Posts in category: Style on the Go archive

August 3, 2006: Issue 150

This is our 150th issue of Style on the Go. To celebrate, we’re handing out gift certificates. As you cruise through SIMStylebook.com, watch for our “150” logos—we’ve placed three of them. Be the first person to click on one and you’ll win a $25 prop sale gift certificate. (Limit one gift certificate per person; you must be a Special Interest Media employee to win.)

Once a year is enough.

While we’re talking about our 150th issue, let’s clarify the word “anniversary.” While this is an issue worth celebrating, it’s not an anniversary. An anniversary is the annual date marking an event:
the 60th anniversary of D-Day
their 12th wedding anniversary
the two-year anniversary of our Web site launch

Anniversaries come around once a year. There is no such thing as a six-month anniversary or (no matter how excited you are about that new relationship) a three-week anniversary.

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

July 27, 2006: Issue 149

Don’t use courtesy titles (Mr., Ms., Miss, Sir) except in direct quotations.
incorrect: Miss Mirsky had other ideas.
correct: Mirsky had other ideas.
correct: “Miss Mirsky had other ideas,” he says.

Avoid the professional title “Dr.” Instead, specify what kind of doctor the person is, and add any other information that clarifies his expertise.
correct: Juan Williams, M.D.
correct: psychiatrist David Chen
correct: Julia Patel, Ph.D., a history professor at Georgetown University

Do use the professional title “Rev.,” but only on first reference with both first and last names. For later references, use the last name only.
incorrect: Rev. Miracle
correct: Rev. Amy Miracle
correct: Miracle

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

July 13, 2006: Issue 147

Always use states with city names on first reference—unless the city is on the list of stand-alone cities on SIMStylebook.com. Cities on that list can stand alone, but they don’t have to. References to these cities without state designation are generally clear and less cluttered, but if you feel the state is needed, you may include it. In reader letters, for instance, you might choose to run state names with every city for consistency. (More on reader letters next week.)

ON BHGstylebook.com: Find our list of stand-alone cities.

OSX TIP: If you’re seeing strange type on Web sites—Greek-looking symbols and odd fractions—you need to deactivate a few fonts. In FontAgent Pro, go to the Helvetica folder and deactivate Helvetica-Fraction and Helvetica-FractionBold. In the Times folder, deactivate Times-PhoneticIPA and Times-PhoneticAlternate. Web sites should be legible now.

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

June 29, 2006: Issue 145

Anyone who caught the final rounds of this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee (stop snickering—some of us turned down dinner invitations to stay home and watch) saw whiz kids puzzle out seemingly impossible words by working through their origins. While we’re seldom called on to spell “weltschmerz” or “tmesis,” knowing etymology can help us avoid common errors. Here are a few examples:

foreword: As the preface to a book, the foreword is literally words that go before. The suffix “-ward,” meaning “in the direction of,” plays no part.

marshmallow: Watch what happens to a kid who’s eaten a few and you’ll realize “mellow” doesn’t belong here. Think botanically instead. These puffy confections were once made from the root of an herb called marshmallow.

memento: A little keepsake shares its root word with “memory,” not with “moment.”

minuscule: Web 11 lists “miniscule” as a variant of this word meaning “very small.” But we’re sticking with the original, which is more closely related to “minus” than to “mini.”

playwright: A “wright” is a skilled worker. Although people who craft plays are writers, they are not “playwrites” any more than people who make wheels and carts are “wheelwrites” or “cartwrites.”

sergeant: The shortened form “sarge” often throws people off, but this term for a noncommissioned officer shares its root with “serve” and “servant.”

