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December 21, 2006: Issue 169

Be careful about using the term “pie-shape.” Pies are round. You probably mean “wedge-shape,”
like a slice of pie.

incorrect: The pie-shape lot is nestled at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.
correct: The wedge-shape lot is nestled at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

incorrect: This round ottoman splits into four pie-shape pieces.
correct: This round ottoman splits into four wedge-shape pieces.

Remember that as you slice your holiday dessert next week. Have a good one.

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November 30, 2006: Issue 166

We’re phasing out the phone number to order back issues of SIM titles. “To Better Serve You” columns (or mastheads) should include a Web address for back issues, but no phone number.

The general Web address for single-copy sales is www.bhg.com/sip. Click here to find Web sites for specific groups or individual titles.

Reminder: In print (cover overlines, mastheads, “To Better Serve You” columns, etc.), we’re still referring to ourselves as Special Interest Publications or SIP.

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December 7, 2006: Issue 167

No, we’re not talking about Lance and Reichen or Pam and Kid. These are pairs of words that are easily confused.

• insure/ensure
Insure means to protect against financial loss: The house was insured against flood damage.
Ensure means to make certain: Two coats of primer ensure the old color won’t show through.
TIP: Remember the word insurance as in insurance policy. If there’s no policy involved, you probably wantensure.

• gleam/glean
Gleam means to shine: She polished the faucet handles until they gleamed.
Glean means to gather: Glean ideas from magazines before you start shopping.
TIP: Think of Gleem toothpaste. Despite the double-e problem, they did get the m right. (Let’s hope you never have to gather your teeth.)

• jibe/jive
Jibe means to mesh: The dull colors didn’t jibe with her bright personality.
Jive means to swing: You gotta jump, jive, then you wail.
TIP: Try to associate the be in jibe with be in accord.

• forego/forgo
Forego means to go before: Having read the foregoing, do you understand the distinction?
Forgo means to go without: In this secluded house, he decided to forgo window treatments.
TIP: Remember that forgo goes without the e. Forego shares its fore with before.

• principle/principal
Principal means money or a leader: Pay a little extra on your mortgage each month, and you’ll pay off the principal much sooner. Uh-oh, the principal of Timmy’s school wants to meet with us.
Principle means a code or doctrine: Symmetry is one of his central design principles.
TIP: We give up. This one confounds people, and even Web 11 says simply, “If you are unsure which noun you want, read the definitions in this dictionary.” Anyone have a better system?

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November 16, 2006: Issue 165

Our online stylebook has a new name, a new address, and a new lookall to reflect the change of our department name from Special Interest Publications to Special Interest Media.

In our magazines, however, we’ll continue to refer to ourselves as Special Interest Publications or SIP. This goes for cover overlines, mastheads, “To Better Serve You” columns, and any other place our name might come up.

Routing tip: As we move into the season of holidays and vacation days, many of you will have special requests for routing your stories. (“Give my layouts to so-and-so the week of November 20,” “Give me a call at home when layouts come back from the freelancer,” etc.) Please write these requests directly on the routing slips and highlight them. That way the right person has the information at the right time, and we can honor your request.

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July 20, 2006: Issue 148

In letters and Q&A columns, identify people who wrote the submissions as completely as possible. Our preference is to use name, city, and state. Just a name or just a city and state will also suffice. (Sometimes location is more important than the writer’s name—in a gardening question that refers to specific climate concerns, for instance.) Whichever identification you choose, be consistent throughout the issue.

In some cases, such as a letter that refers to the writer’s health problems, identifying that person might not be appropriate. When there’s a compelling reason to do so, end the letter with “Name withheld by request.”

Do not use “via e-mail” in place of a location. E-mail correspondence has become so common that this attribution is meaningless. If the writer did not include her location in the original letter, verify it before publication.

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September 1, 2005: Issue 103

Foreign articles or prepositions as part of surnames (De Mille, Van Helsing, La Guardia) are confusing when it comes to capitalization. On first reference, follow the rules in Words into Type: Generally, capitalize those prepositions in the names of North Americans, unless the person in question has expressed a preference for lowercase. When the person prefers, lowercase the preposition when you use both first and last names.

correct: Designer Lynn von Kersting decorated this 1927 Beverly Hills home.

