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| Bette Frick
The Text Doctor®
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| Free grammar training in 2012 |
Watch this monthly newsletter for these future lessons:
- Punctuation of vertical lists
- Parallelism
- Misplaced modifiers
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| What other free training would you like in 2012? |
I love it when you write to tell me your personal peeves about grammar. Please take this very brief poll, where you can suggest future grammar training.
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| Quote of the Month |
Will you tell me my fault, frankly as to yourself, for I had rather wince, than die. Men do not call the surgeon to commend the bone, but to set it, Sir.
Emily Dickinson 1830-1866
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| Yes, I have my own editor | |
Special thanks to my faithful editor, Liz Willis, who improves my newsletter every month. As I write, I think, "What would Liz do here?" and that helps me polish and correct my message.
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Quiz on placing punctuation
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How would you punctuate this sentence?
Ask the help desk for a "mainframe password reset"
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| The Text Doctor's Diagnosis
February 2012
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Greetings!
Happy Valentine's Day to the best and brightest readers in the world! |
Recently released: The Copyeditor's Handbook
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 The Copy Editor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 3rd edition, is a comprehensive resource for both new and experienced editors. The preface acknowledges the author's intent to help new copyeditors: "This handbook is addressed to new and aspiring copyeditors who will be working on nonfiction books, journal articles, newsletters, and corporate publications. . . [because style manuals] assume that their readers already understand what copyeditors do, why the rules matter, and how and when to apply, bend, or break the rules."
I would argue, however, that even established editors would benefit from this text as an overview and reminder of our complex tasks and decisions. It was good to see an acknowledgment of the intricacies of editorial judgment and to watch a professional walk through the research that informs her judgments. Even after years of editing, I learned something in every chapter I read.
My other argument with Amy Einsohn, the author, is that she has based the book on The Chicago Manual of Style, whose explicit purpose is to set style for academic publishing (specifically at the University of Chicago), not necessarily for "book publishing and corporate communications" as Einsohn has specified. I also wonder why she fails to mention The Gregg Reference Manual, my favorite style manual for all things business because it addresses far more relevant issues than does Chicago.
Nevertheless, Einsohn redeems herself with 15 editing exercises sprinkled throughout the chapters (the answers alone take up 66 pages). The richness of this book almost makes me wish that I would experience a very minor injury or illness that would sideline me for just one day so that I could curl up, finish the book, and take the quizzes.
The Copy Editor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 3rd Edition
Amy Einsohn
University of California Press
2011
About $15
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Results from January's quiz on the apostrophe to form contractions
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Thank you to the 76 readers who participated in January's quiz on the apostrophe to form contractions. The correct answer was:
"Let me know if it's still using all four drives or not."
and 96% of you chose the right answer!
Some suggested rewrites of this sentence were:
- "Let me know whether it is still using all four drives."
- "Let me know if it is still using all four drives."
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This month's grammar lesson: Placement of punctuation
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We have frequently discussed how important it is to choose the right form of punctuation and place it correctly within your sentences. Now you can learn how to place multiple items of adjacent punctuation correctly.
 Your reader will have less chance of being confused about your meaning when you place punctuation correctly next to other punctuation. In addition, you will look smarter when you apply these simple rules consistently.
Here are some examples of correctly placed punctuation:
- He said, "Today is the deadline."
- You must first list all the raw material (RM) and piece parts (PP).
- Fill in the "End" data field. (Anytime the screen displays a set of asterisks in the "End" data field, the process is actively engaging in assigning new data.)
- If you have questions about the transfer (XFR), call the help line.
- He mumbled, "I don't get it!"
- Can anybody really sing "The Star-Spangled Banner"?
- (By the way, what are the long-distance and local charges?)
- What are the shipping costs (UPS preferred)?
- We continue to grow and become more "lean"; as a result, we all have had to make sacrifices.
- She said, "The CEO warned us that we were facing an 'impossible dream.'"
- For Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs [which are the most common that we encounter]), the major source threshold is 100 tons/year.
 Did any of that punctuation placement cause you heartburn? If so, you might want to download my free chart of suggested placement of punctuation for further explanation.
And you can use the chart as a reference to take the quiz. The correct punctuation appears when you are done, and I'll post the answer in my next newsletter.
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Typo of the month
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Oops! A huge typo in the headline? Here's how to avoid typos in your own writing:- Print a copy (you will catch more errors on paper than onscreen).
- Put a ruler under each line.
- Touch each word and read each word slowly.
Proofreading slowly will help you find your mistakes before your readers do.
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I am offering two of my most popular webinars through other organizations this month. Join us if you can!
- Style Guides and Style Manuals: Virtual Tools in an Editor's (and Writer's) Toolkit: Thursday, February 23, 4 pm Eastern, Society for Technical Communication. Learn more here.
- Bite the Bullet
Breaking Through the Fog: How NOT to Kill Your Presentation with your Slides: Tuesday, February 28, 1 pm Eastern, Elsevier Business Intelligence. Learn more here.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth (Bette) Frick, PhD, ELS
The Text Doctor®
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