AP Style Guide- Alexa Leviten

By aleviten | Updated: Dec. 4, 2020, 3:08 p.m.

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AP Style Guide
By: Alexa Leviten
Passive/Active voice
Technical Terms
Abbreviations
Covering COVID- 19 (separate presentation)
What is Passive & Active Voice?
Using active voice often improves clarity, while passive voice can help avoid unnecessary repetition.
Active voice example: " the children ate the cookies" 
The subject of this sentence performs the action

Passive voice example: "The cookies were eaten by the children"
The action is said/ performed before the subject is mentioned
More examples of differences
- The dog chased the squirrel
(active voice)
- The squirrel was chased by the dog
(Passive Voice)
Technical Terms
BlackBerry, BlackBerrys  
eBay Inc. (use EBay Inc. when the word begins a sentence) 
e-book , e-book reader, e-reader 
email 
cellphone 
Facebook 
Google, Googling, Googled
 hashtag
IM (IMed, IMing; for first reference, use instant messenger)
internet iPad, 
iPhone,
 iPod (use IPad, IPhone, or 
IPod when the word begins a sentence) 
LinkedIn 
social media 
smartphone 
Twitter, tweet, tweeted,
Youtube

How to abbreviate properly
Use only the most commonly known ones (ex: NASA)
Don't put unfamiliar abbreviations right after the first reference
Spell out the names of all states when used alone: “He lives in New Jersey.” Abbreviate state names of seven or more letters when used with a city name, with commas before and after the abbreviation: “Philadelphia, PA."
- Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date: “August is too hot for a visit to Florida.”

Abbreviate months with six or more letters (if used with a specific date ),  "Sept. 28." Always spell out those with five or fewer letters: "May 15."
What to NEVER abbreviate::

-the days of the week 
- Percent as % Cents as ¢ 
- The word "and," unless the symbol & is an official part of a name
- Christmas as Xmas
Tips to write better & involve COVID-19
- Create short & sweet sentences to help not get the reader confused on all the information being given

ex: "The coronavirus is actually not one type of virus. It is a large family of viruses that also includes SARS and other minor to major respiratory illnesses."

vs.

" The coronavirus is actually not one type of virus. It is a large family of viruses. That family includes SARS and other minor to major respiratory illnesses, ones that affect your breathing."
- One way to handle numbers or technical information is to show it in a - visual way. (ex: graphs, pictures, charts, etc..)
      - Make sure it is still explained well to a viewer who might not know certain terms (ex: flattened curve, exponential, decay, etc...)

- Sharing stories of people or getting interviews can be better than reading a whole article of data
- Read the draft out loud (applies to any writing) to see where you could make improvements to your writing
Thank You
THE END

AP Style Guide- Alexa Leviten

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