Editing Tips: Punctuation in AP Style
AP style – as set out in The Associated Press Stylebook – provides advice on many elements of writing, including punctuation. But what do you need to know about punctuation in AP style to work as a freelance proofreader? In this post, we set out a few of the basics.
AP Style on Periods and Abbreviations
In most respects, AP style uses periods (or full stops) in the conventional fashion. However, it does have some stylistic requirements related to periods with abbreviations. One is a preference for using full stops between letters in two-letter abbreviations:
The U.S. has hardened its stance towards U.N. policy.
It does not do this for longer abbreviations, though.
The CIA is separate to the FBI.
The other is that AP style requires periods but no spaces between initials:
E.M. Forster wrote frequently about class and hypocrisy.
Keep an eye out for these issues when your client is using AP style in a document.
AP Style on Commas
As above, AP style follows most standard conventions on comma usage, but it does have rules for when to use a serial comma (also known as an Oxford comma). This is the comma placed before the conjunction at the end of a list of three or more things.
In US English, it is typical to use a serial comma; however, AP follows an exception to this general rule! AP style says not to use a serial comma when listing a simple series of items:
Breakfast included an apple, a croissant and orange juice.
However, you should still use one if the list would be confusing or misread without it. For example, if one of the listed items contains a conjunction. For instance, AP style would recommend using a serial comma in the following:
For lunch, I had a salad, a bagel, and a gin and tonic.
Here, the comma before “and” makes it clear that “a gin and tonic” is a single item.
AP Style on Possessive Apostrophes
AP style also has rules for how to use possessive apostrophes when a word ends in the letter “s.” This ultimately comes down to the type of noun and whether it is singular or plural:
- Singular common nouns – For singular common nouns, add an apostrophe followed by a final “s” (e.g. The cutlass’s blade was sharp).
- Singular proper nouns – When a singular proper noun, such as a person’s name, ends in “s,” just add an apostrophe without an extra “s” (e.g., James’ shoes are muddy).
- All plural nouns – For both common and proper nouns in their plural forms, AP style adds only an apostrophe (e.g. The Joneses’ kids or The players’ kits).
In other words, if following AP style punctuation rules, you will only need the extra “s” after a possessive apostrophe when something belongs to a singular common noun.
AP Style on Quotation Marks
Another key aspect of punctuation in AP style is how to use quotation marks.
At a general level, AP style follows typical American English conventions:
- Use “double quote marks” for quotations.
- Only use ‘single quotation marks’ (also known as ‘inverted commas’) for quotations within quotations.
- Always place a following period or comma inside the closing quotation mark, even when it is not part of the text being quoted.
However, since many AP style rules are associated with American English, some publications or organizations adapt AP conventions for their own region. This means that while they follow a lot of the rules in the same way, they will still apply some conventions from their own dialect. For example, British English uses single quotation marks for quotes and double quotation marks for quotes within quotes. So the AP rule would be reversed!
If your client is using AP style with a dialect other than American English, you should check their preferences for dialect-specific issues. If that’s not an option, you will often be able to follow their lead and simply ensure a consistent approach in the document.
Becoming A Proofreader
If this article has piqued your interest to learn more about style guides and US vs. UK punctuation conventions, you can always give our Becoming A Proofreader course a try! Sign up for two free lessons today!
Your email address will not be published.