Style points

One thing that challenges me as a copy editor is knowing when to capitalize letters and when to use lowercase. So I took a quick look through the AP Stylebook searching for examples of capitalized terms, and I thought I would share my favorite entry from each letter. Many of these terms have tripped me up in the past, and some we have forgotten to capitalize in recent stories. Please feel free to add to the list or challenge any of the following examples. Most (but not all) of them are taken from the (slightly outdated) 2005 AP Stylebook.

Assembly - when referring to the state legislative body, with or without the state name

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science - but the more general bachelor's degree is lowercase

Capitol - when referring to the building in Washington, or in Madison, or in any other state capital

Dumpster - a trademark for a large, metal trash bin

Election Day - only capitalize when referring to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

Ferris wheel

Global Positioning System - also known (on second reference) as GPS

House - when referring to a specific House of Representatives

Internet

Jet Ski - a registered trademark for a type of personal watercraft (but is there a simpler way to say "personal watercraft"?)

Kitty Litter - brand name. (The AP Stylebook suggests "cat box filler" instead)

Legislature - when referring to a specific state legislature, with or without the state name

Mother Nature

National Guard, National Guardsman - also, capitalize Guard when it stands alone in reference to the National Guard (but lowercase guardsman when it stands alone)

Olympics - in all references to the international athletic contests, even Olympic-size pool

Popsicle - trademark for a brand of flavored ice

Quran - the Muslim holy book

Realtor - AP prefers "real estate agent" unless there is a reason to indicate someone is a member of the National Association of Realtors

Social Security (I also like the Styrofoam entry, but Social Security comes up more often.)

T-shirt

Upper Peninsula

Velcro - AP suggests "fabric fastener" instead of the trademark

Web - Web site, Web page (***In contrast, AP recommends webcam, webcast and webmaster.)

X-ray

Yellow Pages - to describe the business telephone directory

ZIP code - (ZIP stands for Zoning Improvement Plan)

~ Elizabeth