Author: Murugaraj

Appositives, the twins of Grammarville

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!

Understanding subject–verb agreement

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

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

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: The basics

Preparing a copyeditor’s résumé: The basics

Screening résumé 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.

Play this odd-one-out game in spelling variations

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

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?

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

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

Week 01, Day 01: Publishing for the masses 

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...

Crossword: US and UK English

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

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.

Find and Replace Like a Pro Using Wild Cards in MS Word

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

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

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.

Subscribe to receive the latest news and updates