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Punctuating Interrupted Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join pairs of words, phrases, or clauses, but when such a conjunction is interrupted by an intervening phrase or clause, it can be difficult to know where to put the commas. This is especially true when the conjunction joins the parts of a compound sentence.

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CMOS Section in the Spotlight

Commas with Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses

If you’ve ever had to learn how to use commas with relative clauses—especially clauses introduced by which or that—you may have also encountered the word restrictive and its opposite, nonrestrictive. What do those two words mean, and what do they have to do with commas?

CMOS Section in the Spotlight

“Invisible” Endnotes

When you read a book that includes source citations, do you prefer footnotes or endnotes? Publishers usually assume that the average reader will prefer endnotes, on the principle that they’re less distracting than footnotes.

Announcements / Fiction+

Advice for Fiction Writers (and Editors), Chicago‑Style

Since long before the days of email, the Manuscript Editing Department at the University of Chicago Press has had the honor of replying to comments and questions from users of The Chicago Manual of Style, usually typed but sometimes written in longhand or even called in by phone.

Extreme closeup of part of a dictionary entry for the phrase "mass noun" Chicago Style Workouts

Chicago Style Workout 71: Nouns

There’s more to nouns than people, places, and things. Some nouns are countable, and some are not. Most nouns are common, but some are proper. There are mass nouns and collective nouns, attributive nouns and nouns that can function as verbs. Some even take on adverbial roles.

When to Capitalize an Initial “The”

A “the” at the beginning of a word or phrase that would normally be capitalized—including the name of an organization or the title of a work—presents a dilemma. When is the “the” capitalized? In Chicago style, the answer comes down to a few rules that can help you decide in each case.

November 22, 2022 in CMOS Section in the Spotlight.

Word’s Modern Comments: A Copyeditor’s Perspective

Over the last year and a half (beginning in April 2021), Microsoft has been rolling out its “modern comments” to Word 365 users on both Windows and Mac platforms. If you use Word, and unless you have your updates turned off, there’s a good chance you have them by now, or will soon.

November 15, 2022 in Editor’s Corner.
The words "You said," followed by a comma and an opening double quotation mark

Is a Comma Needed to Introduce Dialogue?

Q. Would you add a comma before the quotation marks in the following sentences?

November 8, 2022 in Fiction+.
Wooden signpost featuring boards for future, present, and past

Chicago Style Workout 70: Verb Tenses

Verb tenses are all about establishing the time that something happened: past, present, or future. They can also specify whether an action has been completed or is ongoing.

October 25, 2022 in Chicago Style Workouts.

Does Your Novel Need a Copyeditor before Submission?

In the writers’ groups where I hang out online, these queries are evergreen: How do I know if I need a copyeditor before I submit my work to an agent or editor? How do I find a good copyeditor? How much does copyediting cost?

October 18, 2022 in Fiction+.
A sign pointing in two directions: "Exception" and "Rule."

A Few Exceptions Worth Noting

Even the most straightforward rule will be subject to an exception sooner or later. That’s why CMOS qualifies so many of its rules with usually or generally. But some exceptions are so common that they deserve to be called rules themselves.

October 11, 2022 in CMOS Section in the Spotlight.

Chicago Style Workout 69: Name That Symbol

Most editors encounter at least the occasional symbol in the documents they edit, so it’s good to know a little bit about them. Thanks to Unicode, it’s easy to find out a symbol’s name—which can help you figure out whether it’s the right one in the right context.

September 27, 2022 in Chicago Style Workouts.
Ellen Jovin

Ellen Jovin Talks about Rebel with a Clause

Ellen Jovin is a cofounder of Syntaxis, a communication skills training firm based in New York City. The author of several books for business professionals, she has a BA in German studies from Harvard and an MA in comparative literature from UCLA.

September 20, 2022 in Interviews.
Close-up of "CHAPTER 1" typed on a typewriter

Should Your Novel Have Chapter Numbers or Chapter Titles?

Earlier this year, Fiction+ considered whether a novel should have a table of contents. Although it might seem to be a matter of personal preference, there are strong practical reasons for including or not including a TOC, depending on a book’s genre and format.

September 13, 2022 in Fiction+.
Typebars on an old typewriter that spell "words" in both uppercase and lowercase.

Chicago Style Workout 68: Publishing Terminology

People who work in publishing have their own vocabulary, including many terms related to printing, typesetting, and design. You’ll find some of these terms in the glossary at the back of CMOS. How many do you know?

August 30, 2022 in Chicago Style Workouts.

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