Posts in category: Uncategorized

 November 6, 2008: Issue 263

When you use extra as an adverb meaning very, you usually don’t need a hyphen to join it to the word it modifies:
Make your holidays extra special.

You do need a hyphen, however, when extra is part of a compound modifier preceding the word it modifies:
We’re planning extra-special holidays this year.

Why the hyphen? Consider this example, where it’s crucial for clarity:
I ordered six extra-large sweatshirts, two large, and six medium.
Should I order four extra large shirts so we don’t run out?

When extra is a prefix meaning outside, join it to the base word with no hyphen:
extramural
extraterrestrial

Party: Make your Friday extra special with our kickoff party for CEs’ 62 Days of Holidays. Join us at 3 p.m. in LN-2C to celebrate Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day. Check our calendar to see what other special days we’re marking—and how many books and magazines we’re closing—in the next two months.

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November 13, 2008: Issue 264

Ever wonder why we say “She’s the smartest person in the room” but not “She’s the intelligentest”? Why we say “That’s the prettiest flower” but not “That’s the beautifullest”?

The key is syllable count. Most one-syllable adjectives in English take -er and -est to create their comparative and superlative forms:
cute, cuter, cutest
new, newer, newest

Adjectives of three or more syllables take the words more and most:
adorable, more adorable, most adorable
contemporary, more contemporary, most contemporary

And two-syllable adjectives … well, they fall into one of those great gray areas that make us love English so much. Our best advice is to go by what sounds right:
lively, livelier, liveliest
playful, more playful, most playful

Awwww: Speaking of cute, adorable, and playful, get a dose of puppies.

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Issue 259 October 9, 2008

Always use dummy type when you don’t have live text. Always.

Never copy text from another story as a template or placeholder. Never.

We apologize for repeating ourselves, but we can’t state this too strongly. Twice in recent months we’ve seen the wrong copy make it into print.

In one case, someone copied a layout from a previous issue, and one of the captions was never updated. The caption that ran made grammatical sense, and everything was spelled correctly, but it bore no relation to the photos on the page.

In the other case, someone copied a budget breakdown from another story in the same issue, and the proper numbers were never input. The values added up just fine, but they weren’t accurate prices for anything in that story.

The bottom line is that real text can slip through too easily. We simply can’t use it.

You have two choices for creating dummy copy:
•     Type nonsense—random letters or a combination of x’s and y’s.
•     Use lorem ipsum type. In InDesign, go to the Type menu and select Fill with Placeholder Text. (InDesign            will give you just enough type to fill your text box. You won’t get any overset text.)

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October 16, 2008: Issue 260

We’ve been accused lately of being anti-alliteration, and we’d like to set the record straight: We have nothing against it. We do, however, oppose empty words hiding behind repeated sounds. Take away the alliteration, and your hed, dek, or caption kicker still has to deliver a message.

An example we see frequently is “Style Statement.” Yes, it rolls off the tongue, but it means very little. It could apply to nearly every story, caption, and sidebar that has ever run in a home design magazine.

On the other hand, here are examples of alliterative heds that clearly tell the reader what she’s getting:

• “Garaging Your Gadgets” (Kitchen and Bath Ideas)

• “Pickets from the Past” (Country Gardens)

• “Fill Up on Fiber Facts” (Diabetic Living)

Alliteration is a lovely thing. It just can’t be the only thing.

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September 25, 2008: Issue 257 

Caramel is a candy or a creamy brown color. Carmel is a city in California.

Why do we get so easily confused on this one? The preferred pronunciation for the candy is two syllables; the a in the middle is silent. The vowel sounds are the same as in the word marble.

The city is also two syllables, but it’s pronounced with the accent on the second.

Usage note: In rare cases, any spelling and pronunciation you choose will be acceptable. For instance, there’s no wrong way to say “Hey, copy desk, would you like some fresh caramel apples to celebrate National Punctuation Day?”

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October 2, 2008: Issue 258

The words I and me often cause confusion when they’re paired with other nouns. When they’re part of a subject, we can usually figure things out.

correct: Cloris and I danced a spectacular fox-trot, but the judges weren’t kind.

