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A comprehensive guide to the AP style of writing

Devon Delfino

The Associated Press Stylebook (a.k.a. AP Stylebook) is to journalists what HubSpot is to content marketers: the industry “bible.” 

For more than 50 years, journalists have turned to AP Style for everything from grammar and style rules to trusted best practices. But for content writers and content marketers who aren’t formally trained in AP style, mastering the 500-page book, which is updated annually can be a herculean undertaking.

Fortunately, the nuts and bolts of AP style can be simplified into five main categories:  numbers, dates, citations, capitalization , and headlines. By following AP guidelines for these elements, writers can enforce a sense of consistency that makes content easier to write and more pleasant to read through.

Editor’s Note: Looking for a simple way to make sure you and your team of writers are using the AP Style correctly? An AI writing platform, such as Writer’s app can ensure that your writing is consistent. Sign up for a free trial here .

What is AP style?

Associated Press (AP) style is the go-to English style and usage guide for journalism and news writing, such as magazines and newspapers. AP style dictates basic rules for grammar and punctuation, as well as specific styles for numbers, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, acronyms, and much more.

The ins and outs of AP style can be found within the “Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.”. While the AP style guide was originally sold as a handbook for reporters, it’s rapidly become the leading reference for the majority of public-facing communication, including websites, white papers, and press releases to reflect new additions to the English language or address common verbiage seen in the media. For instance, the latest edition included new or revised entries for digital wallets, smart devices, and the novel coronavirus. If you’re ever in doubt about acceptable word use or modern jargon, the style guide is continuously refreshed to keep up with trends.

What are the benefits of using AP style?

AP style was originally developed with print media in mind. Back in the 1950s, when the guide was first published, writing space was limited, and it was extremely costly for news outlets to correct errors. 

Today, the ease of online media outlets and blogs makes available space much less of an issue. However, that’s not to say that many of AP’s earliest benefits for journalists don’t still benefit the content marketers of today. 

For one, the continued use of AP style means that writing style is uniform across all outlets. This helps ensure that content marketing is easy to read and concise, so it can connect with a wide audience. Plus, it creates a writing style readers can come to expect and recognize, assisting in branding efforts.

Secondly, content marketers can benefit from the “inverted pyramid” approach of AP style. The most important information is presented first, in the lead or introduction. Supporting information is presented lower in the copy, and the least important details are always included last. 

Of course, this approach stems from the days where newspapers were printed with very limited space. With the “inverted pyramid” thought process, printers could simply cut off the bottom of a story if it didn’t fit in the allotted column. Today, content marketers should always present their audience with the most important information first, so if a reader leaves the page mid-way through, they’ve at least instilled the most relevant part of their message.

AP style cheat sheet 

Unless you’re prepared to invest several hours into scanning hundreds of pages in the AP style guide, it’s easier to review the most common best practices for AP style. When it comes to content marketing, best practices typically revolve around numbers, dates, citations, capitalization, and headlines.

AP style guidelines for numbers

According to AP style, content writers should spell out numbers one through nine and use numerals for numbers 10 and higher. But readers be warned, there are exceptions to this rule.

Instances in which a writer should always use numerals instead of writing out numbers include:

However, there are also a few exceptions to AP style guidelines for numbers. Writers should always spell out numbers used at the beginning of a sentence, such as, “Forty students…” but years should always be written with numerals, such as, “1980 was…” 

When making a number plural, a writer should add an s but no apostrophe. This rule applies to decades as well. So, a content marketer could write that they rolled all 7s in dice or they loved music from the 90s.

AP style guidelines for dates

When it comes to dates, writers should always use a numeral without the addition of “st, nd, rd, or th.” When a month is used with a specific date, the month should be abbreviated. In other words, a writer would refer to New Year’s Day as Jan. 1 — not January 1, January 1st, or January first. 

Months that should be abbreviated when used in a full date include:

February (Feb.)

If a writer is using only a month and a year to refer to a time period, the month should be spelled out fully. There should be no comma between the month and year. For example, the second month of this year would be written as February 2020. 

If a phrase refers to a month, day, and year, the year should be separated with a comma — i.e. March 10, 1990, or Oct. 14, 1995.

For days of the week, you should always capitalize the specific day but never abbreviate it.  

In addition, if you are referring to a specific day that is more than one week away, you should also reference the month and year. 

When it comes to time, even hours do not require a colon and two zeroes at the end. For instance, “eight o’clock” in AP style is simply 8, not 8:00. To distinguish between night and day, a writer should always include “a.m.” or “p.m.” after the numeral. However, it’s best to use “midnight” or “noon” instead of 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.

AP style guidelines for citations

Most writers are familiar with MLA or APA citations used in high school and college essays. Unlike these style guides, AP style doesn’t specify page formatting and citation rules quite as harshly. However, it does provide a standardized way of referencing people, dates, and things.

When referencing people, always use the person’s first and last name upon the first mention. Only use the person’s last name on the second reference. It’s unnecessary to utilize courtesy titles, such as Miss, Ms., Mrs., or Mr., unless they’re part of a direct quote or necessary to differentiate between individuals with the same last name (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Smith). 

Always be sure to use the word said to attribute a quote to an individual. Alternatively, writers can substitute ‘said’ for a more impactful verb, such as exclaimed, yelled, or asked. Punctuation for quotes should always remain within the quotation marks — “Like that?” you asked and “Like this,” I said.

When citing print and news articles on the first mention, writers must include:

1. The name of the author or writer

2. Title of work

3. Date of work

4. Where it was published

Once the writer fully identifies the source, including the name, title, and date of publication, it’s only necessary to identify the source by their last name upon second or later mentions. 

For books, writers must include the author and title of the book as well as the year it was published on the first mention. Upon second or later mention, only the author’s last name is necessary.

For websites, citation varies slightly in AP style. A writer should only use a website citation when citing a study or a statistic. An article on the website would simply be cited as an article.

For instance, Statista.com is loaded with statistics. To cite this source, you would identify the name of the website and briefly describe it — such as, “According to Statista.com, which collects the results of national, state and local surveys, remote work grew by 80 percent in four years.”

In content marketing, proper attribution should also include a link back to the original website source whenever possible.

AP style guidelines for capitalization

AP style incorporates what’s known as a “downstyle” for capitalization. This means that words are all lowercase unless a specific rule says to capitalize them, such as proper nouns like specific state names in the United States.

For example, when it comes to state names, if the state is used upon first reference in the description by itself, you should spell it out. 

However, if the state and city are used together, you should abbreviate the state.  For example, Tallahassee, Fla., Montgomery, Ala., Tulsa, Okla., Madison, Wis., or Little Rock, Ark. 

However, there are 8 states that should always be spelled out in full and never abbreviated, which include Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.

Some additional capitalization rules to be aware of include:

Common nouns such as river or street should be capitalized only when used as part of a proper name for a person, place, or thing, such as the Colorado River or Democratic Party.

The seasons should only be capitalized when used in a proper name, such as the Winter Olympics. Similarly, directional indicators such as east or west should all be lowercase — unless they refer to specific geographic regions or popularized names for certain regions, such as the “the Midwest.”

For the most part, job descriptions should never be capitalized. For instance, police officers, teachers, or accountants do not need to be capitalized in AP style. However, formal titles, such as Doctor Evans or President Lincoln, should be capitalized when they come directly before a name.

AP style guidelines for headlines

AP style guidelines for headlines may differ from what certain content writers or marketers are used to. Generally speaking, AP style uses title case for headlines, which means all words are capitalized except for certain short words, such as articles and short prepositions. 

In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

If that sounds like a lot to remember, think of it this way instead: as a general rule of thumb, any word that’s three letters or less should not be capitalized.

Words that should not be capitalized include:

• Articles (a, an, the)
• Short (fewer than 5 letters)
• Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for)
• Prepositions (at, by, from, etc.)

AP style writing examples

Now that you’re more familiar with AP style for various aspects of content writing let’s combine a few style guidelines to demonstrate best practices.

Best practices for numbers

Do you have five minutes to discuss numbers? Yesterday, I spent $3 on a slice of pizza. Then, my 13-year-old niece asked me to order 11 pizza pies for her friends. So, I spent another $150 on pizza. I predict that by the time I’m 70-years-old, I’ll have spent $1 million on pizza!

→ Numbers less than 10 are spelled out fully.

→ Numbers greater than 10 expressed with numerals.

→ Ages, dollar, and millions are expressed with numerals.

→ When referring to a person’s age as an adjective, make sure to use hyphens.

Best practices for dates

Can you believe it’s Jan. 1 already? I’m planning for a party on Feb. 5, 2021. I’m hoping that by February 2021, there will be more venues available. The ideal time slot for the party is 1 p.m., but I could settle for noon.

→ Specific dates should be abbreviated, without the use of “st, nd, rd, or th.”

→ Time periods should use the full month and year with no comma.

→ Time should include a.m. or p.m., aside from noon and midnight.

Best practices for citations

→ Citing an article must include the author’s full name, article title, where it was published, and when.

→ Use the author’s full name on first mention and last name on secondary mention.

→ Use “said” to attribute a quote and keep punctuation within the quotation marks.

Best practices for capitalization

I traveled south down the Colorado River to reach the area of the Midwest I wanted to see. It’s a shame I missed the Winter Olympics this year. I heard Doctor Smith attended. My favorite athlete didn’t participate. They visited a doctor last fall for a bad injury.

→ Common nouns are only capitalized when used as part of a proper name

→ Directions and seasons are only capitalized when used in a proper name.

Best practices for headlines 

How to Decorate the Perfect Christmas Tree

Top Tips for Writing an Ebook from Beginning to End

Stop by the Local Farmers’ Market this Weekend

→ The first and last word in a headline should always be capitalized.

→ Short words (less than three letters) are typically lowercase.

→ Articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are typically lowercase.

Best practices for referring to technology and social media 

It can be hard to keep up with the proper AP Style guidelines for common tech terms.

→ Use iPhone and iPad.

→ Website is one word, not two words. However, a web page is two words.

→ Hashtag is one word, along with email and smartphone. However, there should be a hyphen for the following words, such as e-book and e-reader.

→ When referring to a website in a post, reference the site’s title and not the full webpage address. For example, it is Google NOT www.Google.com

From a more concise writing style to a simplified approach to content, there are several benefits of adapting to the AP style. Fortunately, content writers and content strategists don’t need to memorize all of the ins and outs of AP style to master the basics of clearer writing. By adding the details to your style guide and using an AI writing platform, like Writer , you can incorporate these best practices seamlessly across each content asset you produce.

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Proofed Guide to AP Style

• 36-minute read
• 12th October 2023

Please note that this guide is based on the AP Stylebook, last updated June 1, 2022.

This guide does not include everything contained in the stylebook. Rather, it aims to cover the most salient points and provide details of AP Style’s approach to key editorial issues.

Dictionaries and Other Authorities

The following should be used as additional authorities to AP Style:

Webster’s New World College Dictionary (use the first spelling listed unless AP Style specifies otherwise).

New York Stock Exchange , Nasdaq or the Securities and Exchange Commission for formal company names. Use Co., Inc., Ltd., Corp. after the name as appropriate.

National Geographic Atlas of the World for place names not in Webster’s.

Punctuation

It wouldn’t be practical to list all the punctuation rules here. Instead, we’ve included those AP Style punctuation rules that might go against common practice.

Note that AP Style values consistency, so you can often determine what to do in a given situation by following related rules.

Otherwise, use standard U.S. English practice unless the client has requested another dialect.

Apostrophes

• Always use ‘s if the word does not end in the letter s.
• Singular common nouns ending in s: add ‘s: the class’s inattention, the business’s opening day .
• Singular proper names ending in s: use only an apostrophe: Paris’ history, Achilles’ heel.
• Special expressions: words that end in an s sound and are followed by a word that begins with s: for appearance’ sake, for conscience’ sake, for goodness’ sake.
• Descriptive phrases: do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense: a teachers college, a writers guide . You’ll see this a lot in organization names.
• Inanimate objects: avoid excessive personalization of inanimate objects, and give preference to an “of” construction when it fits the makeup of the sentence: mathematics’ rules >> the rules of mathematics .
• Plurals of a single letter: include an apostrophe in single-letter plurals: he learned the three R’s and brought home a report card with four A’s and two B’s .
• Possessive of Jr./Sr.: John Smith Jr.’s house .

Brackets and Parentheses

• Avoid using square brackets.
• Use parentheses sparingly; consider rewording the sentence.

Bulleted Lists

• Use em dash + space to introduce bullets (bullet points are also acceptable).
• Capitalize the first word.
• Always end in a period.
• Watch out for parallelism.
• Introduce the list with a short phrase + colon.
• Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it’s a proper noun or the start of a full sentence.
• Use a colon to introduce a direct quotation over one sentence long, either within a paragraph or as a block quote.
• Use a colon in interviews/reporting of dialogue/Q&As: Anthony: I disagree .
• Only use a serial comma if it’s required to make the meaning clear.
• Use a comma to separate an introductory clause or phrase from the rest of the sentence. It can be omitted from short introductory phrases if no ambiguity results from doing so.
• Use a comma when giving a person’s name and town/country, or between a place name and the country where it is located: John Smith, Tennessee ; The Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim .
• Use a comma to separate similar/duplicated words: The question is, is this the right path to take?
• Use a comma separator in words <999 except in certain situations (e.g., 1460 kHz ; Room 1001 ).
• i.e./e.g. are always followed by a comma.
• Use the parenthetical spaced em dash (sparingly).
• Use a dash before an author’s or composer’s name at the end of a quotation: “I’ll probably always be interested in this planet — it’s my favorite.” — Sagan.
• Do not use en dashes (use a hyphen for ranges).
• Use a space before and after an ellipsis.
• In a quotation, if the words before an ellipsis form a complete sentence, place a period before the ellipsis ( . … ).
• Follow a similar approach if another type of punctuation is required before the ellipsis (e.g., ? … ).
• When material is deleted at the end of one paragraph and at the beginning of the one that follows, place an ellipsis in both locations.

