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Lesson 6 Exercises
Q1. Her French friend wished her bonne année, a happy new year.
- Her French friend wished her bonne année, a happy new year.
The French phrase bonne année is not in common usage in English: It should be placed in italics.
- Q2. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) prefers a pharmacological approach to treating mental illness: the APA (American Psychological Association) would like psychologists to to have the same authority.
- This is a somewhat trick question. Either way of presenting-defining an acronym is acceptable: Put the acronym in parentheses, or the term it represents. The error is failing to capitalize the first word after a colon: The APA wants this done whenever the phrase following can stand alone as a complete sentence.
- Q3. The study focused on homosexuals and lesbians while ignoring other schizophrenics.
- The study focused on gays and lesbians while ignoring other persons afflicted with schizophrenia.
The APA guidelines want terms paired, avoiding disparaging connotations. Also to be avoided are equating persons with their affliction.
- Q4. The alcoholics went through detoxification cold turkey.
- The inmates with alcoholism went through detoxification "cold turkey."
The term "cold turkey" is slang. It belongs in quotes.
- Q5. The title of the little book is "Life among the South Seas savages."
- The title of the little book is Life Among the South Seas Savages.
Titles are set in heading caps in the text, titles of books are placed in italics. All words of four letters or more are capitalized, including among.
- Q6. According to Brewer et al. (2001, p. 267) "[A] subset of journal editors . . . ascribed a high importance to . . . (following) . . . APA style."
- According to Brewer et al. (2001), "a subset of journal editors . . . ascribed a high importance to [following] . . . APA style" (p. 267).
The case of the first letter of a quote can be changed without adding a note. Words added to a quotation are always placed in brackets. The page number always comes at the end of the quotation.
- Q7. Brewer et al. (2001) presented their statistics in the text, but APA101 presented them in table 3, lesson 1, and table 4 in lesson 5.
- Brewer et al. (2001) presented their statistics in the text, but APA101 presented them in Table 3, lesson 1, and Table 4 in lesson 5.
Specific tables or figures are capitalized, common parts of books, such as chapters (or lessons) are not. This is a native custom, serving no logical purpose.
- Q8. The authors of the study argued that it behooves writers to follow APA style so as not to be rejected by APA Style Sticklers.
- The authors of the study argued that it "behooves" writers to follow APA style so as not to be rejected by "APA style sticklers."
The authors of the study work at a New England college where students are, perhaps, routinely "behooved" to do things. Out West, where I live, it sounds like something you might want to have done for your pony. Behooved has a quaint sound to it, with a hint of malice, otherwise students might be well advised. To a westerner it has an ironic ring calling for quotes. APA style sticklers was in scare quotes in the original.
- Q9. The study (Brewer et al., 2001) observed that writers had a variety of problems in a number of categories, i.e., formatting the title page and abstract, presenting statistics, documentation (p. 266).
- The study (Brewer et al., 2001) observed that writers had a variety of problems in a number of categories, such as, formatting the title page and abstract, presenting statistics, and documentation (p. 266).
The only abbreviation-contraction, Latin or otherwise, permitted in the text is et al. Although nothing is quoted, the reference is made to specific terms used in the text. A page citation is appropriate.
- Q10. When editors' speak of "style," they generally refer to the clear expression of ideas (APA, 2001).
- When editors' speak of style, they generally refer to the clear presentation of a text (APA, 2001).
A word abstracted as a term is placed in italics. When editors speak of style, they mean editorial style, the mode of presentation, not expression.
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