I'm back

I'm finally back to a relatively normal schedule after attending a couple of weddings and taking a vacation.

I'm sure all of you have been anxiously waiting for a new post, so let's get right to it.

After an intense consultation with copy editors Stephanie Selensky and Mark Merck - actually, a couple of e-mails - we've decided to change the Forum style on day care and health care to conform with AP style. Day care and health care will be two words, no hyphen, in all cases. Until now, Forum style has been to hyphenate when they modify.

See if you can find the flubs in the following sentences. These sentences were in stories that came to the copy desk before the stories were edited.

1. It's a more than six-fold increase.

2. Fargo City Commissioners voted 5-0 Monday to approve two flood-control plans.

3. Work is underway on the interchange.

4. The project carries a price tag of $25 to $30 million.

5. Dirks served in the army from 1983 to 1987.

6. The media often gladly covers these staged events.


1. It's a more than sixfold increase.
AP Stylebook says: -fold No hyphen: twofold, fourfold

2. Fargo city commissioners voted 5-0 Monday to approve two flood-control plans.

3. Work is under way on the interchange.

4. The project carries a price tag of $25 million to $30 million.

5. Dirks served in the Army from 1983 to 1987.
AP Stylebook says: army Capitalize when referring to U.S. forces: the U.S. Army, the Army, Army regulations. Do not use the abbreviation USA. Use lowercase for the forces of other nations.

6. The media often gladly cover these staged events.
AP Stylebook says: In the sense of mass communication, such as magazines, newspapers, the news services, radio and television, the word is plural: The news media area resisiting attempts to limit their freedom.