Using the Stylebook

1. Using the Stylebook OJEA Stylebook revised by Stratton 2011

2. Purpose • A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. • The implementation of a style guide provides uniformity in style and formatting of a document. • This book shows journalistic style as reflected by the • AP Stylebook • Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language • Oregon student and commercial publications • Actual classroom usage.

3. Contents • Arranged by type Miscellaneous Page copied into wrong place (between 27 & 28) There are errors in index.

4. These are some of the most common errors

5. A Codes — Copy Prep • Typeset copy can distinguish between a hyphen, an em dash and an en dash. Consult your manual. The short en dash (used with dates) is often Option and Hyphen keys. • The play runs Oct. 15‑17. • Use the longer em dash with a space before and after for parenthetical remarks or to replace a colon. The em dash is often the Shift, Option and Hyphen keys. • The questions — hundreds of them — drove me crazy.

6. A Codes — Copy Prep “Smart quotes” • Typeset copy uses “smart quotes,” which are curved rather than straight. Consult your manual for key sequences for smart quotes. • Often it’s Option and Open Bracket [ keys for the open quote. Example: “ • It’s Shift, Option, Open Bracket [ keys for the close quote. Example: ” • For a down-curved apostrophe, it’s Option and Close Bracket ] keys. Example:‘ • For an up-curved apostrophe, it’s Shift, Option and Close Bracket. Example: ’ • The difference looks like this: • "She can’t sing 'Louie, Louie' because she doesn’t know the words." • “She can’t sing ‘Louie, Louie’ because she doesn’t know the words.”

7. A Codes — Copy Prep • You may doublespace typeset copy to make the printed version easier to edit. • Return the leading back to single-spacing when it is placed in the page design program.

8. B Codes — Capitalization • Course titles [also see B48]: Capitalize only the proper name for a class. • If in doubt, consult the course description guide: • Keyboarding I. • I take Journalism I fifth period. • I’m studying journalism.

9. B Codes — Capitalization • Junior varsity: Capitalize and do not use periods when using as a modifier, as in JV team. • Otherwise, spell it out and do not capitalize: • JV baseball, but junior varsity football.

10. C Codes — Abbreviations • Money: Use the $ and decimal system for amounts larger than one dollar, but omit the decimal and two zeroes for even dollars. • Spell out the word cents, using numerals for amounts less than a dollar: • $1 but $1.01 • 45 cents, (not $.45, 45 cts., 45¢ or forty-five cents)

11. C Codes — Abbreviations • Percent: One word do not use the percent symbol • 45 percent

12. C Codes — Abbreviations • Time of day: Abbreviate ante meridiem (a.m.) and post meridiem (p.m.) using lowercase letters and periods. • Eliminate unnecessary figures and redundancies: • 7 a.m., not 7:00 a.m. • 10 tonight, not 10 p.m. tonight • Thursday at 10 p.m.

13. C Codes — Abbreviations DO NOT ABBREVIATE: • names of foreign countries (except former U.S.S.R.) • days of the week: Monday, not Mon. • Christmas: never Xmas • personal names: William, not Wm.; James, not Jas. • percent: one word -- 45 percent; not 45 per cent, never 45% (except in charts or graphs) • cents: 45 cents, not $.45, 45 cts. or 45¢ • United States: spell out when used as a noun alone. Use U.S. with periods when used as an adjective • U.S. government • U.S. Postal Service • U.S. Army

14. D codes — Identifying People • On first reference, identify a person’s title, class or position. • Donot use double identification in sports, such as sophomore center Nancy Smith: • Principal Judy Patterson • Chet Howlett, history, • Holly Hurlim, senior, • center Kristi Brennan.

15. D codes — Identifying People • Use the full name on the first reference and the last name only thereafter: • Principal Mike Kolb wore black and white, North Salem’s school colors. Kolb sometimes wears ... • Coach Doug Hoffmeister lectured the team at halftime. Hoffmeister told them ... • Debater Paul Mapp won first at nationals. Mapp defeated ...

16. D codes — Identifying People • When identifying people with disabilities, focus on the individual rather than the disability. • Try to mention the person first and the disability second, and remember the person is not the condition.

17. E Codes — Punctuation Apostrophe • An apostrophe is used to form possessives. • Exception: its is the possessive form; it’s is a contraction meaning it is.

