I am curious about units… But if you need a true sentence (requiring a verb) rather than a phrase, how about, August 22, 2012 was the day my life changed forever—the day I met you. is 1-quart and 2-quarts correct? – Even though it was 43 degrees outside, he went swimming. Many businesses and news outlets use the guidelines set out in the Associated Press Stylebook (also known as AP style). Trusted by thousands of leading institutions and businesses. ““What Daybreak does not have a lot of is civic space,” said Kingston, noting the new library will help the nationally ranked Daybreak community and the No. You can read more about that rule here: https://www.bkacontent.com/improve-your-writing-by-avoiding-scare-quotes/. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Communicators (and gamers) should take note that a few terms … The president will be inaugurated Jan. 20.-but-On Dec. 21, … For example: An AP editor weighed in on the following question, and I think it will help you: Is it “He was in jail for four-and-a-half years” or “He was in jail for 4 1/2 years”? Use figures with time. Is it: “He finished his degree in five years.” OR “He finished his degree in 5 years.”? 2 and 3 go?” he said. ✗. However, you should use “on” with a date if it’s the first word in a sentence: On 12 July, the new law came into effect. However, there is an exception to this exception (things can never be easy, right?). Even AP editors agree that the rules are confusing, so you’re not alone! adroll_adv_id = "KRNULS3DQRHXVACWQTZIHM"; I agree that the rules are hard to follow, but my example comes straight off AP’s website. You don’t usually need to give the day of the week with a date. Welcome to Ask the Editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the AP Stylebook. (Note abbreviation for ‘Number’). 3. When possible, avoid such awkwardness by adding an introductory word or phrase to your sentence or rewriting the sentence altogether so that the number doesn’t appear at the beginning. However, what about if the date is before the month? Go with “3,000 years.”, I am wondering about using both numeric and written numbers in the same sentence. Would I say “Employers added 16 thousand jobs in May” or “Employers added 16,000 jobs in May”? In general you should spell out numbers one through nine in AP Style. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Now, ten years later its shortened to just “Patch,” uses ten and not a figure. The Associated Press Stylebook, first published in 1977, clarified the news organization's rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. AP calls for “one-thousandth of an inch.”, I’m currently drafting a press release for a home builder. To avoid starting a sentence with a number, it may be possible to end the preceding sentence with a semicolon or to punctuate in some other manner. While this rule seems short and sweet, there are a lot of exceptions that you need to be aware of. Often so is used in a similar way as the last example, as a conjunction, but placed at the start of a sentence; The puppy was cute. – The Empire State Building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue in New York. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. 3 Now, AP style uses the percent sign with numerals in formal content. at speeds up to 80 m.p.h. – The ‘70s were all about peace, love, and flower power. However, if the sentence continues after the year, you also need a comma after the date. Get the latest news and updates from BKA. IMHO that depends a lot on how clumsy the resulting sentence is. That construction is awkward enough that I’d avoid it. But it makes an exception for years, which can go at the start of a sentence: As such, it’s fine to do this as long as the sentence reads smoothly. Last year, the topic came up again. Keep it as “six six-day virtual sessions.” AP style has a similar example: “They had four four-room houses.”. The club's vice president said his seven-year-old son found a wallet containing $14,000, and that seven people have claimed it. Try to avoid using a percentage to start a sentence, otherwise you have to write out the number and “percent.”. The full name is not required if the company name is irrelevant to the story, and you don’t have to use the formal name on first reference. The AP style numbers guidelines are extensive, but they don’t have to be confusing. – There are 300 billion stars in the Milky Way. AP says you should spell out casual references to clock times. Here’s the relevant section from the fractions entry: Use figures for precise amounts larger than 1, converting to decimals whenever practical. In the following, for instance, we include “on” to clarify that we’re referring to “Dr. Having trouble determining when to spell out or use a figure in reference to “ten years” in a text. (Example: President John Smith vs The president, John Smith, vs John Smith, president,) I’ve emailed questions like this to the AP but have not received a response. (i.e., “My 5-year-old brother is stinky and needs to bathe.”) Is this exception limited to ONLY ages of people? ✗. I understand where you are coming from, Jennifer. A local style guide. ✓. An eight-hour day. Follow the example of the popular Route 66 and use figures when writing about highways and freeways. He scored with two seconds left. This one is stumping me. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Two, numbers. This means when to use a capital letter at the beginning of a word. I know you say, “She walked 3 miles.” But in an article I’m proofreading, it states, “The Deercourt community sprang up about two miles west of Tugalo …” Should I mark it to read, “The Deercourt community sprang up about 2 miles west of Tugalo …”? In general, spell out the numbers zero through nine, and use the number for 10 or more. SPELL IT OUT (use hyphen when appropriate)-NO apostrophe with THREE or MORE digits: 1980s, '90s, BUT she made four A's and two C's. Can you simplify the sentence (“One out of seven people”)? When you use a conjunction at the start of a sentence, it makes much more of an impact. Spell out numbers that begin a sentence unless it begins with a year (e.g., Twelve drummers, The 10 lords a-leaping, 2011’s quota for off-season holiday references has been filled). Hi, I know that figures are used for ages of people and things (2-year-old boy, 5-year-old car, etc.) Freeman Tuesday”: As with setting apart the year with commas, though, omitting the “on” in this context is rarer in British English. So whether you want to follow this rule may depend on where your audience is based and your chosen dialect. For example, The conference call will be held Monday. Just like when writing about decades and centuries, an apostrophe should not be used with plural numbers. Basically when talking about months, years, days, etc. For example, why write out numbers nine and below? I am wondering if I am saying something like “The follow-up appointments will occur at three months and six months” if the numbers are spelled out or written with the actual numbers. Kentucky was ranked No. Submit a 500-word sample document for free to find out more. When to use an apostrophe with decades and centuries. With a 99% content approval rating, we are the best content creation service in the business. Some style books now allow sentences to start with a year in numeral form. Freeman” on a specific day, not someone called “Dr. In general, you should spell out all numbers one through nine and use figures only for numbers 10 and above. -If you’re starting a sentence, spell out the number, unless it’s a year. How To White Label SEO Content Writing Services, https://www.bkacontent.com/improve-your-writing-by-avoiding-scare-quotes/. Where can a person learn the rationale behind the AP style rules? AP style editors answered a similar question by saying, “I definitely wouldn’t use quote marks, which are confusing and don’t look like emphasis. AP gives this example: For AP style would it be three-to-five days or three to five days? You’re in luck! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. ✗. I’m so confused about this. The AP Stylebook, used by professional journalists, is a good referral source to improve and correct your writing. Generally, AP style forbids starting a sentence with a numeral, recommending either spelling out the number or rephrasing the sentence. Is it: “He completed the mile-long race in six minutes.” OR “He finished the mile-long race in 6 minutes.”? Thanks for your question, Jaz. Additionally, if you are writing about a decade or century, never use an apostrophe. Go with “top five.”. Consider the following examples of AP Style numbers, The Chicago White Sox finished second. In winter, travel time can be 10 days or more.”. Could you explain? However, you should not use one before the “s” in decades or centuries: The early 1800s were a time of rapid change. AP style would prefer “June 12.” If you have to go with “the 12th of June,” then definitely use the ordinal. The band had five Top 40 hits.”, Do I use “Third” or “3rd” in “Third lowest tuition and fees among four-year colleges.”. And if you’d like help proofreading documents in AP style, our editors are available 24/7. or Others advise you to flip the sentence so this does not occur. Thanks! Elsewhere in the story: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law official style guide of the Associated Press, a not-for-profit news agency that’s been around since 1846. And if you only mention a month and year, no commas are required: It’s worth noting that these commas are much rarer in UK English. Joe Smith’s season vaulted him into the top 5 of the NBA Draft. The AP Stylebook recommends setting apart the year in a date with commas. Chinese New Year: English Words with Chinese Origins, How to Cite a Blog Post in Chicago Footnote Referencing, Using Articles (A, An, The) Before Acronyms and Initialisms. AP Style Height and Measurements Examples: – On average, a garden snail moves 50 yards per hour. According to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Seventh edition), for most MLA style papers, spell out numbers written in one or two words such as \"two\" or \"three hundred.