Holiday Cheer, Chicago style!
Once again we offer this small token of our affection: our Chicago Manual of Style holiday mini-ornament for you to download, print, and fold.
Chicago Style Workout 11:
Word Usage, Part 2
This workout again centers on the usage list under paragraph 5.254 in CMOS 18. Writing and editing are more efficient when you never have to look up biennial or dither over between and among.
“Dos and Don’ts”: Just Don’t
We’ve all read those bossy directives from advice mongers: “Do rock a ripped T with a bright floral skirt.” “Don’t chew gum during an interview.” “Do practice blending eyeshadow with your brush.” “Don’t yank electrical cords from the wall.” Aside from being either fatuous and trendy or obvious and unhelpful, such lists actually pose some editorial dangers.
Brooke Borel talks about The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking
Brooke Borel, author of The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, is a science writer and journalist. She is a contributing editor to Popular Science, and her writing has also appeared in such places as the Atlantic and Slate. She teaches fact-checking at the Brooklyn
Section 10.3 in the Spotlight
Frequently, writers to the “Chicago Style Q&A” express the belief that when an abbreviation is introduced in a document, it must be introduced once and once only (when the term first appears) and that thereafter the spelled-out term must never be used again.
Chicago Style Workout 10: Possessives
This workout centers on paragraphs 7.16–29 in CMOS 18. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study that section of the Manual before answering the questions.
Shop Talk Readers in the Spotlight
Today we’re turning the spotlight on you, reader! We’d love to know what you like about the CMOS Shop Talk blog and what you don’t like, what you’d like to see more of—or less of. Here’s a short survey, or if you prefer, use the comments box below to give us a piece of your mind.
Bryan Garner talks about The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation
Bryan A. Garner is the author of the new book The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation as well as the author of the “Grammar and Usage” chapter of The Chicago Manual of Style. His other best-selling books include
Chicago Style Workout 9: Word Usage,
Part 1
This workout centers on the glossary of problematic words and phrases under paragraph 5.254 in CMOS 18. Writing and editing are more efficient when you never have to look up affect or effect or dither over whether it’s OK to write inasmuch.
Sections 2.116–29 in the Spotlight
Readers might well wonder what use people have today for handwritten proofreading marks, but in publishing, the marks are still widely used. Although writers and editors checking typeset pages sometimes use PDF markup tools, there are plenty of times when it’s faster and easier to mark with a pencil.
