I'm just a copy editor, standing in front of the Fediverse, begging people to stop separating subject from predicate with a comma, e.g.:
My friend from upstairs, visited me.
Just. Stop.
Please.
#GUMmyStuff
#GUMmyStuff
WHINY: characterized by whining (a whiny coworker)
WHINNY: a high-pitched sound made by a horse
#SpellcheckCannotSaveYou
#GUMmyStuff
TENET: A cornerstone of a system, often of belief or government
TENANT: One who pays rent to a landlord
(My off-the-cuff definitions. You want dictionary definitions, look 'em up.)
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
If you're using ellipses to indicate someone's speech trailing off, you don't need to add a tag to that effect. No need to say "Her voice trailed off." We see that with the ellipsis. (One ellipsis, two ellipses.)
You can, however, insert a beat like "took a slow […]
TIL that the noun form of "far-fetched" is
FARFETCHEDNESS
Don't take my word for it. Look it up in Merriam-Webster, the free online version.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/far-fetched
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
#GUMmyStuff #StyleMatters
GODS BLESS CMOS for finally saying we should capitalize the first word following a colon when it begins a sentence (as opposed to a list). I despised the previous guidance, which left far too much to judgment and left many a MS looking as if the editor was flip-flopping.
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
Remember that the subjunctive mood is used to indicate something that is not true/factual.
"If I were you . . ." I'm not, nor can I ever be.
This also includes "wishes, ... conjectures, ... demands, ... and suggestions" (Garner, The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and […]
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
In case you wondered, "home fries" is so styled. Open, no hyphen. Not a closed compound.
#ILearnThingsDaily
#AmEditing #GUmmyStuff
A general note on my method:
When I post about a grammatical thing, or a mechanical thing, I keep my focus on the specific issue at hand rather than making a larger-in-scope statement covering any related items.
Part of that is because I'm working, and I don't have […]
#GUMmyStuff
Remember: I'm an AmE user. I edit primarily in AmE. I am not qualified to speak to other Englishes' usage points.
(And if you question the existence of "other Englishes" aside from British, Canadian, and Australian, I implore you to educate yourself.)
#GUMmyStuff
"Insure" always involves money. You insure your car, your home, your life for a certain amount of money to be paid under specific circumstances.
"Ensure" involves making certain something happens, whether that's attaining a level of quality or graduating from high school or […]
You know you're an editor when
you get excited about preordering the 18th Edition of Chicago Manual of Style, the "most extensive revision" to the venerable guide in the last 20 years
#GUMmyStuff
#GUMmyStuff
NO, Word, one does not hyphenate compound adjectives formed with adverbs ending in -ly.
It's "fully formed." NO hyphen.
(Note that "family-style," however, is hyphenated because "family" isn't an adverb." Neither is "scholarly," as in "scholarly-looking.")
This guidance is true […]
#GUMmyStuff #AmEditing
Just added "fugued" to my project dictionary. As in, to fugue out, to dissociate, to lose time.
#GUmmyStuff #WritingStyle
The incautious reader might well think that all of those things went into the bag with the pork. But let's say (because I know what I mean to say, here) that those are served with the pork.
"Ingredients include a cup of rice, a handful of beans and a marinated pork […]
#GUMmyStuff #WritingStyle
Something I'm seeing lately, that I know isn't touched on in most GenEd English comp classes, is the nicety of putting the longer phrase/clause at the end of a list of such things.
It's especially nice if there's not a serial comma. Here's what I mean.
"Ingredients […]
#GUMmyStuff
Here's the thing, folks. If you're paid to follow a specific style, you follow it.
If you're like me and can make your own choices, make them. You can even mix and match: use the serial comma, and form possessives ending in S with a bare apostrophe (half Chicago, half AP).
Know […]
#AmEditing
@edibuddies
"raised its arms in a victorious roar"
I'm nearly certain its arms made no sound whatsoever. Maybe a pop from the shoulder joint.
Changing "in" to "with" fixes this one.
#GUMmyStuff
#AmEditing
Remember that single quotation marks aren't "quotes lite." They have purposes of their own separate from double quotation marks.
If you want to use quotation marks to set off a word-as-word, use double ones.
#GUMmyStuff
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
Put your important word/phrase at the end of the sentence or paragraph. The white space (either the single one after a period inside a paragraph or the larger one at the end of a paragraph) signals the reader to stop, however briefly, and lets them take in the words […]
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
I always counsel clients not to overuse expletive constructions. They have their uses, to be sure, but overuse leads to wordiness and lack of engagement for the reader.
https://grammargeddon.com/2013/10/21/expletive-deleted/
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
Doesn't matter how many times I see it. "Commingled" always looks *wrong.*
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
Lie (lay, lain): to rest or recline
She had lain in bed for days, too weak to move.
Lay (laid, laid): to put or place
He laid the pillow on the floor.
Just because I learned these in elementary school doesn't mean everyone did. I know I have an affinity for such […]
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
Use filter words carefully. I'm not saying not to use them. I'm saying think carefully before you use them.
"Hunger made her stomach rumble."
"Hunger rumbled in her stomach."
Which one is more immediate to you? (I'm not grading this, there's no test, it's just a […]
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
As reference to a non-binary individual who uses they/them, "themself" is correct.
Recall that "you" was originally plural, is now either plural or singular, and has two reflexive pronouns to match (yourselves, yourself). It's only a matter of time until "themself" is […]
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
With very few exception (mostly in academic style), terminal punctuation goes *inside* the quotation marks.
Colons and semicolons go outside
I've stopped counting how often I correct one of these errors.
#AmEditing #GUMmyStuff
Remember: RAISE is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object (raise the bridge, raise one's eyebrows). Raise, raised, have raised
RISE is an intransitive verb, so it does NOT take a direct object (the bridge rose, I watched her eyebrows rise). Rise, rose, have risen
#AmEditing
What Word really needs is a third English option for proofing. AmE and BrE aren't enough. We need CanE as well, because no, it's not enough like either of the other two.
It's a whole nother critter.
#GUMmyStuff
#AmEditing @edibuddies
It's also worth noting that in fiction, sometimes a well-placed run-on sentence is perfect, in context.
Following rules because they're rules is not the way.
#GUMmyStuff
Very important to note: I'm talking about actual misspellings, not differences in Englishes. This client is Canadian. They're not misspelling "colour." That's how they spell it; it stays.
#KnowYourEnglishes
#GUMmyStuff
