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Tag Archives: style issues
When to italicize foreign words and phrases
Every once in a while, it feels good to add a snooty foreign word or phrase to your writing. I mean, what would the writing world be without a little je ne sais quoi? However, there are rules about how … Continue reading
Posted in copy editing, style issues
Tagged Chicago Manual of Style, copy editing, foreign language, French, German, italicize foreign words, Latin, style issues, word usage
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Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms, oh my!
Lesson: learning the difference between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms What is an abbreviation? An abbreviation is any shortened word or phrase. Examples: bldg. dr. prof. lb. tsp. What is an acronym? An acronym is a type of abbreviation. However, to … Continue reading
Posted in copy editing, semantics
Tagged abbreviations, acronyms, copy editing, initialisms, style issues, word usage
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Simply dashing part three: the hyphen
Welcome back for our final installment from the horizontal language department. Previously we discussed the em dash and the en dash. Today we will learn about the shortest in the dash-like family, the hyphen. Hyphen basics Hyphens link: a prefix … Continue reading
Posted in copy editing, punctuation
Tagged Chicago Manual of Style, copy editing, hyphen, prefix, style issues, suffix, word usage
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Simply dashing part two: the en dash
In part two of this series, we have reached the middle of our longest to shortest dash/hyphen set. The en dash: not quite an em dash, not quite a hyphen, and not quite as useful as either. I’m really selling … Continue reading
Posted in copy editing, punctuation, style issues
Tagged Chicago Manual of Style, copy editing, dates, en dash, punctuation, style issues
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Simply dashing part one: the em dash
Welcome to part one of a three-part series about horizontal fun in the punctuation department: the em dash, the en dash, and the hyphen. Through this series, you’ll learn the difference between these marks and when to use which one. … Continue reading
Gadhafi? Qaddafi? Kadafi? The spelling mystery revealed!
You say Moamar el Gaddafi. I say Moammar Khadafy. Somebody says Moamer El Kazzafi?! According to an ABC news blog, there are at least 112 ways to spell the Libyan leader’s name. With the continuation of the United States’ and … Continue reading
Posted in foreign language, in the news
Tagged AP Style, Arabic, style issues, translation
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