

Aug 30, 2007 there are some instances when you use an apostrophe for plurals, even in the ap style as and bs, for example. Ap the witnesss story did not match the events recorded on tape. With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Chris exam scores were higher than any other students. If someone is quoted as saying, im too old to go back to school, the age is relevant. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. May, 2014 if the noun is plural and ends in s, add just an apostrophe the beatles greatest hits. Ap style is the standard for writing news release and other content for media in the united states. See, for example, garner s modern american usage at page 624. For cases like these, its best to check a comprehensive style guide, such as the chicago manual or the ap stylebook its dos and donts, according to the ap. The oxford guide to style 2002, while differing with chicago and ap on capitalizing the spelledout decade name oup prefers this and on using abbreviations like 60s oup condemns this, it agrees with chicago that the plural numeral form should be spelled without an apostrophe before the s. Except for writers who abide by associated press guidelines, apostrophe rules for possessive proper nouns are virtually identical to those for possessive common nouns. It is important to remember that, as in our last example above, there is no apostrophe between the figure 30 and the s.

The apostrophe in truckin is followed by the period because the apostrophe is part of the word. Tarp stands for troubled asset relief program, so writing the tarp program was controversial is redundant. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Possessives of nouns ending in s grammar underground with. As mentioned above, this is the comma that appears before a conjunction such as and or or in a series. For possessives of plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe. Forming possessives with singular names apa style blog. Apostrophe in literature is an arrangement of words addressing a nonexistent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and capable of understanding feelings. Associated press style basics journalists resource.

Do not use an apostrophe if it s simply a plural and not a possessive. In chicago style, use an apostrophes if singular and just an. Mind your ps and qs, the red sox defeated the oakland as. Even when the word already ends in s, this is the rule i follow. The single quotation mark comes after the period because thats the rule in american english. Sep 15, 2016 if possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. The single exception is if the term being pluralized has periods in it. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online register now. Jun 15, 2009 as the ap style book writes, names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce.

It attempts to provide guidance, rather than blackandwhite rules. Your style of writing can make or break your career if news release are deleted in journalists email inboxes. I dont know if this will help, but for chapter style, ap says. The ap style as it s known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions. There are some instances when you use an apostrophe for plurals, even in the ap style as and bs, for example. Namely, apa now recommends adding an apostrophe and an s rather than an apostrophe alone to form the possessive of names that end in an unpronounced s e.

For proper names like james, ap says, add an apostrophe only. For singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe. We know journalists are busy, and it can be difficult to keep up with recent ap stylebook changes. Ap style is kansas chicago manual of style apostrophe rules. Supplement ap stylebook onlines extensive guidance with about 185,000 descriptions from the stylebooks main dictionary, websters new world college dictionary. See special expressions, but otherwise, for consistency and ease in remembering a rule.

The basics ap style study guide flashcards quizlet. Walsh becomes walshes, and malkovich becomes malkoviches. Justice thomas, whose name ends with an s, seems to favor ap style, which recommends leaving off the extra s. Care must be taken to place the apostrophe outside the word in question.

The ap stylebook says to make reference of age when it is deemed relevant to the situation. Years dont, though the 1980s or, simply, the 80s were crazy. Oct 03, 2019 most clients in the b2b world will base their style on either ap or chicago style. The ap stylebook has a few simple rules for using quotation marks in ap style stories. Whether you use an apostrophe s or just an apostrophe with a proper name ending in s will depend on your style guide. In fact, the associated press stylebook ap style doesnt allow decades to be written as words. Apostrophes and proper nouns grammar and punctuation. When introducing width and length to the equation, then commas are needed. Mcdonald s profits not mcdonald s profits so, to answer the question posed in the beginning carlos stylebook or carlos s stylebook. The associated press was founded in 1848 as a cooperative effort among six new york. Language scholars have a word for the sound made by the letter s. Here, according to some of the bestknown language guides, are examples of correctly formed possessives of singular proper names ending in s. To form the possessive of a noun that ends in s, ap style has separate rules for proper names and generic nouns.

For instance, writing the 1960s when referring to that entire decade is. The ap stylebook is available as a book, website or smartphone app. If a singular proper noun a name ends in s, chicago and ap handle apostrophes differently. The ap stylebook would have you do thomas and chris. I have two bachelor s degrees and one master s degree. Aug 12, 2019 justice thomas, whose name ends with an s, seems to favor ap style, which recommends leaving off the extra s. When i came to the court in 1987, the prevailing rule for a regular plural possessive was simply to add an apostrophe after the words final s. Roy peter clark settles the possessive apostrophe debate. Only use the apostrophe to indicate feet and quote marks to indicate inches 56. Over the years, however, four justices informed my office they preferred to add another s following the words final sapostrophe e. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines.