Style Guides

Do you need to take an editing test? How are words defined in a dictionary? Can you start a sentence with and? These questions and more are answered in today’s News Roundup.

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Do you need to take an editing test for a new client or job? What else can you do to demonstrate your skills? Rich Adin discusses both in “The Business of Editing: Editing Tests.” (An American Editor)

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In today’s News Roundup: will newspapers ever learn? Plus Statistics for Editors, style guide advice, and your Friday bonus.

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John McIntyre explains why thinning the editorial ranks is a bad thing in “The Thinning Ranks.” (You Don’t Say)

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Today’s News Roundup makes the point that language does not regulate thought. Plus, a look at nauseous, rend, and more.

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Just because a language lacks a word doesn’t mean it lacks a concept. Read more in “No Words for Individual Rights.” (Johnson)

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Before you start the week, copyeditors, read Carol Saller’s article on backing up your work files.

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Don’t lose your work; back it up! Carol Saller offers a couple of easy options in “Losing Is for Losers: It’s Easier Than Ever to Back Up Your Work.” (Lingua Franca)

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If you wonder about midsized, business jargon, or the history of language, this News Roundup is for you.

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The Yahoo! Style Guide explains its preference for medium-sized in “Which Is Correct: Mid-Sized Enterprises, Mid-Size Enterprises, or Medium-Sized Enterprises?” (Ask an Editor)

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In today’s News Roundup, a caution to keep your writers from becoming parrots, plus usage lessons, a quiz, and your Friday bonus.

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Bill Walsh explains why J.C. Penny is not “permanently cutting its prices” in “Penny Want a Cracker?” (Blogslot)

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Today’s News Roundup offers lessons in nouning adjectives, that versus which, and more. Plus the Superb Owl Bar.

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It’s true that words can change from one part of speech to another, but that’s no excuse for applying the wrong word at the wrong time. Read more in “The Nouning of Adjectives.” (Angry Sub-Editor)

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In today’s News Roundup, we look at hyphen and comma usage, neither-nor, and more.

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“When a Compound Noun Is an Adjective, Does It Have to Be Hyphenated?”: Different style guides have different hyphenation rules. Yahoo outlines a few for you. (Ask an Editor)

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In Today’s News Roundup, we examine evidence for singular they being grammatical, plus style and usage tips and more.

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Declare that they can be used to stand for a singular subject, and you’ll have a fight on your hands. But linguist Geoffrey Pullum gives solid evidence that singular they is grammatical in “Dogma vs. Evidence: Singular They.” (Lingua Franca)

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