Exclamation Points

• Use sparingly — only where it’s really warranted.
• Do not include a comma after an exclamation mark in dialogue: “Stop!” she shouted .
• Use hyphens to aid clarity. If it gets too confusing, then consider rewording the sentence.
• If you’re unsure whether a hyphen is required in a compound adjective, check its use in Webster’s New World College Dictionary .
• Don’t use hyphens in phrasal verbs, but do use them in compound verbs: he backed up the vehicle vs. they double-checked the results or she air-dried the strawberries .
• Words that are usually one-word compounds should be separated when a modifier is added. However, it’s difficult to think of an example of how this would work in practice: perhaps external-mail box ?
• Do not use a hyphen with dual heritages ( Italian American ) but do use it with “Anglo-” when the word that follows is a capital ( Anglo-Saxon but Anglophile ).
• Prefixes that usually require a hyphen: self-, all-, ex-, half-.
• Suffixes that usually require a hyphen: -free, -based, -elect.
• Use a hyphen to avoid duplicated vowels (except ee): anti-establishment, preempt .
• Other examples; state-of-the-art, arm-in-arm, non-life-threatening, 5- and 6-year-olds, 10-to-12-inch needle .
• Co-: Keep the hyphen when used to create a word that indicates occupation or status ( co-author, co-host, co-worker etc).
• Don’t use hyphens in e.g., fourth grade student , unless needed to avoid confusion.
• Use a period at the end of a rhetorical question if it’s more of a sentence than a question: Why not eat all the cake.
• Use a period in initials (no space between multiple initials): J.R.R. Tolkein . Avoid using single initials ( J. Smith ) unless it’s personal preference or the first name cannot be established.

Quotation Marks

• Use double quotation marks (nested single), except in headlines (use single).
• For quotations over two paragraphs: when the quoted material in the first paragraph is a full sentence, don’t include closed quotation marks at the end of the first paragraph: She said, “I think that’s a great idea. ¶ “Everyone should get a free cake.”
• Quotation marks are not used in Q&As.
• Use quotation marks to indicate irony.
• Use quotation marks to define unfamiliar terms upon first use.
• The dash, the semicolon, the colon, the question mark and the exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only.

See also Quotations in the Style section of this guide.

References and Third-Party Sources

AP Style doesn’t say much about references/citations. The following are some notes about the mention of creative works in text.

See also Third-party Sources in the Style section of this guide.

• Put all names of creative works in AP Style title case. Capitalize both parts of a phrasal verb and “to” in “to be.”
• Put quotation marks around: books, articles, songs, albums, paintings, movies (including “Star Wars”, “Star Wars” Day etc.), plays, poems, operas, radio/TV programs and episodes, lectures, speeches, event names, classical music (when using its popular name, e.g., Beethoven’s “Eroica” ).
• Don’t put quotation marks around: holy books, almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, sculptures, software, video/online games, classical music (official/numbered name, e.g., Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ).
• Classical music: put the key in lowercase ( C sharp minor ). Put the instruments in lowercase if not part of the work’s official name but added as a description: … for harpsichord.
• AP does not use italics.
• Translate foreign titles into English unless they’re better known by their original name. Exception: musical compositions — refer to the work in the language it was sung in, unless in a Slavic language (translate works in Slavic languages).
• Capitalize “the” in newspaper/magazine names if that is the way the newspaper is known: The Times; The Economist .
• Poetry: If giving in-line, separate each line with a forward slash with a space either side ( Despite the storms, / beauty arrives like ). Follow the author’s approach to capitalizing the first word of lines.

Spelling, Capitalization and Form

Here are some (perhaps) non-standard approaches to spelling, capitalization and form found in AP Style. Only those that differ from Webster’s Dictionary (or do not clearly appear in it) are included here.

(If we’ve missed any out, please let us know!)

Tip: To confirm whether the first word in a Webster’s entry is capitalized, scroll down to look at the “other word forms” in the dictionary entry.

Preferred Terms

Here is a list of terms for which AP Style has stated a preference. Note that:

• The preferred term is given first, with the non-preferred term given in parentheses.
• Non-preferred terms that should never be used (outside of direct quotes) are *asterisked*.
• Additional information is given where needed.
• Most non-preferred terms can be used in direct quotes (with the exception of offensive or vulgar terms).
• Where AP Style doesn’t include a preferred term, the column is left blank.
• Further information about preferred terms relating to age, gender, disability and race is given in Inclusive Language in the Usage section of this guide.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

• Avoid “alphabet soup,” i.e., when there are too many acronyms for the sake of having acronyms.
• DO NOT DEFINE ACRONYMS: The Prudential Regulation Authority released a statement … The PRA said that … not The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) released a statement … The PRA said that …
• Give an organization’s name in full on first use then use the acronym or shortened version thereafter. If it would not be clear what the acronym is referring to, don’t use it.
• Consider the audience when deciding how/whether to introduce or explain an acronym.
• Some acronyms are acceptable on first reference (then should be defined or explained in text). Some you need to use the full term and then the acronym thereafter. Finally, some (famous ones) use the acronym throughout, no definition required. These last are listed in Exceptions , below.
• Some common abbreviations: a.m./p.m.; No.; Corp.; Sept.; B.C.; Lt. Col.; Rep.; Sen., Dr.; Ave .
• Generally speaking, only use abbreviations when they accompany the noun they relate to (a numbered address in the case of Blvd., St. and Ave.): Room No. 23; 37 B.C; Lt. Col. Johnson; Washington Blvd.; 10 Castle St.; 20 Cornwall Ave . Don’t use No. in addresses, except for No. 10 Downing St .
• Don’t use periods in acronyms, but use them in most two-letter abbreviations: U.S., U.N., U.K., M.D. etc.
• Use the following abbreviations in all cases, no need to define:

911 (emergency number) app (application) AT&T (company name) ATM (automated teller machine c.o.d. (cash on delivery) CBD (cannabidiol) CD (compact disc) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH) DVD (digital versatile disc), E. coli (Escherichia coli) f.o.b. (free on board) FAQ (frequently asked questions) FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) FM (frequency modulation) GPA (grade point average) GPS (global positioning system) HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) IBM (company name) Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) IQ (intelligence quotient) IRS (Internal Revenue Service) IT (Information Technology; don’t spell out in technical articles) IV (intravenous line) JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) LED (light-emitting diode) mpg (miles per gallon; use with a figure, e.g., 40 mpg) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) NBC (National Broadcasting Company) OB-GYN (obstetrician gynecologist) OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) PC (personal computer) PDA (personal digital assistant) PDF (portable document format) PT (patrol torpedo) boat PTA (parent–teacher association) Q&A (questions and answers) R&B (rhythm and blues) radar (radio detection and ranging) ROM (read-only memory) ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) rpm (revolutions per minute; use in auto magazines etc.), S&P 500 (Standard & Poors 500) SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) SST (supersonic transport) SWAT (special weapons and tactics) Tass (tactical air-to-surface system) THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) TNT (trinitrotoluene) TV (television) U.K. (United Kingdom) U.S. (United States) UFO (unidentified flying object) UHF (ultra-high frequency) UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) UPS (United Parcel Service) Inc. URL (uniform resource locator) USB (universal serial bus) USO (united service organizations) USS (United States ship) VHF (very high frequency) VIP (very important person) Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) XML (extensible markup language) ZIP (zone improvement plan) code

• Always abbreviate Jr./Sr. after names.
• Notable exceptions to the rule that two-letter acronyms use periods: AP (Associated Press), GI (Army-related), ID (identification), EU (European Union).
• Capitalize only the first letter or abbreviations and acronyms longer than five letters unless Webster capitalizes them. (To be honest, Webster capitalizes most of the famous ones, like UNESCO).
• Unusually capitalized acronyms: dpa (Deutche Presse-Agentur GmbH), app (application), MiG (Russian fighter plane).
• Do not abbreviate: associate, association, assistant, government, governor general, hertz (but, for kilohertz/megahertz, kHz/MHz are acceptable on second use), horsepower, International Space Station (i.e., don’t use ISS), justice of the peace, U.S. Marines (don’t use USMC), professor, route, terrace.

Scientific Names

• Scientific names: Spell out genus/species on first use, then abbreviate the genus: Canis lupus; C. lupus .
• The genus is in uppercase, the species in lowercase.

Academic Matters

Academic Titles

• Avoid abbreviations after people’s names: John Smith , M.Sc. , who has a master’s in business administration .
• Use abbreviations after people’s names if doing otherwise would be very cumbersome (e.g., if listing lots of people or in a table).
• Use abbreviations only after a full name, never after just a surname.
• Use Dr. in front of someone’s name who has a medical qualification, but only on the first mention.
• Don’t use Dr. for non-medical qualifications: Jane Smith, who has a doctorate in Spanish literature, will be joining us later.
• Professor: Never abbreviate. Lowercase before a name (except Professor Emeritus).

Courses and Departments

• Capitalize course titles and use Arabic numbers after them: Biology 104 . Otherwise put into sentence case: he had an interest in biology .
• Academic departments: Use capitals only for proper nouns or when the department is given its full and proper name: the history department, the department of Spanish literature, University of Oxford English Department .
• Military academies: retain capitalization even if the “U.S.” is dropped: U.S. Air Force Academy/the Air Force Academy . Lowercase academy on its own.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, master’s degree — but Bachelor of Arts , Master of Science .
• GED is an adjective, not a noun: GED diploma , for example.

Capitalization

• Avoid unnecessary capitals.
• Generally, capitalize common nouns when they form part of a formal name or title ( the River Nile ); mentions not written in full (e.g., the river) would be made in lowercase.
• Generally, capitalize single nouns when they form part of a formal name/title/designation and lowercase plural ( Size 12 but sizes 12 and 14 , the Amazon and Nile rivers . The exception is formal titles + full names: Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump .
• Similarly: Chapter 3/next chapter; Channel 4/the other channel; the U.S. Census/census data; Captain Jones/the team captain etc.
• Capitalize words that are derived from a proper noun and still depend on it for their meaning: Christian, French, Marxist .
• Lowercase words that are derived from a proper noun but no longer depend on it for their meaning: french fries, venetian blind, epicurean .

The Arts and Architecture

• Buildings: Only capitalize “building” if it’s a part of the building’s name: the Shard building; the Empire State Building .
• Artistic/literary/dramatic works: Go in AP Style title case. See References in the Punctuation section.
• Lowercase art styles ( impressionism, modernism, cubism ).
• Capitalize artistic periods ( Renaissance, Gothic, Baroque ).
• Capitalize brand/product names used in common parlance: Mace , Frisbee , Breathalyzer etc. Lowercase those that have now become common terms (e.g., linoleum ). There are no instructions to say exactly how AP determines which is which.
• Use lowercase at all times for terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles: the vice president of the company vs. Vice President Jones .
• Lowercase annual meeting .
• Capitalize the first letter of brands/products when they begin a sentence (e.g., iPhone / IPhone ).
• Capitalize Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, National Guard when referring to the U.S. versions, lowercase for other nations’ equivalents unless it’s part of their formal name.
• U.S. Civil War: Capitalize Union and Confederacy.
• North/South/East/West: Lowercase compass directions ( he went north ), capitalize compass directions when they relate to regions ( the travelers from the East were weary ; he had a Northern accent ).
• However, lowercase compass directions when describing an area of a specific country/state, unless it’s part of that country’s/state’s actual name ( northern Franc e; western Montana ; Northern Ireland ; West Virginia ; Southern California ).
• Earth: capitalize for the proper name of the planet, lowercase in all other instances.

Governance and Legislation

• Government: Always lowercase, never abbreviate: the U.S. government .
• Constitutions: U.S. Constitution/the Constitution ; e.g., French Constitution/the constitution (for constitutions of other countries); the organization’s constitution. Lowercase constitutional in all cases.
• House of Representatives: Capitalize, even when not given in full ( the House decided ). Same with U.S. Chamber of Commerce/the Chamber .
• Don’t capitalize “primary” in e.g., the New Hampshire primary .
• Tea party (lowercase for the movement generally). Capitalize when part of a group name.
• U.S. Courts: First reference e.g., U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit all acceptable. Subsequent references: the Court of Appeals, the 2nd Circuit, the appeals court, the appellate court, the circuit court, the court . The district courts follow a similar approach to capitalization.
• Grand jury: always lowercase.
• U.S. Supreme Court/the Supreme Court.
• British Parliament: House of Commons, House of Lords on first instance, then Commons/Lords or the Commons/the Lords afterward.
• International Court of Justice on first instance, then international court/world court.
• In general, capitalize the proper name of non-U.S. legislative bodies (e.g., the Knesset ).
• United Nations: U.N., U.N. General Assembly, U.N. Secretariat, and U.N. Security Council, drop U.N. on second reference. Lowercase the assembly/the council.
• Words like nationalist, socialist etc are lowercase unless part of a party name.

Collective Nouns and Other Singular/Plural Issues

• Nouns that denote a unit take singular verbs and pronouns.
• Plural team/group names and teams/groups with no plural form take plural verbs: the Yankees are winning; the Beatles are famous; Orlando Magic are playing.
• Single team/group names take singular verbs: Queen was formed in 1970.
• Couple: in the sense of two people: the couple were married . In the sense of a unit: each couple was asked… .
• Each: takes a singular verb ( each of the options is … ).
• Emoji: the word serves as singular and plural.
• Group: takes the singular.
• Headquarters: can take singular or plural.
• Latin words: Latin-root words take the Latin ending (e.g., alumnus/i, medium/a ) unless they have taken on English endings by common usage (e.g., syllabuses ). Check Webster if unsure.
• Insignia: same for singular and plural.

