One looks objectively worse than the other, but apparently the associated press is. If not listed here, use the first entry in websters new world college dictionary. I havent been able to find an answer to this question for a while now. The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. Hyphens with numbers grammar blog the blue book of grammar. When used, place emeritus after the formal title, in keeping with the general practice of academic institutions. Never use a hyphen in place of an en dash or an em dash. Hyphenate half compounds whether they precede or follow the noun. However, if we put the words half full before the word glass so that they are acting as a compound modifier, then it makes sense to use a hyphen. Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized. These include words like brotherinlaw, costeffective, finetune, and oldfashioned. An easy rule of thumb in most cases is that its not necessary to hyphenate when the word minute ends in s. The term applies to southwest asia west of pakistan and afghanistan and northeastern africa iran, iraq, israel, kuwait, jordan, lebanon, oman, bahrain, qatar, saudi arabia, syria, the eastern part of turkey known also as asian minor, united arab emirates and yemen, egypt, sudan.
This word often is added to formal titles to denote that individuals who have retired retain their rank or title. Use a hyphen with two or more words that express a single concept. The ap stylebook also specifies a number of miscellaneous rules for writing measurements. Ap style is what the general public is accustomed to seeing because it is the official stylebook of the newspaper industry.
And if you state your numbers as adjectives, you can have more hyphen fun. Consider the following examples of ap style numbers, the chicago white sox finished second. In the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style numbers. Im trying to write 3 and a half year old, as in, he is a 3 and a half year old dog. Hyphens are used when the measurement becomes a compound modifier 5foot3 woman. In preparing the 11th edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation, we thought long and hard about hyphens vs. Both the ap stylebook and the buzzfeed style guide already recommend spelling email without the hyphen. The boy is six and a half but a sixanda half yearold boy half a dozen, half past six. When indicating miles per gallon as a measurement, subsequent references become mpg. Use a hyphen only when omitting it would cause confusion. The associated press style guide says to use this method if precision is not intended. Generally, use days of the week, rather than the words yesterday or tomorrow, which may cause confusion. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. And the ap stylebook kept wording it has used previously that says use of the hyphen is far from standardized and, as in the past, note that it can be a matter of taste, judgment and.
This is the style guide that professional media use. On twitter, the stylebooks official account declared that hyphens were no. For most writers, the hyphens primary function is the formation of certain compound terms. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. If it were two halfton, the noun following would be the plural noun units. In the previous posts in this series part 1, part 2, and part 3, we discussed the general principles of hyphenation, as describe in much more detail on pages 97100 of the publication manual. 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. Ap style cheat sheet for wjeas writeoff contests and beyond student journalists should have at least these two sources available to answer basic style questions. May 21, 2009 capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individuals name. Crucial to accurately using ap style on measurements is appropriate use of numbers, as most units of measurement are attached to a numeral. So to conform, we are returning the hyphen to the quarter phrases. Ap stylebook changes hyphen guidance, ushering in total chaos.
The ap announced today that it will drop the hyphen from the word formerly written, under ap style, as email. 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. Jul 27, 2010 ap does not even acknowledge that the en dash exists. Hold to these rules when using ap style fractions in your writing. Half an hour sounds infinitely better, and the ap entry is simply illustrating that half hour, if it comes up, gets a hyphen. Ap compiles super bowl style guide associated press. The associated press stylebook, certainly a reputable resource, uses a hyphen under its. There is no need for hyphens if youre using the phrase as a noun. For suffixes, if a word combination is not listed in websters new world college dictionary, use two words for the verb form. Perhaps, but the ap stylebook s former guidelines on compound modifiersthe way of things before all this tinkeringdidnt actually dictate that they should always be hyphenated. For example, you wouldnt put a hyphen before minutes in the sentence joey showered for 15 minutes.