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

June 22, 2006: Issue 144

A few notes on handling the names of Web-based businesses in text:

• Use the business name as it appears on the “About Us” or “Contact Us” page or in comparable text  on the Web site. Sometimes these names include a “.com” and sometimes they don’t (MissionLiving.com, but ModernTots). Be aware that the name used in text might not match the Web site’s logo; go by the name in text.
• Cap the first letter of the business name unless a logical internal letter is capped instead (as in eBay). Although spaces are omitted in Web-based business names, cap acronyms and individual words so the name reads logically (ModernReproductions.com, FaucetDirect.com, SIMStylebook.com).
• Don’t add “www” to business names. Do, however, include “www” or “http://” in Web addresses. (FastFloors.com is the business name; www.fastfloors.com is the company’s Web address.)
• Don’t worry about giving the complete Web address unless you’re listing contact information for all businesses in the story. We don’t always list a physical address for a brick-and-mortar store, so we don’t always have to list  a Web address for a Web store.

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

June 8, 2006: Issue 142

The phrase “such as” introduces a specific example:
A vintage piece, such as this 1948 dresser, adds instant character.
He’s a fan of midcentury touches, such as the low-slung sofa in the family room.

The word “like” introduces a comparison:
She searched for a vintage dresser like her neighbor’s.
He bought a midcentury sofa like the low-slung model in Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s apartment.

Note that “such as” includes the words that follow. A 1948 dresser is a vintage piece; a low-slung sofa is a midcentury touch. “Like,” on the other hand, excludes the words that follow. She wasn’t actually looking for her neighbor’s dresser; he didn’t buy the sofa from the I Love Lucy set.

INDESIGN TIP: To read copy in a text-only window, click inside a text box, then go to the Edit menu and select Edit in Story Editor, or just type apple-y. To return to the layout, go to the Edit menu and select Edit in Layout, or type apple-y again. (You can choose the colors, font, and type size for this window. Go to the InDesign menu and select Preferences, then Story Editor Display.)

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

May 25, 2006: Issue 140

“Renown” can be a noun or a verb, but not an adjective. The adjective is “renowned.”

incorrect: a renown painter
correct: a painter of renown
correct: a renowned painter

And please note there’s no “k.” These words are not related to the word “know.”

ON BHGstylebook.com: Find a list of words that commonly cause problems.

UPDATE: Here’s a change in SIM style: “Microwave” is now acceptable as a synonym for “microwave oven.” You can stick with the two-word term if you prefer, but you don’t have to.

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

May 18, 2006: Issue 139

Use italics, not quotation marks, to set off unspoken thoughts.

incorrect: “I might hate pink polka-dot walls in a month,” she thought.
correct: I might hate pink polka-dot walls in a month, she thought.

incorrect: “I thought the place was perfect,” he says. “I told myself, ‘It just needs a few minor repairs.'”
correct: “I thought the place was perfect,” he says. “I told myself, It just needs a few minor repairs.”

Open this PDF for a special illustrated version of this issue.

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

May 11, 2006: Issue 138

We know grammar books and dictionaries often conflict, so here’s a rundown on our hierarchy.

This SIM Stylebook is our primary reference. If you find a style rule or a spelling here, abide by it. Our stylebook outranks every other reference on our shelves or online.

For style issues not addressed here, try the third edition of Words into Type first, then The Chicago Manual of Style.

To find spellings not listed here, look first in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, then inWebster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.

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

May 4, 2006: Issue 137

When homeowners ask to be anonymous, don’t quote them directly. Paraphrase their statements.

incorrect: “The breakfast nook is so cozy, I use it for two or three meals a day,” the homeowner says.
correct: The breakfast nook provides a cozy spot for two or three meals a day.

When possible, rephrase to downplay the fact that we’re not naming the owners.

acceptable: The homeowners asked for a family room that could accommodate their three active children, so the designer created        separate zones for homework, play, and TV viewing.
preferred: Separate zones in the family room—for homework, play, and TV viewing—
accommodate three active children.

An option when homeowners are concerned about privacy is to use a woman’s maiden name to identify her. Phrase first references to avoid attaching that name directly to her husband (because it was never his name).

incorrect: Mary and Phillip Jacobs
correct: Mary Jacobs … Mary and her husband, Phillip

REMINDER: Always spell out “and” in Better Homes and Gardens. Never use an ampersand.

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