AP Style datelines are a specific device used by journalists to indicate the location and date of a news story. They appear at the top of articles and take the form detailed below.

• CITY NAME, state abbreviation (or country name if outside the U.S.) date.
• Certain very well-known cities and regions don’t require a state or country.
• Never abbreviate: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas or Utah .
• Never abbreviate : March, April, May, June, July .
• KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 2023.
• COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 4, 2023.
• LONDON, Sept. 2021.

Foreign Terms

• Use inverted commas to define foreign terms upon first use: “lunettes,” the French word for eye glasses .
• If a foreign word has been adopted into English, consider whether it is universally known by the intended audience. If it isn’t, then define as you would a foreign term.
• Include accent marks/diacritics when using a word in the original language, but remove them when the word is anglicized: Ou est le café? vs. Where is the cafe?
• Personal names: follow personal preferences, otherwise use the nearest phonetic equivalent in English.
• Lowercase particles (e.g., de, der, la, le, van, von ) in names unless personal preference says otherwise.
• Vodou/Voodoo: the religious/ritual practice in Haiti and Lousiana, respectively. Avoid using lowercase voodoo e.g., voodoo rituals .

Numbers, Dates, Currency, etc.

• Numbers: spell out millions, billions. In headlines, K, M, B (thousands, millions, billions) are permitted when accompanying a number. No space: 10K, 10M, 10B . Don’t use a hyphen when used adjectivally.
• Spell out 1-9. Use figures for 10 or above; preceding a unit; when referring to ages of people/animals/events/things; in tables; in statistics; in sequences ( Act 3; Size 12; Type 2 ); in mathematical usage; in military titles (unless they come after the name) and weapon names. 
• Spell out numbers at the start of a sentence. Years and number/letter combinations can be left as is.
• Spell out numbers in formal language, rhetorical quotations and figures of speech.
• Data is (general; data journalism); data are (scientific contexts).
• Fractions: two-thirds, seven-fifteenths Use decimals for figures over 1, e.g., 1.33, 20.6 .
• Minus signs: Use a hyphen as a minus sign. Spell out when relating to temperature ( minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit ).
• Plus signs: Use as part of a company/brand name. Otherwise spell out as “plus” (e.g., B-plus grade ).
• Percentages: Use numbers and %, with no space. Spell out zero percent. Spell out at the beginning of a sentence (or, preferably, reword). Spell out percentage point (NB: this is different to percentage).
• Ordinals: Don’t use superscript, e.g., 10th Ward . Don’t use ordinals in dates.
• Ranges: repeat the unit symbol, a hyphen or “to” are both acceptable e.g., 12%-14%, $3 million to $5 million .
• Ratios: the ratio was 3-to-1, a ratio of 3-to-1, a 3-1 ratio (“to” omitted when the number precedes “ratio”).
• Roman numerals: Use Roman numerals for wars and to establish personal sequence for people and animals: World War I, Native Dancer II, King George V . Also for certain legislative acts ( Title IX ).

Dates/Times

• Minutes, seconds, hours: spell out in full.
• Times: 12 p.m.; 8 o’clock; 10 minutes; 10 seconds; 8 hours (but an eight-hour day ). Use noon and midnight in place of 12 p.m./a.m.
• Days: Don’t abbreviate days of the week unless in a table; when you do, use the three-letter form with no period ( Mon, Tue ).
• Months: When used as part of a date, abbreviate , Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec . In tables, use three-letter forms for all months, no period.
• Years: 1920s, ‘95, the ‘80s, 2022-23 . It’s OK to start a sentence with a year. Don’t include years when referencing an occurrence in the same year as the story ( the pilot will air on 25 February ).
• Centuries: use numbers for 10 and over ( 10th century; seventh century ).
• Dates: Friday, Sept. 1, 2023; Sept. 1; Sept. 1, 2023; Sept. 2023.
• Biannual = twice a year; biennial = every two years; bimonthly = every two months; semimonthly = twice a month; biweekly = every two weeks; semiweekly = twice a week.
• Time zones: include the time zone if the item: involves TV/radio programs (always EDT/EST); has no dateline; is an advisory to editors. Do not convert clock times from other time zones in the U.S. to Eastern time. If there is high U.S. interest in the precise time something happened, add CDT, PST etc. to the local time zone so that readers can determine what time it happened in their equivalent local time. If the time is needed to make sense outside the U.S., provide a conversion to Eastern time in parentheses: … 9 a.m. (3 a.m. EDT) .
• Don’t use today/tomorrow/tonight etc. in news stories; use a day, date, etc. as appropriate. Avoid next/last (e.g., next Monday ). 

Temperatures

• 40 degrees Celsius / 40 C; 105 degrees Fahrenheit / 105 F; 10 kelvins / 10 K .
• Zero is always spelled out.
• US currency: use e.g., $5, $500, $50,000 (rather than five dollars, five-hundred dollars etc.). For numbers up to $1, use e.g., 5 cents, 97 cents , then e.g., $1.24 . For amounts over $1 million, use up to two decimal places as appropriate: $5.25 million; a $100 million budget .
• Currency conversions: give non-USD amounts in parentheses the first time a currency is mentioned: The company made a profit of $12.5 million (£10.3 million) last year . Use USD after that. Only do so for current amounts, not historical, and note that the conversion is at the current exchange rate, if necessary for clarity). 
• Non-US dollars: e.g., CA$1 million, HK$250,000 .
• Currencies are given in sentence case ( euro, dollar, pound, Canadian dollar , etc.).

Measurements

• Units: use the system (metric/imperial) most widely accepted in the location of the dateline. Do not use unit symbols except mm in the case of film widths and weapons ( a 9 mm pistol ).
• Avoid decimals unless a greater level of precision is necessary. Use up to two decimal places if necessary, except for blood alcohol level and baseball batting averages (these take 3 decimal points). 
• Measurements: 5 feet 3 inches tall; a 5-foot-3-inch man; 3,000 square feet, 4 miles . Use e.g., 5’3” only in very technical contexts.
• Tons: There are three types of ton — short ton (2,000 pounds); long/British ton (2,240 pounds); metric ton (1,000 kilograms).
• Two-by-four (piece of wood). Always spell out.

Miscellaneous

• Road numbering examples: S. Highway 1, Route 66, Route 3A, Interstate 40 ( 1-40 subsequently ).
• Votes: 7-3, but a four-vote margin .
• Serial numbers: Use figures/capital letters, no hyphens or spaces unless absolutely required. Social Security numbers are hyphenated: 123-45-6789 .
• Clothes sizes: size 10 pants; size 12 long; size 6 1/2 shoes; 16 1/2 inch neck, XL sweatshirt . 
• Tanks: M-60
• Telephone numbers: 123-456-7890 (national); 011-44-20-8535-1515 (international — 011 when calling from the U.S., country code, city code (minus the first zero) and telephone number); 800-111-1000 (toll-free numbers); 123-456-7890, ext. 415 .
• Radio/TV programs: Always use Eastern Time, and put EDT/EST after the time, as appropriate.

Inclusive Language

• Avoid tokenism and generalizations, recognize conscious and unconscious biases, avoid placing White/straight/non-disabled as the figurative norm. 
• Be conscious of who the story uses as expert witnesses, general witnesses, subjects of photos and videos. When covering issues related to marginal groups, home in on individual voices/stories focused on that group. 
• Recognize the difference between first- and second-hand experiences. 
• Be careful with the biases indicated by carelessly used language choices. 
• Make your content accessible (consider text, graphics, video). 
• Use Plain English.

Disabilities

• Check whether the individual/group prefers identity first (an autistic person) or person-first (a person with autism) language. Similarly: person with disabilities/disabled person.
• When preferences can’t be established, use a mixture of person-first and identity-first language.
• Generally, only mention disabilities and other conditions if it is directly relevant to the story.
• Avoid e.g., he is battling cancer >> he has cancer; a victim of heart disease >> she has heart disease.
• Do not use handi-capable, differently abled, physically challenged, handicapped, handicap.
• Avoid disorder, impairment, abnormality, special (unless part of a technical name for a condition).
• Refer to a disability only if relevant to the story and a medical diagnosis has been made or the person uses that term to describe themselves.
• Avoid writing that implies ableism: the belief that the abilities of people who aren’t disabled are superior.
• Avoid “inspiration porn” that implies that people with disabilities are objects of pity or wonder.
• Avoid using disability-related words casually or in unrelated situations (e.g., demented, psychotic, lame, blind, retarded, on the spectrum).
• Don’t use cliches (inspiring, brave etc.)
• Don’t use dehumanizing mass nouns (the disabled, the blind etc.)
• Don’t use normal/typical to describe someone who doesn’t have a disability (instead, use nondisabled, those without a disability). Able-bodied should be used only in instances where it has a specific meaning.
• Avoid the terms high/low functioning; instead, be specific about the condition.
• Mental illness: as with other disabilities/conditions, be specific; don’t say that someone was “mentally ill,” name their condition. Don’t use words such as demented, psychotic (including outside of a mental-health context). Don’t use terms lightly/casually, e.g., “I’m feeling very OCD.”
• Neurodiversity, -divergence, -diverse: Use these terms only in quotations.
• Wheelchair user (not wheelchair-bound or similar). Mention only if relevant to the story.
• Capitalize “deaf” when used to refer to the Deaf community (check the appropriateness of this term).
• Depending on individual preference, “dwarf” is acceptable (or person with dwarfism, little person).
• Autism: don’t use ASD, on the spectrum, Asperger’s syndrome (outside of direct quotes/due to personal preference). Don’t use as a noun (an autistic/autistics) unless it is personal preference.
• Lou Gehrig’s disease/ALS/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the U.S. Motor neuron (or neurone) disease outside of the U.S.
• Do not presume maleness when constructing a sentence.
• Do not use e.g., his/her, his or her .
• Use the gender-neutral “them” when necessary/personal preference/to hide someone’s identity.
• Where possible, reword sentences to avoid using “they” as an alternative to “his or her.”
• Be careful when using woman/women and female, as female is seen as purely describing sex, not gender, which can have an effect on representations of gender identity.
• Use terms that can apply to any gender in general parlance: businessperson, business owner, police officer, city leaders, confidant, workforce.
• However, avoid torturous constructions like snowperson .
• It’s alumnus/alumni (male); alumna/alumnae (female); alum/alums (neutral).
• Hair color: use the adjectives blond, brown (not blonde, brunette).
• See preferred terms for examples of gendered terms and their alternatives.
• Do not use the pronoun “her” in reference to nations, ships, storms or voice assistants.
• The terms “husband” and “wife” are acceptable in any legally recognized marriage. Spouse or partner can be used as gender-neutral options, if requested/preferred.
• Do not use lady/gentleman as a synonym for woman/man.
• Pregnant women/girls or women/girls seeking abortions are acceptable phrasings. Use pregnant people if needed to acknowledge transgender or non-binary pregnant people, but don’t use clinical terms like “people with uteruses.”
• When using “they” as a singular pronoun, explain if it isn’t clear from the context. The singular reflexive “themself” is acceptable.
• Be careful about using the term “boys” to refer to young Black men or children; use child/teen/youth as appropriate.
• Never use the N-word (including in this form) except when it is absolutely crucial to the story or an understanding of a news event.

Titles and Names

• As a general rule, capitalize titles/roles when applied to a name, not when they are used generally. I mam Shamsi Ali/the imam; Director Diane Carter/the director, Queen Anne/the queen , etc.
• Legislative titles can sometimes be omitted if the individual is well-known.
• Don’t use courtesy or honorary titles (as a general rule). Note that surgeons in the U.K. use Mr./Mrs./Ms. instead of Dr.
• Judge (law): use in front of the judge’s name upon first instance, but not thereafter — federal Judge John Smith; U.S. District Judge John Smith; Chief Judge John Smith . “Justice” is used instead in some jurisdictions.
• Applicable religious titles: see the guidance on Writing Explained .
• First lady/first gentleman is always in lowercase.
• Military titles: See the full guidance on the AP Stylebook blog .
• Governor: Abbreviate to Gov. in front of someone’s name. Do not abbreviate governor general.
• Representatives/senators: Rep./Reps., Sen./Sens . Add U.S. or state if necessary to avoid confusion. Only use such titles on first mention. Don’t use Congressman/Congresswoman before a name/as a title.
• See the Academic Matters section, above, for information about academic titles.
• Where things are unclear, the individual’s personal preference/usual habits always take precedence.
• In general, use only last names on second reference (use both names if necessary for clarity). Call children <15 yo by their first name on second reference, unless it’s a serious story such as a murder case. Use your judgment for 16/17 yos.
• Arabic: Two/three names on first mention/surname on second.
• Portuguese: (usually) given name, mother’s surname, father’s surname/father’s surname (but e.g., Canto e Castro if ‘e’ (and) is used).
• Russian: use the closest phonetic equivalent in English, if available; otherwise spell phonetically.
• Spanish: (usually) given name, father’s surname, mother’s surname/father’s surname
• China: Deng Xiaoping/Deng
• North Korea: Kim Jong Un/Kim
• South Korea: Sung Jinwoo/Sung . If given name is hyphenated, second part is lowercase – e.g., Hyo-ri . 
• Jesus: Jesus Christ or Christ is acceptable. Pronouns should be in lowercase.
• Muhammad: Use this spelling in relation to the Prophet Muhammad unless in a title/name of an organization. Prophet is lowercase when used on its own. 
• Match the headline tone to that of the story.
• Attribute carefully.
• Consider keywords and SEO.
• Update online headlines to reflect the latest news, as needed.
• Headlines go in sentence case (capitalize first word after a colon).
• Always capitalize the first letter of a headline (consider rewording if e.g., eBay is the first word).
• Avoid all but universally recognizable abbreviations and acronyms.
• Put no periods in US/UK/EU/UN when they appear in headlines, and avoid using them in other acronyms.
• Avoid using state abbreviations in headlines, but if you must, remove periods from those with two capital letters (others retain periods).
• Use numerals except in casual use or formal names ( thousands not 1000s; Big Ten; but Forbes 500 ).
• Spell out ordinals under 10, use numerals for over 10 (except eleventh hour ).
• Use single quote marks.
• Label opinion ( Opinion: Headline ), analysis ( Analysis: Headline ) and review ( Review: Headline ) pieces.
• Limit headlines to 100 characters.
• Write headlines for a global audience. Only use locators when it will increase readership, improve SEO, or is needed for clarity.
• Avoid Co. for company.
• Fed is acceptable for Federal Reserve.
• It’s possible to abbreviate millions/billions in headlines: $30M/$5B .
• Financial quarters: Q3 , not 3Q , for example.

