As PR professionals, we’re taught to write news releases and other media-facing materials using AP Style because it helps journalists and communications professionals, as well as the general public, to write (and read) the written language with some sense of uniformity.

When writing, it can be difficult to remember all of the little things, like when to abbreviate a state and how.  For example, knowing when to use “which” vs. “that” can be a tough one for many.

In a recent Word Wise blog post by grammatical guru Dan Santow (previously a journalist for magazines including Chicago magazine (senior editor) and People magazine (staff writer in New York), he offers this simple tip.

Santow says, “If you can tell what’s being referred to without the words “which” or “that,” use “which.” If you can’t, use “that.”"

See Santow’s “which” or “that” explanation and other “tips to remember” here.

Posted: January 29, 2010 at 4:50 pm by erica