The Associated Press Stylebook and

Briefing on Media Law

 Some Style Guides
• ACS Style Guide • Turabian
• AMA Manual of Style • ISO 690
• AP Stylebook • IEEE style
• Bluebook • Fowler’s Modern English
• The Publication Manual of Usage
APA • Microsoft Manual of Style
• The Elements of Style by • The Oxford Guide to Style
Strunk and White
• Citing Medicine
Part 1

PUNCTUATIONS
 Serial Comma (,)
The AP Stylebook discourages the use of the serial comma.
However, it may be used in resolving ambiguity in a
series.

Examples:
• My breakfast usually consists of coffee, toast, and bacon
and eggs.
• The colors of the Philippine flag are red, white, blue and
yellow.
 Semicolon (;)
Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses instead of
a comma.

Example: Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church

should be open to everyone,; he even stated that he
is willing to baptize Martians.
 Semicolon (;)
Aside from separating run-on sentences, the semicolon can
also be used to separate a series if its elements already
employ a comma.

Example:
• The books on each level of the shelf are the following:
The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room and The Wide
Window; The Miserable Mill, The Austere Academy and
The Ersatz Elevator; and The Vile Village, The Hostile
Hospital and The Carnivorous Carnival.
 Colon (:)
A colon is used primarily for introducing a list or for
emphasis.

Examples:
• The following senators are in Napoles’s list: Legarda,
Estrada, Cayetano, and Enrile.
• Once a fancy coffee shop, this has evolved into one of
the many places the katkat of Cebu gather. Yes, I am
talking about only one chain: Starbucks.
 Em Dash (—)
The em dash can be used in the place of commas,
parentheses and colons. The AP Stylebook advises
putting the em dash between two spaces.
 Em Dash (—)
When substituting a comma, the em dash can enhance
readability and can exhibit emphasis.

When substituting parentheses, the em dash shows a less

formal and more intrusive tone.

When substituting a colon, the em dash gives a less formal

but more emphatic effect.
 Em Dash (—)
Examples:

Ethan finally caught a Jigglypuff — after spending five hours

in tall grass.

The USC Administration — after the GSO strike — released

an open letter defending the decision to lay off the
employees.
 Em Dash (—)
Examples:

Napoles probably has only one agendum on why she

released many lists — to upset investigation.
 En Dash (–)
The en dash is used to indicate ranges of numbers, scores,
and conflicts and connections.

Examples:
• The intramural activities for AY 2014–2015 will be in
September.
• Indiana Pacers won against Miami Heat with a score of
93–90.
• A number of countries intervened in the Ukraine–Russia
conflict over Crimea.
 Hyphen (-)
The hyphen is used to connect compound terms. It is also
used to resolve ambiguity among terms in a sentence.

It is also used to avoid duplicated vowels or tripled

consonants.

Note: Most of the time, it is the writer’s and the editor’s

prerogative on when to use the hyphen.
 Hyphen (-)
Examples:

The community extension activities of the School of

Engineering are geared toward helping small- business
men.

Is our society promoting anti-intellectualism?

 Apostrophe (’)
Aside from being used in contractions, the apostrophe is
used to indicate omitted letters and/or numbers,
ownership and plurality.

When indicating plurality, the apostrophe is only used for

single letters. Do not use the apostrophe for plurals of
numerals and multiple-letter combinations.
 Apostrophe (’)
Examples:

Stanley and Sandler’s room is as messy as heck.

Karl’s and Julienne’s meals were cooked by Christa.

Dot your i’s and cross your t’s.

 Apostrophe (’)
Examples:

Disco was a dominant music genre in the ‘70s.

That ne’er-do-well better start working, or else he’ll be

fired.

Did you finish your assignment on ABCs?

Part 2

REVIEW ON CAPITALIZATION
 Capitalization
Capitalize the first, last and “important words” in a title;
however, if the title includes a colon (:), capitalize the first
word after the colon regardless if it is “important” or not.

Note: By “important words”, do not capitalize articles, and

conjunctions and prepositions with less than five letters.

Examples:
• Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics with Modern
Physics
 Capitalization
Capitalize specific locations. However, do not capitalize
compass directions that are not used as names.

Examples:
• The shop is south of USC.
• He went to USC – South Campus.
• To North Carolina he goes.
 Capitalization
Capitalize school, university, etc. only if they are part of a
proper name.

