Misc.: Diseases and disorders

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March 4, 2010: Issue 330

Dont let diseases or disorders define people. They are something a person has, not something a person is. Mention a disease or disorder only when its relevant to a story, and dont use it as a label.

incorrect: John, a diabetic
incorrect: an autistic child

correct: John, who has diabetes
correct: a child with autism

Avoid loaded verb phrases such as struggles with, is a victim of, or suffers from. In these cases, your best bet is plain old has.

Use similar care in writing about people who have mobility issues. Dont say, for instance, that someone is confined to a wheelchair, which is literally untrue. Instead, say the person uses a wheelchair.

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Photo Credits: Photo credits IV

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June 13, 2002: Issue 26

SIM STYLE: Do I use a comma or a slash to separate a photographer’s name from the studio name on credits?
Both. It is usually not SIM style to include both the photographer and the studio name, but there are some exceptions. In those cases some use a comma, and some use a slash. But they are not interchangeable. Follow the style on the credits list.
 correct: Steve Hall, Hedrich-Blessing
For more information, see the Credits section in the SIM Stylebook, or Issues 12, 20, 63.

GRAMMAR: Is passive voice always wrong?
No. It’s true that using active voice usually keeps writing peppier, but that doesn’t mean the passive need always be avoided. The passive voice is sometimes a better choice if the person or thing doing the action can be inferred or is not of interest.
passive: Slate tiles were laid on the diagonal for visual interest.
active: Workers laid slate tiles on the diagonal for visual interest.

Sometimes, it’s a matter of emphasis. In the following sentence, rewriting to the active voice would take the focus off the subject, the pendants.
passive: The strikingly angular pendent lights were designed by an unknown French artisan.
active: An unknown French artisan designed the strikingly angular pendent lights.

Then, of course, there’s this classic example:
passive: The suspect was arrested at a local market.
active: Officer Lopez arrested the suspect at a local market.
Which matters more to you? The arrest, or who made it?

The bottom line: Stick with the active voice in most cases. But if it just doesn’t sound quite right, think about what you’re really telling the reader. If you’re struggling to make a sentence active, and the passive voice just sounds more natural, it’s probably the better choice.

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Parts of Speech: Prepositions

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January 17, 2002: Issue 6

SIM STYLE: Why do the copy editors keep changing “chaise lounge” to “chaise longue”?
Because while the Americanized “chaise lounge” may be acceptable in many
corners, the French “chaise longue” is technically correct and more accurate for our purposes here in SIM. It should not be set in italic type.

For more information on how “chaise longue” became “chaise lounge,” go to
www.m-w.com/mw/textonly/wftw/51397.htm, or see Issue 49.

GRAMMAR: What are you talking about?
Are you itching to rewrite this to “About what are you talking?” Probably not; no one talks that way. Why, then, do we writers and editors take pains to avoid ending sentences with prepositions? Blame Robert Lowth, an 18th-century clergyman and amateur grammarian who established that guideline (even he never intended it as a hard-and-fast rule). For whatever reason, it stuck. Lowth’s logic was based on Latin grammar. But in English, it’s quite common for prepositions to fall naturally at the ends of sentences. Modern grammarians will tell you it’s also quite correct. Use your ear. Rewriting a sentence to avoid a terminal preposition does, in fact, sometimes make it more elegant. More often than not, however, it leaves you with a jumbled, contrived mess. Adopt Winston Churchill’s attitude on this “rule” (“This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put”), and simply write what sounds most natural.

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Modifiers: Compound modifiers

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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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Lists: Business names

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July 11, 2002: Issue 29

Update 9/14/17: See Punctuation/Commas and company names.

SIM STYLE: What parts of business names should I abbreviate?
Always abbreviate Co., Cos. (Companies), and Corp. Also abbreviate Inc., Ltd., and LLC, and set them off with commas.
correct: The Sherwin-Williams Co.
correct: Brown Cos.
correct: Meredith Corp.
correct: Hi-Lite Manufacturing Co., Inc.
correct: Grohe America, Inc.
correct: Duralee Fabrics, Ltd.
correct: Architectural Products by Outwater, LLC

Write out all other words, including Industries, International, and Manufacturing.

Note: Words that are part of a company’s proper name (such as The Company Store or The Limited, Inc.) are not abbreviated.

GRAMMAR: Is it “hone in” or “home in”?
It’s “home in.” You can hone a skill, but if you’re setting your sights on something, you’re homing in on it. Think of homing pigeons when you see this phrase, and you’ll never confuse the two words again.

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Web Tips: www

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July 8, 2004: Issue 77

SIM Style: Is ‘www’ still fit to print?
All Web addresses published in SIMs should begin with either “www” or “http:// .”

I know many of you are eager to drop the “www,” and I know some other publications have done so. But don’t be too quick to jump on this bandwagon: The issue is more complicated than it appears on the surface. We’ve arrived at this style after researching the technical aspects and consulting with IT. For the time being, this style provides the best service to your readers.

The computer world is still trying to figure this out. There’s actually a pretty good debate going. We will periodically evaluate this style as the technology changes, and we may at some point revise it once we’re confident reader service won’t suffer. But not yet.

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Web Tips: Wikipedia

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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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