Copyreading Filipino

POINTERS IN
COPYREADING
Numbers
1. The numbers 1-9 are written in words while th
numbers 10 and above are written in figures.
Examples:
five teachers limang guro
15 journalists 13 mamamahayag
Numbers
Exceptions:
 Addresses: Zone 7 San Juan Bautista
 Ages, but not for inanimate objects: The 4-year-old cat, the four-year-old car
 Cents: 8 cents.
 Currency: $3. ₱2.50
 Dates: March 4. Notice that dates take cardinal numbers, not ordinal numbers (don’t
use 4th)
 Dimensions: 5 foot 2
 Millions, billions: 6 billion people
 Percentages: 1 percent.
 Speed: 8 mph
 Temperatures: 2 degrees.
 Times: 4 p.m. Notice that AP style does not include a colon and two zeroes when
referring to an even hour.
Numbers
2. Spell out numbers used at the beginning of a sentence: “Ten thousand
people marched on the capital.”
Exception: Never spell out years.
3. Use commas to set off each group of three digits in numerals higher
than 999.
Exception: years and addresses
4. Use decimals (up to two places) for amounts in the millions and
billions: Do this if no precise figure is required: "₱3.74 billion."
5. Add an "s" but no apostrophe to a number to make it plural: 1970s, 50s
Spelling
1. Look for misspelled words.
2. Follow American English spelling, not British English
Examples: favor, not favour
3. If a word has more than one accepted spelling, the shortest
one is preferred.
Example: acknowledgment, instead of acknowledgement
Capitalization
1. The first letter of the sentence is always capitalized.
2. Proper nouns are capitalized, common nouns are not.
Example:
singer
Angeline Quinto
Capitalization
3. Capitalize common nouns such as party, river,
and street when they are part of a proper name for
a place, person or thing.
Example:
Cagayan River Liberal Party
Capitalization
4. Lowercase formal titles that appear on their own or follow a name.
Example:
Ronald Castro, the principal, delivered the opening remarks.
5. Capitalize formal titles that come directly before a name.
Example:
The students were delighted when they heard they would meet
Senator Grace Poe.
Capitalization
6. Never capitalize job descriptions: police officer, attorney,
nurse practitioner, sales manager, etc.
Abbreviations
1. Spell out Dept., gov’t, and other abbreviations
2. The abbreviations Jr. and Sr. are allowed in names.
3. Spell out names of places when used alone.
Example:
Philippines, not PH
Manila, not Mnl.
Abbreviations
4. Use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees.
Example: She holds a bachelor’s degree.
5. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to
include a list of credentials after a name and set them off with
commas.
Example:
Louie Garcia, MSN, PhD, was the keynote speaker.
Abbreviations
6. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a
specific date.
Example:
Schools in the Philippines began preparing for limited face-to-
face classes in November.
7. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used
with a specific date such as "Sept. 28." Always spell out those
with five or fewer letters: "May 15."
Abbreviations
8. Spell out titles when used alone.
Example:
Corazon Aquino was the first female president in the Philippines.
9. When titles are used before a name, they may be spelled out or abbreviated.
Example:
Senator Gordon is not worried that his reelection bid will be affected by linking
President Rodrigo Duterte in the alleged anomalous deals between the government
and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
Pres. Duterte has signed into law a measure seeking to promote foreign
investments by amending the Foreign Investments Act.
Abbreviations
9. Spell out all generic parts of street names (avenue, north, road)
when no specific address is given.
Example:
The parade will be held on F. Tañedo Street.
10. When a number is used, abbreviate avenue (Ave.), boulevard

(Blvd.), street (St.).
Example:
The suspect was identified as Lito Reyes of 123 Aquino Blvd.
Abbreviations
11. Use only the most commonly recognized acronyms such
as NBI, NASA, Phivolcs, DOST.
12. When using a company/ institution/ department name

