2. What’s wrong?
• The Peabody School Committee decided
last night that they would hire a new
superintendent by Nov. 12.
3. Singular/plural agreement
• The Peabody School Committee decided
last night that they would hire a new
superintendent by Nov. 12.
• The Peabody School Committee decided
last night that it would hire a new
superintendent by Nov. 12.
4. What’s wrong?
• The Winchester Board of Selectmen will
hold their annual retreat this coming
weekend.
5. Watch your antecedents
• The Winchester Board of Selectmen will
hold their annual retreat this coming
weekend.
• The Winchester Board of Selectmen will
hold its annual retreat this coming
weekend.
6. What’s wrong?
• The first team which crosses the finish line
will be rewarded with free ice cream.
7. Essential/nonessential
• The first team which crosses the finish line
will be rewarded with free ice cream.
• The first team that crosses the finish line
will be rewarded with free ice cream.
8. What’s wrong?
• Thomas R. Smith and his wife Bertha
Gilooley appeared in court on a charge of
disturbing the peace.
9. Essential/nonessential
• Thomas R. Smith and his wife Bertha
Gilooley appeared in court on a charge of
disturbing the peace.
• Thomas R. Smith and his wife, Bertha
Gilooley, appeared in court on a charge of
disturbing the peace.
10. What’s wrong?
• The ball which rolled across the street
ended up on a neighbor’s lawn.
11. Ambiguous
• The ball which rolled across the street
ended up on a neighbor’s lawn.
• The ball, which rolled across the
street, ended up on a neighbor’s lawn.
• The ball that rolled across the street ended
up on a neighbor’s lawn.
12. What’s wrong?
• The runs were scored by the Red Sox in the
top of the seventh inning.
13. Passive voice
• The runs were scored by the Red Sox in the
top of the seventh inning.
• The Red Sox scored the runs in the top of
the seventh inning.
14. What’s wrong
• The choir will perform it’s encore, a
Gershwin medley, after a brief
intermission.
15. Dave Barry Rule of Apostrophes
• The choir will perform it’s encore, a
Gershwin medley, after a brief
intermission.
• The choir will perform its encore, a
Gershwin medley, after a brief
intermission.
16. What’s wrong?
• A quiet, unassuming album on the
surface, Bob Dylan reveals his true intent in
“Modern Times” only after several listens.
17. Dangling modifier
• A quiet, unassuming album on the
surface, Bob Dylan reveals his true intent in
“Modern Times” only after several listens.
• A quiet, unassuming album on the
surface, “Modern Times” reveals Bob
Dylan’s true intent only after several
listens.
18. What’s wrong?
• The company said yesterday that it would
soon unveil a new line of products.
19. Personification
• The company said yesterday that it would
soon unveil a new line of products.
• Angela Sanchez, a company
spokeswoman, said yesterday that the
company would soon unveil a new line of
products.
20. What’s wrong?
• The political figure to who the threat was
delivered quickly fled the country.
21. Subject/object
• The political figure to who the threat was
delivered quickly fled the country.
• The political figure to whom the threat was
delivered quickly fled the country.
23. Reference materials
• “Reporting for the Media,” Appendix B
– Photocopy it and put it in your AP Stylebook
• AP Stylebook
– Why is “Reporting for the Media” in quotation
marks and AP Stylebook is not?
24. Reference materials
• “Reporting for the Media,” Appendix B
– Photocopy it and put it in your AP Stylebook
• AP Stylebook
– capitalization … datelines … possessives …
essential/nonessential phrases and clauses …
“A Guide to Punctuation”