Delving into a word's etymology can be enlightening, disillusioning, and even fun. But sometimes, word histories can be misused for prescriptive purposes. The etymological fallacy is the argument that a word's "true" or "best" current meaning should be the same as its original meaning or the meaning … [Read more...]
Add Value with Niche Knowledge
I love it when a copy editor helps us save face. I’ve worked with a couple of really excellent copy editors—ones who showed me how it is possible to address a problem area with the lightest possible hand. They really respect the author’s voice (and I wasn’t always the author). I also appreciate the … [Read more...]
Behind the Tapestry: Editing Translated Text
Miguel de Cervantes compared translated text to the back side of a tapestry: although the figures are seen, he said, they are full of threads that obscure them. Mind you, he said that—or, rather, he had Don Quixote say it—in 16th-century Spanish. ¡Qué de habilidades hay perdidas por ahí! ¡Qué de … [Read more...]
The Difference between Incident and Incidence
Uh-oh. He did something stupid again, and in public. Forget worrying about who exactly he is — is this yet another incident or incidence? These two related words can be confusing for many, and their similarities can make it easy even for copyeditors to miss. Incidence is a mass noun that refers … [Read more...]
Thesaurus Magic in MS Word
Right-click on any word in an MS Word document and you’ll open a context menu full of actions related to that word. Synonyms is one of those options. While writers might use a thesaurus of synonyms to liven up their writing, editors can use synonyms to avoid repetition, surely, and also to find more … [Read more...]
5 More Pairs of Uncommon Confusable Words
"Commonly confused words" lists exist in excess online, and professional copyeditors make a point of internalizing those common word problems as a matter of professional development. No, what trips us up are the confusable words that are uncommon, like the ten words listed below. Good copyeditors … [Read more...]
Context Menus—Productivity Boosters
The context menu is a pop-up of options in any program that changes depending on what the mouse is pointing at when you open it. It is accessed by right-clicking on an object or area. The context menu (sometimes called the shortcut or pop-up menu) reveals options for whatever the mouse is pointing … [Read more...]
Collins, Oxford Kick Off Word of the Year Season 2018
Thanksgiving is great and all, but around here, November means one thing: Word of the Year Season. And while Americans were fussing and fretting over mid-term elections, across the Atlantic, Collins Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries quietly got the season started. Collins Dictionary Word of the … [Read more...]