Examples:
• The University of San Carlos has four campuses.
• You can ride a 13C to travel from the university’s
Downtown Campus to its Talamban Campus.
 Capitalization
Capitalize historical events.
Examples: EDSA Revolution, World War II, the Crusades

Capitalize specific course descriptions.

Examples: Rizal Course, Man in Search of God,
Fundamentals in Games and Sports
 Capitalization
Capitalize the names of celestial bodies. However, do not
capitalize earth, moon and sun unless they are used in
context with other heavenly bodies.

Examples:
• Let us harness energy from the sun.
• Alpha Centauri is 4.37 light years away the Sun.
• Venus is called Earth’s “sister planet”.
 Capitalization
Capitalize the titles of persons. However, if the titles are used
as a substitute for the person’s name, do not capitalize.

Examples:
• Napoles gave the list to Sen. Lacson. The senator
confirmed it was unsigned.
• Tyrion Lannister was accused of killing King Joffrey
Baratheon by the king’s mother.
 Capitalization
Final advice on capitalization:

When confused whether to capitalize a word or not,

please refer to the A-Z listing in the Associated Press
Stylebook.
Part 3

NUMERALS
 General Rule
Spell out whole numbers below 10 for both ordinal and
cardinal numbers.

Use numerical figures for 10 and above.

Examples:
• There are nine new writers in Today’s Carolinian.
• K is the 11th in the modern English alphabet.
 In a Series
The general rule for writing numerals apply for the
elements in a series.

Examples:
• He owns three textbooks, 12 slides, one handbook
and 13 scientific journals about physical chemistry,
all thanks to the Pirate Bay.
 Beginning a Sentence
Spell out a numeral if it begins a sentence. Additionally, in
this case, it is more advisable to change the sentence.

Years are exempt from this rule.

Examples:
• 2016 will be the year for the next presidential
election.
• 45 students are enrolled in that class.
 Beginning a Sentence
Spell out a numeral if it begins a sentence. Additionally, in
this case, it is more advisable to change the sentence.

Years are exempt from this rule.

Examples:
• 2016 will be the year for the next presidential
election.
• 45 students are enrolled in that class. There are 45
students who enrolled in that class.
 Percentages, Fractions and Decimals
Use figures followed by the word percent for percentages.
Example: About 1 percent of dry air is argon.

For fractions, spell out amounts less than one, connecting

the words with a hyphen.
Example: Marie let Antoinette eat seven-eighths of the
cake.
 Percentages, Fractions and Decimals
Use figures for fractions whose amounts exceed one, but
convert values to decimals whenever practical.
Example: Xavier bought 5/2 grams of vanilla extract.
 Percentages, Fractions and Decimals
Use figures for fractions whose amounts exceed one, but
convert values to decimals whenever practical.
Example: Xavier bought 5/2 grams of vanilla extract.
Xavier bought 2.50 grams of vanilla extract.

Decimals should not exceed two places. For decimals less

than one, a zero should be written before the decimal
point.
Example: The value of pi is 3.14, not 0.14.
 Miscellaneous Numbers
Always use figures for ages.
Example: Her 3-year-old son received two pairs of socks
last Christmas.

For room numbers, use figures. Capitalize the word room

when used with a figure.
Example: He is confined in Room 690.

Use figures in writing formulas.

2
 Miscellaneous Numbers
Use figures for numbers preceding millions or billions. The
rule for decimals apply.
Example: As of 2013, the world population is about 2.13
billion.

Spell out numbers used in casual expressions.

Example: Perry the Platypus says he has loved you for a
thousand years.
 Miscellaneous Numbers
For monetary values, write the number followed by the
currency code.
Example: The Fresh Camp had a budget of about 2
million PHP.
Part 4

TELLING TIME
 Time
Use numerical figures except for noon and midnight. To
separate hours from minutes, use a colon. Always use
the 12-hour format.

Always remember to write a.m. and p.m. with periods and

in lowercase.
 Time
Time may be written as a numerical figure followed by o’
clock, but the hours-and-minutes format followed by
a.m. or p.m. is more preferred.

Note: Avoid redundancies such as 10:30 a.m. in the

morning.
 Time
Wrong Correct

3:06 PM 3:06 p.m.

12:00 a.m. Midnight

13:00 1:00 p.m.

4:30 p.m. in the afternoon 4:30 p.m.

 Dates and Months
Always use the following format for dates:

MM DD, YY

where:
MM = month, appropriately abbreviated
DD = day
YY = year
 Dates and Months
For months, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct.,
Nov. and Dec.

Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June and July.

