THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: Jobspeak, the Language of Work

July 8, 2014 by Wilf Popoff | 6 Comments on Wasted Words: Jobspeak, the Language of Work

At an age when young men are learning to shave, I was hanging out at police stations and courthouses. No, I wasn’t in trouble with the law. I was a newspaper reporter, writing about the legal problems of others and the policemen* who brought them to justice. In fact, the only crimes I committed were […]

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Anita Jenkins

Facts and Fiction: English, Cows and the TLS

July 2, 2014 by Anita Jenkins | 1 Comment on Facts and Fiction: English, Cows and the TLS

This is the first in our “Facts and Fiction” series of mini-book reviews. Each blog entry will briefly describe one non-fiction and one fiction title that might interest editors and other lovers of language. The Story of English By Robert McCrum, Robert MacNeil and William Cran (third edition). Penguin, 2002. I’ve always loved this book, […]

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Dominique Fortier

Les faux amis

June 24, 2014 by Dominique Fortier | Leave a Comment

Le mot le dit : des hypocrites, des spécialistes de l’esbroufe, des faux jetons. Ils font partie de notre paysage quotidien, nous collent aux baskets, nous jettent de la poudre aux yeux. Ils nous sourient, toujours prêts à nous aider, toujours disponibles. Ils ont l’air vrais, sincères, mais ce n’est que façade. En réalité, ils sont […]

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James Harbeck

There’s No Way to Truly Split an Infinitive | Linguistics, Frankly

June 17, 2014 by James Harbeck | Leave a Comment

You can’t split an infinitive. I don’t mean I don’t want you to. I don’t mean it’s not proper to. I mean it’s not possible to. This is for the same reason that I haven’t just broken one off three times, at the ends of the three preceding sentences. The English infinitive is one word. […]

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Anita Jenkins

Why Reading Is a Great Hobby for an Editor/Writer

June 10, 2014 by Anita Jenkins | 11 Comments on Why Reading Is a Great Hobby for an Editor/Writer

The biographies of skilled communicators often reveal a lifelong, serious reading habit. I don’t think this is a coincidence. I have read constantly and voraciously since the age of five, and I give that habit (addiction?) a lot of the credit for the writing and editing skills I have developed. Reading makes you smart Those […]

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Adrienne Montgomerie

Software for Editors

June 3, 2014 by Adrienne Montgomerie | 6 Comments on Software for Editors

The editing of words is well into the technological age now. While paper still exists, it would be surprising to find an editorial or production workflow that doesn’t involve computers. What programs are editors using? Editors I interviewed when writing the technology section for the third edition of EAC’s Editing Canadian English said this is […]

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: Careless Pirates

May 27, 2014 by Wilf Popoff | 4 Comments on Wasted Words: Careless Pirates

To create a great language simply plunder other tongues of their attractive words, assimilate them and profess longstanding ownership. English proves this. Oxford has half a million distinct words. Add technical and slang and you’ve topped one million, says the Global Language Monitor. Most are swag. Unfortunately, piracy can be thoughtless. We are all accomplices, […]

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Dominique Fortier

Tenir compte de l’ordre de gouvernement pour lequel on travaille

May 20, 2014 by Dominique Fortier | 1 Comment on Tenir compte de l’ordre de gouvernement pour lequel on travaille

Mis à jour le 23 mai 2014 On peut souvent avoir l’impression qu’il y a une faute ici ou là, selon la provenance du texte que l’on a sous les yeux. Et se demander ce qu’il faudrait écrire ou s’il faut corriger ceci ou cela. Eh bien! ça dépend. Les personnes qui rédigent, révisent ou […]

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Anna Williams

Cold Call Case Files

May 13, 2014 by Anna Williams | 1 Comment on Cold Call Case Files

Cold calling. I’ve heard arguments against it — it doesn’t generate work, it’s better to network in person, only word-of-mouth referrals reliably lead to jobs. But I haven’t yet discovered a downside. I can pick and choose all the companies I’d like to work for and start calling them. A phone call only takes a […]

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David Ritchie

Invisible Writing

May 6, 2014 by David Ritchie | 1 Comment on Invisible Writing

Thirty years ago, in his film Zelig, Woody Allen portrayed a “human chameleon” — a man who took on the personalities of people around him. A ghostwriter must be something like that: a “chameleon” who can write in the voice of any client. As a ghostwriter, you must convey your client’s message to the public. […]

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