Monthly Archives: May 2011

Military titles and AP Style

Posted on May 30, 2011 by

Since today is Memorial Day, a U.S. holiday commemorating soldiers who died in the line of duty, we’ll be discussing military titles and their abbreviations. The Associated Press Stylebook lists rules to follow when referring to military titles. 1. Capitalize … Continue reading →

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Fewer Versus Less

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

Lesson: Using fewer and less in comparisons When you break it down, figuring out whether to say fewer or less is simple. Here are the rules: Use fewer with objects you can count. Use less with objects you can’t count. … Continue reading →

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Pedant: A Personal Story

Posted on May 19, 2011 by

pedant: 1. a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning 2. a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details 3. a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense –dictionary.com I remember being … Continue reading →

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Fortnight and Four Score

Posted on May 16, 2011 by

Lesson: Understanding uncommon names for units of time Most units of time are easy enough to grasp. Day, week, hour. Yeah, got it. We learned that in first grade. But when it comes to more obscure terms, it’s easy to … Continue reading →

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Editorial Brain Dump #1

Posted on May 9, 2011 by

Here are ten things I’ve learned in my editorial adventures over the last week. 1. Foolhardy is one word. 2. Matter-of-factly is hyphenated. 3. Weeble is a product name, not just a fun word to say. 4. Scot-free, is spelled … Continue reading →

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