When you use the last name alone, however, capitalize the preposition.

incorrect: The decor reflects von Kersting’s singular talent.
correct: The decor reflects Von Kersting’s singular talent.

For more information on this topic than you could ever want, see Words into Type, “Part III: Copy-Editing Style,” under “Capitalization,” then “Proper Nouns and Adjectives.”

ON BHGstylebook.com: See other rules about capitalizing names.

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February 14, 2002: Issue 10

SIM STYLE: On nonsexist writing

Nonsexist writing is more than saying artisan instead of craftsman, or artificial instead of man-made. Avoiding more subtle sexism means avoiding making assumptions about readers.

We shouldn’t assume all readers are the same. Even if 80 percent of your readers are women, you risk alienating one-fifth of your audience if you gear a story toward women only. For our purposes in SIM, using gender-neutral terminology rarely affects the tone of a story.
INCORRECT: You and your husband
CORRECT: You and your spouse (or partner)

For more information, see Nonsexist Writing section in the SIM
Stylebook or Issue 37.

GRAMMAR: Hanging up
Which is it: “hanged” or “hung?” Unless Do It Yourself produces a “build
your own gallows in a weekend” project, we’re not likely to see hanged” in SIM. Reserve that word for executions; in all other cases, “hung” is the correct past tense of the verb hang.
INCORRECT: The children hanged the stockings with care.
CORRECT: The children hung the stockings with care.

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February 28, 2002: Issue 12

SIM STYLE: Photographer credits

We’ve been mangling quite a few photographer credits lately. Here are the correct credits for the ones that are most commonly mixed up:
Kim Cornelison
D. Randolph Foulds
Bob Greenspan
Hopkins Associates
Tim Murphy
Greg Scheidemann

If you don’t have an updated credits list in your SIM Stylebok contact Doug.

For more photographer credits see Issues 20, 26, 63.

GRAMMAR: Is it “all of” or just “all”?
Your eighth-grade English teacher who told you it was correct to take out the “of” was right. She just may not have told you there’s also nothing wrong with leaving it in. So choose whichever way sounds best to you—you can’t go wrong. As author Patricia O’Conner, an editor at The New York Times,says on the subject: “You can’t please all of the people all the time.”

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March 21, 2002: Issue 15

SIM STYLE: Is it “oil-based” or “oil-base” paint?
Oil-base paint and water-base paint, without the “ed,” are both correct.

GRAMMAR: How do I handle possessives for proper names
that end in “s”?
Simply add an apostrophe to the end. For the plural possessive form of
a name that ends in “s,” add an “es” followed by an apostrophe.
     incorrect: Jeffrey Marks’s house
correct: Jeffrey Marks’ house
correct:  The Markses’ house

One exception: Foreign words that end in a silent “s” take an apostrophe and an additional “s” in the possessive form.
correct: Des Moines’s only loft-style apartments

For more information, see Possessives section in the SIM Stylebook.

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March 28, 2002: Issue 16

SIM STYLE & GRAMMAR: When do I hyphenate multiple adjectives before a noun?
Anytime two or more adjectives modifying a noun are intended to work together as a single unit, called a compound modifier, hyphenate them. (Note: Occasionally, the compound modifier falls after a verb, usually “to be.”)
correct: the arch-top windows
correct: old-fashioned wainscoting
 correct: The kitchen was finally up-to-date.

But be careful. Multiple adjectives before a noun don’t always constitute a compound modifier. Sometimes, one of those adjectives is actually working independently with the noun, and adding a hyphen would change the meaning. (Note: If there’s a chance a reader may not understand the intended meaning, it’s probably best to rewrite the sentence for clarity.) Check out these examples:
• The new homeowner orientation is Saturday. (The orientation is new, intended for homeowners.)
• The new-homeowner orientation is Saturday. (The orientation is intended for new homeowners.)

SIM style recognizes some compound modifiers as well-known phrases that require no hyphenation. You’ll find a partial list in the Hyphens section in the SIM Stylebook, but others may be a judgment call.
correct: a glass block wall
correct: the folk art collection

One final point: Keep an eye out for modifiers that end in “ly.” They are generally adverbs and not hyphenated.
incorrect: the expertly-decorated showhouse
correct: the expertly decorated showhouse

For more information, see Hyphens section in the SIM Stylebook.

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