Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Be warned, however, that there are still a lot of conservative editors out there who believe just the opposite and go overboard on the use of hyphens in compound modifiers. Are you old enough to remember when telegrams were sent in all upper case with minimal punctuation except for stop to represent a period. Recently, i wrote about some changes to the ap stylebooks rules on. Aps rationale is that retaining the hyphen in compound modifiers after the noun helps. Such combinations are generally not hyphenated if they occur after a noun. In ap style, ly words mostly adverbs and very dont get hyphens as compound modifiers. Compound modifiers with words ending in ly grammar party.
Use a hyphen to divide words at the end of a line if necessary, and make the break only between syllables. Associated press stylebook ap spell out numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above. Aps rationale is that retaining the hyphen in compound modifiers after the noun helps avoid confusion. This guide is for use in workplace and public writing, not academic writing. A compound modifier requires a hyphen between two or more words modifying a noun. Gary pruitt, president and ceo of ap, notes that some of the most interesting changes came about as a result of conversations on twitter.
In order to make the most of my trip to egypt, i am studying both arabic and the ancient hieroglyphs. Apparently, the longstanding practice of inserting a hyphen in a compound. The guidelines help writers present clear and concise information with consistent structure to keep readers focused. One of the most common hyphen problems in submitted articles is the lack of a hyphen for compound modifiers. Styleguard features with the associated press stylebook collection avoid using redundant or overused words. The apparent problem is that ap refuses to set down rules. Grammar rules that changed in the last decade readers. As the stylebook says, using hyphens can be a matter of taste, judgment and style sense.
A compound adjective is two or more words that join together to modify a noun. Dont use suspended compound modifiers, such as left and rightaligned text, unless space is limited. Ap style calls for a space on both sides of a dash in all uses except the start of sports agate summaries. Styleguard overview styleguard ap stylechecking tools. Aps official guidance from its stylebook reads like this. When a compound modifier two or more words that express a single conceptprecedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound except the adverb very and all adverbs that end in ly. The ap stylebook had to mix things up even more with this rule. Perhaps, but the ap stylebooks former guidelines on compound modifiers the way of things before all this tinkeringdidnt actually dictate that they should always be hyphenated. Dont hyphenate if both elements of the compound modifier are nouns. Learn about quickly changing ap stylebook rules from. I have a lot to learn between now and my journeyand im sure that, as i study and prepare for my trip, some writing and editing topics will pop up and that can inform new blog posts.
But no hyphen is needed if the modifier is commonly recognized as one phrase. Ap would spell out numerals under 10, even for grade levels. Ap style relaxes its rules on hyphenating compound modifiers. Do not capitalize the titles of forms or informal documents such as an exemption request form, a learning contract or a leave request. Read front edge publishings summary of the 2019 changes to the associated press style guide. Since they appear before the noun, they are hyphenated. In this post, i will discuss compound terms ending with a preposition or adverb e. A compound modifier is when two or more words that express a single concept precede a noun. Because readers expect ly words or very to modify the word that follows, no hyphen is required. One looks objectively worse than the other, but apparently the associated press is fine. The words yellow and green, and salt and pepper are adjectives modifying the nouns teeth and mustache. Why grammar nerds keep getting so furious with the. While the ap stylebook admits that there is not necessarily a standard.
These sentences are easily understood without hyphens. Associated press stylebook we are retiring our boards here but you can stay in style on twitter, facebook, instagram and linkedin. His yellowgreen teeth were visible beneath a saltandpepper mustache. The guidelines below explain how to use suspended hyphens with 1 repeated last words or suffixes in compound modifiers, 2 repeated first words or prefixes in compound modifiers, 3 closed compounds, and 4 numbers. When a compound modifiertwo or more words that express a single conceptprecedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound except the adverb very and all adverbs that end in ly.
Acceptable on second reference for the associated press. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Some rules and common errors around compound modifiers. Ap sparks linguistic pandemonium with hyphen guidance update. In a march stylebook update, froke said, the ap noted the difference between commonly recognized noun phrases and compound modifiers in phrases. The following three guidelines explain when to hyphenate numbers with units of time such as hours, days, months, years, and centuries. Breed names are often composed of a placename, as in these references to the breeds country of origin. Compound modifiers are grammatically equivalent to singleword modifiers, and can be used in combination with other modifiers. The ap is arguably the worlds foremost news service, and when it comes to writing news copy for consumption across any medium print, broadcast or online ap style is the worldwide default. Mar 26, 2018 do not routinely capitalize the names of dog breeds. Spell out a numeral at the beginning of a sentence unless it identifies a calendar year. A compound modifier is formed when multiple words come together to describe a subsequent noun. 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.