Proper usage doesn’t come so naturally when these words are the object of a verb or preposition. To many people, me sounds incorrect in these constructions, even though it’s absolutely right

incorrect: Between waltzes, Misty gave Maksim and I some volleyball tips.
correct: Between waltzes, Misty gave Maksim and me some volleyball tips.

incorrect: I think Rocco’s a little wooden, but let’s keep that between you and I.
correct: I think Rocco’s a little wooden, but let’s keep that between you and me.

Hint: If you’re not sure, try dropping the other noun from the sentence. You’ll see that “I danced” or “gave me some volleyball tips” is the obvious choice.

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September 4, 2008: Issue 254

Now that we know the composition of the ticket, it’s the GOP’s turn for some style lessons.

While we have questions about Sarah Palin’s child-naming choices (Track? Trig?), that’s not really a grammar issue. Instead we’ll address her repeated use of impact as a verb, especially when she talks about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:

•     “It will impact, in a positive sense, the price of fuel eventually.”

•     “Nowhere more than Alaska—Alaskans—would be impacted by development in ANWR.”

•     “We can have a small footprint, and not adversely impact the land, the wildlife, that’s part of Alaska.”

Impact as a verb is best left to discussions of teeth. The better choice here would be affect.

Our John McCain tidbit comes with a disclaimer: Although this story has been reported by sources we consider credible, we were not able to verify it ourselves. There was Internet buzz earlier this year over a pen for sale on McCain’s Web site that read “Student’s for McCain.” As of last week, the pen pictured there was apostrophe-free.

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September 11, 2008: Issue 255

Let’s be sensitive about how we describe families that come together through adoption. First, ask yourself whether that information is relevant. Many times the answer is no; it’s sufficient to say a person or a couple has one or two or seven children without delving into the family’s origins.

Sometimes, though, this information does matter. Maybe we’re writing about a hereditary medical issue. Or maybe the timeline doesn’t make sense unless you explain that the middle child was 8 years old when she joined the family. In these cases, here are some guidelines:

•    Use adopt as a verb, not an adjective: “The Trujillos adopted Hannah in 1998 and Tristan in 1999.” This is an action the parent or parents took, not a label to place on the child. Avoid constructions such as “the Trujillos’ two adopted children” or “Hannah’s adoptive family.”

•    Never refer to children born to a parent or parents as their real, natural, or own children. When you must make this distinction (and again, ask yourself whether it’s relevant), use the word biological.

•    If you need to specify a child’s birth country, do it without using an ethnic or national label. Say “their daughter, who was born in China” instead of “their Chinese daughter.”

•    Avoid saying that biological parents “gave up” or “abandoned” their baby. “Placed for adoption” is a less emotionally loaded term.

When generally addressing parents, remember that families are created in all kinds of ways. Avoid exclusive language such as “Remember when you brought your newborn home from the hospital.“ Instead try “Remember the first time you held your child.”

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August 14, 2008: Issue 251

“Make the most of everyday.”

That was the advice we found recently on a Dove chocolate wrapper. It’s a nice sentiment, but it should have read “Make the most of every day.”

The single word everyday is an adjective meaning ordinary or routine:
Stam chocolate is no everyday candy.

In all other uses, every day is two words:
Eating a little dark chocolate every day can be beneficial.
A chocolate vitamin chew starts every day on a delicious note.

Winners: Shannon Vance and Karman Hotchkiss are the winners of our 250th issue trivia contest. Shannon wins a prop sale gift certificate worth 250 dimes. Karman wins a goodie bag full of 250 office supplies. Find answers to the trivia quiz.

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August 21, 2008: Issue 252

Watch out for terms that, because of their history, aren’t appropriate for wordplay. Here are some we’ve caught in heds and lead-ins.

• final solution: Nazi Germany’s euphemism for genocide

• separate but equal: a phrase once used to justify racially segregated schools

• jungle fever: a pejorative term for interracial relationships

• China syndrome: the title of a movie about a nuclear meltdown

These writers meant no harm; they simply weren’t aware of the associations. If you don’t know the origin of a term, run it through Google before you use it.

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