Punctuating Interrupted Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions join pairs of words, phrases, or clauses, but when such a conjunction is interrupted by an intervening phrase or clause, it can be difficult to know where to put the commas.
Commas with Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses
If you’ve ever had to learn how to use commas with relative clauses—especially clauses introduced by which or that—you may have encountered the word restrictive and its opposite, nonrestrictive. What do those two words mean, and what do they have to do with commas?
“Invisible” Endnotes
When you read a book that includes source citations, do you prefer footnotes or endnotes? Publishers tend to assume that the average reader will want endnotes, on the principle that they’re less distracting than footnotes.
Advice for Fiction Writers (and Editors), Chicago‑Style
Since long before the days of email, the Manuscript Editing Department at the University of Chicago Press has had the honor of replying to comments and questions from users of The Chicago Manual of Style, usually typed but sometimes written in longhand or even called in by phone.
Chicago Style Workout 71: Nouns
There’s more to nouns than people, places, and things. Some nouns are countable, and some are not. Most nouns are common, but some are proper. There are mass nouns and collective nouns, attributive nouns and nouns that can function as verbs. Some even take on adverbial roles.
When to Capitalize an Initial “The”
A “the” at the beginning of a word or phrase that would normally be capitalized—including the name of an organization or the title of a work—presents a dilemma. When is the “the” capitalized? In Chicago style, the answer comes down to a few rules that can help you decide in each case.
Word’s Modern Comments: A Copyeditor’s Perspective
Over the last year and a half (beginning in April 2021), Microsoft has been rolling out its “modern comments” to Word 365 users on both Windows and Mac platforms. If you use Word, and unless you have your updates turned off, there’s a good chance you have them by now, or will soon.
Is a Comma Needed to Introduce Dialogue?
Q. Would you add a comma before the quotation marks in the following sentences?
Chicago Style Workout 70: Verb Tenses
Verb tenses are all about establishing the time that something happened: past, present, or future. They can also specify whether an action has been completed or is ongoing.
Does Your Novel Need a Copyeditor before Submission?
In the writers’ groups where I hang out online, these queries are evergreen: How do I know if I need a copyeditor before I submit my work to an agent or editor? How do I find a good copyeditor? How much does copyediting cost?
