by Priya Murmu Editing content across English variants can be a daunting task. You scratch your head while staring at the screen, pondering whether the word should be spelled dialogue or dialog, dreamt or dreamed, or whether the period should fall inside or outside of the quotation marks. Then, you spend quite some time browsing … Continue reading Editing Across English Variants: Parallels and Polarities
Tag: language
On Italicizing Non-English Words
by Natalia Iwanek Over the past decade, there has been ongoing debate about the use of italics as a style choice for non-English words or phrases that may not be familiar to – what is often considered – the monolingual audience of the North American English-language writing, editing, and publishing industries. This is of particular … Continue reading On Italicizing Non-English Words
Editors Advise: Dealing with Your Clients
In this series, Editors Toronto members and BoldFace contributors share their experiences, insights, and tips on the practical aspects of working as an editor or writer. In the previous edition of “Editors Advise,” six editors recommended their go-to websites and books on grammar and style. This time we zero in on the editor-client relationship: handling … Continue reading Editors Advise: Dealing with Your Clients
Book Review: Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar by David Crystal
Crystal against crystallization by James Harbeck (Oxford University Press, 2017) How can we have crystal-clear language spoken by people with a crystal-clear understanding of how it works? For one thing, don’t try to crystallize it—just Crystal-ize. Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar, by David Crystal, is for anyone who wants to get Crystal … Continue reading Book Review: Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar by David Crystal
Book Review: The Story of Be: A Verb’s-Eye View of the English Language by David Crystal
(Oxford University Press, 2017) By Christine Albert Some words are so familiar that it feels as though we instinctively know what they mean. And when we don’t, we use a dictionary to read its definition and determine how it can be placed alongside other words to form cohesive narratives. But how often do we think … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of Be: A Verb’s-Eye View of the English Language by David Crystal
The Nitpicker’s Nook: November edition
The Nitpicker’s Nook is a monthly collection of language-related articles, interviews, blog posts, and podcasts. If you read or hear something that would make a good addition, email your suggestion to [email protected]. By Carol Harrison Need a five-minute break from hacking and chopping and cursing the English language? Open Culture features a short lesson by … Continue reading The Nitpicker’s Nook: November edition
The Nitpicker’s Nook: early October edition
The Nitpicker’s Nook is a monthly collection of language-related articles, interviews, and blog posts. If you read something that would make a good addition, email your suggestion to [email protected]. By Carol Harrison Thanks to Sara Scharf for her contributions and to Deven Knill for the lovely new banner image! Blimey! The Guardian’s Mona Chalabi … Continue reading The Nitpicker’s Nook: early October edition
Report on ACES 2017 in St. Petersburg, Florida
By Berna Ozunal This year, 591 people travelled to St. Petersburg, Florida, for the annual American Copy Editors Society (ACES) conference held from March 23 to 25 at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront Hotel—the second-highest attendance ever. I went to St. Pete’s for a few reasons this year: I enjoyed last year’s conference in Portland … Continue reading Report on ACES 2017 in St. Petersburg, Florida
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