Did you know that in Canada, Internet is capitalized, but intranet is not?
Good PR practitioners know their most valuable communications tool is clear, concise writing. Writing that is readable and appealing as possible doesn’t come naturally to everyone. That’s why the Canadian Press Stylebook will be your constant companion throughout your work in the PR program, as well as in your subsequent communications adventures.
Now in its 15th edition, the CP Stylebook is a handbook for Canadian writers and journalists that covers everything from how to punctuate properly to the appropriate capitalization of names and titles. I received my first degree in English and write for a living. Still, my CP Stylebook is never far from my side, and even now after years of writing I find myself double-checking apostrophes, commas and those cursed semi-colons!
The Stylebook is available in most bookstores, and most recent editions make for good reference sources. New Stylebooks come with a smaller handbook, Caps and Spelling, which covers some of the more commonly misspelled or wrongly capitalized words. Along with a dictionary and thesaurus, the CP Stylebook is a must-have for any PR writer.
Students who have taken writing classes in MacEwan’s PR program may also be familiar with the Little, Brown Handbook, which also covers grammatical errors and styles. In writing news releases for Canadian media and their audiences, however, the CP Stylebook is best.
You can even subscribe to the online Stylebook at www.thecanadianpress.com.
“the CP Stylebook is a must-have for any PR writer.”
So, so true. I find the Plain Words section in the back particularly useful, and I refer to my Caps and Spelling book almost every day!
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