Tag Archives: style issues

Capitalizing Titles of Works

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

Some people prefer to capitalize each word of a title. But, if you need to learn the rules of the “up and down” style of titles, here is a guide. Section 8.157 of The Chicago Manual of Style lays out … Continue reading →

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When to italicize foreign words and phrases

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

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 →

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Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms, oh my!

Posted on October 11, 2011 by

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 →

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Simply dashing part three: the hyphen

Posted on September 6, 2011 by

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 →

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Simply dashing part two: the en dash

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

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 →

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