Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Are sub-editing and proofing dying skills?
Tags: grammar, proofing, subedit
- Effect is a noun, affect is a verb
- Blatantly, obviously and essentially are all filler words and can almost always be deleted
- Apostrophes – learn how to use them. There can be no excuses
- Never use the word miracle unless divine intervention can be proven before a jury
- 020 7494 6570 not 0207 494 6570. That’s our switchboard number by the way if you want to ring us
- Companies are singular. It not they, or them
- Bullet points and items in a list should never end with a full stop. Notice that they aren’t here
- More than, not over
- One to nine spelled out, 10 upwards in digits
- Web site is two separate words
Tags: grammar, proofing, subedit
Comments:
If website is supposed to be 'web site' it's certainly not the norm.
This might seem a bit of a cowboy (or is that cow boy?) trick but in times of confusion I do a bit of crowdsourcing using Google.
In this case I'd put into Google 'website' and see how many results it pulls up:
Website = 1,720,000,000
And then:
Web site = 683,000 000
(Note: I put "web site" in quotes to make the search specific.)
Generally I'll go with whichever has the most results. As long as there's a big enough gap between the two of course.
This might seem a bit of a cowboy (or is that cow boy?) trick but in times of confusion I do a bit of crowdsourcing using Google.
In this case I'd put into Google 'website' and see how many results it pulls up:
Website = 1,720,000,000
And then:
Web site = 683,000 000
(Note: I put "web site" in quotes to make the search specific.)
Generally I'll go with whichever has the most results. As long as there's a big enough gap between the two of course.
As a pedant myself, I think the first nine points are spot on. Their whole point is achieving clarity and simplicity.
But I'd disagree with the last one. Do the subs team insist on calling blogs 'web logs'? Usage always converges to the simplest form, as long as consensus allows it. There's no point being pedantic for the hell of it.
Glad you pointed out the crowdsourcing option Ste, I do that too.
The Economist Style Guide is good. A couple of even better points of reference are Strunk & White's 'Elements of Style', and Orwell's essay 'Politics and the English Language'.
Nice post though -- we need to fight the corner for subbing and proofing before it dies out, and all we have left is a world of gobbledegook...
But I'd disagree with the last one. Do the subs team insist on calling blogs 'web logs'? Usage always converges to the simplest form, as long as consensus allows it. There's no point being pedantic for the hell of it.
Glad you pointed out the crowdsourcing option Ste, I do that too.
The Economist Style Guide is good. A couple of even better points of reference are Strunk & White's 'Elements of Style', and Orwell's essay 'Politics and the English Language'.
Nice post though -- we need to fight the corner for subbing and proofing before it dies out, and all we have left is a world of gobbledegook...
# posted by 
: 10:45 AM
: 10:45 AM
Must be a week for us grammar geeks, Stephen, since I've seen several posts over the past few days from bloggers on both sides of the pond. I'm always encouraged to see others weigh in on the merits of proper use of language; it's a consistent theme on our blog.
And I'd have to agree with your other two comments -- I now tend to spell it website. I may be a pedant but I haven't stopped evolving.
And I'd have to agree with your other two comments -- I now tend to spell it website. I may be a pedant but I haven't stopped evolving.
Glad to see it's 020 not 0845.
To derail slightly, phoning PR agencies on an 0845 number galls enormously.
Stephen Davies is a popularist tart and needs to grow some balls. The right way of doing things isn't decided on a vote. (I love him dearly, needless to say.)
To derail slightly, phoning PR agencies on an 0845 number galls enormously.
Stephen Davies is a popularist tart and needs to grow some balls. The right way of doing things isn't decided on a vote. (I love him dearly, needless to say.)
The FT style guide seems to be the PR norm but The Times is The Daddy and far better thought out. Plus the FT seems to be brilliant at breaking its own rules daily.
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