In-Line Style Points

• Watch for sentences with more than one comma or clause. Consider splitting them up.
• Dashes and semicolons are often an indication that the sentence could be split up.
• Don’t use cliches, jargon, or bureaucratese.
• Define terms that could be unfamiliar to readers, or choose simpler terms.
• Use mostly active voice.
• Bracket additional information about a noun in commas: John Smith, of New York, ; located in Hartford, Connecticut, ; Kevin Jones, who has a Ph.D. in aeronautics, ”.
• Jargon: Avoid, unless writing for an audience that would be familiar with the term or phrase.
• Irrelevance: Avoid tautology and irrelevance: e.g., they went to a local hospital >> they went to a hospital .
• Euphemisms: avoid euphemisms wherever possible: died rather than passed away ; recreational cannabis (for example) rather than adult-use cannabis .
• Days of the week: Do not use “on” before a day of the week (e.g., the store will open Monday ).
• That, which: Follow Proofed’s approach to that/which.
• Versus: Spell out versus in longer sentences, vs. in short pithy expressions, v. in court cases.

Age-Related Nouns

• Embryo: up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
• Fetus: 10 weeks of pregnancy — birth.
• Unborn baby: any time from gestation to birth (less clinical than fetus).
• Infant: up to 12 months old.
• Boy/girl: from 12 months old — 18 years. Use child/youth/teen if more appropriate.
• Youth: 13-18.
• Adult: over 18 years old.

Obscenities, Profanities, Slurs etc.

• Do not use except in direct speech.
• Try to describe them rather than use them directly (e.g., a racial/sexist slur ).
• For very offensive language, replace all but the first letter with hyphens, e.g., f—- . 
• An alternative is to replace the offensive word with a generic description in parentheses, e.g., (obscenity) .
• Never alter quotations even to correct minor grammatical errors or word usage.
• Casual minor slips can be removed using ellipses, but do so with caution.
• Do not use “sic”. Instead, paraphrase if possible or use the quotation exactly if the quotation is essential.
• Don’t try to replicate dialect with words such as gonna .
• When quoting spoken words, present them in the format that reflects AP style, e.g., $20, 1 Church St .. Don’t make any other changes for style, however.
• Use quotations if they are the best way to convey the text. Often, paraphrasing is preferable.
• Avoid fragmentary quotations. For cumbersome or awkward speech, leave quotation marks for sensitive or controversial statements that must be shown to come from the speaker.
• Describe emojis used in text: e.g., … following that with an emoji of a birthday cake .

Third-Party Sources

• Who does the source belong to? Avoid unverified sources.
• Clearly state the source.
• How accurate does the source appear to you?
• Any obvious signs of bias?
• Be mindful of Photoshop and deepfakes.
• Use common sense.

Jump to Section

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How to Write the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay (With Example)

November 27, 2023

Feeling intimidated by the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay? We’re here to help demystify. Whether you’re cramming for the AP Lang exam right now or planning to take the test down the road, we’ve got crucial rubric information, helpful tips, and an essay example to prepare you for the big day. This post will cover 1) What is the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay? 2) AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Rubric 3) AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis: Sample Prompt 4) AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example 5)AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example: Why It Works

What is the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay?

The AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay is one of three essays included in the written portion of the AP English Exam. The full AP English Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long, with the first 60 minutes dedicated to multiple-choice questions. Once you complete the multiple-choice section, you move on to three equally weighted essays that ask you to synthesize, analyze, and interpret texts and develop well-reasoned arguments. The three essays include:

Synthesis essay: You’ll review various pieces of evidence and then write an essay that synthesizes (aka combines and interprets) the evidence and presents a clear argument. Read our write up on How to Write the AP Lang Synthesis Essay here.

Argumentative essay: You’ll take a stance on a specific topic and argue your case.

Rhetorical essay: You’ll read a provided passage, then analyze the author’s rhetorical choices and develop an argument that explains why the author made those rhetorical choices.

AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Rubric

The AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay is graded on just 3 rubric categories: Thesis, Evidence and Commentary, and Sophistication . At a glance, the rubric categories may seem vague, but AP exam graders are actually looking for very particular things in each category. We’ll break it down with dos and don’ts for each rubric category:

Thesis (0-1 point)

There’s nothing nebulous when it comes to grading AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay thesis. You either have one or you don’t. Including a thesis gets you one point closer to a high score and leaving it out means you miss out on one crucial point. So, what makes a thesis that counts?

• Make sure your thesis argues something about the author’s rhetorical choices. Making an argument means taking a risk and offering your own interpretation of the provided text. This is an argument that someone else might disagree with.
• A good test to see if you have a thesis that makes an argument. In your head, add the phrase “I think that…” to the beginning of your thesis. If what follows doesn’t logically flow after that phrase (aka if what follows isn’t something you and only you think), it’s likely you’re not making an argument.
• Avoid a thesis that merely restates the prompt.
• Avoid a thesis that summarizes the text but does not make an argument.

Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)

This rubric category is graded on a scale of 0-4 where 4 is the highest grade. Per the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis rubric, to get a 4, you’ll want to:

• Include lots of specific evidence from the text. There is no set golden number of quotes to include, but you’ll want to make sure you’re incorporating more than a couple pieces of evidence that support your argument about the author’s rhetorical choices.
• Make sure you include more than one type of evidence, too. Let’s say you’re working on your essay and have gathered examples of alliteration to include as supporting evidence. That’s just one type of rhetorical choice, and it’s hard to make a credible argument if you’re only looking at one type of evidence. To fix that issue, reread the text again looking for patterns in word choice and syntax, meaningful figurative language and imagery, literary devices, and other rhetorical choices, looking for additional types of evidence to support your argument.
• After you include evidence, offer your own interpretation and explain how this evidence proves the point you make in your thesis.
• Don’t summarize or speak generally about the author and the text. Everything you write must be backed up with evidence.
• Don’t let quotes speak for themselves. After every piece of evidence you include, make sure to explain your interpretation. Also, connect the evidence to your overarching argument.

Sophistication (0-1 point)

In this case, sophistication isn’t about how many fancy vocabulary words or how many semicolons you use. According to College Board , one point can be awarded to AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis essays that “demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation” in any of these three ways:

• Explaining the significance or relevance of the writer’s rhetorical choices.
• Explaining the purpose or function of the passage’s complexities or tensions.
• Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.

Note that you don’t have to achieve all three to earn your sophistication point. A good way to think of this rubric category is to consider it a bonus point that you can earn for going above and beyond in depth of analysis or by writing an especially persuasive, clear, and well-structured essay. In order to earn this point, you’ll need to first do a good job with your thesis, evidence, and commentary.

• Focus on nailing an argumentative thesis and multiple types of evidence. Getting these fundamentals of your essay right will set you up for achieving depth of analysis.
• Explain how each piece of evidence connects to your thesis.
• Spend a minute outlining your essay before you begin to ensure your essay flows in a clear and cohesive way.
• Steer clear of generalizations about the author or text.
• Don’t include arguments you can’t prove with evidence from the text.
• Avoid complex sentences and fancy vocabulary words unless you use them often. Long, clunky sentences with imprecisely used words are hard to follow.

AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis: Sample Prompt

The sample prompt below is published online by College Board and is a real example from the 2021 AP Exam. The prompt provides background context, essay instructions, and the text you need to analyze. For sake of space, we’ve included the text as an image you can click to read. After the prompt, we provide a sample high scoring essay and then explain why this AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis essay example works.

Suggested time—40 minutes.

(This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

On February 27, 2013, while in office, former president Barack Obama delivered the following address dedicating the Rosa Parks statue in the National Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol building. Rosa Parks was an African American civil rights activist who was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Read the passage carefully. Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Obama makes to convey his message.

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices.
• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

In his speech delivered in 2013 at the dedication of Rosa Park’s statue, President Barack Obama acknowledges everything that Parks’ activism made possible in the United States. Telling the story of Parks’ life and achievements, Obama highlights the fact that Parks was a regular person whose actions accomplished enormous change during the civil rights era. Through the use of diction that portrays Parks as quiet and demure, long lists that emphasize the extent of her impacts, and Biblical references, Obama suggests that all of us are capable of achieving greater good, just as Parks did.

Although it might be a surprising way to start to his dedication, Obama begins his speech by telling us who Parks was not: “Rosa Parks held no elected office. She possessed no fortune” he explains in lines 1-2. Later, when he tells the story of the bus driver who threatened to have Parks arrested when she refused to get off the bus, he explains that Parks “simply replied, ‘You may do that’” (lines 22-23). Right away, he establishes that Parks was a regular person who did not hold a seat of power. Her protest on the bus was not part of a larger plan, it was a simple response. By emphasizing that Parks was not powerful, wealthy, or loud spoken, he implies that Parks’ style of activism is an everyday practice that all of us can aspire to.

AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example (Continued)

Even though Obama portrays Parks as a demure person whose protest came “simply” and naturally, he shows the importance of her activism through long lists of ripple effects. When Parks challenged her arrest, Obama explains, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood with her and “so did thousands of Montgomery, Alabama commuters” (lines 27-28). They began a boycott that included “teachers and laborers, clergy and domestics, through rain and cold and sweltering heat, day after day, week after week, month after month, walking miles if they had to…” (lines 28-31). In this section of the speech, Obama’s sentences grow longer and he uses lists to show that Parks’ small action impacted and inspired many others to fight for change. Further, listing out how many days, weeks, and months the boycott lasted shows how Parks’ single act of protest sparked a much longer push for change.

To further illustrate Parks’ impact, Obama incorporates Biblical references that emphasize the importance of “that single moment on the bus” (lines 57-58). In lines 33-35, Obama explains that Parks and the other protestors are “driven by a solemn determination to affirm their God-given dignity” and he also compares their victory to the fall the “ancient walls of Jericho” (line 43). By of including these Biblical references, Obama suggests that Parks’ action on the bus did more than correct personal or political wrongs; it also corrected moral and spiritual wrongs. Although Parks had no political power or fortune, she was able to restore a moral balance in our world.

Toward the end of the speech, Obama states that change happens “not mainly through the exploits of the famous and the powerful, but through the countless acts of often anonymous courage and kindness” (lines 78-81). Through carefully chosen diction that portrays her as a quiet, regular person and through lists and Biblical references that highlight the huge impacts of her action, Obama illustrates exactly this point. He wants us to see that, just like Parks, the small and meek can change the world for the better.

AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example: Why It Works

We would give the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis essay above a score of 6 out of 6 because it fully satisfies the essay’s 3 rubric categories: Thesis, Evidence and Commentary, and Sophistication . Let’s break down what this student did:

The thesis of this essay appears in the last line of the first paragraph:

“ Through the use of diction that portrays Parks as quiet and demure, long lists that emphasize the extent of her impacts, and Biblical references, Obama suggests that all of us are capable of achieving greater good, just as Parks did .”

This student’s thesis works because they make a clear argument about Obama’s rhetorical choices. They 1) list the rhetorical choices that will be analyzed in the rest of the essay (the italicized text above) and 2) include an argument someone else might disagree with (the bolded text above).

Evidence and Commentary:

This student includes substantial evidence and commentary. Things they do right, per the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis rubric:

• They include lots of specific evidence from the text in the form of quotes.
• They incorporate 3 different types of evidence (diction, long lists, Biblical references).
• After including evidence, they offer an interpretation of what the evidence means and explain how the evidence contributes to their overarching argument (aka their thesis).

Sophistication

This essay achieves sophistication according to the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis essay rubric in a few key ways:

• This student provides an introduction that flows naturally into the topic their essay will discuss. Before they get to their thesis, they tell us that Obama portrays Parks as a “regular person” setting up their main argument: Obama wants all regular people to aspire to do good in the world just as Rosa Parks did.
• They organize evidence and commentary in a clear and cohesive way. Each body paragraph focuses on just one type of evidence.
• They explain how their evidence is significant. In the final sentence of each body paragraph, they draw a connection back to the overarching argument presented in the thesis.
• All their evidence supports the argument presented in their thesis. There is no extraneous evidence or misleading detail.
• They consider nuances in the text. Rather than taking the text at face value, they consider what Obama’s rhetorical choices imply and offer their own unique interpretation of those implications.
• In their final paragraph, they come full circle, reiterate their thesis, and explain what Obama’s rhetorical choices communicate to readers.
• Their sentences are clear and easy to read. There are no grammar errors or misused words.

AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay—More Resources

Looking for more tips to help your master your AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay? Brush up on 20 Rhetorical Devices High School Students Should Know and read our Tips for Improving Reading Comprehension . If you’re ready to start studying for another part of the AP English Exam, find more expert tips in our How to Write the AP Lang Synthesis blog post.

Considering what other AP classes to take? Read up on the Hardest AP Classes .

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Christina Wood

Christina Wood holds a BA in Literature & Writing from UC San Diego, an MFA in Creative Writing from Washington University in St. Louis, and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in English at the University of Georgia, where she teaches creative writing and first-year composition courses. Christina has published fiction and nonfiction in numerous publications, including The Paris Review , McSweeney’s , Granta , Virginia Quarterly Review , The Sewanee Review , Mississippi Review , and Puerto del Sol , among others. Her story “The Astronaut” won the 2018 Shirley Jackson Award for short fiction and received a “Distinguished Stories” mention in the 2019 Best American Short Stories anthology.

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Associated Press (AP) Style Guide: AP Style Guide

Ap style guide.

• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Basic Research Strategies
• Evaluating Sources
• Contact Information & Feedback

AP Style Guide Information

• NMU Writing Center Dept This link provides information regarding Associated Press style. The following information comes from the NMU Writing Center.

What is AP Style?

AP Style (a.k.a. Associated Press Style) provides guidelines for grammar and citations in news writing. It's the style guide most newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets use, so this style is a must-have for anyone who wants to work in journalism or media writing.

History of AP Style

The Associated Press was founded in 1848 by six New York newspapers who desired to share resources for international news.  The newspapers saved money by sharing the news that arrived by telegraph wire and dividing the expenses evenly; this prevented competition for information.  The AP is currently the largest news gathering organization in the world and uses its style to keep the news easy to read, concise and free of bias. First published in 1977, The Associated Press Stylebook lists the rules regarding grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. The Stylebook is the standard guide for most U.S. newspapers, magazines and other media.

Using AP Style

Note: This is not a substitute to the AP Stylebook, which is changing often and contains thousands of entries.

Spell out numbers one through nine, but write numbers 10 and above as numerals.

Example: She bought three cats and 11 bags of cat food.

Percentages

Write percentages as numerals, followed by the word "percent."

Example: The unemployment rate rose by 2 percent.

Write ages using numerals.

Example: He is 111 years old.

Dollar amounts

Express dollar amounts as numerals, preceded by the "$" sign.

Example: $5, $15, $150, $150,000, $15 million, $15 billion, $15.5 billion

Street addresses

Use numerals for numbered addresses. Abbreviate street, avenue, and boulevard when used with a numbered address, but otherwise spell them out. Never abbreviate route or road.

Example: He lives at 123 Washington St.

Example: His house is on Washington Street.

Example: Her house in on 234 Hancock Road.

Use numerals for dates, but do not include "th" after the date. Abbreviate months August through February when used with dates. Do not abbreviate months March through July when used with a date or any month without a date.

Example: The festival is on Oct. 15.

Example: She had her baby on July 12.

Example: I love the weather in November.

Job titles are generally capitalized when they appear before a person's name, but lowercase after the name.

Example: President Barack Obama has two daughters.  

Example: Barack Obama was the president.

Film, book, and song titles

Capitalize titles. Put long works in italics and short works in quotes. Do not use quote marks with reference books or the names of newspapers or magazines.

Example: He rented Harry Potter  on DVD.

Example: She read an essay called "How to Catch a Butterfly." 

• Associated Press Style The following information comes from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Associated Press Style.

Associated Press Style Introduction

Associated Press style provides guidelines for news writing. Many newspapers, magazines and public relations offices across the United States use AP style. Although some publications such as the New York Times have developed their own style guidelines, a basic knowledge of AP style is considered essential to those who want to work in print journalism.

This Web page is intended to provide an introduction to AP style and a summary of some AP style rules; however, the Associated Press Stylebook includes more than 5,000 entries – far more than can be covered here. For a complete guide to AP style, writers should consult the most recent edition of the Associated Press Stylebook or visit the AP Stylebook website .

The content of newspapers and other mass media is typically the result of many different writers and editors working together. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. Some guiding principles behind AP style are:

• Consistency

AP style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language.

Common Style Guidelines

The Associated Press Stylebook provides an A-Z guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are acceptable but not required in some contexts. For example, Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., the Rev. and Sen. are required before a person’s full name when they occur outside a direct quotation. Please note, that medical and political titles only need to be used on first reference when they appear outside of a direct quote. For courtesy titles, use these on second reference or when specifically requested. Other acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable but not required (i.e. FBI, CIA, GOP). The context should govern such decisions.

As a general rule, though, you should avoid what the Associated Press Stylebook calls “alphabet soup.” Consult the Associated Press Stylebook for specific cases.

For numbered addresses, always use figures. Abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St. and directional cues when used with a numbered address. Always spell out other words such as alley, drive and road . If the street name or directional cue is used without a numbered address, it should be capitalized and spelled out. If a street name is a number, spell out First through Ninth and use figures for 10th and higher. Here are some examples of correctly formatted addresses: 101 N. Grant St., Northwestern Avenue, South Ninth Street, 102 S. 10th St., 605 Woodside Drive.

For ages, always use figures. If the age is used as an adjective or as a substitute for a noun, then it should be hyphenated. Don’t use apostrophes when describing an age range. Examples: A 21-year-old student. The student is 21 years old. The girl, 8, has a brother, 11. The contest is for 18-year-olds. He is in his 20s.

Books, Periodicals, Reference Works, and Other Types of Compositions

Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows, computer games, poems, lectures, speeches and works of art. Examples: Author Porter Shreve read from his new book, “When the White House Was Ours.” They sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game.

Do not use quotations around the names of magazine, newspapers, the Bible or books that are catalogues of reference materials. Examples: The Washington Post first reported the story. He reads the Bible every morning.

Do not underline or italicize any of the above.

Dates, Months, Years, Days of the Week

For dates and years, use figures. Do not use st, nd, rd, or th with dates, and use Arabic figures. Always capitalize months. Spell out the month unless it is used with a date. When used with a date, abbreviate only the following months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.

Commas are not necessary if only a year and month are given, but commas should be used to set off a year if the date, month and year are given. Use the letter s but not an apostrophe after the figures when expressing decades or centuries. Do, however, use an apostrophe before figures expressing a decade if numerals are left out. Examples: Classes begin Aug. 25. Purdue University was founded May 6, 1869. The semester begins in January. The 1800s. The ’90s.

If you refer to an event that occurred the day prior to when the article will appear, do not use the word yesterday. Instead, use the day of the week. Capitalize days of the week, but do not abbreviate. If an event occurs more than seven days before or after the current date, use the month and a figure.

Newspapers use datelines when the information for a story is obtained outside the paper’s hometown or general area of service. Datelines appear at the beginning of stories and include the name of the city in all capital letters, usually followed the state or territory in which the city is located. The Associated Press Stylebook lists 30 U.S. cities that do not need to be followed by the name of a state. See states and cities below. Examples:

• DENVER – The Democratic National Convention began...
• ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Republican National Convention began...
• YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – President Bush spoke to a group...

When writing about height, weight or other dimensions, use figures and spell out words such as feet, miles, etc. Examples: She is 5-foot-3. He wrote with a 2-inch pencil.

Use figures for any distances over 10. For any distances below 10, spell out the distance. Examples: My flight covered 1,113 miles. The airport runway is three miles long.

Always use a person’s first and last name the first time they are mentioned in a story. Only use last names on second reference. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. unless they are part of a direct quotation or are needed to differentiate between people who have the same last name.

Never begin a sentence with a figure, except for sentences that begin with a year. Examples: Two hundred freshmen attended. Five actors took the stage. 1776 was an important year.

Use roman numerals to describe wars and to show sequences for people. Examples: World War II, Pope John Paul II, Elizabeth II.

For ordinal numbers, spell out first through ninth and use figures for 10th and above when describing order in time or location. Examples: second base, 10th in a row. Some ordinal numbers, such as those indicating political or geographic order, should use figures in all cases. Examples: 3rd District Court, 9th ward.

For cardinal numbers, consult individual entries in the Associated Press Stylebook. If no usage is specified, spell out numbers below 10 and use figures for numbers 10 and above. Example: The man had five children and 11 grandchildren.

When referring to money, use numerals. For cents or amounts of $1 million or more, spell the words cents, million, billion, trillion etc. Examples: $26.52, $100,200, $8 million, 6 cents.

Punctuation

Use a single space after a period.

Do not use commas before a conjunction in a simple series. Example: In art class, they learned that red, yellow and blue are primary colors. His brothers are Tom, Joe, Frank and Pete. However, a comma should be used before the terminal conjunction in a complex series, if part of that series also contains a conjunction. Example: Purdue University's English Department offers doctoral majors in Literature, Second Language Studies, English Language and Linguistics, and Rhetoric and Composition.

Commas and periods go within quotation marks. Example: “I did nothing wrong,” he said. She said, “Let’s go to the Purdue game.”

States and Cities

When the name of a state name appears in the body of a text, spell it out. State abbreviations should also be avoided in headlines where possible. States should be abbreviated when used as part of a short-form political affiliation. Examples: He was travelling to Nashville, Tenn. The peace accord was signed in Dayton, Ohio. The storm began in Indiana and moved west toward Peoria, Ill. Updated guidance to AP style notes that state names can also be abbreviated for the following purposes:

• Naming states in dateline text
• Naming states in photo captions
• Naming states in lists or tables
• Naming states in in editor's notes and credit lines

Here is how each state is abbreviated in AP style (with the postal code abbreviations in parentheses):

You will notice that eight states are missing from this list. That is because Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah are never abbreviated.

AP style does not require the name of a state to accompany the names of the following 30 cities:

The exact time when an event has occurred or will occur is unnecessary for most stories. Of course, there are occasions when the time of day is important. In such cases, use figures, but spell out noon and midnight . Use a colon to separate hours from minutes, but do not use :00 . Examples: 1 p.m., 3:30 a.m.

Generally, capitalize formal titles when they appear before a person’s name, but lowercase titles if they are informal, appear without a person’s name, follow a person’s name or are set off before a name by commas. Also, lowercase adjectives that designate the status of a title. If a title is long, place it after the person’s name, or set it off with commas before the person’s name. Examples: President Bush; President-elect Obama; Sen. Harry Reid; Evan Bayh, a senator from Indiana; the senior senator from Indiana, Dick Lugar; former President George H.W. Bush; Paul Schneider, deputy secretary of homeland security.

Technological Terms

Here are the correct spelling and capitalization rules for some common technological terms:

• BlackBerry, BlackBerrys
• eBay Inc. (use EBay Inc. when the word begins a sentence)
• e-book reader
• Google, Googling, Googled
• IM ( IMed, IMing ; for first reference, use instant messenger )
• iPad, iPhone, iPod (use IPad, IPhone, or IPod when the word begins a sentence)
• social media
• Twitter, tweet, tweeted, retweet
• World Wide Web, website (see the AP's tweet about the change) , Web page
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How to Write the AP Lang Rhetorical Essay

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• AP Lang Rhetorical Essay Example

How Will AP Scores Affect College Chances?

The AP English Language Exam is one of the most common AP exams you can take. However, the average score on the exam in 2020 was a 2.96 out of 5. While this may seem a bit low, it is important to note that over 550,000 students take the exam annually. With some preparation and knowing how to study, it is totally possible to do well on this AP exam.

The AP Lang Rhetorical Essay is one section of the AP English Language Exam. The exam itself is 3 hours and 15 minutes long, and is broken into two sections. The first part of the exam is a 60 minute, 45-question multiple-choice section. The questions on this part of the exam will test your ability to read a passage and then interpret its meaning, style, and overall themes. After the multiple-choice section, there is a section lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes with three “free response” essays. This includes the synthesis essay, the rhetorical analysis essay, and the argument essay. 

• In the synthesis essay , you will have to develop an argument using pieces of evidence provided to you. 
• The argumentative essay will have you pick a side in a debate and argue for or against it.
• The rhetorical essay requires that you discuss how an author’s written passage contributes to a greater meaning or theme. 

The rhetorical essay is perhaps the most unique of all AP Lang exam essays because it requires the test taker to analyze and interpret the deeper meanings of the passage and connect them to the author’s writing style and writing syntax in only 40 minutes. This essay can be the trickiest because it requires you to have knowledge of rhetorical strategies and then apply them to a passage you’ve never seen before.

1. Outline Your Essay Before Writing

One of the most important parts of the AP Lang essays is structuring your essay so that it makes sense to the reader. This is just as important as having good content. For this essay in particular, you’ll want to read the passage first and write a brief outline of your points before you begin the essay. This is because you will want to write the essay using the passage chronologically, which will be discussed in detail below.

2. Understand Rhetorical Strategies 

If you feel like you don’t know where to start as you prepare to study for the rhetorical essay portion of the exam, you aren’t alone. It is imperative that you have a grasp on what rhetorical strategies are and how you can use them in your essay. One definition of rhetoric is “language carefully chosen and arranged for maximum effect.” This can include types of figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, pun, irony, etc.) elements of syntax (parallelism, juxtaposition, anthesis, anaphora, etc), logical fallacies, or persuasive appeals. Overall, there are many elements that you can analyze in an essay and having a good grasp on them through practice and memorization is important.

3. Keep the Essay Well Structured 

Even if you understand the various rhetorical strategies you can use, where do you begin? First of all, you’ll want to write a strong introduction that outlines the purpose of the piece. At the end of this introduction, you will write a thesis statement that encapsulates all the rhetorical strategies you discuss. Perhaps these are style elements, tone, or syntax. Be sure to be specific as you list these.