\" If you begin a sentence with a number, spell it out, even if it is a date or other number that uses more than two words. For me, putting a coordinating conjunction like and before "the day I met you" weakens it compared to the original phrasing. A Ford mustang driven by a woman in her 20's sped South on Pennsylvania Ave., then turned left onto Franklin Rd. The decimal would look a little odd in that case. “I bought my car four years ago.” Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! In your above example, I’m not understanding why “8 hours,” uses the numeric figure rather than “eight hours.” Later in the examples you provide, you spell out the numbers in “five minutes,” “six minutes,” etc. He was in jail for 4 1/2 years. Please advise! Is it: “I bought my car four years ago.” OR “I bought my car 4 years ago.”? Would those be spelled out or would figures be used also? Hi, Elizabeth. You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. Would you say: With this in mind, we’ll note issues below where UK conventions for writing dates would differ from those recommended in the AP Stylebook. For example, one out of six to seven people will get food poisoning in their life. Go with “$M” for million and “$B” for “billion.” Interestingly, AP never abbreviates “trillion.”. '” Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling, p. 3: – Approximately 25% of the world’s supply of hazelnuts is used to make Nutella. However, AP’s rules for telling time are very specific: “Use figures for time of day except for noon and midnight: 1 p.m., 10:30 a.m., 5 o’clock, 8 hours, 30 minutes, 20 seconds, a winning time of 2:17:3 (2 hours, 17 minutes, 3 seconds). 6, 1982 ✗. And then, we come to using so at the start of a sentence. – 1999 was a good year to party, according to Prince. – Remember when a call from a payphone only cost 10 cents? She had six months left of her pregnancy. –Always spell out other words such as alley, drive and road. Use the company’s full name somewhere in the article, especially if the article’s subject matter could affect the company’s business. And if you’re referring to an event more than a week from your publication date, give the date instead of the day of the week: The parade, which took place on May 14, drew a crowd of 14,000. Your second example is correct: “Employers added 16,000 jobs in May.”. The exception to this rule is tabular material, where you can use three-letter forms with no periods (i.e., Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Ready for another exception? – The business was sold for $5.7 million last year. “hospital stays were reduced from 6 or 7 days to about 1.4 days” or “from six to seven days to about one and one-quarter days” or “from six to seven days to about 1 1/4 days”? Consider Costco Wholesale Corp. as an example. The basic date format recommended in AP style. In the past we discussed how to correctly use AP style title case, and now we’re here to tackle the often confused topic of AP style numbers. If you are using clichés or well-known expressions, you should usually spell out the number. Awkward: But that was now in the past. “Generally spell out amounts less than 1 in stories, using hyphens between the words: two-thirds, four-fifths, seven-sixteenths, etc. Ex: We have been friends for three years. Always use figures for numbered addresses. So, I picked it up. What’s the reason for the difference if it isn’t referring to 8 o’clock as a time of day? – Did you know that 10 out of 25 people believe phony statistics? Tech terms. I much prefer "1,237 replies were received from interested people" then "The number of replies received from interested people was 1,237". When abbreviating a decade, AP style requires an apostrophe at the start: The ‘beehive’ hair style was popular throughout the ‘60s. Unfortunately I can’t tell you why AP’s rules are the way they are; however, I can commiserate with you! However, you don’t need to abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July: January 1, 2014 ✗ Jun. Or would it be 1-quart and 2 quarts? Or does it also include other measures of years. I was wondering how you are supposed to use commas after full dates in AP style. – You need to take Interstate 5 for 34 miles before you’ll reach your destination. As such, you may want to ignore this rule if you’re writing for a UK audience (or readers in another country where day-month-year dates are standard). Hi! