Posts in category: Style on the Go archive

January 23, 2003: Issue 48

SIM STYLE: Where in the world is … ?
Many of the terms that show up frequently in SIM are derived from or are similar to place names. But that doesn’t mean they’re always capitalized.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most common.

CAPITALIZE 
• Adirondack chair
• Brussels sprouts
• Key lime
• Persian rug
• plaster of Paris
• Provençal
• Roman shade
• Shasta daisy

LOWERCASE
• bristol board
• japan (varnish, style)
• mecca (general usage)
• paisley
• portland cement
• saltillo (tile)
• spartan (general usae)
• venetian blinds (Note: Most other “Venetian” terms are capped—”Venetian glass,” “Venetian red.”)

There are plenty more. When in doubt, check the SIM Word List first, then Webster’s 11th. If Webster’s notes “often cap,” capitalize the term accordingly.

Note: Wine and cheese names, in particular, are commonly derived from place names. You can find lists of both with proper capitalization in the Food section of the SIM Stylebook.

For more information see Issue 18.

GRAMMAR: Should I use “toward” or “towards”?
“Toward” is preferred. The same is true for other “-ward” words: backward, forward, upward, downward, etc.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

July 22, 2004: Issue 78

SIM Style: Just dial 800/SAY-WHAT?
When we publish phone numbers like 555-SILK or 555-TILE, we may think we’re helping readers by giving them a handy way to remember those numbers. If we were producing 30-second television or radio spots, that might be the case.

But our readers don’t need tricks to trigger their memories—because they don’t need to remember phone numbers at all. The numbers are printed right in front of them. Making readers hunt down the appropriate buttons on their telephone keypads can actually create frustration.

Try it out. Tell a friend to dial 800/4-KOHLER while you dial 800/456-4537 and see who connects first.

When it comes to phone numbers, make them just that—numbers.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

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.”

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

September 27, 2007: Issue 206

In general, lowercase professional designations:
certified kitchen designer
certified diabetes educator
certified public accountant

However, capitalize the associated acronyms:
CKD
CDE
CPA

Exceptions to the lowercase rule:
Realtor (because the term is trademarked)
Master Gardener (to avoid confusion with master as an adjective meaning skilled)

A blog after our own hearts: Check out Bethany Keeley, who chronicles the gratuitous use of quotation marks. Her collection of passive-aggressive notes is fun, too.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

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.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

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.)

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

April 24, 2008: Issue 236

The Academy of Motion Picture Sciences has the Oscars. Dunder Mifflin has the Dundies. And now Style on the Go has the Eebies.

Named in honor of E. B. White, these occasional awards will recognize outstanding use of language in our publications and new media projects.

The inaugural winner is deputy editor Gary Thompson for this clear, clever wordplay in a Kitchen & Bath Ideashed and dek:

Green We Envy
Yes, this kitchen is environmentally friendly, but it’s also a colorful and contemporary gathering space anyone would love to have.

Congratulations, Gary. And you don’t even have to make a speech.

To make a nomination: We welcome suggestions for full-time employees and freelancers who deserve Eebies. The nominated work must be in current distribution, whether on the Web, in bookstores, or on the newsstand. Eebies will be awarded at the discretion of the Style on the Go staff.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

July 31, 2008: Issue 250

This is our 250th Style on the Go. We’ll use this opportunity to remind you that SIM style is to use standard type, not superscript, in ordinal numbers.

incorrect: This is our 250^th issue.
correct: This is our 250th issue.

To change superscript to standard type in Microsoft Word, select the type and go to the Format menu. Select Character or Font (whichever is the first item in the menu), then uncheck Superscript.

To stop Word from changing ordinals to superscript automatically, go to the Tools menu and select AutoCorrect. Select AutoFormat As You Type, then uncheck Ordinals (1st) with superscript.

To change superscript to standard type in InDesign, select the type, then go to the type control bar and unclick the superscript button (T¹).

Contest: Take our trivia quiz. Match TV shows with the names of their 250th episodes to win fabulous prizes.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

June 27, 2002: Issue 28

SIM STYLE: What are our rules on hyphenation at the end of a line?
Follow these guidelines to keep your copy looking clean:

• Don’t hyphenate the last word on a page.
• Don’t hyphenate the last word of a paragraph; the final line should include a complete word.
• Don’t allow two or more consecutive lines to end with a hyphen.
• Don’t hyphenate ragged-right copy.
• Don’t hyphenate one word within an already hyphenated phrase; break the line on a hyphen that’s already there.
• Avoid hyphenating display type, such as headlines and intro blurbs.

It’s true that getting rid of some hyphenation can improve the look and flow of copy. But arbitrarily getting rid of ALL hyphenation in justified type creates awkward spacing and unsightly gaps between words that are far more distracting for readers than hyphens would be. Hyphenation within these guidelines is fine.

For more information, see Issue 61.

GRAMMAR: Is it mettle, meddle, medal, or metal?
Here’s a clue! A clue!
correct: Having proved their mettle by solving the mysterious amusement-park haunting, Scooby and friends—once considered nothing more than a group of meddling kids—were presented with a medal of platinum, a precious metal.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

January 31, 2002: Issue 8

SIM STYLE: Fee, fi, faux, fum
The French word “faux,” meaning “false,” shows up in nearly every SIM at one time or another. But when used without the necessary qualifiers, it can convey unintended meanings. To say an item features a “faux finish,” for example, means the finish itself isn’t real. Always specify the material emulated, and you’ll avoid this faux pas.
incorrect: The mantel’s faux finish lends an air of elegance.
correct: The mantel’s faux-marble finish lends an air of elegance.

GRAMMAR: Terrible twos
“Couple” can be singular or plural, depending on usage and what sounds most natural. Just don’t mix and match. In each given situation, pick one and be consistent.
incorrect: The couple enjoys [singular] the new space; they [plural] say the style suits them.
correct: The couple enjoy [plural] the new space; they [plural] say the style suits them.

Back to Style on the Go Archive
Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents