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Don’t Tick People Off, and Other Tips for Writing and Editing Web Copy

Tuesday October 14, 2014

If you’re writing or editing copy destined for the web, know this: People don’t read. They don’t even finish what they’re not reading. Instead, they scan for answers and, with any luck, take action based on what they find. It’s less about the journey, more about the destination. Your mission, then, is to pave and […]

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Rosemary Shipton

Twelve-Step Editing

Tuesday November 4, 2014

One project, one editor — that’s the norm in Canada today. Only a few large trade publishers and a small number of government departments still divide editing between structural/stylistic editors and copy editors, while the rapidly dwindling group of educational publishers distinguish between developmental editing and copy editing. Almost all the other publishers, institutions and […]

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copy editing editing editing checklist editing steps editor's role editorial skills structural editing stylistic editing substantive editing working relationship

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James Harbeck

What’s English? | Linguistics, Frankly

Wednesday November 12, 2014

Here’s a quick quiz. Tell me which of the following are English and which aren’t. For each one, say why it is or isn’t English and, if it’s not, what language it is. There’s no place to plug your car in in the parkade. A wha dat dey dem people deh nyam ih smell sweet. […]

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language linguistics Linguistics Frankly usage word choice writing

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David Ritchie

Do You Need That Adverb?

Tuesday November 18, 2014

Readers with long memories may recall Tom Swiftie jokes from the early 1960s. Named after the hero in the Tom Swift series of juvenile adventure novels, Tom Swifties relied on a corny use of adverbs. Here are examples: “We’re travelling faster than sound!” said Tom, swiftly. “The temperature is 200 degrees!” said Tom, heatedly. “It’s […]

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adverbs writing

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Sue Archer

Four Guidelines for Editing Your Way Through the Corporate Jungle

Tuesday November 25, 2014

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be an editor. Unlike many of my editing colleagues who work in publishing, I ply my trade within a corporation. Although my official title is not “editor,” editing is a large part of what I do. I’ve worked for years in information technology, where […]

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business writing corporate editing editing editor's role editorial skills editors at work Facets of Editing

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: A Compulsion to Exaggerate

Tuesday February 24, 2015

Frank McKenna, a San Diego photographer, complains that all photos displayed on the web are described as stunning. “What’s going on here?” he asks. “When did every picture become stunning?” McKenna sees this as word inflation. I agree to a point. Certainly it’s almost insulting nowadays to simply say something is delightful or charming; we […]

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adjectives language superlatives usage Wasted Words word choice writing

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Roma Ilnyckyj

Editing Science: Mechanics and Beyond

Tuesday March 10, 2015

I work for a science communications company called Talk Science to Me. Our goal is to help scientists communicate their research effectively, and we offer writing, editing, design and project management services, among others. As an associate editor, I mostly copy edit and proofread research reports, articles, books and websites. Many of our clients are […]

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editing editors at work Facets of Editing scientific editing

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Virginia Durksen

Myth: Editors Read With Their Eyes

Tuesday April 7, 2015

If there’s a cliché image for our profession, it’s eyeglasses. Editors and librarians, it seems, should always have a pair handy, preferably hanging from a chain around the neck. We earn this image, as we earn our reputation, when we limit editing to what the eye sees. Editing is not just an eye thing. It’s […]

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editing editorial skills editors at work Inner Editor tone

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Dwain Richardson

English Editing in Quebec: False Cognates, Syntax and Interferences — Oh My!

Tuesday April 14, 2015

Here are two French excerpts and their translations (emphases and bold prints are mine): Donner la vedette à la nature luxuriante jusqu’à ce point impose le respect. Plus encore, ce lieu intemporel inspire le recueillement propre au dénuement référant à l’art de l’aménagement extérieur japonais.… Récipiendaire du Prix X, le jury a particulièrement remarqué le […]

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faux amis syntax traduction translation

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James Harbeck

Plough Through Enough Dough to Make You Cough or Hiccough | Linguistics, Frankly

Tuesday June 9, 2015

You want some tough spelling for an English learner to plough through? Head to ough. There are six different ways it can be said at the end of a word, as in plough, through, dough, enough, cough and (for those who spell it that way) hiccough. (Never mind the versions with another letter after it!) […]

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history of language language linguistics Linguistics Frankly Old English