AP vs. Chicago compares Associated Press style and Chicago style for editors, writers, teachers, students, word nerds, and anyone else who gives a dollar sign, ampersand, exclamation point, and pound sign about style.
Welcome to AP vs. Chicago: A Style Guide for Editors, Writers, and Word Nerds
I started AP vs. Chicago to keep track of style and usage according to the popular style guides The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style.
A copy editor with 20-plus years of experience, I make it my job to keep up with changing styles and the evolution of language (or devolution, as the case may be).
read moreDictionary of Choice: Where to Look When It’s Not in the Style Book
As Fraulein Maria once said, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” Hence, let’s start with each style guide’s official dictionaries.
read moreDifferent Goals, Different Styles: Why AP and Chicago Are Not Friends
AP and Chicago have very clear yet conflicting intentions, often producing diametrically opposed styles.
read moreThe Serial Comma: Lovers and Haters
Ah, the serial comma: to do or not to do. In this example, which is correct?
• I like to pet kittens, puppies and bunnies.
• I like to pet kittens, puppies, and bunnies.
Initials: Tips for Remembering Style
You’d think that a post covering initials would be about seven words long, but, as always, Chicago has a lot to say.
Chicago: Periods, space! Except when . . . crap.
read moreCapitalization After Colons: One Sentence or More?
Understandably, many editors are confused about when to capitalize the element directly following a colon. The strategy I happen to use is pretty brain-free . . .
read moreTitles: Quote Marks, Italics, Underlining, or Naked?
Remember the days when your manual typewriter didn’t have a key for the number 1, so you used a lowercase letter L instead?
read moreState Abbreviations: Use Traditional or Go Postal?
In this quick guide to state abbreviations, I will cover the differences between AP style and Chicago style . . .
read moreEm Dashes and Ellipses: Closed or Spaced Out?
You might be wondering why I’ve paired the em dash with the ellipsis. Doesn’t the em dash usually get grouped with the en dash and the hyphen?
read moreNumbers: Spell Out or Use Numerals? (Number Style 101)
Numbers take up their own planet in the style universe, so let’s explore it one mountain at a time.
read moreSlashes: Uses and Restrictions
Misunderstood. Abused. Ignored.
No, not me. Well, maybe that, too, but I’m referring to the beleaguered slash . . .
read moreApostrophe-S vs. Apostrophe: Forming Possessives of Words Ending in S (or an S Sound)
I’m going to focus on the difference between how The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style handle possessives for words ending in s or an s sound.
read moreCompounds Ending with a Preposition or Adverb: Open, Hyphenated, or Solid?
It seems as if I’m always rifling through my reference books to check whether a compound is open, hyphenated, or solid in a particular style.
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