A matter of time editor photographer creative professional. Hyphens join words together and should be used to help form a single idea from two words or avoid ambiguity in your writing. Without the hyphen one might the sentence could mean meant that half those in the audience were asleep and half were awake. For example, this recipe calls for twothirds of a cup. Per ways to write 2000 year old, i suspect it should be 3 and a half yearold, but that reads like deathby hyphen, even if it is correct. When it comes to numbers in general, style guides have many exceptions to the basic rules depending on how the number is used. In running text, it is best to use words instead of an en dash or hyphen in ap style. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Here are some style notes from norm goldstein that arent already in your stylebook. As of wednesday, the ap changed some wording that was part of the hyphen entry s introduction for years. But when a hyphen is necessary in the expression of minutes, only hyphenate the minutes, as in five fortyfive. While the ap stylebook admits that there is not necessarily a standard way to use them, and that most instances come own to personal style or taste, it does say the fewer hyphens the better. The man was half dead, the door was half open, the meal was half finished. Ive noticed that you advise people that it is ap style to write full hours like this.
Clearly one person who had control of the ticker favored hyphens and another person who also had control of the ticker did not. Late last month, the ap stylebookthat fusty old guide to grammar and. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Specifically, we are deleting the longstanding guidance that hyphen use is. I had a small hand in originally having all those included in the stylebook many years ago noting, when i was an ap editor, that. Unfortunately, my copy of the franklin covey style guide agrees with this, although its not the most recent edition. The hyphen is also used for word division, which is briefly explained here. Is there a standard ap style for bulleted areas of text. In subsequent references, do not continue ising the. The best way to determine whether or not a phrase always carries a hyphen is to check the dictionary.
The clock is ticking how to write about time in ap style. We agree that, for instance, first half run should be hyphenated. If the number and noun construction does not have a noun following it, omit the hyphen. If a fraction of hours is used, hyphenate if it is a compound adjective comes before the noun. The test was openbook ap with a hyphenated compound. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. When using age as an adjective using their age to describe an individual, then use hyphens. A quickanddirty guide to hyphens speedy delivery medium. Ap entry is simply illustrating that halfhour, if it comes up, gets a hyphen. Let us know if you struggle with one of these exceptions. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. The chief virtue that language can have is clearness, and nothing detracts from it so much as the use of unfamiliar words.
See the lists that follow to determine whether the title should be spelled out or abbreviated in regular text. The ap stylebook and briefing on media law is an essential handbook for all writers and editors. A hyphen is optional in most cases, so the fewer hyphens the better. He had a childlike sense of wonder and enthusiasm that made class really interesting. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start here. To hyphenate or notcompound words the editors blog. If the prefix ends in the same letter as the first letter of the word, a hyphen is used for easy readability. You should use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things. To test the correctness of each phrase, i say to myself that its not a town meeting or a hallstyle meeting. However, a hyphen is not required if the number is the second word in the compound adjective. 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. Ap stylebook, also known by its full name the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the associated press to standardize mass communication. Half hour definition of half hour by merriamwebster.
People have asked about taps, the bugle call, about 28,000 times. Some phrases are customarily hyphenated even if they are placed after a noun. Ontario training network grammar tip hyphens with numbers. According to ap style, should it be half price or half price. Home ap style ap style composition titles the following guidelines are rules set out in the ap stylebook for ap style book titles, computer game titles, ap style movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album titles, ap style song titles, radio and television titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, and work of art. When expressing time in words instead of numerals, you should use a hyphen, as in fivefifteen. Ap would spell out numerals under 10, even for grade levels. Associated press style basics journalists resource. A hyphen may be used between a prefix and a word to avoid confusion while reading. But in dialog or quoted speech, such as five and a half. If you commit one rule to memory each day, in just two weeks you will become an ap numbers master.
