Posts in category: Style on the Go archive

April 20, 2006: Issue 135

Every magazine must include a postal ID statement, preferably on the last page. If there’s an ad on that page, the statement can run on the first page of the table of contents. (Before moving the postal ID from the last page to the TOC, please discuss it with your copy editing liaison.) The statement must appear in at least 6 point type.

These statements contain legal information that must run in every issue. Their placement is dictated by U.S. Postal Service rules.

ON BHGStylebook.com: Find boilerplate language for postal ID statements. Find a list of ISSNs.

FUN FACT: The Des Moines Public Library subscribes to 495 magazines.

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April 6, 2006: Issue 133

We’ve simplified our rule on capitalizing rose names.

Generally, lowercase rose types:
floribunda rose
hybrid tea rose

Capitalize any part of the rose name that is a proper name:
David Austin roses
English roses

Also capitalize when necessary to avoid confusion:
Use Old Garden roses to create a beautiful arrangement.

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March 23, 2006: Issue 132

For quotation attribution, nothing beats plain old “says.” Flowery attributions (“chuckles,” “recalls,” “exclaims,” “proclaims”) steal focus from the quote. Let the speaker speak, and get out of his or her way.

Here’s what William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White say in The Elements of Style:

Inexperienced writers not only overwork their adverbs but load their attributes with explanatory verbs: “he consoled,” “she congratulated.” They do this, apparently, in the belief that the word “said” is always in need of support, or because they have been told to do it by experts in the art of bad writing.

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March 9, 2006: Issue 130

When something suits a particular situation, it “fills the bill.” It does not “fit the bill.”

Think “bill” as in theater, not as in accounting. The origin of this expression is in vaudeville, when producers who wanted to round out a show looked for someone who would complement the other acts to fill the bill for the evening.

Other commonly confused expressions:

bated breath (not baited)
champ at the bit (not chomp)
deep-seated (not deep-seeded)
row to hoe (not road)
toe the line (not tow)

MICROSOFT WORD TIP: When you’re working with Track Changes activated, you can get a quick look at clean copy by going to the window at the left side of the Reviewing toolbar and selecting Final. When you’re ready to see the color-coded type and strikethroughs again, select Final Showing Markup. (Any changes you make in Final mode will be tracked when you switch back to Final Showing Markup.)

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March 2, 2006: Issue 129

Having trouble figuring out which directional to use in a caption? Check out our new illustrated examples.

And while we’re discussing directionals, here are a few reminders.

Always use commas to set off directionals embedded in text.
incorrect: The ebony side table above was a flea-market bargain.
correct: The ebony side table, above, was a flea-market bargain.

Use commas inside directionals only when they are three words or longer.
correct: ABOVE LEFT: The ebony side table was a flea-market bargain.
correct: OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT: The ebony side table was a flea-market bargain.
correct: The ebony side table, above left, was a flea-market bargain.
correct: The ebony side table, opposite, top left, was a flea-market bargain.

When a caption is printed over a photo, use “this photo” (not “this page”).

Omit the directional when a caption refers to a single photo and the relationship is clear from position.

JUST FOR FUN: Next time you’re grumbling about grammar rules that seem arbitrary and unnecessary, take a look at where we’d be without them.

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February 23, 2006: Issue 128

We’re ditching a rule that we know has rankled you: You no longer have to list cities with toll phone numbers. Company name and phone number are sufficient.

Or you can list cities. It’s up to each title editor.

However, consistency is important. Either list the cities throughout your issue or don’t list them at all.

INDESIGN TIP: Are you frustrated when InDesign changes the text wrap above a word or sentence you’re altering? That feature is called Adobe Paragraph Composer, and it plays heck with copy-fitting. But you can turn it off. Pull down the Type menu and select Paragraph. Click the arrow at the upper right corner of the Paragraph box, then choose Justification. In the Composer window, select Adobe Single-line Composer.

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February 16, 2006: Issue 127

Apostrophes denote letters or numbers that have been omitted:

the ’50s
snap ’em up
singin’ the blues
Guns ‘n’ Roses

Please note that an apostrophe goes the same direction as a single closing quotation mark, not an opening quotation mark. This is a distinction Microsoft Word and InDesign don’t understand, so you’ll have to manually create the apostrophe when it comes at the beginning of a word: Type option-shift-].

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February 9, 2006: Issue 126

Somewhere in your past, an English teacher probably told you never to start a sentence with a conjunction. But it’s OK. (See?) You can start sentences with conjunctions, and we won’t put any marks in your permanent record. Our teachers were no doubt repeating what they were told in school, but this has never been a grammatical rule.

Just remember that you don’t need to set off the conjunction with a comma:

incorrect: But, the scope of the project quickly grew.
correct: But the scope of the project quickly grew.

incorrect: Or, sort through your own attic or basement for outdated art.
correct: Or sort through your own attic or basement for outdated art.

incorrect: And, that was a compromise the homeowners could handle.
correct: And that was a compromise the homeowners could handle.

Use a comma in that position only when it sets off a word, phrase, or clause within the sentence:

correct: But, as the old cabinets came down, the scope of the project quickly grew.
correct: Or, in a pinch, sort through your own attic or basement for outdated art.
correct: And, happily, that was a compromise the homeowners could handle.

One caveat: Go easy on starting sentences this way. The more often you use this construction, the less effective it becomes.

MICROSOFT WORD TIP: Tired of arguing with Microsoft Word about whether you need that comma? If you’d rather not deal with Word’s suggestions, turn off the grammar checker: Under the Word pull-down menu, select Preferences. Click on Spelling and Grammar, then make sure the “Check grammar as you type” and “Check grammar with spelling” boxes are unchecked. Now the only pesky grammar suggestions you’ll get will be from copy editors.

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February 2, 2006: Issue 125

When someone uses a maiden name or a family name as a middle name, omit that name on second reference:

Designer Leah Jones Allen quickly diagnosed the problem: a severe deficiency of color. The quickest cure, Allen told the homeowners, was an infusion of reds and gold.

When a last name is hyphenated, use both parts of the name on second reference:

On this tiny lot, architect Andrea Barrett-Keith knew the only way to expand was up. “A new upper level was the Sepulvedas’ chance for a real master suite,” Barrett-Keith says.

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January 26, 2006: Issue 124

Not sure whether to set off a phrase or clause with commas? You might need a quick refresher in essential and nonessential information, also called restrictive and nonrestrictive.

If the information is essential, or restrictive, it is essential to understanding exactly what person or thing you’re describing; it restricts the number of people or things fitting that description. Whether a word, a phrase, or a clause, it doesn’t need commas:

Her co-worker Julia served as a sounding board.
A door that was salvaged from the Thorkelsons’ old home adds old charm to the entrance.

(“Her co-worker” and “a door” define broad categories. “Julia” and “that was salvaged from the Thorkelsons’ old home” narrow the fields.)

Nonessential, or nonrestrictive, information provides additional detail but doesn’t identify the person or thing more specifically. Set off these words, phrases, and clauses with commas.

Her oldest sister, Julia, served as a sounding board.
The Thorkelsons’ front door, which was salvaged from their previous home, adds old charm to the entrance.

(She has only one “oldest sister”; the Thorkelsons have only one “front door.” “Julia” and  “which was salvaged from their previous home” don’t narrow the descriptions any further.)

That which confounds us

The essential/nonessential question also determines whether you use “that” or “which.” Essential information uses “that.” Nonessential information uses “which.”

One of the houses that I saw yesterday needs some work.
Ali’s house, which I saw yesterday, needs some work.

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