Maintaining consistency throughout a text is a basic editing skill. The list of items to keep consistent is long and varied: capitalized words (Moon or moon, for example) numbers (when to use figures, when to use words, how to treat dates, times, etc.) abbreviations (when to use them, how to punctuate them, what articles to… Continue Reading
One of J. D. Salinger’s children once commented in an interview that getting the attention of the reclusive writer was difficult. Salinger apparently would not respond when one of his children said, “Dad?” Rather, he would wait for them to say whatever it was they wanted to say. Of course, thinking that he wasn’t listening,… Continue Reading
Hydro Ottawa recently sent out a flyer with a pretty serious typo: The peak billing period for electricity use is incorrectly stated. The flyer says 7 am to 11 pm instead of 7 am to 11 am. This error also occurs in the French translation. The director of communications says that one or two employees… Continue Reading
Most people are familiar with the problem of gender-biased language. Many terms have been changed to include both genders: mankind → humankind fireman → firefighter spokesman → spokesperson housewife → homemaker But do you notice anything wrong with the following sentences? One of the committee’s members was confined to a wheelchair. The First Nations kids… Continue Reading
When it comes to choosing the ten commandments of copy editing, number one is a no-brainer: Commandment #1 Thou shalt not introduce errors into a text. Just like a physician should do no harm to a patient, a copy editor should likewise do no harm to a text. (If you don’t appreciate the comparison of… Continue Reading
When it comes to campaigning, politicians market to voters just like businesses market to consumers. We voters are seen as taxpayers looking for the best bang for our buck, explains journalist Susan Delacourt in Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them. Delacourt was a guest today on CBC Radio’s “Ontario Today.”… Continue Reading
Ever since the days of Elaine Bennis’s employment with J. Peterman, I’ve thought it would be fun to write/edit copy for lifestyle brands. When reading product copy, I’ve often wondered, “Who came up with this schlock!” — in a charmed way, of course. We’ve all sat at the breakfast table slurping milk and cereal and… Continue Reading
Why did no one check the facts for this report? Why do the conference dates differ in different sections of the corporate newsletter? Why does your thesis contain so many internal inconsistencies? Why do our clients with vision loss complain that our online content is inaccessible? Didn’t you know we needed permissions for copyrighted material?… Continue Reading
Your writing has lost its flowjo. You’re in the subjunctive mood, but your verbs aren’t sensitive enough to follow suit. You’ve lost a large proportion of your readership due to the fact that you failed to eliminate completely the proliferation of technical language on your otherwise awesome blog on quantum physics. (Yeah, that’s right: You’ve… Continue Reading
The best thing about goodreads? The reviews! For every book I love or hate, a visit to goodreads is mandatory to confirm both my biases and the folly of those who have an opposing opinion. Recently I was checking out the reviews for Copernicus Avenue, and one reviewer lamented that the book was poorly copy… Continue Reading