The ap stylebook, the buzzfeed style guide, the economist style guide, and the chicago manual of style all recommend hyphenating ebook, as well as most other e words such as ereader and ecommerce its conceivable that over time, ebook may lose its hyphen. It turns out the first person was on the right track. Per ways to write 2000 year old, i suspect it should be 3anda half yearold, but that reads like deathby hyphen, even if it is correct. If its at all unclear, and a hyphen might help, connect away. Hyphen in compound adjective with numbers grammarly. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun. Aug 15, 2015 the ap says that town hallstyle meeting and trench coatweating sleuth are both correct, with one hyphen each. For items not covered in this district style guide, refer to the ap stylebook and. And to make it even more confusing, in general usage, ap. A hyphen is usually used in apa style when two or more words modify a common noun and that noun comes after the modifiers, for example, 7point scale or clientcentered counseling. As noted earlier, epa has an online subscription to the ap book on our intranet. Half hyphenation problems write well, write to sell. Nov 30, 2012 the associated press style guide says to use this method if precision is not intended. Example of words with prefixes that use a hyphen can be usually divided into the following groups.
Click here if youd like to freshen up on some more ap style rules. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing. 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. What is the proper way to write time in a manuscript. It is ap style to use only the number for whole hours, i. 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. Do not use a hyphen if the construction includes very or an adverb. Ten ways to use hyphens with numbers cathleen townsend. Ap updates its stylebook to accommodate changes in conventions and usage. Associated press style thread just for questions on ap.
The weatherman said, a 4 12 to 8inch accumulation is expected for later this evening. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the full name of a member of the military. Nov 06, 2015 if you want to follow the writing style used by magazines, newspapers, editors and journalists, then you need to study up on associated press style, or ap style. Here at conveyor, we are huge fans of the ap stylebook. The ap style numbers guidelines are extensive, but they dont have to be confusing. The associated press has an ask the editor section of its online stylebook. Cms the test was open book ap with a hyphenated compound. When multiple modifiers have a common base, the base can be omitted in all except the last modifier. What is the correct way to write a fractional number in a. Do you use a hyphen when writing hour and a half answers. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce. In general you should spell out numbers one through nine in ap style. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook.
Some of you disagreed with our move to delete the hyphen from firstquarter touchdown, thirdquarter earnings and other quarter terms, the ap stylebook. Buzzfeed publishes news and entertainment in the language of the web, and in our work, we rely on a style guide to govern everything from hardhitting journalism to fun quizzes. Hyphens are often used to tell the ages of people and things. Stylebook entries are designed to be even more explicit in their explanations than. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free.
While the ap stylebook admits that there is not necessarily a standard way to use them, and that most instances come own to personal style or. Aug 17, 2017 hyphens join words together and should be used to help form a single idea from two words or avoid ambiguity in your writing. If you are classifying dash as hyphen, you use it such as. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Where precision is intended, spell out fractions less than one. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. What is the correct way to write a fractional number in a formal letter. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes, which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign, which is also longer in some contexts. Compound terms are those that consist of more than one word but represent a single item or idea. You could see evidence of a hyphen debate taking place right on the screen. If you are using a phrase like that as a modifier, however, youll need hyphens to hold it all together.
The sentence would read he was holding a half full glass. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. I know a hyphen or two is supposed to go in there somewhere. Second, according to the canadian press stylebook if the number is under 10, write it out if over 10 use the figures. Ap style hourlong its one of those small but satisfying changes in the ap stylebook ap finally has removed the hyphen from hourlong, making it consistent with all the other longs yearlong, weeklong, daylong. I bet a lot of people, however, have changed half an hour to a half hour because ap mentions the latter but not the former. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. The basic ap style rule on numbers is that numerals less than 10 are spelled out, while 10 and greater are represented numerically. Dec 23, 2015 the guardian and observer style guide. But were keeping the no hyphen first grade student, just like high school student. Other time expressions could include half past five and twenty to seven or seven in the morning and ten at night. Im sticking to the definition in aps dictionary of choice, websters new world college dictionarya figure, letter, or a group of any of these, expressing a number. Ap style guidelines for hyphen usage gatehouse newsroom. The chicago manual of style differentiates numerals from words as well.