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Working with editorial preferences (pet peeves)
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “peeves” as “a feeling or mood of resentment” or “a particular grievance or source of aggravation”. But how does this term apply to editing? We will discuss this in this post. If you ask any copyeditor about their very first...
Appositives, the twins of Grammarville
Imagine this village, Grammarville, with three pairs of twins who’re like the grammar concept called appositives: the Siamese twins – super attached, just like how necessary appositives are for a sentence’s meaning; non-identical twins – not-so-tied, giving extra details like non-restrictive appositives; and mischievous identical twins ¬– context, like knowing which twin’s who, decides their use. Identifying twins needs attention – so is the case for editors!
Using boldface for formatting
Three common types of formatting followed in the publishing industry are italics, boldface, and underlines. In a previous post, we discussed the role of italics in formatting text. In this post, let’s discuss some occurrences where boldface is used. Headings As you...
Understanding subject–verb agreement
The principle behind subject–verb agreement is simple. But ensuring subject–verb agreement is not as easy as it sounds. Errors in agreement can occur because the writer or editor is unaware of the specific rules of subject–verb agreement. Even for those who know the rule, mistakes can happen due to typos, oversight, or rushing through the editing process.
Mastering article usage in English
To approach this linguistic challenge with clarity and precision, we break down the learning process into three distinct categories: correctness, conventions, and context. These three dimensions provide unique insights into the rules that govern articles, the idiomatic expressions that shape their usage, and the dynamic contextual cues that guide their application. By understanding the different layers of article usage, one can systematically approach the learning of article usage.
Using Italics for Formatting
Italic type is a style of font where the letters are slanted to the right. It is commonly used in typesetting for various purposes. Here are some general conventions regarding the use of italics. Emphasis: Italics are often used to emphasize or highlight a particular...
Preparing a copyeditor’s résumé: Adding relevant information
A résumé is not a place where you showcase all your talents. Be picky about which skills, accomplishments, and hobbies you include based on the role you are applying for.
Preparing a copyeditor’s résumé: The basics
Over the past two years, I have been an independent hiring consultant for typesetting companies, screening résumés and interviewing candidates for the role of copyeditor. My previous stints as a copyediting manager also included interviewing and recruiting candidates, which meant that when it was recruitment time, I reviewed a lot of résumés. The screening process is usually an elimination process: with a quick glance, any résumé with spelling mistakes, wrong use of capitalization, messed-up margins, weird spacing, and irregular font sizing would scream for elimination – in that order. When it comes to résumé writing, these small details might disclose how much effort you put in – or did not put in.
Experimenting to write a creative post using ChatGPT
Will artificial intelligence, most commonly identified with ChatGPT, take away the jobs of editors and writers? How much will a human being relevant in the creation of written work? Here is an illustration of what ChatGPT could do to writers.
A track changes hack and a course announcement
In this post, I show an intuitive way to show only the track changes in a minimum manner possible.
Play this odd-one-out game in spelling variations
Odd-one-out exercises can be beneficial for learning for several reasons. They encourage critical thinking, improve observation skills, enhance memory retention and make learning fun. Here is one from our course on spelling variations.
Practice quiz on identifying the head noun
As is the design of our courses, theoretical learning should be accompanied by practice so that you have understood the concept well. So, here is a quiz – or as we call it in our courses, a practice paper – to reinforce your understanding.
How to identify the head noun in a noun phrase or clause?
A common problem a copyeditor faces is the identification of the right subject for the verb. As easy as it seems, even careful copyeditors may fail to recognize the lack of agreement between a subject and its verb because of the intervening phrases and clauses. By systematically approaching the subject phrase, we can identify the head noun of a noun phrase easily as explained in this post.
Spot the difference, 01
Grab your magnifying glass, get ready to flex those spot-the-difference muscles and enjoy a laugh-out-loud journey through the quirky world of American and British English
What’s modern about modern comments?
OK, I confess. I don’t like the name “modern comments” when MS Word introduced this new feature. Do you want to know why?
Week 01, Day 02: The Golden Triangle of Publishing
As we saw in our previous post, the early days of publishing did not possess any niche. In fact, there was no need considering that what was primarily published was religious documents and decrees and royal proclamations. A publisher is just a publisher. We may easily...
Which indefinite article goes before an abbreviation?
Seemingly simple decisions such as which indefinite article will go before a word can quickly turn into a difficult choice. While editors and most authors have mastered this decision-making, sometimes even experienced editors may stumble into a problem when an abbreviation is encountered.
Week 01, Day 01: Publishing for the masses
What is the connection between a goldsmith and the history of publishing? As you keep thinking, let me tell you that tracing the history of publishing is not an easy task considering that the single act of publishing has branched out not just in terms of what is...
AutoCorrect: a quick and easy way to insert phrases in MS Word
As editors/writers, we constantly come across instances of repeatedly typing some strings /phrases. It is painful, time-consuming, and error-prone. Is there a way to make this process quick, easy and error-free?
English and its major variants
Most of us are familiar with at least two variants of the English language: North American and British. You would be surprised to know there are countless variants. A simple scroll in your ‘setting the language preference’ in MS Word will let you know the numerous variants of English extant today.
Crossword: US and UK English
Your favourite crossword section is back! Here is a crossword on UK and US variants of English. The level is basic. Enjoy solving this puzzle as we work on creating more.
Crossword 08: US and UK English
Your favourite crossword section is back! Here is a crossword on UK and US variants of English. The level is basic. Enjoy solving this puzzle as we work on creating more.
Factoring quadratic expressions and designing an online course
What could your ninth standard teacher teach about training? Here is an interesting story of how my math teacher taught me to design our online course.
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A New Course Is Born
This New Year has made one of my dreams come true. It also offers you an opportunity to realize your own. Why wait?
Find and Replace Like a Pro Using Wild Cards in MS Word
I conducted an online session on using wild cards in MS Word. In this 2-hour-long session, I introduced the various wild card characters by actually using them in some editing-life situations. I am really glad and excited that the session was very well received, and here are some of the comments from the participants.
Have you tried our sample copyediting lesson yet?
Last week our first ever copyediting course was launched, specifically aimed at those who aspire to become a language editor in India. I am excited more about the features we have built into the course: thoughtfully designed modules, plenty of practice papers,...
A mind map for subject–verb agreement
There has been a lot of activity since the announcement about our first course, Essentials of Language Editing, was made. It is encouraging and exciting to see that a good number of editors and aspiring editors have shown interest in the sample lesson on subject–verb...
Using a Copyediting Style Sheet
Watch and learn about style sheets and how they can make you an editor extraordinaire. Download a style sheet template that you can use for your editing work.
Do you use these spell-checking dictionaries for MS Word?
In a recent session on using custom dictionaries, one participant asked what dictionaries are available for MS Word’s spell-checking. Here are some suggestions.