Next, you will create your body paragraphs. As you discuss the rhetorical elements in the piece and tie them back to the work’s meanings, be sure to discuss the points in chronological order. You don’t have to discuss every single strategy, but just pick the ones that are most important. Be sure to cite the line where you found the example. At the end of the essay, write a short conclusion that summarizes the major points above.

4. Be Sure to Explain Your Examples

As you write the essay, don’t just list out your examples and say something like “this is an example of ethos, logos, pathos.” Instead, analyze how the example shows that rhetoric device and how it helps the author further their argument. As you write the rhetorical essay, you’ll want to be as specific and detail-focused as possible. 

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AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

Below is a prompt and example for a rhetorical essay, along with its score and what the writer did well and could have improved:

The passage below is an excerpt from “On the Want of Money,” an essay written by nineteenth-century author William Hazlitt. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies Hazlitt uses to develop his position about money.

Student essay example:

In his essay, Hazlitt develops his position on money through careful use of adjectives and verbs, hypothetical situations, and images. His examples serve to impress upon the reader the highly negative consequences of being in “want of money.”

Hazlitt’s word choice in his opening phrase provides an example of his technique in the rest of the essay. It is not necessary to follow “literally” with “truly” yet his repetition of the same ideas emphasizes his point. In his next sentence, one that lasts forty-six lines, Hazlitt condignly repeats similar ideas, beating into his audience the necessity of having money in this world. The parallelism throughout that one long sentence, “it is not to be sent for to court, or asked out to dinner…it is not to have your own opinion consulted or sees rejected with contempt..” ties the many different situations Haziltt gives together. What could have become a tedious spiel instead becomes a melodious recitation, each example reminding you of one before it, either because of the similarities in structure or content. Hazlitt addresses many different negative effects of not having money but manages to tie them together with his rhetorical strategies. 

The diction of the passage fully relays Hazlitt’s position about money. In every example he gives a negative situation but in most emphasizes the terrible circumstance with strong negative adjectives or verbs. “Rejected,” “contempt,” “disparaged,” “scrutinized,” “irksome,” “deprived,” “assailed” “chagrin;” the endless repetition of such discouragement shows how empathetically Hazlitt believes money is a requisite for a happy life. Even the irony of the last sentences is negative, conveying the utter hopelessness of one without money. Through one may have none in life, pitiless men will proceed to mock one’s circumstances, “at a considerable expense” after death! 

In having as the body of his essay one long sentence, Hazlitt creates a flow that speeds the passage along, hardly giving the reader time to absorb one idea before another is thrown at him. The unceasing flow is synonymous with Hazlitt’s view of the life of a person without money: he will be “jostled” through life, unable to stop and appreciate the beauty around him or to take time for his own leisure. 

The score on this essay was a 6 out of 6. This essay started out very strong as the student had a concrete thesis statement explaining the strategies that Hazlitt used to develop his position on money as well as Hazlitt’s belief on the topic. In the thesis statement, the student points out that adjectives, verbs, hypothetical situations, and images help prove Hazlitt’s point that wanting money can be problematic. 

Next, the student broke down their points into three main subsections related to their thesis. More specifically, the student first discusses word choice of repetition and parallelism. When the student discusses these strategies, they list evidence in the paragraph that can be found chronologically in Hazlitt’s essay. The next paragraph is about diction, and the student used specific adjectives and verbs that support this idea. In the last paragraph, the student emphasized how the speed and flow of the essay helped describe Hazlitt’s viewpoint on life. This last concluding sentence is particularly thoughtful, as it goes beyond the explicit points made in the essay and discusses the style and tone of the writing. 

It is important to remember that in some ways, the rhetorical essay is also an argumentative essay, as the student must prove how certain rhetorical strategies are used and their significance in the essay. The student even discussed the irony of the paragraph, which is not explicit in the passage.

Overall, this student did an excellent job organizing and structuring the essay and did a nice job using evidence to prove their points. 

Now that you’ve learned about the AP Lang rhetorical essay, you may be wondering how your AP scores impact your chances of admission. In fact, your AP scores have relatively little impact on your admissions decision , and your course rigor has much more weight in the application process.

If you’d like to know your chances of admission, be sure to check out our chancing calculator! This tool takes into account your classes, extracurriculars, demographic information, and test scores to understand your chances at admission at over 600 schools. Best of all, it is completely free!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

If you're planning to take the AP Language (or AP Lang) exam , you might already know that 55% of your overall exam score will be based on three essays. The first of the three essays you'll have to write on the AP Language exam is called the "synthesis essay." If you want to earn full points on this portion of the AP Lang Exam, you need to know what a synthesis essay is and what skills are assessed by the AP Lang synthesis essay.

In this article, we'll explain the different aspects of the AP Lang synthesis essay, including what skills you need to demonstrate in your synthesis essay response in order to achieve a good score. We'll also give you a full breakdown of a real AP Lang Synthesis Essay prompt, provide an analysis of an AP Lang synthesis essay example, and give you four tips for how to write a synthesis essay.

Let's get started by taking a closer look at how the AP Lang synthesis essay works!

Synthesis Essay AP Lang: What It Is and How It Works

The AP Lang synthesis essay is the first of three essays included in the Free Response section of the AP Lang exam.

The AP Lang synthesis essay portion of the Free Response section lasts for one hour total . This hour consists of a recommended 15 minute reading period and a 40 minute writing period. Keep in mind that these time allotments are merely recommendations, and that exam takers can parse out the allotted 60 minutes to complete the synthesis essay however they choose.

Now, here's what the structure of the AP Lang synthesis essay looks like. The exam presents six to seven sources that are organized around a specific topic (like alternative energy or eminent domain, which are both past synthesis exam topics).

Of these six to seven sources, at least two are visual , including at least one quantitative source (like a graph or pie chart, for example). The remaining four to five sources are print text-based, and each one contains approximately 500 words.

In addition to six to seven sources, the AP Lang exam provides a written prompt that consists of three paragraphs. The prompt will briefly explain the essay topic, then present a claim that students will respond to in an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources provided.

Here's an example prompt provided by the College Board:

Directions : The following prompt is based on the accompanying six sources.

This question requires you to integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Refer to the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument .

Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.

Introduction

Television has been influential in United States presidential elections since the 1960's. But just what is this influence, and how has it affected who is elected? Has it made elections fairer and more accessible, or has it moved candidates from pursuing issues to pursuing image?

Read the following sources (including any introductory information) carefully. Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, take a position that defends, challenges, or qualifies the claim that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections.

Refer to the sources as Source A, Source B, etc.; titles are included for your convenience.

Source A (Campbell) Source B (Hart and Triece) Source C (Menand) Source D (Chart) Source E (Ranney) Source F (Koppel)

Like we mentioned earlier, this prompt gives you a topic — which it briefly explains — then asks you to take a position. In this case, you'll have to choose a stance on whether television has positively or negatively affected U.S. elections. You're also given six sources to evaluate and use in your response. Now that you have everything you need, now your job is to write an amazing synthesis essay.

But what does "synthesize" mean, exactly? According to the CollegeBoard, when an essay prompt asks you to synthesize, it means that you should "combine different perspectives from sources to form a support of a coherent position" in writing. In other words, a synthesis essay asks you to state your claim on a topic, then highlight the relationships between several sources that support your claim on that topic. Additionally, you'll need to cite specific evidence from your sources to prove your point.

The synthesis essay counts for six of the total points on the AP Lang exam . Students can receive 0-1 points for writing a thesis statement in the essay, 0-4 based on incorporation of evidence and commentary, and 0-1 points based on sophistication of thought and demonstrated complex understanding of the topic.

You'll be evaluated based on how effectively you do the following in your AP Lang synthesis essay:

Write a thesis that responds to the exam prompt with a defensible position

Provide specific evidence that to support all claims in your line of reasoning from at least three of the sources provided, and clearly and consistently explain how the evidence you include supports your line of reasoning

Demonstrate sophistication of thought by either crafting a thoughtful argument, situating the argument in a broader context, explaining the limitations of an argument

Make rhetorical choices that strengthen your argument and/or employ a vivid and persuasive style throughout your essay.

If your synthesis essay meets the criteria above, then there's a good chance you'll score well on this portion of the AP Lang exam!

If you're looking for even more information on scoring, the College Board has posted the AP Lang Free Response grading rubric on its website. ( You can find it here. ) We recommend taking a close look at it since it includes additional details about the synthesis essay scoring.

Don't be intimidated...we're going to teach you how to break down even the hardest AP synthesis essay prompt.

Full Breakdown of a Real AP Lang Synthesis Essay Prompt

In this section, we'll teach you how to analyze and respond to a synthesis essay prompt in five easy steps, including suggested time frames for each step of the process.

Step 1: Analyze the Prompt

The very first thing to do when the clock starts running is read and analyze the prompt. To demonstrate how to do this, we'll look at the sample AP Lang synthesis essay prompt below. This prompt comes straight from the 2018 AP Lang exam:

Eminent domain is the power governments have to acquire property from private owners for public use. The rationale behind eminent domain is that governments have greater legal authority over lands within their dominion than do private owners. Eminent domain has been instituted in one way or another throughout the world for hundreds of years.

Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source. Then synthesize material from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-developed essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies the notion that eminent domain is productive and beneficial.

Your argument should be the focus of your essay. Use the sources to develop your argument and explain the reasoning for it. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the descriptions in parentheses.

On first read, you might be nervous about how to answer this prompt...especially if you don't know what eminent domain is! But if you break the prompt down into chunks, you'll be able to figure out what the prompt is asking you to do in no time flat.

To get a full understanding of what this prompt wants you to do, you need to identify the most important details in this prompt, paragraph by paragraph. Here's what each paragraph is asking you to do:

• Paragraph 1: The prompt presents and briefly explains the topic that you'll be writing your synthesis essay about. That topic is the concept of eminent domain.
• Paragraph 2: The prompt presents a specific claim about the concept of eminent domain in this paragraph: Eminent domain is productive and beneficial. This paragraph instructs you to decide whether you want to defend, challenge, or qualify that claim in your synthesis essay , and use material from at least three of the sources provided in order to do so.
• Paragraph 3: In the last paragraph of the prompt, the exam gives you clear instructions about how to approach writing your synthesis essay . First, make your argument the focus of the essay. Second, use material from at least three of the sources to develop and explain your argument. Third, provide commentary on the material you include, and provide proper citations when you incorporate quotations, paraphrases, or summaries from the sources provided.

So basically, you'll have to agree with, disagree with, or qualify the claim stated in the prompt, then use at least three sources substantiate your answer. Since you probably don't know much about eminent domain, you'll probably decide on your position after you read the provided sources.

To make good use of your time on the exam, you should spend around 2 minutes reading the prompt and making note of what it's asking you to do. That will leave you plenty of time to read the sources provided, which is the next step to writing a synthesis essay.

Step 2: Read the Sources Carefully

After you closely read the prompt and make note of the most important details, you need to read all of the sources provided. It's tempting to skip one or two sources to save time--but we recommend you don't do this. That's because you'll need a thorough understanding of the topic before you can accurately address the prompt!

For the sample exam prompt included above, there are six sources provided. We're not going to include all of the sources in this article, but you can view the six sources from this question on the 2018 AP Lang exam here . The sources include five print-text sources and one visual source, which is a cartoon.

As you read the sources, it's important to read quickly and carefully. Don't rush! Keep your pencil in hand to quickly mark important passages that you might want to use as evidence in your synthesis. While you're reading the sources and marking passages, you want to think about how the information you're reading influences your stance on the issue (in this case, eminent domain).

When you finish reading, take a few seconds to summarize, in a phrase or sentence, whether the source defends, challenges, or qualifies whether eminent domain is beneficial (which is the claim in the prompt) . Though it might not feel like you have time for this, it's important to give yourself these notes about each source so you know how you can use each one as evidence in your essay.

Here's what we mean: say you want to challenge the idea that eminent domain is useful. If you've jotted down notes about each source and what it's saying, it will be easier for you to pull the relevant information into your outline and your essay.

So how much time should you spend reading the provided sources? The AP Lang exam recommends taking 15 minutes to read the sources . If you spend around two of those minutes reading and breaking down the essay prompt, it makes sense to spend the remaining 13 minutes reading and annotating the sources.

If you finish reading and annotating early, you can always move on to drafting your synthesis essay. But make sure you're taking your time and reading carefully! It's better to use a little extra time reading and understanding the sources now so that you don't have to go back and re-read the sources later.

A strong thesis will do a lot of heavy lifting in your essay. (See what we did there?)

Step 3: Write a Strong Thesis Statement

After you've analyzed the prompt and thoroughly read the sources, the next thing you need to do in order to write a good synthesis essay is write a strong thesis statement .

The great news about writing a thesis statement for this synthesis essay is that you have all the tools you need to do it at your fingertips. All you have to do in order to write your thesis statement is decide what your stance is in relationship to the topic provided.

In the example prompt provided earlier, you're essentially given three choices for how to frame your thesis statement: you can either defend, challenge, or qualify a claim that's been provided by the prompt, that eminent domain is productive and beneficial . Here's what that means for each option:

If you choose to defend the claim, your job will be to prove that the claim is correct . In this case, you'll have to show that eminent domain is a good thing.

If you choose to challenge the claim, you'll argue that the claim is incorrect. In other words, you'll argue that eminent domain isn't productive or beneficial.

If you choose to qualify, that means you'll agree with part of the claim, but disagree with another part of the claim. For instance, you may argue that eminent domain can be a productive tool for governments, but it's not beneficial for property owners. Or maybe you argue that eminent domain is useful in certain circumstances, but not in others.

