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.”
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
We all know that a singular noun subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb: My favorite is the giraffe. My favorites are nasturtiums and dahlias. And we usually aren’t thrown by a plural subject with a singular predicate:
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 . . .
How long will your copyright last? The answer depends on a number of factors, including the year it was created, how many authors there were, and where it was published.
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?
This month’s workout, “Word Usage, Part 4,” centers on the usage list under paragraph 5.250 in CMOS 17. Today we focus on words beginning with the letter h. Writing and editing are more efficient when you never have to look up harken or dither over hangar versus hanger.
We know The Chicago Manual of Style is big. The new 17th edition weighs in at over three pounds and is 1,146 pages long. Something we hear in emails to our Q&A is “I know it’s in there, but I can’t find it!” So here’s a valuable searching tip:
This month’s workout, “Abbreviation of Names and Titles,” centers on CMOS 17, paragraphs 10.11–27. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study that section of the Manual before answering.
