Wednesday, April 15, 2020
AP Style FAQs Part 2 - The Writers For Hire
AP STYLE FAQS: PART 2 Last week, we kicked off a mini-series of Associated Press Stylebook-themed blog posts. This week, weââ¬â¢re sharing a few more gems of wisdom from The AP Stylebook Online. Q: Whatââ¬â¢s the rule for capitalizing a personââ¬â¢s title? A: Itââ¬â¢s complicated, but here are the basics: AP defines a formal title as ââ¬Å"one that denotes a scope of authority, professional activity or academic activity.â⬠When using a formal title, you should capitalize the title if it appears directly before a personââ¬â¢s name. So, youââ¬â¢d write ââ¬Å"President Barack Obamaâ⬠or ââ¬Å"Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.â⬠However: When you set the personââ¬â¢s name off with commas, you donââ¬â¢t capitalize a formal title ââ¬â even if the title is before the personââ¬â¢s name. So, you might say, ââ¬Å"The hotelââ¬â¢s general manager, John Smith, donated to the cause.â⬠Or ââ¬Å"The vice president, Joe Biden, appeared at the event.â⬠When using a title alone (without a personââ¬â¢s name), you donââ¬â¢t capitalize. So, youââ¬â¢d write ââ¬Å"the president gave a speechâ⬠or ââ¬Å"the congresswoman visited her hometown.â⬠And, donââ¬â¢t confuse a job title or line of work with a formal title. So, you wouldnââ¬â¢t capitalize: teacher, politician, editor, technician, astronaut ââ¬â no matter where they appear in the sentence. Whew! Confused yet? AP notes that, when in doubt about how to capitalize, the best solution is to rewrite the sentence so that the personââ¬â¢s name is set off in commas. Q: Should ââ¬Å"city hallâ⬠be capitalized? A: Well, sometimes: Capitalize ââ¬Å"City Hallâ⬠if youââ¬â¢re writing about a specific city hall (like Boston City Hall, Houston City Hall, etc.). This is also the rule in cases where a specific city hall is implied; for example, if youââ¬â¢re writing for a local Houston newsletter, youââ¬â¢d write ââ¬Å"City Hallâ⬠(even without ââ¬Å"Houstonâ⬠ââ¬â itââ¬â¢s safe to assume that your readers will understand which one you mean). But if youââ¬â¢re writing about ANY city hall ââ¬â for instance, ââ¬Å"A city hall is a type of . . .â⬠or ââ¬Å"You canââ¬â¢t fight city hallâ⬠ââ¬â leave it lower-cased. Q: When using the acronym ââ¬Å"CEO,â⬠do I have to write out ââ¬Å"Chief Executive Officer (CEO)â⬠on first reference? A: I was sort of surprised by this: No. CEO is so widely used that itââ¬â¢s okay to use on its own. But AP does recommend writing out all other C-level titles, like ââ¬Å"Chief Financial Officer (CFO)â⬠and ââ¬Å"Chief Operating Officer (COO)â⬠Q: So, in your last blog, you said magazine and newspaper titles shouldnââ¬â¢t be italicized, just capitalized. What about book titles? A: Book titles should be capitalized and put in quotation marks. Ditto for almost all composition titles, including video games, films, TV shows ââ¬â and the titles of lectures, speeches, and works of art. So, youââ¬â¢d write: ââ¬Å"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klayâ⬠(book); ââ¬Å"Fallout 3â⬠(video game); ââ¬Å"Inglorious Basterdsâ⬠(movie); ââ¬Å"Annabel Leeâ⬠(poem); ââ¬Å"Deadwoodâ⬠(TV show).
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