When you decide whether you want your synthesis essay to defend, challenge, or qualify that claim, you need to convey that stance clearly in your thesis statement. You want to avoid simply restating the claim provided in the prompt, summarizing the issue without making a coherent claim, or writing a thesis that doesn't respond to the prompt.

Here's an example of a thesis statement that received full points on the eminent domain synthesis essay:

Although eminent domain can be misused to benefit private interests at the expense of citizens, it is a vital tool of any government that intends to have any influence on the land it governs beyond that of written law.

This thesis statement received full points because it states a defensible position and establishes a line of reasoning on the issue of eminent domain. It states the author's position (that some parts of eminent domain are good, but others are bad), then goes on to explain why the author thinks that (it's good because it allows the government to do its job, but it's bad because the government can misuse its power.)

Because this example thesis statement states a defensible position and establishes a line of reasoning, it can be elaborated upon in the body of the essay through sub-claims, supporting evidence, and commentary. And a solid argument is key to getting a six on your synthesis essay for AP Lang!

Step 4: Create a Bare-Bones Essay Outline

Once you've got your thesis statement drafted, you have the foundation you need to develop a bare bones outline for your synthesis essay. Developing an outline might seem like it's a waste of your precious time, but if you develop your outline well, it will actually save you time when you start writing your essay.

With that in mind, we recommend spending 5 to 10 minutes outlining your synthesis essay . If you use a bare-bones outline like the one below, labeling each piece of content that you need to include in your essay draft, you should be able to develop out the most important pieces of the synthesis before you even draft the actual essay.

To help you see how this can work on test day, we've created a sample outline for you. You can even memorize this outline to help you out on test day! In the outline below, you'll find places to fill in a thesis statement, body paragraph topic sentences, evidence from the sources provided, and commentary :

• Present the context surrounding the essay topic in a couple of sentences (this is a good place to use what you learned about the major opinions or controversies about the topic from reading your sources).
• Write a straightforward, clear, and concise thesis statement that presents your stance on the topic
• Topic sentence presenting first supporting point or claim
• Evidence #1
• Commentary on Evidence #1
• Evidence #2 (if needed)
• Commentary on Evidence #2 (if needed)
• Topic sentence presenting second supporting point or claim
• Topic sentence presenting three supporting point or claim
• Sums up the main line of reasoning that you developed and defended throughout the essay
• Reiterates the thesis statement

Taking the time to develop these crucial pieces of the synthesis in a bare-bones outline will give you a map for your final essay. Once you have a map, writing the essay will be much easier.

Step 5: Draft Your Essay Response

The great thing about taking a few minutes to develop an outline is that you can develop it out into your essay draft. After you take about 5 to 10 minutes to outline your synthesis essay, you can use the remaining 30 to 35 minutes to draft your essay and review it.

Since you'll outline your essay before you start drafting, writing the essay should be pretty straightforward. You'll already know how many paragraphs you're going to write, what the topic of each paragraph will be, and what quotations, paraphrases, or summaries you're going to include in each paragraph from the sources provided. You'll just have to fill in one of the most important parts of your synthesis—your commentary.

Commentaries are your explanation of why your evidence supports the argument you've outlined in your thesis. Your commentary is where you actually make your argument, which is why it's such a critical part of your synthesis essay.

When thinking about what to say in your commentary, remember one thing the AP Lang synthesis essay prompt specifies: don't just summarize the sources. Instead, as you provide commentary on the evidence you incorporate, you need to explain how that evidence supports or undermines your thesis statement . You should include commentary that offers a thoughtful or novel perspective on the evidence from your sources to develop your argument.

One very important thing to remember as you draft out your essay is to cite your sources. The AP Lang exam synthesis essay prompt indicates that you can use generic labels for the sources provided (e.g. "Source 1," "Source 2," "Source 3," etc.). The exam prompt will indicate which label corresponds with which source, so you'll need to make sure you pay attention and cite sources accurately. You can cite your sources in the sentence where you introduce a quote, summary, or paraphrase, or you can use a parenthetical citation. Citing your sources affects your score on the synthesis essay, so remembering to do this is important.

Keep reading for a real-life example of a great AP synthesis essay response!

Real-Life AP Synthesis Essay Example and Analysis

If you're still wondering how to write a synthesis essay, examples of real essays from past AP Lang exams can make things clearer. These real-life student AP synthesis essay responses can be great for helping you understand how to write a synthesis essay that will knock the graders' socks off .

While there are multiple essay examples online, we've chosen one to take a closer look at. We're going to give you a brief analysis of one of these example student synthesis essays from the 2019 AP Lang Exam below!

Example Synthesis Essay AP Lang Response

To get started, let's look at the official prompt for the 2019 synthesis essay:

In response to our society's increasing demand for energy, large-scale wind power has drawn attention from governments and consumers as a potential alternative to traditional materials that fuel our power grids, such as coal, oil, natural gas, water, or even newer sources such as nuclear or solar power. Yet the establishment of large-scale, commercial-grade wind farms is often the subject of controversy for a variety of reasons.

Carefully read the six sources, found on the AP English Language and Composition 2019 Exam (Question 1), including the introductory information for each source. Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and develops your position on the most important factors that an individual or agency should consider when deciding whether to establish a wind farm.

Source A (photo) Source B (Layton) Source C (Seltenrich) Source D (Brown) Source E (Rule) Source F (Molla)

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis presents a defensible position.
• Select and use evidence from at least 3 of the provided sources to support your line of reasoning. Indicate clearly the sources used through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Sources may be cited as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the description in parentheses.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Now that you know exactly what the prompt asked students to do on the 2019 AP Lang synthesis essay, here's an AP Lang synthesis essay example, written by a real student on the AP Lang exam in 2019:

[1] The situation has been known for years, and still very little is being done: alternative power is the only way to reliably power the changing world. The draw of power coming from industry and private life is overwhelming current sources of non-renewable power, and with dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, it is merely a matter of time before coal and gas fuel plants are no longer in operation. So one viable alternative is wind power. But as with all things, there are pros and cons. The main factors for power companies to consider when building wind farms are environmental boon, aesthetic, and economic factors.

[2] The environmental benefits of using wind power are well-known and proven. Wind power is, as qualified by Source B, undeniably clean and renewable. From their production requiring very little in the way of dangerous materials to their lack of fuel, besides that which occurs naturally, wind power is by far one of the least environmentally impactful sources of power available. In addition, wind power by way of gearbox and advanced blade materials, has the highest percentage of energy retention. According to Source F, wind power retains 1,164% of the energy put into the system – meaning that it increases the energy converted from fuel (wind) to electricity 10 times! No other method of electricity production is even half that efficient. The efficiency and clean nature of wind power are important to consider, especially because they contribute back to power companies economically.

[3] Economically, wind power is both a boon and a bone to electric companies and other users. For consumers, wind power is very cheap, leading to lower bills than from any other source. Consumers also get an indirect reimbursement by way of taxes (Source D). In one Texan town, McCamey, tax revenue increased 30% from a wind farm being erected in the town. This helps to finance improvements to the town. But, there is no doubt that wind power is also hurting the power companies. Although, as renewable power goes, wind is incredibly cheap, it is still significantly more expensive than fossil fuels. So, while it is helping to cut down on emissions, it costs electric companies more than traditional fossil fuel plants. While the general economic trend is positive, there are some setbacks which must be overcome before wind power can take over as truly more effective than fossil fuels.

[4] Aesthetics may be the greatest setback for power companies. Although there may be significant economic and environmental benefit to wind power, people will always fight to preserve pure, unspoiled land. Unfortunately, not much can be done to improve the visual aesthetics of the turbines. White paint is the most common choice because it "[is] associated with cleanliness." (Source E). But, this can make it stand out like a sore thumb, and make the gargantuan machines seem more out of place. The site can also not be altered because it affects generating capacity. Sound is almost worse of a concern because it interrupts personal productivity by interrupting people's sleep patterns. One thing for power companies to consider is working with turbine manufacturing to make the machines less aesthetically impactful, so as to garner greater public support.

[5] As with most things, wind power has no easy answer. It is the responsibility of the companies building them to weigh the benefits and the consequences. But, by balancing economics, efficiency, and aesthetics, power companies can create a solution which balances human impact with environmental preservation.

And that's an entire AP Lang synthesis essay example, written in response to a real AP Lang exam prompt! It's important to remember AP Lang exam synthesis essay prompts are always similarly structured and worded, and students often respond in around the same number of paragraphs as what you see in the example essay response above.

Next, let's analyze this example essay and talk about what it does effectively, where it could be improved upon, and what score past exam scorers awarded it.

To get started on an analysis of the sample synthesis essay, let's look at the scoring commentary provided by the College Board:

• For development of thesis, the essay received 1 out of 1 possible points
• For evidence and commentary, the essay received 4 out of 4 possible points
• For sophistication of thought, the essay received 0 out of 1 possible points.

This means that the final score for this example essay was a 5 out of 6 possible points . Let's look more closely at the content of the example essay to figure out why it received this score breakdown.

Thesis Development

The thesis statement is one of the three main categories that is taken into consideration when you're awarded points on this portion of the exam. This sample essay received 1 out of 1 total points.

Now, here's why: the thesis statement clearly and concisely conveys a position on the topic presented in the prompt--alternative energy and wind power--and defines the most important factors that power companies should consider when deciding whether to establish a wind farm.

Evidence and Commentary

The second key category taken into consideration when synthesis exams are evaluated is incorporation of evidence and commentary. This sample received 4 out of 4 possible points for this portion of the synthesis essay. At bare minimum, this sample essay meets the requirement mentioned in the prompt that the writer incorporate evidence from at least three of the sources provided.

On top of that, the writer does a good job of connecting the incorporated evidence back to the claim made in the thesis statement through effective commentary. The commentary in this sample essay is effective because it goes beyond just summarizing what the provided sources say. Instead, it explains and analyzes the evidence presented in the selected sources and connects them back to supporting points the writer makes in each body paragraph.

Finally, the writer of the essay also received points for evidence and commentary because the writer developed and supported a consistent line of reasoning throughout the essay . This line of reasoning is summed up in the fourth paragraph in the following sentence: "One thing for power companies to consider is working with turbine manufacturing to make the machines less aesthetically impactful, so as to garner greater public support."

Because the writer did a good job consistently developing their argument and incorporating evidence, they received full marks in this category. So far, so good!

Sophistication of Thought

Now, we know that this essay received a score of 5 out of 6 total points, and the place where the writer lost a point was on the basis of sophistication of thought, for which the writer received 0 out of 1 points. That's because this sample essay makes several generalizations and vague claims where it could have instead made specific claims that support a more balanced argument.

For example, in the following sentence from the 5th paragraph of the sample essay, the writer misses the opportunity to state specific possibilities that power companies should consider for wind energy . Instead, the writer is ambiguous and non-committal, saying, "As with most things, wind power has no easy answer. It is the responsibility of the companies building them to weigh the benefits and consequences."

If the writer of this essay was interested in trying to get that 6th point on the synthesis essay response, they could consider making more specific claims. For instance, they could state the specific benefits and consequences power companies should consider when deciding whether to establish a wind farm. These could include things like environmental impacts, economic impacts, or even population density!

Despite losing one point in the last category, this example synthesis essay is a strong one. It's well-developed, thoughtfully written, and advances an argument on the exam topic using evidence and support throughout.

4 Tips for How to Write a Synthesis Essay

AP Lang is a timed exam, so you have to pick and choose what you want to focus on in the limited time you're given to write the synthesis essay. Keep reading to get our expert advice on what you should focus on during your exam.

Tip 1: Read the Prompt First

It may sound obvious, but when you're pressed for time, it's easy to get flustered. Just remember: when it comes time to write the synthesis essay, read the prompt first !

Why is it so important to read the prompt before you read the sources? Because when you're aware of what kind of question you're trying to answer, you'll be able to read the sources more strategically. The prompt will help give you a sense of what claims, points, facts, or opinions to be looking for as you read the sources.

Reading the sources without having read the prompt first is kind of like trying to drive while wearing a blindfold: you can probably do it, but it's likely not going to end well!

Tip 2: Make Notes While You Read

During the 15-minute reading period at the beginning of the synthesis essay, you'll be reading through the sources as quickly as you can. After all, you're probably anxious to start writing!

While it's definitely important to make good use of your time, it's also important to read closely enough that you understand your sources. Careful reading will allow you to identify parts of the sources that will help you support your thesis statement in your essay, too.

As you read the sources, consider marking helpful passages with a star or check mark in the margins of the exam so you know which parts of the text to quickly re-read as you form your synthesis essay. You might also consider summing up the key points or position of each source in a sentence or a few words when you finish reading each source during the reading period. Doing so will help you know where each source stands on the topic given and help you pick the three (or more!) that will bolster your synthesis argument.

Tip 3: Start With the Thesis Statement

If you don't start your synthesis essay with a strong thesis statement, it's going to be tough to write an effective synthesis essay. As soon as you finish reading and annotating the provided sources, the thing you want to do next is write a strong thesis statement.

According to the CollegeBoard grading guidelines for the AP Lang synthesis essay, a strong thesis statement will respond to the prompt— not restate or rephrase the prompt. A good thesis will take a clear, defensible position on the topic presented in the prompt and the sources.

In other words, to write a solid thesis statement to guide the rest of your synthesis essay, you need to think about your position on the topic at hand and then make a claim about the topic based on your position. This position will either be defending, challenging, or qualifying the claim made in the essay's prompt.

The defensible position that you establish in your thesis statement will guide your argument in the rest of the essay, so it's important to do this first. Once you have a strong thesis statement, you can begin outlining your essay.

Tip 4: Focus on Your Commentary

Writing thoughtful, original commentary that explains your argument and your sources is important. In fact, doing this well will earn you four points (out of a total of six)!

