Posts in category: Style on the Go archive

December 22, 2009: Issue 320

Please open this Pdf for a holiday message form the CEs.

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February 11, 2010: Issue 327

This week, instead of a style edict, were sending a valentine. Its to Jeff Deck.

Even if you dont recognize his name, Jeffs story is probably familiar: He and Benjamin Herson pleaded guilty of conspiracy to vandalize government property in 2008 after they fixed a typo on a sign at the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the hand-painted marker was considered a national historic landmark. Jeff and Benjamin were ordered to pay more than $3,000 in restitutionand to stay out of national parks for a year.

While we dont condone vandalism, we did send a little money to help defray the mens court costs. Thats how we ended up on the e-mail list for their Typo Eradication Advancement League, which recently relaunched its Web site.

If you consider yourself heroically persnickety (Jeffs fabulous phrase), show TEAL a little love. Join the crusade and find tidbits such as this one: Youre mom is a typo.

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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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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.

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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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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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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.

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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.

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February 24, 2005: Issue 80

SIM Style: Use! With! Caution!
Contrary to popular belief, copy editors do not strike every exclamation point they see. We do, however, believe exclamation points are like fine perfumes: Used sparingly, they draw attention. But overused, they turn people off, and fast. Before you use an exclamation point, ask yourself, Is this statement worth yelling across the room? And never use more than one exclamation point at a time.

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March 2, 2005: Issue 81

SIM Style: French twist

This is a change in SIM style: To conform with standard design industry usage, we’ll refer to the style rooted in rural France as “country French” (no longer “French country”) beginning with fall 2005 issues.

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