Chapter 3 Exercises
1. Now that you have studied this chapter on style and correct word usage, you should recognize that the press release leads used toward the beginning of Chapter 3 did not follow AP style, although they were posted online for national distribution. Correct style and word use errors in the following press release leads. If you are editing with pencil rather than the electronic version of these exercises available online, use correct copy editing symbols and don’t forget to indent paragraphs. Unless your teacher instructs you otherwise, do not rewrite these leads.
a. Lexus announced today that the RX 350, the top-selling luxury SUV, is now
available with a savings of $900 on its most popular option packages. The
new RX 350, available as both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive
(AWD) models, features a powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine that improves both
performance and fuel efficiency.
b. July is heating up and so is Mega Millions. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing
produced more than 345,000 winning tickets from coast to coast. That
includes five tickets that came within a heartbeat of hitting the jackpot.
Since no ticket matched all six numbers to win the $12 million jackpot,
the jackpot for the drawing next Tuesday grows to an estimated $15
million.
c. Over 120 Hooters Girls from Taiwan to New York are heading to Las Vegas
to compete for $150,000 in cash and prizes at the 10th Annual Hooters
International Swimsuit Pageant.
d. America’s favorite talent show, American Idol, is heading to the New
Jersey Meadowlands to hold auditions for its upcoming 6th season. The
Meadowlands, home to some of the most prominent sports franchises in
the region and a major tourism destination, is expected to swell with
thousands of people during the days leading up to the August 14th
audition.
e. NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Electric Fuel Corporation, the world’s leading zincair
fuel cell company, today announced it will be launching a new line of
INSTANT POWER(TM) Mini-Chargers for cellphones, aimed at competing with
lower performance alkaline based emergency chargers. The new Mini-Charger
will be launched this quarter, initially in the UK and later on in the
US markets. With Electric Fuel’s superior zinc air fuel cell technology
and featuring a new and sleek design, the $9.95 (MSRP) Mini-Charger will
outperform any other disposable charger currently on the market.
f. LOS ANGELES, CA. -- The median price of existing homes in California in
June rose 21.3% and sales increased 1.4% compared to the same period
a year ago, the California Association of REALTORS(R) and Real Estate
Solutions, a real estate information service, reported today.
g. (for business section)
Landry’s Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: LNY), one of the nation’s largest casual
dining, hospitality, and entertainment companies, announced it will retain
Wachovia Securities and Northpoint Advisors to assist in evaluating
strategic alternatives for the Joe’s Crab Shack chain and enhancing
shareholder value through the Saltgrass Steak House chain which has
experienced positive same store sales for eleven consecutive quarters
and attained an average unit volume in excess of 4.3 million dollars.
h. (for business section)
West Coast Bank (Nasdaq: WCBO) has awarded 5 one-thousand-dollar
scholarships to children of it’s employees. Executive Vice President
of Human Resources Cynthia Sparacio said, “West Coast Bank’s de pen dent
scholarship benefit is much anticipated and appreciated each year by a
highly competitive group of high school and college students. It’s another
way the company increases value to our employees and ensures that we are
an employer of choice,” she said.
i. (for business section)
RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) today announced a net loss of three
million dollars or ($0.02) per diluted share for the quarter ended June
30th, 2006 versus net income of 52 million dollars or $0.33 per diluted
share for the quarter ended June 30th, 2005. Earnings results were
adversely affected by lower sales of wireless, particularly post-paid
products, in RadioShack company operated stores.
j. Slingo, Inc., a leader in the casual games industry is treading new
ground today by launching the first on-line social-networking community
geared towards women. Slingo.com is further tapping into the consistently
growing casual games market by focusing the attention of their community
towards giving women a place to congregate. Slingo Inc.’s Director of
Online Operations Peter Czech, said “Slingo.com has a population of almost
80% women and has had a consistently growing community for the past four
years. We want to give women a place where they can connect with each
other, make new friends and have fun,” he said.
