AP style: Punctuation

AP style: Punctuation

​Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. I can't wait to watch "Halloween Kills."

​You don't use the final comma before a conjunction in a simple series (We ate pizza, pears and pineapple for dinner.)

​Use commas around nonessential phrases:We watched the top-grossing movie of 2019, “Avengers: Endgame,” last night. (It is the only movie that made the most money that year, so you use a comma because the name is additional information, not essential information)

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Do not use a comma with essential phrases: We watched the 2019 movie “Parasite.” (If you used a comma after “movie,” you’d be saying it was the ONLY movie made in 2019. The name is essential to your understanding of this sentence, so no comma.)

​Remember that commas often come in pairs:

​The man from Nashville, Tennessee, was late.

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​Use commas to separate a series of adjectives equal in rank. If the comma could be replaced by the word "and" without changing the sense, the adjectives are equal: a thoughtful, precise manner; a dark, dangerous street.

​Use a comma to join two independent clauses (ones that could stand on their own as complete subject-verb sentences) with the conjunctions and, but, for, so, or, nor, yet to form a compound sentence:

We went to the store, and we bought ice cream.

​Do not use a comma when you’re joining an independent clause with a dependent clause (one that could not stand on its own as a complete sentence)..

We went home because it was late. (No comma before “because” – “because it was late” can’t stand on its own. It is a dependent clause acting as an adverb in this case.)

​Use a comma to introduce a complete, one-sentence quote within a paragraph, but don't use one to introduce an indirect or partial quote.

Diana Dawson said, "You must learn Associated Press style to make it in public relations." She said otherwise you would be "doomed to fail."

​►Use a hyphen with compound modifiers if the meaning could be unclear or ambiguous: a little-known song. Don’t use it for common, easily understood phrases: climate change report, chocolate chip cookie.

► Do not link words with hyphens when the adverb “very” is part of the group. Wrong: a very-good time.

► Do not link words with hyphens when you have adverbs ending in -ly as part of the phrase. Wrong: An essentially-remembered rule.

► Hyphenate well- combinations before a noun, but not after: a well-known judge, but the judge is well known.

► Generally, also use a hyphen in modifiers of three or more words: a know-it-all attitude,.

Question marks and exclamation points go inside or outside the quotation marks, depending on the meaning of the entire sentence.

Do you want to see "Halloween Kills"? (goes outside because it's not part of title)

He thought to himself, "Is this really the right plan?" (goes inside because quote is a question)

​Use parenthe sparingly in news stories. If you need to add words to a quotation to clarify the meaning, use parentheses rather than brackets.

​If you're introducing a list and use a colon, do not capitalize the first word:

​The group needs many thing: food, clothing, money and a place to meet.

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​If a complete sentence follows a colon, capitalize (this is often used for emphasis:

​She knew as soon as she heard the noise: The car would never run again.