more than once in a story, use its acronym after the first
time you use the term in its fullness. When you use it for the
first time, this will be the format: Department of Health
(DOH)
Abbreviations
13. In writing news stories, never abbreviate:
 The days of the week
 Percent as %
 Cents as ¢
 The word "and," unless the symbol & is an official
part of a name
 Christmas as Xmas
Others
1. Use gender neutral words.
Example:
chairperson instead of chairman
humankind instead of mankind
firefighter instead of fireman
2. Use a semicolon to clarify a series that includes a number of
commas.
Example:
The winners are Katrina David, 1st place; Diana Deniola, 2nd place;
and Matthew Cabrera, 3rd place.
Others
3. Use a person’s full name on the first reference: On
subsequent references, use only his or her last name with no
title.
4. Express as a figure followed by a.m. or p.m. "8:33 p.m."
You do not have to add other words (e.g., night, morning, and
so on).
5. Use hyphens to link all the words in a compound adjective:
the ten-year-old student
performance-based task
Others
6. To form a plural of a single letter, use "s" and an
apostrophe.
Example:
All the B’s lined up to the right.
7. To form a plural of multiple letters, add "s" with no
apostrophe.
Example:
She mastered her ABCs in little time.
Others
8. Books, movies, recordings, television shows, and similar works are
set off in quotation marks, with all principal words capitalized.
Example:
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
“Grey’s Anatomy”
9. Titles of magazines, newspapers and reference works get no special
treatment.
The New York Times
The Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Associated Press Style
QUESTIONS?
HEADLINE
WRITING
SUMMARY
OF NEWS
MOST
IMPORTANT
NEWS INFO
HEADLINE
BASED ON
THE LEAD
RULES IN
HEADLINE
WRITING
1. The headline must have a verb
(pandiwa).
Wrong: Garcia in editorial tilt
Correct: Garcia tops editorial tilt
Mali: Limang guro sa seminar

Tama: Limang guro, dadalo sa seminar
2. Use a comma in place of “and” or
“at.”
Wrong:
Rolling stores to sell rice and groceries
Correct:
Rolling stores to sell rice, groceries
3. Use semicolon to separate two
statements
Wrong:
School joins Operasyon Linis. PE- CAT boys drain
estero
Correct:
School joins Operasyon Linis; PE- CAT boys drain
estero
3. Use semicolon to separate two
independent clauses
Wrong:
Halalan sa YMCA itinuloy. Rey Malonzo, napiling
pangulo
Correct:
Halalan sa YMCA itinuloy; Rey Malonzo,
napiling pangulo.
4. Use dash, colon, and comma instead of the traditional
quotation marks in using direct quotation as head
DOJ chief: No release order for convicted rapist-killer

Sanchez
Faeldon denies ordering Sanchez’s release-DOJ
No release for rapist-killer Sanchez, says DOJ

5. Do not use articles (a, an, the)
Huwag gumamit ng mga pantukoy (si, sina,
ang)
Wrong: A fire hits the squatters area

Correct: Fire hits squatters area
Mali: Si Miguela Esteban napiling punong patnugot ng

‘Ang Hudyat’
Tama: Miguela Esteban napiling punong patnugot ng
‘Ang Hudyat’
6. Do not use be verbs (be, is, are, was,
were, ay)
Wrong: Reclaimed banks are cause of recurrent flood

Correct: Reclaimed banks cause of recurrent flood
Mali: 5 mag-aaral ay namayagpag sa DSPC

Tama: 5 mag-aaral namayagpag sa DSPC
7. Use present tense for past stories
Wrong:
DepEd chief backed 'no homework' bills
Correct:
DepEd chief backs 'no homework' bills
8. Use infinitive (to + verb) in future stories
Wrong:
DOJ will probe almost-expired medicines in DOH
warehouses
Correct:
DOJ to probe almost-expired medicines in DOH
warehouses
9.Use specific terms instead of
generalities
Wrong:
School official gets scholarship
Correct:
Principal gets US scholarship
10. Do not use names unless the
person is well-known.
Wrong:
Simon electrocuted
Correct:
Electrician electrocuted
11. Active verb rather than passive verb
Weak:
Tarlac nights brightened by Belenismo
Strong:
Belenismo brightens Tarlac nights
12. If the doer of the action is unknown or
not prominent, you may use passive voice
Wrong:
Unidentified assailant shoots BuCor exec
Correct:
BuCor exec shot dead
13. Use familiar abbreviations only
14. Never repeat words
Vocabulary used in headlines:
Instead of… Use…

Increase Hike
Decrease Dip
Support Back
Announced Bared
Highlight Cap

Disapprove Buck
Approve Ok
Contest/Competition Tilt
Being discussed at Up at
Against Vs

Syndicate Gang
Investigation Probe
Prohibition Ban
Police Cop
Senators/ any Solons
lawmakers

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POINTERS IN

10. When a number is used, abbreviate avenue (Ave.), boulevard

12. When using a company/ institution/ department name

Mali: Limang guro sa seminar

DOJ chief: No release order for convicted rapist-killer

Faeldon denies ordering Sanchez’s release-DOJ

No release for rapist-killer Sanchez, says DOJ

Wrong: A fire hits the squatters area

Mali: Si Miguela Esteban napiling punong patnugot ng

Wrong: Reclaimed banks are cause of recurrent flood

Mali: 5 mag-aaral ay namayagpag sa DSPC

Instead of… Use…

Instead of… Use…

Instead of… Use…

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