2. Use the Associated Press style rules given in this chapter and in the AP stylebook to circle the correct style in each of the following sets. The Associated Press revises its stylebook annually; resolve inconsistencies between this textbook chapter and the stylebook in favor of the most recent stylebook. All are first reference unless otherwise noted.
a. 4th and Iowa streets
4th & Iowa
Fourth and Iowa streets
Fourth and Iowa Streets
b. 5 cents
five cents
5¢
$.05
c. The Supreme Court ruled eight to one.
The Supreme Court ruled 8– 1.
The Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1.
The Supreme Court ruled 8/1.
d. (news story)
She is 5 feet 8 inches.
She is 5-8.
She is five feet eight.
She is 5 feet 8.
e. 12 noon
noon
12 a.m. noon
12:00 p.m.
12:00 noon
f. 8 p.m. tonight
8 P.M. tonight
8 tonight
8:00 tonight
g. 1999 A.D.
1999 AD
A.D. 1999
AD 1999
h. Number One choice
Number 1 choice
No. 1 choice
No. one choice
i. Joe Jones, 7
Joe Jones, seven
seven-year-old Joe Jones
j. the ‘60s
the ‘60’s
the 60s
the 60’s
k. The odds were 5-4.
The odds were five to four.
The odds were 5 to 4.
The odds were five-four.
l. The baby weighed 8 pounds,
13 ounces.
The baby weighed 8#13.
The baby weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz.
The baby weighed eight pounds,
13 ounces.
The baby weighed eight lbs.,
13 oz.
m. The boy is nineteen.
The boy is 19.
The man is 19.
The man is nineteen.
n. The girl is nineteen.
The girl is 19.
The woman is 19.
The woman is nineteen.
o. I owe you three dollars.
I owe you $3.
I owe you $3.00.
I owe you 3 dollars.
p. She represents the 8th
Congressional District.
She represents the Eighth
Congressional District.
She represents the 8th
congressional district.
She represents the eighth
congressional district.
q. the 9-by-12 rug
the nine-by-12 rug
the 9 by 12 rug
the nine by 12 rug
r. Queen Elizabeth 2nd
Queen Elizabeth Two
Queen Elizabeth the Second
Queen Elizabeth II
s. $1,200,000
1.2 million dollars
1,200,000 million dollars
$1.2 million
t. Fifth Armored Division
5th Armored Division
Fifth Armored Div.
5th Armored Div.
3. Circle the correct Associated Press style in each of the following sets. All are first reference unless otherwise noted.
i. Captain Mary Brown
Capt. Mary Brown
Mary Brown, Captain
j. Chancellor Marvin Smith
Dr. Marvin Smith, Chancellor
Chancellor Dr. Marvin Smith
Chanc. Marvin Smith
k. (second reference)
Chancellor Smith
Chan. Smith
Smith
Dr. Smith
l. Carol Bass, Vice-Chancellor of
Student Affairs,
Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs Carol Bass
Carol Bass, vice chancellor for
student affairs,
Carol Bass, vice-chancellor of
student affairs,
m. (second reference)
Vice Chancellor Bass
Bass
V-C of student affairs Bass
n. (second reference)
Attorney General Herman
Att. Gen. Herman
A.G. Herman
Herman
o. (second reference)
Dr. Smith
Mary Smith
Ms. Smith
Smith
Mary
a. from $6 to $7 million
from $6-$7 million
from $6 million to $7 million
from six to seven million dollars
b. 10 knots
10 knots per hour
ten knots
ten kph
c. Her sons are 15, 12, and seven.
Her sons are 15, 12 and 7.
Her sons are 15, 12, and 7.
d. They have 12 chairs, five tables
and four lamps.
They have 12 chairs, 5 tables
and 4 lamps.
e. Act 1, Scene 3
act 1, scene 3
Act One, Scene Three
Act I, Scene 3
Act I, Scene III
f. The incumbent beat King
11,101 to 9,706.
The incumbent beat King
11,101-9,706.
The incumbent beat King
11.1 thousand to 9.7 thousand.
g. Go to Cumberland Avenue
Go to Cumberland Ave.
Go to Cumberland avenue
Go to Cumberland ave.
h. 123 9th St.
