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.
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.
Sarah Grey talks about inclusive language
CMOS: When we talk about using inclusive language, who are we talking about including? SG: Everyone—but especially readers from groups that have historically been excluded by the conventions used and the assumptions made in publishing. One of the earliest and most obvious examples would be
Why Can’t a Computer Index My Book?
Recently a reader wrote to us questioning some of the alphabetizing recommendations in The Chicago Manual of Style . . .
Chicago Style Workout 8: Personal Pronouns
This workout centers on paragraphs 5.42–52 in CMOS 18. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study that section of the Manual before answering the questions.
Section 7.85 in the Spotlight
How many times have you wavered over putting hyphens into an expression that combines numbers with some kind of measure? Is the child six-years-old or six years old?
Chicago Style Workout 7: Rules for Quoting
This workout centers on paragraphs 12.7 and 12.8 of CMOS 18. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study that section of the Manual before answering the questions.
Are You a Grammar Troll?
For years, it seems, it’s been impossible to find a language-related post or article online without a stickler making trouble in the comments section. Even on political, social, and retail sites, outraged commenters love to point out a a missplaced apostrophe as a way to challenge the
Helen Sword talks about trimming your prose with The Writer’s Diet
CMOS: How did you come to think about writing as “flabby”? HS: Many years ago, I read Richard Lanham’s book Revising Prose, which influenced me deeply as a writer. Lanham teaches you to identify the “lard factor” in your writing, based on the percentage of words that you could omit without significantly changing its meaning. The Writer’s Diet follows similar principles, but with
