By: Kasia Naessens
AP style is difficult to master. It takes a lot of practice and patience to learn the basics. Here are some common errors made and advice on how to avoid them.
1. Time
This can be tricky at first, but the format is the same for everything. Common mistakes of writing time include “100 pm, 1:00 pm, 1:00 PM.” The correct way to write time is “1 p.m.”
2. Serial comma
Also known as the Oxford comma, this catches writers often. AP style does not like this bugger. When writing out a series, never include a comma before the conjunction unless it is needed for clarity or if the concluding item of the series includes a conjunction. Here are two correct examples:
I need potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes and eggs.
I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.
3. Months
AP style has rules about when you can and cannot abbreviate months. If there is no specific date with the month, write it out. Months are also written out when followed by a year. If months are followed by a date, abbreviation is necessary. For example,
I was born in February 2007.
I was born Feb. 12.
My birthday is in August.
August through February can be abbreviated with a date. March through July are never abbreviated even if there is a date after it. See month abbreviations below:
Jan.
Feb.
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
4. Address abbreviations
The only time you can abbreviate the words “street,” “avenue” and “boulevard” are when there are full addresses with them. For example, “2112 Rockland St.” is permissible. If you are just referring to the street “Rockland Street” then ”street” needs to be written out.
The only exception to this rule is the word “road.” AP style does not allow “road” to be abbreviated.
There are many more misconceptions I could discuss, but these are some basics that will help you become a better writer. Always have your AP stylebook handy. You never know when you will need it!