123 Ninth St.
123 9th Street
123 Ninth Street
p. from Jan. 22-25
from January 22 to 25
from Jan. 22 to Jan. 25
from Jan. 22 to 25
q. Marilyn Jones, dean of law
Law School Dean Marilyn Jones
Marilyn Jones, dean of the
School of Law
r. the English Department
the Department of English
the English department
s. the History Department
the History department
the history department
the Department of history
the Department of History
t. Grade Point Average
GPA
grade point average
g.p.a.
4. Circle the correct Associated Press style in each of the following sets. All are fi rst reference unless otherwise noted.
a. National Organization for Women
National Organization of Women
b. His birthday is in Feb.
His birthday is in February.
c. His birthday is Feb. 8.
His birthday is February 8.
His birthday is 8 February.
His birthday is the eighth of
February.
d. It is a large Corp.
It is a large corporation.
It is a large corp.
It is a large Corporation.
e. She is an executive at the
Hanover Corp.
She is an executive at the
Hanover Corporation.
She is an executive at the
Hanover corp.
She is an executive at the
Hanover corporation.
f. 35 m.p.h.
35 mph
g. Mount Everest
Mt. Everest
h. (in a sports story)
first base
First Base
1st base
1st Base
i. the television show “Jeopardy”
the television show Jeopardy
j. The New York Times
the New York Times
the “New York Times”
k. Dorothy Bowles, professor of
journalism
Prof. Dorothy Bowles, journalism
Professor of Journalism Dorothy Bowles
Dorothy Bowles, prof. of journ.
Prof. Dr. Dorothy Bowles
l. (second reference)
Prof. Bowles
Professor Bowles
Bowles
Dr. Bowles
m. Carmen Jones, asst. prof. of
history,
Asst. Prof. Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones, assistant professor
of history
Carmen Jones, assistant professor
in history,
n. 7 a.m.
7 A.M.
7:00 a.m.
7:00 A.M.
o. the Tennessee River
the Tennessee river
the Tenn. River
the Tenn. River
p. 17th Century
Seventeenth Century
17th century
seventeenth century
q. (second reference, midsentence)
Coach Hufford
coach Hufford
Coach Bonnie Hufford
r. They traveled through the West
Coast states.
They traveled through the west
coast states.
s. The oil spill was along the East
Coast.
The oil spill was along the east
coast.
t. Knox County District Court
Knox County district court
district court of Knox county
5. Circle the correct Associated Press style in each of the following sets. All are fi rst reference unless otherwise noted.
a. the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers
the Miss. and Ohio rivers
b. He drove northwest.
He drove Northwest.
He drove north west.
c. Philippine islands
Aleutian islands
Pacific islands
Mediterranean Islands
d. Department of Defense
defense department
department of defense
Defense department
e. Western Texas
western Texas
W. Texas
West Texas
f. Knox County jail
Knox County Jail
Knox Co. jail
g. Knoxville Fire Department
Knoxville fire department
Knoxville Fire Dept.
h. The town has no Fire Department.
The town has no fire department.
i. U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
US House
U.S. House of Reps.
j. Gen. William Smith
General William Smith
general William Smith
William Smith, General
k. National Anthem
National anthem
national anthem
l. National guard
national guard
National Guard
m. Pacific Ocean
Pacific ocean
pacific ocean
n. He is the Pope.
He is the pope.
He is the Pontiff.
o. the State of Texas
the state of Texas
The State of Texas
p. Detroit, Mich.
Detroit
Detroit, MI
Detroit, Michigan
q. Tuesday at 7 p.m. in 127
University Center
In 127 University Center Tuesday
at 7 p.m.
7 p.m. Tuesday in 127 University
Center
7 p.m. Tuesday night in University
Center room 127
r. Liverpool, Great Britain
Liverpool, England
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Liverpool
s. El Paso, Texas
El Paso
El Paso, Tex.
El Paso, TX
t. Paris, France
Paris, Fr.
Paris
6. Circle the correct Associated Press style in each of the following sets. All are fi rst reference unless otherwise noted.
e. We will play this coming Saturday.
We will play Saturday.
We will play next Saturday.
f. U.S. Congress
U.S. congress
United States Congress
United States’ Congress
United States congress
g. daylight-saving time
daylight savings time
DST
daylight-savings time
h. 62 degrees Fahrenheit
62F.