We also see a lot of numberrelated compound modifiers requiring hyphenation. Im not quite that old, but ill take my mothers word for it. On second reference, ap or the ap no capital on the arbitrate, mediate. Mla, apa, and ieee that should be followed by students and faculty when writing academic documents. Dont hyphenate if the first element of the compound modifier is an adverb ending in ly.
A compound modifier refers to two or more words expressing a single concept. Last seven days of ask the editor associated press stylebook. The charttopping hits were played on the radio all day. Ap style guidelines for hyphen usage gatehouse newsroom. Ap, like many other style manuals, wants the clarity of a wellknown speaker as a hyphenated compound modifier before the noun, but also wants as a speaker, she is well known, without the hyphen, when it comes after the noun. A compound modifier consists of two or more words that express a single.
It should be noted that the rules can be a bit wishy washy for example the hyphen is optional in most cases, a matter of taste, judgment and style sense. How to use commas in associated press style pen and the pad. A compound modifier consists of two words connected by a hyphen, which act together like one adjective. Ap style dictates specific comma placement in a series and with dialogue, dates, numbers. Mar 07, 2020 five guidelines for using suspended hyphens. A primer on ap style t he ap stylebook is the second most important book you will use as a journalist, after a dictionary. Answer questions such as should this be one word, two words, or hyphenated. A compound modifier also called a compound adjective, phrasal adjective, or adjectival phrase is a compound of two or more attributive words. The 2019 edition of the ap stylebook has more than 200 updates. Chip minemyer aps evolving style guide still impacts. With respect to this last correct example, the ap stylebook says, when a modifier that would be hyphenated before a noun occurs instead after a form of the verb to be, the hyphen usually must be retained to avoid confusion. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Now in its sixth edition, the stylebook is the standard style. The associated press stylebook advises us to hyphenate well in a compound modifier both when it precedes a noun and when the compound follows the verb to be. We add a hyphen or hyphens to the mix to clarify this, as the meaning of a sentence can sometimes change or be obscured depending on how the ingredients of description fit together. In a march stylebook update, froke said, the ap noted the difference between commonly recognized noun phrases and compound modifiers in. One looks objectively worse than the other, but apparently the associated press is. Apparently freakedout journalists is also hyphenated. Ap sparks linguistic pandemonium with hyphen guidance. Announced in march, the updated ap stylebook includes guidance for.
Ap style relaxes its rules on hyphenating compound modifiers newswire. We hyphenate compound modifiers when it helps with clarity. Some other styles call for en dashes to indicate ranges, such as ranges of dates or times, or with some compound modifiers. French bulldog german shepherd irish setter portuguese water dog sometimes the placename refers to a. Use a hyphen to link all the words in the compound, except the adverb very and all adverbs ending in ly. If you love lists, im sharing one compiled in a sofarsuccessful bid to avoid organ herniation from hoisting those. If u really want to lose ur damn mind, the associated press banished hyphens for compound modifiers last week. The associated press stylebook, first published in 1977, clarified the news organizations rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. In the preceding sentence, singleword is itself a compound. Ap is calling for no hyphen between some compound modifiers, like.
I wrote this addendum to the gazettes stylebook several months ago. 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. Writing style guide communications and marketing suny. If the adjectives cant independently modify the noun, you connect them with a hyphen. Compound modifiers that will no longer get hyphens will include these. The ap therefore strives to keep its writing style easy to read, concise and free of bias. Ap hyphen outrage continues with guidance update columbia. Before we begin, here are a couple of brief words on multiword descriptions. Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, the ap stylebook provides fundamental guidelines for spelling, language, punctuation, usage and journalistic style. Aps reliance on the commonly recognized exception seems like less of an improvement and more of a were just tired of hearing about this, so do what the hell you want response. The ap stylebook, the goto authority guide for all things grammar and punctuation, recently offered new recommendations on hyphens. When multiple modifiers have a common base, the base can be omitted in all except the last modifier, but the hyphens should be retained. Punctuating compounds that precede grammar and punctuation. No hyphen is needed if the modifier is commonly recognized as one phrase, and if the meaning is clear and unambiguous without the hyphen.
