Dot Dot Dot: A Closer Look at the Ellipsis
If you follow Chicago style, it’s a safe bet you know that a Chicago-style ellipsis consists of three spaced periods. You probably also know . . .
Chicago Style Workout 38: Word Usage, Part 8
This month’s workout, “Word Usage, Part 8,” returns to our “Glossary of Problematic Words and Phrases” in section 5.250 of CMOS 17. This time we’re focusing on words beginning with the letters r as in “rack” through s as in “straight.”
When Characters Speak: Formatting Dialogue
In novels and stories and other creative works, words spoken by a character are normally set off from the narrative with quotation marks, and the speaker is identified in the run of text by tags like “she said.”
Commas and Independent Clauses: A Creative Opening
A comma is normally placed before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so, yet) that joins two independent subject-verb clauses—that is, clauses that could stand on their own as complete sentences. . . .
“Hazel and I’s puppy”? When Fiction Meets Bad Grammar
In editing formal prose, we fix nonstandard English without hesitation. But in editing creative works, we often need to throw out the stylebook so a narrator or character in a novel or play can abuse grammar to good effect. . . .
Chicago Style Workout 37: Editing and Proofreading Quiz No. 3
It’s time for another editing and proofreading quiz! Once again, we test your knowledge of some of the finer points of Chicago style.
Marilyn Schwartz and Erika Bűky talk about the new Copyeditor’s Handbook and Copyeditor’s Workbook
Since it was first published almost twenty years ago, The Copyeditor’s Handbook has served as both textbook and guide for copyeditors in book publishing and corporate communications. The revised fourth edition of the Handbook is now published alongside a companion, The Copyeditor’s Workbook, . . .
“Can I Use Parentheses in Dialogue (or Not)?”
Parentheses can be used almost anywhere, but they are rarely seen in fictional dialogue or in quoted speech of any kind. The problem with parentheses in dialogue is that readers may not know exactly how to interpret them. . . .
Chicago Style Workout 36: Word Usage, Part 7
This month’s workout, “Word Usage, Part 7,” once again centers on section 5.250 of CMOS 17. This time we’re focusing on words beginning with the letters n as in “nauseous” through p as in “proven.”
Janet Burroway Talks about Writing Fiction
Janet Burroway is the author of plays, poems, children’s books, a memoir, and eight novels, most recently Bridge of Sand. Her book Writing Fiction (10th ed., University of Chicago Press, 2019) is the most widely used creative writing text in America. . . .