AP Lang provides six to seven sources for you on the exam, and you'll be expected to incorporate quotations, paraphrases, or summaries from at least three of those sources into your synthesis essay and interpret that evidence for the reader.

While incorporating evidence is very important, in order to get the extra point for "sophistication of thought" on the synthesis essay, it's important to spend more time thinking about your commentary on the evidence you choose to incorporate. The commentary is your chance to show original thinking, strong rhetorical skills, and clearly explain how the evidence you've included supports the stance you laid out in your thesis statement.

To earn the 6th possible point on the synthesis essay, make sure your commentary demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the source material, explains this nuanced understanding, and places the evidence incorporated from the sources in conversation with each other. To do this, make sure you're avoiding vague language. Be specific when you can, and always tie your commentary back to your thesis!

What's Next?

There's a lot more to the AP Language exam than just the synthesis essay. Be sure to check out our expert guide to the entire exam , then learn more about the tricky multiple choice section .

Is the AP Lang exam hard...or is it easy? See how it stacks up to other AP tests on our list of the hardest AP exams .

Did you know there are technically two English AP exams? You can learn more about the second English AP test, the AP Literature exam, in this article . And if you're confused about whether you should take the AP Lang or AP Lit test , we can help you make that decision, too.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Addresses :

• 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Spell out numbered streets nine and under. For example,

• The address is 5 Sixth St.
• Go to the restaurant at 1500 32nd St.

See also AP Style Addresses .

• A 6-year-old boy
• An 8-year-old car
• A 4-year-old house

Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun. For example,

• The 5-year-old boy
• The boy is 5 years old
• The boy, 5, has a sister, 10.
• The race is for 3-year-olds.
• The woman is in her 30s.
• She is a 30-something.
• Thirty-something to start a sentence.

See also AP Style Ages .

Planes, ships, and spacecraft designations:

• Queen Elizabeth 2

(Do not use hyphens.)

An exception to spelling out numbers for planes, ships, etc. is “Air Force One,” the president’s plane.

Use Roman numerals if they are part of the official designation. For example,

See also AP Style Aircraft Names , AP Style Boats, Ships, and AP Style Spacecraft Designations.

Use figures for numbers 10 or higher.

• 21st century

Spell out for numbers nine and lower.

• fifth century

Note, “century” is lowercase. For proper names, follow the organization’s usage,

• 20th Century Fox
• Twentieth Century Fund

Court Decisions:

• The Supreme Court ruled 5-4.
• A 5-4 decision.

The words “to” is not needed, except in quotations. Example,

• “The court rules 5 to 4.”

Dates, Years, Decades:

• Feb. 8, 2005
• Class of ’99

For the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 9/11 is acceptable in all references.

Decimals, Percentages, and Fractions With Numbers Larger Than 1:

• 7.2 magnitude quake
• 3.7 percent interest
• 4 percentage points

Decimalization should not exceed two places in most text material. An exception is blood alcohol content, which is express in three decimals. For example,

For amounts less than 1, precede the decimal with a zero. For example,

• The cost of living rose 0.05 percent.

When the decimal is 1 or less, the type of measurement should be singular. For example,

• 0.55 cubic foot
• 0.75 kilometer

Spell out fractions less than 1, using hyphens between the words. For example,

• three-fifths

In quotations, use figures for fractions. For example,

• “He was 3 ½ seconds behind with 2 laps to go.”

See also AP Style Decimal Units, AP Style Fractions , and AP Style Percent.

Dimensions:

• He is 5 feet 6 inches tall.
• The 5-foot-6 man is here (“inch” is understood)
• The 5-foot man
• The basketball team signed a 7-footer.
• The car is 17 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 5 feet high.
• The rug is 9 feet by 12 feet.
• The 9-by-12 rug.
• A 9-inch snowfall.

Exception: a two-by-four. Spell out the noun, which refers to any length of building lumber 1.5 inches thick by 3.5 inches wide.

See also AP Style Dimensions .

• She walked 5 miles.
• He missed a 10-foot jump shot.

Golf Clubs:

• 3-hybrid (note hyphen)

Highway destinations:

• Interstate 5
• U.S. Highway 1
• state Route 1A
• Route 66 (Do not abbreviate “Route” and do not hyphenate.)

See also AP Style Highway Designations

Mathematical Usage:

• Multiply by 4
• Divide by 6
• He added 2 and 2 but got 5.

Military Ranks:

Used as titles with names, military terms, and weapons.

• Petty Officer 2nd Class Alan Markow
• 1st Sgt. David Triplett
• 9 mm pistol (note the space)

In military ranks, spell out the figure when it is used after the name or without a name. For example,

• Smith was a second lieutenant.
• The goal is to make first sergeant.

See also AP Style Military Units.

Millions, Billions, Trillions Dollars:

Use a figure-word combination.

• 1 million people, not one million
• $2 billion, not two billion

Also note no hyphen linking numerals and the word million, billion, or trillion.

See also AP Style Millions, Billions, Trillions Dollars.

Monetary Units:

See also AP Style Cents

Odds, Proportions, and Ratios:

• 9-1 longshot
• 3 parts cement to 1 part water
• a 1-4 chance, but one chance in three

See also AP Style Betting Odds, AP Style Proportions, and AP Style Ratios.

• He was my No. 1 choice.

Note the abbreviation for “Number.” Do not use this abbreviation in names of schools or in street addresses. For example,

• Public School 19

There is one exception, “No. 10 Downing St.,” which is the residence of Britain’s prime minister.

School Grades:

Use figures for grades 10 and above.

Spell out for first through ninth grades.

• fourth grade
• fifth-grader (note hyphen)

Sequential Designations:

• Page 1, Page 20A
• They were out of sizes 4 and 5.
• Magnitude 6 earthquake
• Rooms 3 and 4
• Line 1, but first line
• Act 3, Scene 4, but third act, fourth scene
• Game 1, but best of seven

See also AP Style Act Numbers, AP Style Chapters, AP Style Earthquakes, AP Style Line Numbers, AP Style Page Numbers, and AP Style Scene Numbers.

Political Districts:

• 9th Precinct
• 3rd Congressional District
• 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

See also AP Style Congressional Districts and AP Style Political Divisions.

• 2 tablespoons to 1 cup of milk

See also AP Style Recipes

• winds of 5 to 10 mph
• winds of 7 to 9 knots

Sports scores, Standings, and Standards:

• The Giants defeated the Lions 14-7 (No comma between the team and the score).
• 3 up, but a 3-up lead, led 3-2
• a 6-1-2 record (six wins, one loss, two ties)
• 5-under-par 67
• he was 5 under par (or “5 under” with “par” understood)

In narrative, spell out nine and under except for yard lines in football and individual and team statistical performances.

• The ball was on the 5-yard line.
• Seventh hole
• Three-point play, but a 3-point shot

In statistical performances, hyphenate as a modifier.

• He completed 8 of 12 passes.
• He made 5 of 6 (shots is understood).
• He was 5-for-12 passing.
• He had a 3-for-5 day.
• He was 3-for-5.
• He went 3-for-5 (batting, shooting, passing, etc., is understood).

Temperatures:

Use figures, except zero.

• It was 8 degrees below zero or minus 8.
• The temperature dropped from 38 to 8 in two hours.

See also AP Style Temperatures.

Use figures for time of day except for noon and midnight.

• a winning time of 2:17.3 (two hours, 17 minutes, 3 seconds)

Spell out numbers less than 10 standing alone and in modifiers.

• I’ll be there in five minutes.
• He scored with two seconds left.
• An eight-hour day.
• The two-minute warning.

See also AP Style Times, AP Style Time Sequences, and Is Noon AM or PM?

• The bill was defeated by a vote of 6 to 4.
• The bill was defeated by a two-vote margin.

At the start of a sentence:

• Fifty years was a long time to wait.
• Twenty to 30 cars were involved in the accident.

The only exception is years.

• 1995 was a very good year.

See also AP Style Years.

In indefinite and casual uses:

• Thanks a million!
• He walked a quarter of a mile.
• One at a time
• A thousand clowns
• One day we will know
• An eleventh-hour decision
• Dollar store

In fanciful usage or proper names:

• Chicago Seven
• Big Three automakers
• The Four Tops

In formal language, rhetorical quotations, and figures of speech:

• “Fourscore and seven years ago…”
• Twelve Apostles
• Ten Commandments

In fractions less than one that are not used as modifiers:

• reduced by one-third
• he made three-fourth of his shots.

Roman Numerals:

Roman Numerals may be used for wars and to establish personal sequence for people and animals.

• World War I
• Native Dancer II
• King George V
• Pope John Paul II

Also for certain legislative acts (Title IX). Otherwise, use sparingly. Except in formal reference, pro football Super Bowls should be identified by the year, rather than the Roman numerals.

• 1969 Super Bowl, not Super Bowl III

Numbers used to indicate order (first, second, 10th, 25th, etc.) are called ordinal numbers. Spell out first through ninth.

• the First Amendment
• he was second in line

Use figures starting with 10th.

Cardinal Numbers:

Numbers used in counting or showing how many (2, 40, 627, etc.) are called cardinal numbers. The following separate entries additional guidance for cardinal numbers.

• AP Style Amendments to the Constitution
• AP Style Channel
• AP Style Court Names
• AP Style Decades
• AP Style Election Returns
• AP Style Fleet
• AP Style Formula
• AP Style Latitude and Longitude
• AP Style Mile
• AP Style Parallels
• AP Style Proportions
• AP Style Serial Numbers
• AP Style Telephones Numbers
• AP Style Weights

Some other punctuation and usage example for AP Style Numbers,

• 4-foot-long
• 4-foot-fence
• “The senator’s speech lasted 18 1/2 minutes,” she said.
• DC-10 but 747B
• the 1980s, but the ‘80s
• the House voted 230-205 (fewer than 1,000 votes).
• Jimmy Carter outpolled Gerald Ford 40,827,292 to 39,146,157 (more than 1,000 votes).
• Carter outpolled Ford 10 votes to 2 votes in Little Junction (to avoid confusion with ratio)
• No. 3 choice, but Public School 3
• a pay increase of 12-15 percent
• a pay increase of between 12 and 15 percent
• from $12 million to $14 million
• a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-to-1 ratio
• 1 in 4 voters
• seven houses 7 miles apart
• He walked 4 miles.
• minus 10, zero, 60 degrees

Other Uses:

For uses not covered by these listings, spell out whole numbers below 10, and use figures for 10 and above.

• They had three sons and two daughters.
• They had a fleet of 10 station wagons and two buses.

In a Series:

Apply the standard guidelines:

• They had 11 dogs, five cats, and 90 gerbils.
• They had five four-room houses, 10 three-room houses, and 12 10-room houses.

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Home Media center Press Releases New AP Stylebook includes new criminal justice chapter

Press Releases

New AP Stylebook includes new criminal justice chapter

The Associated Press today released The Associated Press Stylebook, 57 th Edition, which includes guidance that is new as of today, such as a new chapter on criminal justice, plus additions and changes made throughout the year on AP Stylebook Online. 

The full changeover to Merriam-Webster as the Stylebook’s official dictionary also officially took effect today.

The new criminal justice chapter provides extensive guidance and best practices for covering public safety and criminal justice and emphasizes the need for accountability journalism, including looking for warning signs that might have been missed, law enforcement response, weapons issues, and what might be done to prevent similar crimes in the future.

The chapter also includes more than 50 individual entries covering specific terms, including many that are new to the Stylebook or significantly revised. They include:

• Notable changes to guidance on weapons that now says the terms assault weapon or assault weapons may be used in headlines and on first reference in stories. Previous guidance advised avoiding the terms, but now limited use is allowed with specifics included whenever possible.
• A new entry on juvenile, minor, noting the numerous problems with these terms, including racial connotations, inconsistent definitions and the dehumanizing effect for both victims and suspects.
• New guidance on prison, jail, prisoner, inmate, incarcerated person, advising to, when possible, use person-first language to describe someone who is incarcerated or someone in prison.
• A new entry on sex work, prostitution, noting the various issues with these terms and others like them, and giving guidance on usage, including other possible terms.

The chapter was primarily written by a team of AP criminal justice reporters and editors, who attended trainings by Poynter and others and consulted with the Marshall Project among additional research.

In addition, The Associated Press receives support from the Public Welfare Foundation for reporting focused on criminal justice, including the research and work associated with creating the new chapter on criminal justice. 

At more than 500 pages, the AP Stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference in newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, the AP Stylebook is a must-have reference for writers, editors, students and professionals. It provides fundamental guidelines for spelling, language, punctuation, usage and journalistic style. It is the definitive resource for journalists.

The AP Stylebook is available in spiral-bound print — now published biennially — and online in several digital formats.

AP Stylebook Online has become the primary way professional writers and editors access this definitive resource. It is regularly updated to reflect changes to news writing in real-time.

AP Stylebook Online includes all Stylebook listings, plus an Ask the Editor feature with extensive archives, and Topical Guides about news events. Users can add their own entries, make notes and receive notifications throughout the year when AP’s editors add or update listings.

The new Stylebook print edition costs $27.95 for AP member news organizations and college bookstores and $34.95 retail. AP Stylebook Online prices are $30 for individual subscribers for one year, $24 for a single user at news organizations that are AP members. Prices for Stylebook Online site licenses are based on the number of users, starting at $240 for 10 users for a year.

The new print edition and digital subscriptions can be ordered online at  h ttp://www.apstylebook.com .

Find AP Stylebook on  X , Facebook ,  In stagram ,  LinkedIn  and  o nline .

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Online: www.ap.org

Nicole Meir Media Relations Manager The Associated Press 212-621-7536 [email protected]

MAY 29, 2024

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