Orsi Korman is Account Director, Content, at HAVAS Red.
Although the AP Stylebook is a widely used guide to ensure clarity and consistency in writing, it too has its quirks and inconsistencies that can drive even the most experienced communicator crazy. Here are 10 such inconsistencies:
- Oxford comma
The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is placed in a series of three or more terms immediately before the conjunction—usually “and,” “or,” or “nor.” Although the Oxford comma is not used in AP style, as with all punctuation, clarity is the most important rule. “If a comma does not help clarify what is being said, it should not be used. If omitting a comma could lead to confusion or misinterpretation, use the comma,” the style book says. Many AP style adherents always omit the Oxford comma, but omitting it can actually cause ambiguity in some situations. For example, if it says, “I invited my parents, Zach and Judy,” it remains unclear whether the parents are named Zach and Judy or whether two other people are invited in addition to the unnamed parents.
- Hyphenation
The AP Stylebook itself admits that the use of the hyphen is far from standard. “It can be a matter of taste, judgment, and sense of style. Think of hyphens as an aid to the reader’s understanding. If a hyphen makes the meaning clearer, use it. If it only creates clutter and distraction, don’t use it.” AP style is particularly unclear on compound modifiers. For example, “first quarter profits” is used with a hyphen, but “third grade teacher” is not.
- Numbers
According to AP style, numbers one through nine are spelled out, but 10 and above are not. However, there are several exceptions to this rule, such as ages, dates, percentages, decimals, number pairs, or starting a sentence with a number. In addition, it is confusing to the non-AP-trained eye when multiple numbers appear in the same sentence, with one spelled out and the next not. For example, “I have two dogs, three cats, and 10 chickens.”
- time
The AP Stylebook uses lowercase “am” and “pm” with dots, which can clash with the commonly used uppercase “AM” and “PM” without dots. AP Style also uses numbers for all times of day (except noon and midnight), with hours separated from minutes by a colon, but the commonly used double zeros omitted when referring to a full hour (e.g., 10 a.m. and 10:01 a.m.).
- State abbreviations
AP style requires that the names of all 50 U.S. states be spelled out when used in the text of an article, but abbreviations are required for date lines—and the AP Stylebook has its own unique abbreviations (such as Conn. for Connecticut) that differ from the standard two-letter postal abbreviations (such as CT for Connecticut) that AP style uses only in addresses. In addition, the names of eight states are never abbreviated in date lines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah (easily remembered as the two states that are not part of the contiguous U.S. and the continental states, which consist of five letters or fewer).
- title
According to AP style, titles are capitalized before names (Chief Engineer Henry Ford) but lowercase after names (Henry Ford, Chief Engineer). Many adherents of the AP stylebook override this rule for consistency and/or to meet the expectations of their readers (and executives).
- Courtesy title
AP style generally avoids the use of salutations (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) except in special cases such as obituaries. In addition, only last names may be used on second mention. This can also conflict with readers’ (and managers’) expectations, especially in formal texts.
- Academic degrees
The AP Stylebook prefers to use academic degrees (e.g., “bachelor’s degree” and “master’s degree”) rather than abbreviations (such as BA and MA), but makes some exceptions (e.g., “Ph.D.”).
- Punctuation with quotation marks
AP style dictates that periods and commas always be enclosed in quotation marks, even when they are not part of the material being quoted. Example: “I’m going to the store,” she said. This can be confusing and counterintuitive for those who prefer a more logical approach to punctuation placement.
- Internet conditions
The AP Stylebook’s rules for Internet terms can also seem inconsistent. For example, “webmaster” is one word, but “web address” is two words, and “email” has no hyphen, but “e-book” does.
Despite its quirks, AP style continues to evolve and remain popular. In its 57th edition, the 2024 AP Stylebook includes new chapters on artificial intelligence and criminal justice, as well as a detailed self-correction checklist. Because even the most demanding writers among us need a little help from time to time. So, cheers to the AP Stylebook: Delightful, crazy, indispensable, and always keeping us on our toes.
That’s how I personally feel about titles. Titles come before a name and are used to address that person, for example Captain James Kirk. The title is part of a name. Using the word “Captain” after his name indicates his position.
I would never use the name “Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue” because few people in the halls of Cupertino would call him Senior Vice President Cue. In text, I would use Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President.
Now I would use the middle school principal, Lauren Smith, since she may be addressed as Principal Smith at a board of education meeting.
Someone might say at a congressional hearing, “Chief Engineer Ford, thank you for coming.” So I would use it as a title.
Just my personal interpretation of the AP instructions.