Associated Press Style

While there are some exceptions, we are using Associated Press, or “AP,” rules to guide our writing on the new site. A general Google search that includes “AP style” in the question will usually give

Here are some common tips pulled directly from the AP stylebook:

Addresses

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., and St. only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Pennsylvania Avenue. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues.

All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) always are spelled out. Capitalize them when part of a formal name without a number; lowercase when used alone or with two or more names.

Always use figures for an address number: 9 Morningside Circle. Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures for 10th and above: 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St.

Dates

Always use Arabic figures for dates, without st, nd, rd, or th. For example:

• We were married on July 1, 2013.

• On September 5, we celebrate Labor Day.

Numerals

In general, spell out one through nine: The Red Sox finished first. He had nine months to go.

Use figures for 10 and above, and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events, or things. For percentages, use numerals with “percent,” not “%”. For example:

• We picked more than 20 apples at the orchard.

• The City Council is revising the 8-year-old laws.

• We want you to spend 50 percent of your time on reading.

Time

Use figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes. You don’t need the “:00” when referring to an hour of the day. For example:

• The meeting took place at 11 a.m., but we plan to meet again at 3:30 p.m.

When referring to a time span, please use a hyphen instead of the words “to” or “through.” For example:

• A typical work day for most people takes place from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

If you are writing about a time span in the afternoon, evening, or in the morning, you don’t need to write out the first a.m. or p.m. For example:

• We plan to discuss the proposal from 9-11 a.m. We should also set some time aside from 3-5 p.m.

Titles

Capitalize formal titles when they are used before one or more names: Pope Francis, President Barack Obama, Vice Presidents John Jones and William Smith.

Lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used with an individual’s name: The president issued a statement. The pope gave his blessing.

Lowercase and spell out titles in constructions that set them off from a name by commas. For example:

• The vice president, Joe Biden, was re-elected in 2012.

• Pope Francis, the current pope, was born in Argentina.

There are certain exceptions to this rule for the City of Boston, which you can find below.

Years

Use figures, without commas, for years: 1975. Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spaces of decades or centuries: the 1890s, the 1800s.

Some examples:

• January 1972 was a cold month. January 2 was the coldest day of the month.

• His birthday is May 8. February 14, 1987, was the target date.

• She testified that it was Friday, December 3, when the accident occurred.

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