62 Fahr.
Fahrenheit 62 F
62
a. San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, P.R.
San Juan
b. Temperatures fell 5 degrees.
Temperatures fell five degrees.
Temperatures fell 5°.
c. (standing alone in sentence; not a title)
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Chief Justice of the United States
chief justice of the United States
chief justice of the Supreme Court
d. pom-pom squad
pom pom squad
pompom squad
pom-pon squad
i. Flags ashore sometimes fly at halfmast.
Flags ashore sometimes fl y at half
mast.
Flags ashore sometimes fly at halfstaff.
Flags ashore sometimes fly at half
staff.
j. He committed suicide; he hung himself.
He committed suicide; he hanged
himself.
He committed suicide; he was hanged.
He committed suicide; he was hung.
k. hydrogen bomb
H-Bomb
H-bomb
Hydrogen Bomb
l. T-shirt
Tee-shirt
t-shirt
T shirt
m. catsup
ketchup
catchup
Ketchup
n. K Mart
K-Mart
K mart
K-mart
Kmart
o. held High Mass
held high mass
sung High Mass
celebrated high Mass
p. the Rev. James Jones
Rev. James Jones
Reverend James Jones
the Rev. Mr. James Jones
q. 12 midnight
12:00 midnight
12 a.m. midnight
12 p.m. midnight
midnight
r. The team is ranked No. 1.
The team is ranked number one.
The team is ranked Number One.
The team is ranked #1.
s. King George III
King George 3d
King George 3rd
King George the Third
t. 1 1/2%
1.5%
1 1/2 per cent
1.5 percent
1.5 per cent
7. Use AP stylebook entries concerning the Internet and World Wide Web to select the correct sentence in each of the following.
a. The program is available on CD-ROM disc.
The program is available on CD-Rom.
The program is available on CD-ROM.
The program is available on CD-Rom disc.
b. I left my cell phone at home.
I left my cellphone at home.
c. William Gibson popularized the term cyberspace.
William Gibson popularized the term cyber-space.
d. Double click the mouse to open a link.
Double click the mouse to open a link.
Double-click the mouse to open a link.
e. A business on the Internet is called a dot.com.
A business on the Internet is called a dotcom.
A business on the Internet is called a dot-com.
f. Please email your professor.
Please Email your professor.
Please e-mail your professor.
Please E-mail your professor.
g. The book focuses on the end user. (noun)
The book focuses on the enduser. (noun)
The book focuses on the end-user. (noun)
h. My picture file is titled Bob.GIF.
My picture file is titled bob.gif.
My picture file is titled bob.Gif.
i. The student wants to work in IT.
The student wants to work in information technology.
The student wants to work in Information Technology.
The student wants to work in I.T.
j. Use your logon for lab computers. (noun)
Use your log on for lab computers. (noun)
Use your log-on for lab computers. (noun)
k. Susan must logon at school. (verb)
Susan must log on at school. (verb)
Susan must log-on at school. (verb)
l. The computer is always online.
The computer is always on line.
The computer is always on-line.
m. Connection trouble caused the computer to be offline.
Connection trouble caused the computer to be off line.
Connection trouble caused the computer to be off-line.
n. The Webmaster’s name is usually listed at the bottom of the page.
The webmaster’s name is usually listed at the bottom of the page.
The Web master’s name is usually listed at the bottom of the page.
The web master’s name is usually listed at the bottom of the page.
o. I need more Ram to run that program.
I need more ram to run that program.
I need more RAM to run that program.
p. Most computers arrive with a generic screensaver.
Most computers arrive with a generic screen saver.
Most computers arrive with a generic screen-saver.
q. Here is the source code for my Web page.
Here is the sourcecode for my Web page.
Here are the source codes for my Web page.
Here are the sourcecodes for my Web page.
r. The zoo has an extensive website.
The zoo has an extensive Website.
The zoo has an extensive Web site.
The zoo has an extensive web site.
Exercises 8 through 12 are designed to acquaint you with the wide range of information the AP stylebook includes in addition to style matters. If the answer is not in the edition of the stylebook that you are using, look for the answer in another reference source. Write answers to the following questions, using correct AP style.