18. E Codes — Punctuation • Commas & Independent clause • A comma is used to separate two independent clauses joined by the coordinate conjunctions and, or, nor, but, yet, or for. • However, the trend is toward eliminating the comma when the clauses are short. The Dragons won their first game, but they lost their next two in overtime. • Commas & Series • No comma is needed before and or or when used in a simple series of words or phrases. • A comma is inserted only when needed for clarity. The flag is red, white and green.

19. E Codes — Punctuation Italics • Do not italicize titles of books, movies, plays, poems, songs, TV programs, lectures, speeches or works of art. Instead, capitalize the principal words and place quotation marks around all such titles, except the Bible and reference materials such as almanacs, encyclopedias and dictionaries. • Do not italicize names of groups [see also E42]. The remaining members of The Beatles are planning a reunion.

20. E Codes — Punctuation • Periods & commas • Always place inside quotation marks. He said, “I saw the play.” • Also see Quotations Marks.

21. F Codes — Numerals • Spell out numerals that begin sentences or reword to avoid starting with a large number. • Fourteen hundred students attended Fall Press Day Oct. 21 at Oregon State. • Better: Fall Press Day drew 1,400 students to Oregon State University Oct. 21.

22. F Codes — Numerals • Spell out one through nine and use figures for 10 and above. • nine students • 10 football players • three tests • 21.5 million • He sold eight cows. • 1,200 people • ninth place • 11th place • In a series: • They had 10 cows, four pigs and 67 chickens. • They had three five-room houses, 11 three-room apartments and 13 10-room houses.

23. G Codes — Miscellaneous All statements of opinion or fact not generally available or known must be attributed to someone: Direct quote (the exact words of the speaker, set in quotation marks): "Officer Mark Miller has confirmed that the substance taken from the locker was an illegal drug," said Police Chief Charles Moose. "Officer Mark Miller has confirmed that the substance taken from the locker was an illegal drug,” Charles Moose, police chief, said.

24. G Codes — Miscellaneous All statements of opinion or fact not generally available or known must be attributed to someone: Partial quote (a portion of the original quote is retained while the rest is paraphrased, but retains the original intent of the speaker): An officer reported that material removed from the locker was "an illegal drug," said Police Chief Charles Moose.

25. G Codes — Miscellaneous All statements of opinion or fact not generally available or known must be attributed to someone: Paraphrase (reporter rephrases original quote, but retains original meaning): An illegal substance was recovered from the locker, according to Police Chief Charles Moose.

26. G Codes — Miscellaneous All statements of opinion or fact not generally available or known must be attributed to someone: Correcting quotes: • If a quote contains a grammatical error, obscenity, or cumbersome wording, paraphrase or partially quote rather than repeat the language used. • If the reporter is uncertain about a direct quote, either check back with the speaker or omit the quote.

27. G Codes — Miscellaneous All statements of opinion or fact not generally available or known must be attributed to someone: Quoting out of Context: • The meaning of a statement may be inadvertently changed or even reversed if care is not taken to retain the original intent of the quote. • Be sure to have enough information so that the original message is clear to the reader. • Punctuating quotes: See E40-48.

28. G Codes — Miscellaneous Omit the word “that” when its absence will not affect the reader’s understanding of the statement. Right: He said he was sorry. Wrong: He said that he was sorry.

29. G Codes — Miscellaneous Use third person pronouns, except in direct quotes. Exception:Use of "the editorial we” is appropriate in editorials since they represent staff opinion rather than the views of an individual. Avoid all other use of • you • we • us • I except in an occasional special feature or column.

30. G Codes — Miscellaneous Avoid overuse of school name and mascot.

31. H Codes — Sports Scores and records are given as figures. • They won, 7-2. The pitcher’s record is now 6-5. The final score was 1-0. • The score was Tillamook 8, Rainier 6. ... a 5-0 victory ... a 12-0-2 record

32. H Codes — Sports • Use either boys and girls or men and women to designate teams, but be consistent in use. • When using boys and girls, do not use an apostrophe. • girls varsity soccer /boys cross country • men’s basketball/women’s basketball AP Style states 18+ yrs. are men and women. So… We use boys & girls.

33. H Codes — Sports • Capitalize and donot use periods when abbreviating junior varsity. • Always use JV when it is used as a modifier, as in JV team. • JV softball • JV boys tennis

34. H Codes — Sports Capitalize official titles of districts and meets, but lower case shortened titles. • District 9 Championship • District 9 • Midwestern League • Cowapa League • State • district meet • District 5A Championship • Pac 12 • The team went to state.