AP Style Rules! (I guess)

I updated the post below, “Yours, Mine, and Ours,” after several of my colleagues pointed out that AP Style says to add only the apostrophe after names ending in s, like Degas, Camus, and Watts (as in Naomi), instead of apostrophe-s, which I had originally suggested. Along with Patricia T. O’Conner, whose excellent book I usually defer to, as well as with the masters Strunk and White, I think the rule should be to add apostrophe-s (Camus’s ennui). Still, as I note below, my company’s default is AP Style, and so I should have at the very least pointed out the discrepancy between my opinion and that of AP Style. The post now reflects AP Style’s rule. On a related note, check out this posting from a colleague and fellow blogger on the trials and tribulations of blogging.

Comments

[Rick Short]

Excellent blog!

Your focus on being accurate and proper is much appreciated.
Everyone on my Marcom team (including vendors) is now required to RSS subscribe to your blog.

Keep up the good work. We all appreciate what you are doing.

[Amanda]

Question: Does “third party” have a hyphen between the words? How about “third parties”?

I’ve been told different rules about it depending whether it’s singular or plural, or if it’s used as a noun/subject or an adjective.

This would be very useful for us in DC to know since third-parties/third parties are frequently used.

[Dan Santow]

If you’re using “third party” as a modifier you’d want to hyphenate it, as in “third –party supporters.” But if you’re referring to “a third party relating to a government investigation,” no hyphen would be necessary.

[Bill Sledzik]

Dan,

Love what I see so far. "Word Wise" is especially timely given the liberties taken with language in the blogosphere. Rest assured that your blog will be on the must-read list for Kent State PR students this semester along with my note that says, “See, I’m not the only one who thinks this stuff matters.”

Idea: I see one comment on this post deals with hyphenating compound modifiers. You may want to post a full-blown and much-needed lesson on the topic someday. Over the past few years I’ve seen fewer and fewer folks inserting the hyphens. Do they not know the rules, or do you think language is morphing toward elimination of CM hyphenation?

[Dan Santow]

Bill, thank you for your incredibly kind message (and hello Kent State PR students!). I’ll take your advice and do a more detailed posting soon on compound modifiers, those two-or-more word adjectival (and occasionally adverbial) phrases that seem to confuse otherwise well-adjusted people….