Copy-Editing Newsletter | March 2015
Stylebook Entries of Interest:
- Bulgur has a “tender, chewy texture and comes in coarse, medium and fine grinds,” and our preferred
spelling leaves out the “h.”
- Use italics for foreign words in running copy (articles and blog posts), and set song titles in quotation
marks.
- Get your green! St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Have you been wondering whether to use
“St. Patty’s Day” or “St. Paddy’s Day”? Check out the holidays entry in our stylebook for the answer.
- If you’re using the word “recreate,” I will bet you want to use a hyphen: “Re-create” means to create
anew. Use “recreate” in the sense of recreational physical activity. Re-create your favorite comfort foods
as lightened-up dinners.
Correct Spellings of Recently Misspelled Words:
hors d'oeuvre
kebab
lunchbox
paring knife
startup
timesaver, timesaving
Thoughts on Exclamation Points:
It’s important to avoid overuse of exclamation points. Follow AP’s guidelines:
EMPHATIC EXPRESSIONS: Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity or other strong
emotion.
AVOID OVERUSE: Use a comma after mild interjections. End mildly exclamatory sentences with a period.
PLACEMENT WITH QUOTES: Place the mark inside quotation marks when it is part of the quoted
material: "How wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Never!" she shouted.
Place the mark outside quotation marks when it is not part of the quoted material.
MISCELLANEOUS: Do not use a comma or a period after the exclamation mark:
Wrong: "Halt!", the corporal cried.
Right: "Halt!" the corporal cried.