This month’s workout, “Commas with Quotations and Questions,” is taken from CMOS 17, paragraphs 6.40–42. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study paragraphs 6.40–42 of the Manual before answering the questions.
For Fun Friday, how about some official Chicago style? Here’s how to set up a Chicago-style title page following the guidelines in Kate Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. (You will find this advice in section A.1 in the appendix called “Paper Format and Submission” at the back of the book.) OK, we know that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. So for the fun part,
How does a professional copyeditor know when it’s time to retire? Freelancers especially may be tempted to sail on past the age at which in-house editors are encouraged to put down the red pencil. But in either case, how long is too long? Here are some questions to consider.
This month’s workout, “Hyphens, Part 3b,” is the fourth (and last) segment on hyphenating compounds, taken from our famous hyphenation table at CMOS 17, paragraph 7.89, and in particular the second half of section 3, “Compounds Formed with Specific Terms.”
Jane Friedman has more than twenty years of experience in the publishing industry and formerly worked for Writer’s Digest and the Virginia Quarterly Review. Her newest book is The Business of Being a Writer. CMOS: What is the business of being a writer?
Double negatives come in many flavors in addition to the familiar “we didn’t find no money” type. Our friends at the website Language Log keep an archive of documented cases of “misnegation,” featuring popular head-scratchers like “I can’t help but not be X,” “I don’t doubt
Iva Cheung is a Certified Professional Editor (Editors Canada), an indexer, a print designer, and a publishing consultant. She specializes in plain-language editing in health and is working on her PhD in mental health research. Many editors and writers are familiar with her cartoons about . . .
For the purposes of this post, let’s presume that viral posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms do have influence, and that the world would be better if people considered more carefully and more often the opposing point of view. If you agree, consider three sharing practices
CMOS: Many of our readers might not be familiar with Nova Scotia or Wolfville. Does your location in the furthest reaches of North America present any special challenges for freelance editors? Any advantages?
Every year at holiday time we’re delighted to send our readers this printable PDF that you can cut and fold to make a miniature decorative edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.
This year we’ve updated the file with
