Posts in category: Uncategorized

January 17, 2002: Issue 6

SIM STYLE: Why do the copy editors keep changing “chaise lounge” to “chaise longue”?
Because while the Americanized “chaise lounge” may be acceptable in many
corners, the French “chaise longue” is technically correct and more accurate for our purposes here in SIM. It should not be set in italic type.

For more information on how “chaise longue” became “chaise lounge,” go to
www.m-w.com/mw/textonly/wftw/51397.htm, or see Issue 49.

GRAMMAR: What are you talking about?
Are you itching to rewrite this to “About what are you talking?” Probably not; no one talks that way. Why, then, do we writers and editors take pains to avoid ending sentences with prepositions? Blame Robert Lowth, an 18th-century clergyman and amateur grammarian who established that guideline (even he never intended it as a hard-and-fast rule). For whatever reason, it stuck. Lowth’s logic was based on Latin grammar. But in English, it’s quite common for prepositions to fall naturally at the ends of sentences. Modern grammarians will tell you it’s also quite correct. Use your ear. Rewriting a sentence to avoid a terminal preposition does, in fact, sometimes make it more elegant. More often than not, however, it leaves you with a jumbled, contrived mess. Adopt Winston Churchill’s attitude on this “rule” (“This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put”), and simply write what sounds most natural.

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May 30, 2002: Issue 24

SIM STYLE: Are prefixes hyphenated?
In general, common prefixes are joined to words without hyphens. But add a hyphen if a prefix would create an ambiguous word or one that would make the reader hesitate.
correct: The designer created a semicircular arrangement in the living room.
correct: Walls of shelves hold their collection of nonfiction books.
correct: She recovered her grandmother’s wing chair from the storage room, then re-covered it in a floral chintz.
correct: He resides in a century-old home, which he re-sided.

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

GRAMMAR: Idiom Soup
Do you know these idioms?
 correct: anchors aweigh (not “away”)
correct: bated breath (not “baited”)
correct: beck and call (not “beckon call”)
correct: for all intents and purposes (not “intensive purposes”)
correct: without further ado (not “adieu”)

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June 20, 2002: Issue 27

SIM STYLE: Do we use accent marks on foreign words?
Yes. Pay particular attention that the right marks are used with the right letters. Misusing accent marks means a word is misspelled. Follow Webster’s 11th or an appropriate foreign-language dictionary for proper usage.

For a list of the most common accent marks and how to create
them in Word and Quark, see Accent Marks section in the SIM Stylebook.

GRAMMAR: Is there a difference between “despite” and “in spite of”?
Here’s what The Associated Press Stylebook says: “Despite means the same thing [as ‘in spite of’] and is shorter.”

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Issue 284 April 9, 2009

Woodburning is one solid word when it refers to the craft:
He took up woodburning to decorate his handmade chess boards.

Hyphenate it when you describe an oven or a fireplace:
A wood-burning pizza oven produces an exquisitely crisp crust.

Want to feel smart? Wheel of Fortune got the hyphen right in a segment last fall, but the contestants were stumped. Check out their guesses.

Want to feel even smarter? Watch Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestants struggle with simple punctuation and parts of speech.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions expressed by other viewers of these videos do not necessarily reflect the views or taste of Style on the Go or Special Interest Media.

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February 11, 2010: Issue 327

This week, instead of a style edict, were sending a valentine. Its to Jeff Deck.

Even if you dont recognize his name, Jeffs story is probably familiar: He and Benjamin Herson pleaded guilty of conspiracy to vandalize government property in 2008 after they fixed a typo on a sign at the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the hand-painted marker was considered a national historic landmark. Jeff and Benjamin were ordered to pay more than $3,000 in restitutionand to stay out of national parks for a year.

While we dont condone vandalism, we did send a little money to help defray the mens court costs. Thats how we ended up on the e-mail list for their Typo Eradication Advancement League, which recently relaunched its Web site.

If you consider yourself heroically persnickety (Jeffs fabulous phrase), show TEAL a little love. Join the crusade and find tidbits such as this one: Youre mom is a typo.

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December 6, 2007: Issue 216

A suffix can change a noun to an adjective. Function becomes functional, for instance. Instinct becomesinstinctive.

To take the word back to its noun form, delete the suffix. Don’t just tack another one on.

incorrect: Built-in storage packs a room with functionality.
correct: Built-in storage packs a room with function.

incorrect: Her instinctiveness told her something was wrong.
correct: Her instinct told her something was wrong.

Next week: More suffix pileups to avoid.

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SIM STYLE: How do I credit multiple photographers on one spread?
SIM has adopted the following style (please note punctuation and italicization):
Photographers: above, Ross Chapple; right and far right, Jay Graham; below, Jim Hedrich, Hedrich-Blessing.

For more information, see credits section in the SIM stylebook or Issue 63.

GRAMMAR: Is there a difference between e.g. and i.e.?
Yes. “E.g.” is short for the Latin exempli gratia, which means “for example.”
“I.e.” is much more specific, short for the Latin id est, meaning “that is.” Both phrases should be set off with commas.
 correct: Several Craftsman characteristics distinguish the home, e.g., clean lines and geometric patterns.
correct: One feature stands out in the foyer, i.e., the majestic Palladian window.

While these abbreviations can establish an air of authority in somewhat
technical writing, they tend to sound pretentious in conversational writing. Use them sparingly.

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August 28, 2008: Issue 253

As the nation turns its attention to Denver, we turn ours to some grammatical quirks at the top of the Democratic ticket.

In his first speech as the vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden demonstrated a fondness for the word literally.To his credit, he used the word correctly. (It means actually. It’s not simply a word of emphasis.) Still, three times in one paragraph and twice in one sentence is a bit much for any adverb. By the eighth time he said it, we were paying more attention to that word than to the content of his speech.

The presidential nominee, Barack Obama, has a habit of repeating the word is unnecessarily. Some examples, all actual quotes from Obama:

• “The truth is, is that our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when theres not evidence of that in their daily lives.”
• “The fact is, is that Im mindful that weve got to keep our capital gains tax to a point where we can actually get more revenue.”
• “Part of my message is, is that both sides of the Atlantic are going to have to do some hard work.”

In all those cases, a single linking verb is enough:

• The truth is that our challenge is …
• The fact is that I’m mindful …
• Part of my message is that …

We believe in equal time here at Style on the Go. The Republicans’ turn is coming.

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February 7, 2002: Issue 9

SIM STYLE: The 411 on phone numbers
SIM style uses a slash, not parentheses, to set off area codes in phone numbers. Omit the initial 1 that signifies long-distance and toll-free numbers.
However, do include the 011, set off by a slash, to signify an international number.
incorrect: 1-800-474-5568
incorrect: (800) 474-5568
correct: 800/474-5568
correct: 011/44-870-1600-333

It’s also SIM style to use numerals, not letters, in phone numbers. Acronyms can be helpful for remembering phone numbers, but readers seeing a number in print need not rely on memory. Forcing them to search for letters on the keypad is probably more frustrating than it is helpful.
incorrect: 800/845-SILK
correct: 800/845-7455

For more information, see Telephone numbers in the Numbers section of the SIM stylebook.

GRAMMAR: A(n) obvious choice
In most cases, the choice between the articles “a” and “an” is clear. But for those words that muddy the waters, pay more attention to how the word sounds than how it is spelled in choosing the proper article. Use “a” if the word starts with a sounded h (as in history or hotel) or a long u (as in university or European). Use “an” if the word starts with a silent h (as in hour or honor) or a short u (as in uncle or umbrella).
incorrect: Tucked into an historical area
correct: Tucked into a historical area

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