Posts in category: Style on the Go archive

September 1, 2005: Issue 103

Foreign articles or prepositions as part of surnames (De Mille, Van Helsing, La Guardia) are confusing when it comes to capitalization. On first reference, follow the rules in Words into Type: Generally, capitalize those prepositions in the names of North Americans, unless the person in question has expressed a preference for lowercase. When the person prefers, lowercase the preposition when you use both first and last names.

correct: Designer Lynn von Kersting decorated this 1927 Beverly Hills home.

When you use the last name alone, however, capitalize the preposition.

incorrect: The decor reflects von Kersting’s singular talent.
correct: The decor reflects Von Kersting’s singular talent.

For more information on this topic than you could ever want, see Words into Type, “Part III: Copy-Editing Style,” under “Capitalization,” then “Proper Nouns and Adjectives.”

ON BHGstylebook.com: See other rules about capitalizing names.

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February 14, 2002: Issue 10

SIM STYLE: On nonsexist writing

Nonsexist writing is more than saying artisan instead of craftsman, or artificial instead of man-made. Avoiding more subtle sexism means avoiding making assumptions about readers.

We shouldn’t assume all readers are the same. Even if 80 percent of your readers are women, you risk alienating one-fifth of your audience if you gear a story toward women only. For our purposes in SIM, using gender-neutral terminology rarely affects the tone of a story.
INCORRECT: You and your husband
CORRECT: You and your spouse (or partner)

For more information, see Nonsexist Writing section in the SIM
Stylebook or Issue 37.

GRAMMAR: Hanging up
Which is it: “hanged” or “hung?” Unless Do It Yourself produces a “build
your own gallows in a weekend” project, we’re not likely to see hanged” in SIM. Reserve that word for executions; in all other cases, “hung” is the correct past tense of the verb hang.
INCORRECT: The children hanged the stockings with care.
CORRECT: The children hung the stockings with care.

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February 28, 2002: Issue 12

SIM STYLE: Photographer credits

We’ve been mangling quite a few photographer credits lately. Here are the correct credits for the ones that are most commonly mixed up:
Kim Cornelison
D. Randolph Foulds
Bob Greenspan
Hopkins Associates
Tim Murphy
Greg Scheidemann

If you don’t have an updated credits list in your SIM Stylebok contact Doug.

For more photographer credits see Issues 20, 26, 63.

GRAMMAR: Is it “all of” or just “all”?
Your eighth-grade English teacher who told you it was correct to take out the “of” was right. She just may not have told you there’s also nothing wrong with leaving it in. So choose whichever way sounds best to you—you can’t go wrong. As author Patricia O’Conner, an editor at The New York Times,says on the subject: “You can’t please all of the people all the time.”

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March 21, 2002: Issue 15

SIM STYLE: Is it “oil-based” or “oil-base” paint?
Oil-base paint and water-base paint, without the “ed,” are both correct.

GRAMMAR: How do I handle possessives for proper names
that end in “s”?
Simply add an apostrophe to the end. For the plural possessive form of
a name that ends in “s,” add an “es” followed by an apostrophe.
     incorrect: Jeffrey Marks’s house
correct: Jeffrey Marks’ house
correct:  The Markses’ house

One exception: Foreign words that end in a silent “s” take an apostrophe and an additional “s” in the possessive form.
correct: Des Moines’s only loft-style apartments

For more information, see Possessives section in the SIM Stylebook.

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March 28, 2002: Issue 16

SIM STYLE & GRAMMAR: When do I hyphenate multiple adjectives before a noun?
Anytime two or more adjectives modifying a noun are intended to work together as a single unit, called a compound modifier, hyphenate them. (Note: Occasionally, the compound modifier falls after a verb, usually “to be.”)
correct: the arch-top windows
correct: old-fashioned wainscoting
 correct: The kitchen was finally up-to-date.

But be careful. Multiple adjectives before a noun don’t always constitute a compound modifier. Sometimes, one of those adjectives is actually working independently with the noun, and adding a hyphen would change the meaning. (Note: If there’s a chance a reader may not understand the intended meaning, it’s probably best to rewrite the sentence for clarity.) Check out these examples:
• The new homeowner orientation is Saturday. (The orientation is new, intended for homeowners.)
• The new-homeowner orientation is Saturday. (The orientation is intended for new homeowners.)

SIM style recognizes some compound modifiers as well-known phrases that require no hyphenation. You’ll find a partial list in the Hyphens section in the SIM Stylebook, but others may be a judgment call.
correct: a glass block wall
correct: the folk art collection

One final point: Keep an eye out for modifiers that end in “ly.” They are generally adverbs and not hyphenated.
incorrect: the expertly-decorated showhouse
correct: the expertly decorated showhouse

For more information, see Hyphens section in the SIM Stylebook.

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April 4, 2002: Issue 17

SIM STYLE: Is there a difference between “marbled” and “marbleized”?
Yes and no. “Marbled” and “marbleized” are both past-tense verb forms, but “marbled” is also an adjective. “Marbleize” is only a verb, a synonym of “to marble.”

