A style guide comparing 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.
Funny Posts
Initials: Space or Nah?
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.
Different Goals, Different Styles: Why AP and Chicago Are Not Friends
AP and Chicago have very clear yet conflicting intentions, often producing diametrically opposed styles.
The 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.
Dictionary of Choice: Where to Look When It’s Not in the 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.
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).
Fun-Free Posts
Lowercasing the First Word of a Sentence
As a reader of Macworld, I am accustomed to reading sentences and headlines that start with iPhone or iPad—with the lowercase initial letter intact. Though some may consider this a defilement, capitalizing the first word of a sentence, in certain cases, is negotiable.
Punctuating Style in CMOS 17: What’s New with Colons, Commas, Dashes, and Slashes
Since breaking news of the 17th edition, out in September, The University of Chicago Press has revealed some major revisions to The Chicago Manual of Style.