 Dates and Months
Wrong Correct

20th of April, 1889 April 20, 1889

1 Sept. 1939 Sept. 1, 1939

Jun. 9, 2014 June 9, 2014

09-11-2001 Sept. 11, 2001

 More on Months
Do not abbreviate months when used alone.
Example: Classes in the second semester begin in
November.

Do not abbreviate a month when used only with a year. In

this case, do not separate the month and the year with a
comma.
Example: The Brothers Karamazov was completed in
November 1880.
 Years
Use figures with no commas.
Examples: 2014, 2016, 1951, 1642

Use an s without an apostrophe for spans of decades and

centuries.
Example: 1800s, 2000s, 1950s, 1970s
 Historical Periods and Events
Capitalize the names of famous eras in anthropology,
archaeology, geology and history.
Example: the Bronze Age, the Cretaceous, the Dark Ages,
the Mesozoic Era

Capitalize widely-recognized names for periods and events.

Examples: the Industrial Revolution, the Exodus, the
Great Depression, the Atomic Age
 Historical Periods and Events
Capitalize only the proper names or adjectives in general
descriptions of a period.
Examples: classical Rome, ancient Greece, the Victorian
era, the fall of Rome
Grammar
PART 1

CLAUSES
 Clause
• Smallest grammatical unit that conveys a complete
proposition
• When combined with other clauses, creates a sentence

Examples:
• I am
• …which is beside my keyboard…
• …because she ate a whole slice of cake
 Main Parts of a Clause
• Subject – the main topic of the clause
• Predicate – completes an idea about the subject

Examples:
• I am
• …which is beside my keyboard…
• …because she ate a whole slice of cake
 Types of Clauses
Independent Clauses
• Can stand alone and still convey a complete thought

Examples:
• Students failed to enter the university because GSO
members blocked the gates.
• I recommend reading A Clockwork Orange.
• He bought a cat, but it ran away after two days.
 Types of Clauses
Dependent or subordinating clauses
• Need independent clauses to convey a complete thought
• Start with a subordinating conjunction

Examples:
• Students failed to enter the university because GSO
members blocked the gates.
• Unless you will submit your article by 8 p.m., you will be
fined.
 Other Types of Clauses
• Restrictive clauses – change the entire meaning of a
sentence when removed
• Nonrestrictive clauses – can be removed from a sentence
without changing its meaning
• Relative clauses – clauses that begin with a relative
pronoun (that, which, who, whom, of which, etc.)
• Sentential clauses – relative clauses that modify other
clauses
• Elliptical clauses – grammatically incomplete clauses, but
still considered useful and correct
PART 2

TENSES
Tenses
PART 3

SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
 Sentence Fragment
• Group of words that cannot stand alone because it lacks
an independent clause

• May indicate something in time and space, but without a

proper subject-verb relationship
Example: Before 11:59 p.m. on June 3, 2014
 Sentence Fragment
• May include a subject-verb relationship but the verb
used is non-finite
Example: Student groups organizing a candle-lighting
activity in support for the laid off GSO employees

• May be any of the non-independent clauses or their

combinations
Example: Because beer is life
 Sentence Fragment
• May describe something but lacks a proper subject-verb
relationship
Example: Eating the massive cake to ease his boredom
When are sentence fragments acceptable to use?

Sentence fragments are highly discouraged when writing

something strictly formal, as in a news article or in a
research paper.

However, they can be used to add a more dramatic effect

in other genres where artistic narration is employed.
When are sentence fragments acceptable to use?

Examples:
“It was a loud, brilliant, and playful sound. Like a robin or
chickadee.”
–Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“‘Religion?’
‘The fashionable substitute for Belief.’”
–Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
PART 4

RUN-ON SENTENCES
 Run-on sentence
• Contains at least two independent clauses that are not
properly connected

REMINDERS:
• The length of a sentence has nothing to do with whether it
a run-on or not.
• A comma between two independent clauses still makes a
run-on sentence.
 Run-on sentence
This is a run-on sentence:
It was very humid yesterday, I planned to buy ice cream.

This is not a run-on sentence:

It was very humid yesterday, so I planned to buy ice cream from
a nearby store, but along the way, a train hit me, and the
impact broke several of my ribs and crushed my lungs, so I was
brought to the hospital, where my room was cool, so on a
happier note, I did not have to suffer the humid day anymore.
 Run-on sentence
Run-on sentences usually happen because:
• An independent clause gives a request or a command
based from another independent clause before it
Example: I want to sleep, please sing me a lullaby.

