December 17, 2009 : Issue 319
We’re making some changes to SIM style:
before and after (no caps)
cardstock (one word)
french fries (no caps)
perle cotton (not pearl)
vs. (OK to abbreviate in heds, but spell out versus in body copy)
You’ll find all these changes on bhgstylebook.com. Do you have a suggestion for a change or addition to the stylebook? E-mail us.
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December 31, 2009: Issue 321
Capitalize the names of specific holidays related to the calendar rollover:
We’re going to spend New Year’s Eve traipsing through the East Village.
We hope we’ll still be able to attend the New Year’s Day brunch at our neighbors’ house.
Also capitalize broader references to the year about to begin (or just begun):
I resolve to use better grammar in the New Year.
New Year’s is an acceptable synonym for New Year’s Day:
Whatever you plan for New Year’s, enjoy yourself!
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Holidays: Table of Contents
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December 3, 2009: Issue 317
Lowercase the broadest references to birds and butterflies:
chickadee
swallowtail
Capitalize their specific names:
Black-Capped Chickadee
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Our primary reference for birds is the Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman. Our primary reference for butterflies is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies.
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December 10, 2009: Issue 318
Editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary have chosen unfriend as their word of the year for 2009.
If you’re scowling at the base word friend used as a verb, know that Web 11 says it’s legit. So yes, grammatically, you can friend and unfriend someone. (Many grammarians blame Facebook for the decline of the traditional befriend, but that’s not really fair. The Facebook button says “Add as Friend.”)
An also-ran for word of the year was hashtag, meaning the # sign used to indicate a keyword in a tweet. We’ll treat it the same way Oxford does: one word, solid.
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November 12, 2009: Issue 314
A mantel is the shelf above a fireplace:
Lean three frames against the wall for an easy mantel display.
A mantle is a cloak, either literal or figurative:
An embroidered mantle tops off this holiday outfit.
The mantle of regret hangs over us when we don’t catch this misspelling.
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October 29, 2009: Issue 312
Negative constructions are OK—sometimes even preferable. They often help us strike the conversational tone we want, especially in imperative sentences.
acceptable: Rather than trashing that old chair, take a paintbrush to it.
preferred: Don’t trash that old chair. Take a paintbrush to it.
acceptable: You can still have chocolate even though you have diabetes.
preferred: You don’t have to give up chocolate just because you have diabetes.
Before you edit the word not out of a sentence, think about whether you’re really improving the sentence.
Winners: Last week we asked you to name fictional Halloween recipes. For Most Likely to Be Developed as a Real Recipe, the winner is Gobblin’ Ghoulash, submitted by Jody Sanders. In the Made the Judges Laugh category, the winner is BBQ Bug Livers with Presto Sauce, submitted by Larry Erickson. We’ll deliver your frightful prizes today.
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October 22, 2009: Issue 311
Capitalize titles of recipes that we publish in print or online. You don’t need quotation marks or italics:
Mad Scientist Wraps make a quick but nutritious dinner before trick-or-treating.
Our Coffin Confection cake will be a hit at your Halloween party.
Sneak fruit onto the table with Monster Mouths apple slices.
These recipes are real. Find them here.
Contest: Can you come up with a ghoulishly good name for a fictitious Halloween recipe? Send it to us, and you could win a prize sponsored by Halloween Tricks and Treats magazine and 100 Days of Holidays. The Food Center of Excellence might even develop some of your recipe ideas for Halloween 2010.
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October 8, 2009: Issue 309
The preferred past tense of the verb sneak is sneaked:
Even on a budget, they sneaked a few luxuries into the kitchen.
Same for the past participle:
She discovered that dodder had sneaked into the garden and strangled the dahlias.
Don’t say snuck unless you’re trying to poke the language purists.
By the way, a milestone sneaked up on us last month. Jill Abeloe Mead closed the 10,000th session in the SIM Publication Schedule Database. She received a commemorative plaque and a box of goodies. Congratulations, Jill!
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August 13, 2009: Issue 301
When you tack a postscript to the end of text, introduce it with the abbreviation “PS” and a colon. No periods. No dashes.
PS: Find a stunning example of postscript dysfunction.
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August 20, 2009: Issue 302
Color commentary
Capitalize color names coined by a manufacturer. If the color isn’t in Web 11 or in a 24-crayon box, cap it:
State Fair Ribbon Blue
Butter Cow Yellow
Grandstand Brick Red
When you list common color names along with coined ones, cap them all:
Big Boar Brown, Midway Sunburn Pink, and Black
Contest: Sense a theme here? Share your idea for a color name inspired by the Iowa State Fair. E-mail us by 5 p.m. Thursday, and you could win two tickets to the fair.
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