Sep 09, 2019 however, compound modifiers seem to be pretty simple in general. Use a hyphen if a compound modifier precedes a noun, except with the adverb very or. Compound modifiers another familiar place you find the hyphen is in words serving as a compound modifier before a noun. Use a hyphen if a compound modifier precedes a noun, except with the adverb very or for adverbs that end in ly. The ap stylebooks dimensions entry says use figures, which are hyphenated as modifiers, and spell out measures such as inch. Taken from the 2012 ap style guide, and the 2010 yahoo. Style guide, along with established army public affairs style, or common usage.
Our stateoftheart warehouse facilities are 80percent automated. Conversely, most books and other formal publications and their style guides, including the chicago manual of style, do apply it cmos recommends using it sparingly. Here is how the chicago manual of style the rulebook people use to edit books explains it in section 7. For line breaks in words ending in ing, if a single final consonant in the root word is doubled before the suffix, hyphenate between the consonants. The revised stylebook also provides specific guidance on the use of hyphens when it comes to compound modifiers, compound verbs, nouns, and suspensive hyphenation used to describe more than one element in a series, such as 10, 15 or 20minute intervals. Use a figure and spell out pounds if the actual figure is relevant. As ap has added entries over the years, the stylebook has grown more useful and comprehensive, but also more daunting. A log truck operator was taken to a hospital with nonlifethreatening injuries. The associated press has a stylebook with rules and standards used primarily in journalistic and news writing. Sep 25, 2019 perhaps, but the ap stylebooks former guidelines on compound modifiersthe way of things before all this tinkeringdidnt actually dictate that they should always be hyphenated. On twitter, the stylebooks official account declared that hyphens were no longer needed for compound modifiersif the modifier is commonly. Sep 25, 2019 in a march stylebook update, froke said, the ap noted the difference between commonly recognized noun phrases and compound modifiers in phrases. But the sentences can also be written in different sometimes better ways by rearranging the words of the compound modifiers.
The article points out that many daily publications and their supporting style guides, such as the associated press stylebook, do not use the en dash for compound descriptors. In other words, this sentence suspends the use of degree. Both the chicago manual of style and the ap stylebook define compound modifiers and their usage the ap stylebook definition of compound modifier, as usual, is nice and concise. For those who may not be aware, the associated press ap stylebook is the bible for news writers.
When a modifier that normally would be hyphenated before a noun is used following a to be verb, the hyphen should be retained. If you use a suspended compound modifier, include a hyphen with both adjectives. The ap stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference in newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. Hyphen compound modifiers when two or more words that express a single concept and proceeds a noun, use them to link all words in the compound except adverb very or that end in ly ex firstquarter touchdown, blueishgreen dress, fulltime job, wellknown man. Jun 30, 2019 read front edge publishings summary of the 2019 changes to the associated press style guide. The slcc style guide provides common editing guidelines based upon the associated press ap style guide. The words in the ap style column can be found in the ap stylebook under.
Ap stylebook changes hyphen guidance, ushering in total chaos. Aps rationale is that retaining the hyphen in compound modifiers. This post is a short one on grammar and punctuation, mainly, the compound modifier and the hyphen. If there is no ap stylebook entry that covers a word or specific usage, we refer to the websters dictionary. Regular adjectives modify nouns all the time, but a compound modifier goes much further.
Usually, compound modifier words could be understood as individual modifiers or nouns, so the hyphen is required to clarify the function of the words. Where a compound term lands in its journey toward becoming one word is arbitrary with a capital fu. For example, the firsttime user of a hyphen should hyphenate first. Dragoman follows the ap stylebook, so we use hyphens to indicate ranges or to clarify that we are using a compound modifier. Fix style deviations that escape microsoft office spelling and grammar. Many breed names are composed of proper nouns that you capitalize and generic terms like retriever or terrier that you lowercase. The associated press says compound modifiers dont need hyphens except for the sake of clarity in the latest update to the ap stylebook. Specifically, i reported that ap is going lighter on them, arguing that if a hyphen doesnt do anything to make a compound modifier easier to understand, you can often ditch it. May 29, 2019 the ap stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference in newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. Imho your first instinct was correct and a suspensive hyphen is required here, as you could say either 12inches tall or 24inches tall, hence the 12 to 24inches tall. For line breaks, divide alreadyhyphenated words only at the hyphen.
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