AP Style G

AP Style G

1. Gay

   • Men and women attracted to the same sex, Lesbian is more common term for women.
   • Preferred over homosexual except in clinical contexts or references to sexual activity.
   • Avoid references to "sexual preference" or to a gay or alternative "lifestyle".

2. Geographic names

   • Domestic: DON'T use POSTAL ABBREVIATIONS for STATE names.
   • Foreign: First source for the spelling of all foreign place names is Webster's Dictionary.
   • Capitalize common nouns when they form an integral part of a proper name, but lowercase when they stand alone.
     • "Pennsylvania Avenue" VS. "The avenue"

3. Governmental Bodies

   • Full Name: Capitalize full proper names of gov. agencies, departments and offices.
     • "The U.S. Department of State, the Boston City Council, the Chicago Fire Department."
   • Without Jurisdiction: Retain CAPS in referring to a specific body if the dateline or context makes the name of the nation, state, etc. necessary.
     • "the City Council, the Fire Department"
       • Lowercase condensed names: "the department, the council"
   • Plural, Nonspesifics = Words that are capitalized when part of a proper name should be lowercased when they are plural or do not refer to a specific, existing body.
     • "The town does not have a fire department. the bill requires city council to provide matching funds. The president will address the lower houses of the New York and New Jersey legislatures.