Because it’s SIM style to use the first listing in Webster’s 10th, the
verb “marble” and the adjective “marbled” are almost always the preferred terms. “To marble” means to cover something in marble or to give it a marblelike look. The adjective “marbled” describes something made of marble, covered with marble, made to look like marble, or given a mottled look in general.
correct: She marbled the cake batter (to give a marblelike look)
correct: The marbled vanity (covered in marble)
incorrect: The marbleized solid-surfacing (the adjective “marbled” would be correct)

GRAMMAR: Is there a difference between “awhile” and “a while”?
Yes. Let the presence of a preposition tip you off. Without one, you probably mean “awhile,” which is an adverb meaning “for a while.” With a preposition,” while” is the object, so “a while” is correct.
incorrect: Why don’t you stay for awhile?
correct: Why don’t you stay awhile? (or for a while)
incorrect I’ll see you in awhile.
correct: I’ll see you in a while.

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February 15, 2007: Issue 177

Wikipedia can be a great help when you run across a name, place, or term you’ve never heard before. It can give 

Wikipedia can be a great help when you run across a name, place, or term you’ve never heard before. It can give you enough information to lead you to a definitive source—but don’t rely on Wikipedia as your primary source. Anyone can write and edit these entries, so mistakes do show up.

A recent Wikipedia search for Consuelo Bailey, for instance, told us that she was the first woman lieutenant governor in the United States, serving in that office in Vermont from 1955 to 1959. A visit to Vermont’s official Web site confirmed that fact—but Wikipedia listed her middle name as Northrop, while the Vermont site said Northrup.

The Wikipedia entry for Sharpie used to say that “Magic Marker and Sharpie are both generic brand names used for medium-tip markers.” Wrong. They’re both trademarks. (That entry has since been updated.)

In short, use Wikipedia as a starting point, but check your facts with a more reliable reference.

And about that name: Wiki means fast in Hawaiian, so Wikipedia was coined to mean fast encyclopedia. According to Wikipedia itself, wiki is acceptable as a generic term for a collaborative reference source or for the software that helps compile it: a wiki site, a wiki engine. But then again, we have no idea who wrote that.

Fun download: To hear Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales answer questions about odd, obscure information on his Web site (and to hear him promise that the name has nothing to do with polytheistic religions), click here and download Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! from November 4, 2006.

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April 11, 2002: Issue 18

SIM STYLE: Should I capitalize words that Webster’s 11th notes as “often cap”?
Yes, almost always.* And lowercase words Web notes as “often not cap” or “not cap.” It’s important to read the definitions, however; capitalization rules often apply only in certain usages.
• Check out “Down East” and “Jacquard” for examples of “often cap words.
• Check out “Shetland” and “Spartan” for “often not cap” examples that depend on usage.

*Two notable exceptions: We do not cap “mecca” or “nirvana” when used generically.

For more information see Issue 48.

GRAMMAR: Didn’t James Brown mean to sing “I feel well”?
Nope. He meant “I feel good,” and rightly so. Saying that you feel well may seem grammatically correct, but it’s right only if you mean there’s nothing wrong with your sense of touch. If all is right in your world, you’re feeling good. If you’re sick or in a sour mood, you’re not feeling good (unless your fingertips are also numb, but let’s not muddy the waters).

Why? When you describe a state of being—not an action—the adjective (good), not the adverb (well), is correct. If that doesn’t quite make sense, try substituting another adjective for “good”: I feel sleepy (not sleepily); I feel happy (not happily).

Got it? Good, because this next part can be confusing. Applying the same logic, “I am good” works only if you mean to convey that you’re a good person. “I am well” is correct if you’re feeling good. Why? It’s the adjective/adverb thing again. An action is implied (“I am [doing] well”). If you get confused, just say everything is well and good and leave it at that.

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March 8, 2007: Issue 180

Here are some important distinctions to keep in mind when you describe appliances:

Use commercial or restaurant to describe an appliance designed specifically for restaurant use. Commercial ranges are generally not appropriate for residential use and are rarely shown in our magazines. Refrigerators, such as the Traulsen brand, are more common.

Combine commercial or professional with grade, duty, quality, or caliber to describe a high-performance appliance designed specifically for residential use: a commercial-grade range, a professional-caliber refrigerator.

Use pro-look or pro-style to describe an appliance that is designed to look high-performance but isn’t. Many stainless-steel models fall in this category.

Get the picture? Speaking of appliances, flat-screen and flat-panel televisions are not the same. Flat-screen TVs can be big and bulky; they simply have flat screens for a crisp picture. Flat-panel TVs are only inches thick. If a television is hanging on a wall, it’s a flat-panel.

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June 21, 2007: Issue 193

To cinch is to fasten tightly:
Pull the shoulder strap through the loop to cinch the bag shut.

To clinch is to settle or to make final:
They were already considering a move to a bigger home. News that a third child was on the way clinched their decision.

If you have trouble remembering this one, think of Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, and David Spade as Gap clerks dispensing repetitive fashion advice on Saturday Night Live in the ’90s. (“Did you cinch it? You have to cinch it!”) Check them out. (We’re going to rate this clip TVPG. And let us know if you spot the typos on the “Gapardy” board.)

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