The Associated Press Guide To Punctuation
by Rene J. Cappon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rene J. CapponEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-01
ISBN: 0738207853
Number of pages: 112
Publisher: Basic Books
Book Reviews of The Associated Press Guide To Punctuation
Book Review: Use for College Students
Summary: 4 Stars
I write for college students; therefore, I decided to review the Associated Press Guide to Punctuation (2003) by Rene Cappon to determine if it would be a helpful resource for college students. I selected this book for review because it focuses specifically on the use of punctuation. Proper use of punctuation is an important component of writing. Because many college courses are writing intensive and demand a higher level of writing skill than expected in high school, mastering strong writing skills, including proper punctuation use, is required for college survival. Punctuation usage rules are tricky; therefore, having a guide to refer to is useful for all students.
Associated Press Guide to Punctuation
This book is based on the Associated Press Stylebook. Stylebooks are books that serve as guides for the writing in a particular academic field, organization or other group. The Associated Press is a newsgathering organization. Their stylebook guides the writing of many other news organizations throughout the Untied States.
Upon review of Associated Press Guide to Punctuation, I found his book to offer simple and straightforward rules on how to use punctuation based on the Associated Press Stylebook. I believe it would be very helpful for anyone uncertain of when or how to use a particular punctuation mark or who needs a quick, simple solution. However, the straightforward solutions offered by this book can be a drawback as well for some college students because punctuation usage rules are not universal. Punctuation rules vary among types of writing. This book does not, nor was it intended to, cover all of the types of writing expected throughout college classrooms.
The use of the serial comma is an example of how this book may provide rules that conflict with other reference guides. Serial commas separate items in a series, such as in the following sentence: He invited Mary, Rachel, Janet and Samantha to the party. Commas separate the items in this series. Should a comma have followed the name Janet prior to the word `and'? Writing styles vary on the topic. However, on page 40, of this book the author states, "No coma goes before the final conjunction." (The conjunction in the example sentence is the word 'and.') There is no mention of writing styles that would use a comma before the word 'and' in the example sentence. This is because the intent of this guide is to give specific instructions based on only the Associated Press Stylebook. However, a student in a psychology class (especially an upper-level class) is likely required to follow the stylebook produced by the American Psychological Association. This stylebook states that a comma should follow the conjunction in a series.
Despite the drawback of only explaining the Associated Press's take on punctuation, I believe this book offers many benefits to college students. It is small, lightweight, and easy to read. It could easily be carried in a book bag for handy punctuation reference when studying. Students who have declared a major should use the stylebook of their academic field. However, this book can make a nice supplement as it covers punctuation points not covered in many stylebooks. It could also be helpful for a student who has not yet committed to a particular academic field.
Summary of The Associated Press Guide To Punctuation
More people write for the Associated Press than for any other news service, and more writers take their style and word-usage cues from this world-famous institution than from any other journalism source. In the no-nonsense, authoritative tradition of the best-selling AP Stylebook, the top editors at the AP have now written the definitive guide to punctuation. From the when and how of the ampersand to the rules for dashes, slashes, and brackets; from the correct moment for the overused exclamation point to the rules of engagement for the semicolon, The AP Guide to Punctuation is an invaluable and easy-to-use guide to the most important aspect of clear and persuasive writing.
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