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Ask an Editor: Punctuation with Parentheses
Every Friday I plan on answering a writing or editing question I've received via social media—or submission on this site. Today's topic? Those lovely curvy marks known as parentheses. Can you provide a refresher on how to handle punctuation with parentheses? Sure thing! Parentheses function like a stronger pair of commas—or em dashes—and set off…
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BuzzFeed, Editing Peeves, and Split Infinitives
What—editors have grammar and style peeves? You must be shocked. Emmy Favilla from BuzzFeed asked ACES2015 attendees to write down their editing peeves as they relate to grammar or usage and used them to create a whiteboard post. As you may suspect, she had an eager audience. Even I made it on there. I’ve got…
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Grammar Day 2015
On March 4, word nerds, grammar gurus, and language artists collectively brandish their red pens to celebrate National Grammar Day. But I get a little nervous when self-described sticklers and grammar police make finding typos and rule breakers their singular cause—the goal almost always seems to embarrass, not aid. And yet, I’ve cheered grammatical goofs.…
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Breaking the Rules
Have you ever encountered a work rule so ridiculous, arbitrary, and inflexible that you want to shoot yourself or someone else into the sun at the earliest opportunity? Me too. But before you start crafting your solar cannons, put down your spanners and reassess: what’s the genesis of the offending rule? In some circumstances, hard…