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Thank you in advance. Include the year only if it is different from the present year (the year in which the publication or correspondence is dated) and always if the year is different from the present year. All of the numerals will carry dollar signs except when discussing cents. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Use figures when referring to money, whether dollars or cents. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Pricing begins in the high $200,000s. However, you would hyphenate “2-quart baking dish.”. AP Style Years, Months, Decades and Dates Examples: – The Renaissance spanned from the 1300s to the 1600s. The new model gets 4 miles more per gallon. If you are referring to a percent generically or casually, AP style suggests … ✗. The only time an apostrophe is needed is if you are writing a decade and dropping the first half of the figure (‘80s). However, if the name of the street is a number, then you should default back to the basics: spell out First through Ninth, and use figures for 10th and anything higher. ✓, During the 1950’s, there was a post-war baby boom. Spell out numbers used at the beginning of a sentence: “Ten thousand people marched on the capital.” Exception: Never spell out years: “1999 was a terrible year for technology companies.” 2 Before: One hundred fifty-two wasps live in my garage. Joe Smith’s season vaulted him into the top five of the NBA Draft. It’s in a quote. When starting a sentence with a number, you usually want to spell the number out. Your organization can choose its own style. It’s appropriate to refer to the company as Costco, but you’ll want t… Starting a Sentence with a Year Generally, AP style forbids starting a sentence with a numeral, recommending either spelling out the number or rephrasing the sentence. What is the proper AP Style format when you’re talking about specific thousands of years? ✓, The Council met on Tuesday to discuss the plan. Avoid using "last" and "next" Last has several meanings and its use in reference to time can be confusing. Required fields are marked *. Use figures when writing about dimensions—including height and weight. Associated Press style provides guidelines for news writing. AP editors have an answer for this exact question: “The trip takes three to five days. Give us your email address to learn more about how we can create high-quality content for you. Now, don't get me started on this. Sometimes, inserting a short descriptive word before the number is a quick fix. Likewise, midnight and noon should be spelled out. It’s a three- to five-day trip. Hi Amber- What if you are writing a range of numbers. 1 choice. Because italics and underlined words are off-limits, you don’t have a lot of alternatives available. Great question, Michael. However, for scholarly writing, it is typically avoided to start a sentence with "And." When to include the year. Use figures and the percent symbol to express percentages. At the time, the AP noted they were starting to wrestle with it. In casual references, “I bought two quarts of milk at the store” is fine to say. Be careful when using quotation marks to emphasize words. Of course, you can break free from AP’s rigorous guidelines and do a hybrid of the rules as they fit your needs. but not referring to age, how should the numbers be written out? “Three years, seven months and 27 days” is correct when following AP style. For instance: Born Jan. 17, 1984, Mr. Albert went on to… ✓. I can’t seem to find anything about this, so I’m assuming it’s the same? Ex: “We went to the party a year and a half ago.” A more precise phrase would be better in formal writing. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Now or never. When talking about a certain length of time—in this case, “three years, seven months and twenty-seven days”—is it correct that all numbers are spelled out? Note that you should never use :00 when discussing an even hour. Ex: It took me 11 years to learn to play the piano. by Amber Morris | Nov 1, 2020 | AP Style Basics | 59 comments. If a name that begins with a lowercase letter begins a sentence, then it should be capitalized. I also think it looks odd. ✓. Bonus: Don’t abbreviate the unit of measurement when using AP Style numbers. Another tricky part of AP style is when to abbreviate parts in address. One, capitalization. Perhaps capital letters: I REALLY loved that movie.”. I have a good one and can’t find an example. Times: 4 p.m. Notice that AP style does not include a colon and two zeroes when referring to an even hour. Use figures starting with 10th.”. are called ordinal numbers. Example The year 2012 is one of unusual weather patterns. Mastering AP Style dates, temperatures, measurements, ages, time, percent, money, years, hours, speed and more is doable! The two-minute warning.” I point out this last rule because I’m not sure of the context for “six-hour cutoff time.”.
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