Chicago Style Workout 42: Chicago vs. AP
Some editors spend most of their time following a single style. But many of us, especially if we freelance, are required to know more than one.
Oxford, Chicago, and the Serial Comma
Its generic name is the serial (or series) comma, but a lot of people refer to it by a fancier name: Oxford comma.
How Strunk Lost His Comma
Chicago style doesn’t require commas when “Jr.” or “Sr.” follows a name. Until just a few decades ago, however, commas were the norm.
Do You Overstep When Editing Fiction? Three Easy Cures
The other day, I ran across this line in a recent novel by a best-selling American writer (key words are disguised): “His disposition warmed faster than did the gradually dawning day.”
Chicago Style Q&A: Recent Updates
The Chicago Manual of Style Q&A has been featuring answers to your questions for more than twenty years. During that time our searchable Q&A archive has grown to encompass a huge range of questions about Chicago style.
Sure, You Got A’s in English—But Do You Know Where Commas Go?
A few months ago in a conference session, a group of novelists digressed into good-natured complaints about being copyedited. One writer drew a lot of laughs saying, “I mean, I got A’s in English! I know where the freaking commas go!”
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, . . .
Chicago, MLA, APA, AP:
What’s the Difference?
Okay, so you’re an editor or proofreader who knows Chicago style, but now you need to follow AP. Or you’re a student, and you need MLA for one project and Chicago (or Turabian) for the next—and APA after that. . . .
Noon and Midnight (CMOS 9.38)
Many of us write or say “12 p.m.” (or “12:00 p.m.”) when we mean noon and “12 a.m.” when we mean midnight. This seems reasonable enough, at least intuitively. . . .