• A transitional device connects two independent clauses

Example: Construction in the USC-TC began, then, the
university was engulfed in an unending sandstorm.
 Run-on sentence
• An independent clause contains a pronoun that
represents a noun in a preceding independent clause
Example: Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church
should be open to everyone, he even stated that he is
willing to baptize Martians.
When are run-on sentences acceptable to use?

Run-on sentences should be avoided in all cases. There are

no exceptions.
 Eliminating Run-on Sentences
• Use coordinating conjunctions to combine independent
clauses.
Example: I want to sleep, so please sing me a lullaby.

• Separate independent clauses to individual sentences.

Example: Construction in the USC-TC began,. thenThen,
the university was engulfed in an unending
sandstorm.
 Eliminating Run-on Sentences
• Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses
instead of a comma.
Example: Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church
should be open to everyone,; he even stated that he
is willing to baptize Martians.
 The Semicolon
The semicolon should be used with care. It can only connect two
independent clauses whose conveyed ideas are closely
related to each other.

Proper use of the semicolon:

Janet went to the cinema yesterday; she watched Godzilla.

Improper use of the semicolon:

Janet went to a senate hearing yesterday; she watched Godzilla.
 The Semicolon
Since in some cases, it is not clear whether two sentences
are “closely related” or not, it is best to avoid the
semicolon when eliminating run-on sentences.
PART 5

COMMON WORD CONFUSIONS

 A/An/The
a – determiner for one person or thing mentioned for the
first time if it begins with a consonant sound

an – same for a but used when the object being referred to

begins with a vowel sound

the – determiner for one or more persons or things already

mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge
 A/An/The
Examples:

We should stand as a united student body against the oppressive

school policies.

I first saw in him an honesty that was clearly not present before.

A leader should be firm in the midst of trials, but the same leader
should also be compassionate to the people he serves.
 The Correct Transitional Device
However, on the contrary, on the other hand – used to
begin an idea in opposition to the one previously
introduced

Nonetheless, nevertheless, still – used to continue a stand

despite the introduction of an opposing opinion

Additionally, moreover, furthermore – used to supply

information that supports the main idea
 The Correct Transitional Device
Then, afterward, next – used to introduce an event after
another

Therefore, thus, hence, then – used to give conclusions

 The Correct Transitional Device
Examples:

Ethan has spent an hour in the Safari Zone. However, the

Pokémon he was looking for did not appear.
Nonetheless, he continued his search for another hour.

As a sign of humility, Pope Francis refuses to sit on the

golden throne. Moreover, he visits the poor at night to
give them alms.
 The Correct Transitional Device
Examples:

Lady Gaga released Applause. Then, she released G.U.Y.

after a few months.

If the product of two numbers is zero, therefore one of

those numbers must be zero.
 And/But/Or
and – used to connect two words, phrases or independent
clauses that share a similar idea

but – used to connect two words, phrases or independent

clauses that share opposing ideas

or – used to offer choices

 And/But/Or
Examples:

He violated school policies, but he was not sanctioned.

I want to study painting in general and then specialize in

cubism.

I will watch The Little Prince or Tomorrowland, but not

both.
 Which/That
which – used to introduce a nonrestrictive relative clause

that – used to introduce a restrictive relative clause

Note: It is the prerogative of the writer and/or editor to

make a clause restrictive or not. This depends on the
relevance of the information presented in such clause.
 Which/That
Examples:

The novel, which was written in 1953, discussed the

dangers of censorship.

The novel that Ray Bradbury wrote discussed the dangers of

censorship.
PART 6

OTHER POINTS
 Other Points
• Observe parallel structures.

• Do not begin sentences with coordinating conjunctions.

• Avoid “accidental” figures of speech.

• Correlating conjunctions only connect two elements.

 Acknowledgment
I would like to thank DeviantArt user Epifex for granting me
permission to use his Pokémon artwork. I invite everyone
to view his works here: http://epifex.deviantart.com/.
 References
(n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2014, from The Punctuation Guide:
http://goo.gl/gV50vP

Darling, C. (2004). Retrieved May 29, 2014, from Guide to Grammar and
Writing: http://goo.gl/IWXm

Farbman, E. (n.d.). Retrieved 29 May, 2014, from Sentence Sense: A Writer's

Guide: http://goo.gl/wjNBRE

Goldstein, N. (2000). The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media

Law with Internet Guide and Glossary. New York: The Associate Press.
-end-