Chicago Style Workout 42: Chicago vs. AP
Some editors spend most of their time following a single style. But many of us, especially if we freelance, are required to know more than one.
Semicolons in Fiction
Anyone who learned to type on a QWERTY keyboard would be excused for thinking the semicolon is the most important mark of punctuation in English; why else would it be sitting right there on the home row?
“Ain’t Misbehavin’ ”: When Quotation Marks and Apostrophes Collide
In 1929, when the song “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” became a big hit, composers Thomas “Fats” Waller and Harry Brooks probably weren’t too worried about that final apostrophe.
What Does an Editor Know? A Quiz
To celebrate the end of another decade, we’ve put together eleven questions designed to test your knowledge of some random editorial facts.
“Had had”? Flashbacks and the Past Perfect
What exactly is the past perfect? And what’s wrong with using it?
How Strunk Lost His Comma
Chicago style doesn’t require commas when “Jr.” or “Sr.” follows a name. Until just a few decades ago, however, commas were the norm.
Chicago Style Crossword No. 2: Specialty Publishing
Welcome to our second “Chicago Style” crossword puzzle. The theme this time is specialty publishing.
Can I Put an iPhone in My Novel?
Now and then, a writer or editor asks our online Q&A whether mentioning a brand name in a work of fiction requires permission or the addition of the trademark (™) or registered (®) symbol.
Space Breaks in Fiction
A few weeks ago at my local library I came across a novel I’d been wanting to read. I didn’t have time for another book, but I took it home anyway.
Chicago Style Workout 40: Grammar, Part 4
This month’s Chicago style workout, “Grammar, Part 4,” focuses on paragraphs 5.39–51 of CMOS 17, which cover personal pronouns, including their possessive and reflexive forms.
Making Word’s AutoCorrect Options Work for You
Microsoft Word does a lot of things automatically, and it does them by default. Some of these interventions are welcome. But to a copyeditor, Word’s meddling can be dangerous.
