• a.m. and p.m. -- use lowercase letters with periods, space after numeral
  Example:

Writing Tips:
(Generated from Chapter 5 of the text.)
All people, regardless of age or education, find messages easier to understand when the writer

1. Prefers short, simple sentences
   
2. Eliminates wordiness and redundancy (see WB, pages 11-12)
   
3. Uses simple language and avoids jargon
   
4. Comes to the point quickly
   

Speaking of audiences and jargon... See "The Math in the Movies Page" Web site at world.std.com/~reinhold/mathmovies.html Who is their audience? Does the jargon fit?

The nature of your audience determines your choice of writing style. Make sure your message is clear!

Why is correct AP and grammar important?
Knowing and using correct grammar are skills that will get you that job. Why? Employers value these skills above all else.

By now you should have had year upon year upon year of grammar lessons. This Intro. to Media Writing class does not begin with Grammar 101. You have many tools available to use.

• Chapters 8 and 5 of your textbook gives explanations and tips.
• Chapter 6 gives copyediting symbols at the end of the chapter. These symbols are also in the back of the AP book. This chapter also has basic AP style rules.
• The workbook has a list of space wasters on pages 11-12. Appendixes B and C in your text also cover trouble areas.
• The online (or print) version of The elements of style, by William Strunk, Jr. is a great reference.
• Your AP book also contains a section on grammar and mechanics.
• Become friends with your dictionary. Merriam-Webster is online at www.m-w.com.
• The Center for Writers in the library can help with all stages of the writing process.

Five types of grammar errors found in the writing of nearly all college students:
Each of these are illustrated in Chapter 8.

1. Punctuation errors
2. Subject-verb agreement errors
3. Errors in pronoun selection and use
4. Sentence structure errors, such as faulty parallelism and modifier placement
5. Correct usage of language, especially in the cases of homonyms (principle and principal) and of irregular verbs (lie-lay, sit-set).

You don't need to know how to correct every grammar problem, but you should be able to identify problems and rewrite.

Please take the Grammar Diagnostic Quiz on pages 202-204. You will not be graded on this but hopefully it will help you identify any areas where you may need to work on. Diagnosis of problem areas is a private matter, between student and teacher. Please see me if you struggle with grammar.