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October 31, 2002: Issue 42

SIM STYLE: Do I repeat a niche cap as the first letter of body copy?
It depends.
• When using a true drop cap, where text wraps around the niche, there’s no reason to repeat that letter at the beginning of body copy.
• When a shaded niche cap is used graphically behind the text, do repeat that letter at the beginning of body copy.
Note: When the word “a” begins a story with a drop cap, insert a thin space at the beginning of body copy.

GRAMMAR: What’s the difference between “like” and “such as”?
The distinction is largely ignored nowadays, but it’s one worth getting right in good writing. An easy way to remember which is which, as a general rule, is this: Use “like” when making comparisons; use “such as” when giving examples.
Why? “Like” excludes the subsequent items; “such as” includes them.
correct: The couple wanted a bath like the one at their favorite Arizona resort.
correct: They included amenities such as a whirlpool bath, a radiant-heat floor, and towel warmers.
correct: In the garden, they sought plant combinations like those they had
seen in England.
correct: Traditional plant combinations, such as delphiniums and roses, helped them achieve the cottage-          garden look.

You’ll notice that in the examples above, one “such as” phrase is set off by commas but the other isn’t. Next week, we’ll look at the reasons why.

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January 29, 2009: Issue 275

Use -ed in a compound adjective when you’re describing modification to an existing object:
walnut-stained cabinets
a granite-topped buffet

The cabinets and the buffet were there before the stain was applied or the granite was placed.

When you name an integral quality, however, don’t use -ed:
nine-pane windows
a barrel-vault ceiling

There was no window until the panes came together. The ceiling was built as a barrel vault; it wasn’t built flat and then vaulted.

Note that this rule applies to compound modifiers. A single word in a similar construction often requires the -ed:
paned windows
a vaulted ceiling

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November 24, 2009 – Issue 316
Last week we asked you to break down this sentence:

Thank you very kindly.

The key is the understood subject I:

(I) Thank you very kindly.

See this sentence parsed and diagrammed.

We use sentences with understood subjects every day, but the subject is usually you:

(You) Have a great Thanksgiving!

Winners: Prizes go to Mark Filip, Talley Sue Hohlfeld, Gretchen Kauffman, Marie McCartan, and Wes Sedrel. (Way to go, Dad!)

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November 5, 2009: Issue 313

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July 6, 2006: Issue 146

We’ve added a Creative Collection section, with its own word list.

Here are some updates we made as we reconciled our word lists:

pom-pom (all uses)
pearl cotton
tea-dyeing
terry cloth (n, adj)
Venise lace
lampshade

And a couple of exceptions that remain in place:

card stock: two words except in scrapbooking titles, where it’s one word, solid
facelift: one word except in Creative Collection titles, where it’s hyphenated

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June 15, 2006: Issue 143

Use a dollar sign when you refer to a specific amount of money.
incorrect: The dresser cost 35 dollars at a flea market.
correct: The dresser cost $35 at a flea market.

Spell out the word “dollars” in more general usage.
correct: She knew how to save a few dollars.

When you give a price range, use the dollar sign on both sides of the en dash.
incorrect: $40-50
correct: $40-$50

Always spell out the word “cents” in text. The ¢ symbol is acceptable in tables and charts.

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November 21, 2002: Issue 44

SIM STYLE: Word List Spotlight: A–B
Do you know SIM style on these 10 commonly misused words?
• aboveground (one word as adjective); above ground (two words as adverb)
• au courant (not “current”)
• audiovisual (one word)
• au naturel (not “natural”)
• barstool (one word)
• beaded board (not beadboard)
• bed skirt (two words)
• belowground (one word as adjective); below ground (two words as adverb)
• berber (lowercase)
• Btu; Btus (note capitalization)

GRAMMAR: Because of/due to: What’s the difference?
If you can naturally ask why in a sentence, use “because of.”
correct: They added garden tours [Why did they add tours?] because of increased interest.
correct: They lowered the planned roof height [Why did they lower the roof height?] because of new building codes.

In cases where a sentence construction doesn’t allow you to ask why, use “due to.”
correct: The increased interest [We can’t question why here.] was due to a recent magazine article.
correct: The new building codes [We can’t question why here.] are due to a recent review by the city.

Note: Let a linking verb (is, are, was, were, etc.) tip you off. In this construction, “due” is an adjective, so “due to” can’t follow anything other than a linking verb.

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November 19, 2009: Issue 315

With Thanksgiving approaching, let’s look at how to treat some terms that express gratitude:
gracias
merci
ta
thanks
thanksgiving (the act)
Thanksgiving (the holiday)
Thanksgiving Day
thank-you (n. or adj.)

Contest: We’ll give a prize to anyone who can parse or diagram this sentence: “Thank you very kindly.” E-mail your answer or deliver it to the CE in box by 5 p.m. Friday.

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