Posts in category: Uncategorized

May 1, 2008: Issue 237

Whose is an often-misused word.

You know the difference between who’s (“who is”) and whose (“belonging to whom”). But another issue is usingwhose to refer to inanimate objects or concepts. While style manuals disagree on whether this is technically an error, the construction is usually awkward—and some readers will view it as poor grammar.

acceptable: a kitchen whose high style still works for a family
preferred: a kitchen where high style still works for a family

acceptable: the style, whose name derives from architect Robert Adam
preferred: the style, which takes its name from architect Robert Adam

To be safe, reserve whose (along with who and other related pronouns) for people and for animals with names.

correct: the copy editor, whose command of grammar made her a hit at parties
correct: Buddy, whose dewy brown eyes pleaded for liver snaps

Grammatically, treat other animals the same way you treat objects.

correct: the penguin, which had sheltered its egg all winter

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March 20, 2008: Issue 231

Beware the wrath of language purists when you use the word hopefully.

While it’s acceptable in the sense of it is hoped, as in “Hopefully the new stove will fit,” some people still consider this a dangling modifier because hopefully doesn’t modify the verb fit. (How will the new stove fit? Easily, snugly, barely—but not hopefully.)

In all but the most casual writing, avoid this construction. Instead, specify who’s doing the hoping: “I hope the new stove will fit.”

Otherwise, stick to using hopefully to modify a verb in the sentence, as in “My dog gazed up hopefully when she heard the pretzel bag rustle.”

Read more: There’s a nice discussion of this issue in the Web 11 entry for hopefully. Check it out, and then drop the word disjunct into your next conversation with CEs. Hopefully we’ll be impressed.

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March 27, 2008: Issue 232

When things or people function beautifully together, they are in sync—not in synch. Likewise, when you align or coordinate things, you sync them.

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April 3, 2008: Issue 233

When someone has discretion to make decisions, she has free rein—not free reign. The allusion is to horses, not to kings or queens.

Contest: Last week we asked you to devise an *NSYNC-style acronym for your department. Our favorite came from Sharon Lein, who used the first letters of the last names of business office employees (Kim O’Brien-Wollett, Sharon Lein, Jan Crabb, Gabrielle Renslow, Kathleen Armentrout, Susan Bade, and Cindy Slobaszewski) to create OL CRABS. Prizes go to everyone in the department.

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April 10, 2008: Issue 234

Dear Style on the Go:
I feel like my copy editors are neglecting me. I mark my routing slips “HOT” or “RUSH,” in all capital letters, in bright red ink. I circle and underline the words, sometimes two or three times. But I don’t get my stories back the same day, or even the next day. I know they’re reading other people’s stories. Why not mine? What do I have to do to get noticed?
Signed,
Bottom of the Pile in Des Moines

Dear Bottom:
Have you examined the message you’re putting out there? Maybe it’s time to ask yourself what your CEs really need from you.
For instance, are you putting dates on your routing slips? CEs use those dates to set priorities when they’re looking at a deep stack of manuscripts and layouts. Be sure both the “Due to Art” box and the “Due to MIC” box are filled in every time. Stories without dates will languish as CEs pick up other files that are clearly nearing (or even past) their marked deadlines.
“Hot” and “rush” don’t help. Those are subjective labels, and nearly everything CEs read is hot by someone’s standards. Nothing will speed turnaround more than a specific date.
If you must use red ink, try drawing a few hearts.

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March 13, 2008: Issue 230

Please use tabs, not spaces, to set indents, to define spaces after bullets or numbers, or to line up columns. Here’s why:

Precision In justified type, a space width varies from line to line. A tab hits the right mark every time.

Consistency You might go to great pains to type in just the right number of spaces to make type line up, but any change—as tiny as a hyphen or comma—throws everything off. A tab is unaffected.

Transition Even with formatting cleared, tabs carry over from Microsoft Word to InDesign, and a designer can quickly set the appropriate positions. Multiple spaces just make a mess.

Ease Ruler palettes in both MS Word and InDesign provide a simple, visual-driven way to set tabs. You don’t have to do any math or type in any numbers. Find quick tutorials on tabs for MS Word and InDesign.

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February 28, 2008: Issue 228

With February 29 looming, let’s look at leap and some synonymous terms.

The preferred past tense of leap is leaped (not leapt):
He leaped at the chance to update the back deck.
With new appliances, the kitchen leaped into the 21st century.

Jump start is two words as a noun, hyphenated as a verb:
Early bloomers give this garden a jump start.
Jump-start your healthy day with herbal tea and low-fat applesauce muffins.

Hyphenate compounds with hopping when it’s used in the sense of visiting:
They went museum-hopping for quilt pattern ideas.
Go department-hopping to find the numbered frogs and win a prize at Friday’s party.

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February 21, 2008: Issue 227

Watch out for tautologies, sentences that basically say “up is up” or “blue is blue.” Such truisms often hide under piles of modifiers.

Take this sentence:
A sleek, handy pot filler smartly placed in the green marble-topped island fills oversize pasta pots quickly without forcing the cook to lug ungainly pans of water.

Strip it down to subject, verb, and object, and you get this:
A pot filler fills pots.

To avoid this problem, start with the simplest possible sentence—then add modifiers judiciously.

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February 14, 2008: Issue 226

Spelling and punctuation for some topical terms:

heart-healthy
heartland
heart pine
heart-to-heart (adj. or n.)
heartwarming
lovable
lovebird
love-in-a-mist
love-lies-bleeding
love seat
loving-kindness
wholeheartedly
valentine
Valentine’s Day

Listen in: Hear my dad and stepmom perform “My Funny Valentine,” off their recently released CD.

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January 31, 2008: Issue 224

Lead copy editors have been assigned for nearly all magazines on the 2008-09 schedule—check the CE column. If you’re not sure whose initials those are, check with a staff CE. If you’re working with a CE who’s new to you, here are some suggestions to help establish your working relationship:

Introduce yourself
It’s vital that your CE understand your magazine and its mission before editing your copy. Freelance CEs attend work sessions when they can. Take that opportunity to introduce yourself and your magazine. If the CE can’t be there, send an e-mail or make a phone call. Your staff liaison can provide contact information.

Talk directly if you’d like
When specific style questions arise, feel free to talk to your freelance CE directly. If you’re more comfortable using a staff CE as a go-between, we’re happy to fill that role—but we don’t have to. It’s not a breach of editing etiquette to go straight to the freelancer.

Speak up about issues
If you see a problem emerging, let us know. If a CE makes changes that don’t conform to your magazine’s style, for instance, talk to your staff liaison. We understand that you’re not complaining. The only way we can fix a problem is if we know about it.

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