In this post, I show an intuitive way to show only the track changes in a minimum manner possible.
A track changes hack and a course announcement
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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?
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.
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.
Dead Giveaways That an Author Is Indian
Is “updation” even a word? Is the antonym for “postpone” “prepone”? Read on to find how Indian English has added some spice to the English language.
Setting Up MS Word for Editing – Global
Microsoft Word is almost the undisputed king as writing and editing platform. There is more to this than meets the eye. Word offers fantastic features that can help editors make editing more fun. This post is about making some global settings for Word, irrespective of the project.
Google search: there is more to it than meets the eye
Searching the Internet is an art. Almost anyone with an Internet connection has used a search engine at least once. If you are a professional editor, hundreds of times a day! But has your search always gave what you wanted? Have you ever tried "GRT" to find...