A subscriber wrote in to ask for our input on how to style Facebook’s Like. Should it be enclosed in quotes? Capped? Can it be used as a verb? If so, should the verb be capped? This confusion results when a company uses an everyday word prominently in its business. (We also get related questions … [Read more...]
Camel Case in Canada, Eh?
Initial case, Title Case, and Sentence case are all headline styles that editors are accustomed to using. Enter the digital age, the age of URLs, and we find ourselves dealing with a new creature of capitalization: CamelCase. Camel Case is the term given to those trade names that have mid-word … [Read more...]
Lost in transcription
Punctuation is for writing, not speaking. Although we might emphasize spoken sarcasm with finger-made air scare quotes, we probably wouldn’t mention commas or say, “I love you, period.” (Unless you’re singing along with Dan Bard and Homemade Sin). But a new dictation feature on Google Docs will … [Read more...]
Capital Headlines, Eh?
Capitalization rules are second only to hyphenation in their ability to drive an editor batty. There are only two universal rules I can find: Capitalize the first word. Don’t capitalize the unless it’s the first word. The title capitalization website provides a handy tool for automatically … [Read more...]
Canadian Acronym Styling, Eh?
Shortened forms of words are common and often more familiar than the fully spelled-out words. Other times, the shortened form is just easier to process after introducing the lengthy and complex full term. Other reasons to use shortened forms include voice, reading level / readability, and space. … [Read more...]
Timely Style Help from AP Stylebook
Whether your publication style follows the Associated Press Stylebook closely, loosely, or not really at all, AP's online topical guides can be a helpful resource. Your everyday editing involves a hefty scholarly tome and the Chicago Manual of Style, but you’re still the person a boss or … [Read more...]
Making Sense of Title Style Rules
One copyediting task that should be easy but can be a nightmare is how to capitalize the titles of works, such as books, magazines, articles, and songs—what The AP Stylebook refers to as “compositions.” The task should be as simple as following a manuscript’s style guide, applying either sentence … [Read more...]
Hockey Style in Canada
You may have heard that there’s nothing more Canadian than hockey. Eh? Not only is it that time of year, but hockey has been in the news because of some big competition and because of the city of Cornwall tearing down a front-yard rink due to bylaw violations. So let’s talk hockey talk. Only one … [Read more...]