Editor's Corner

I’m not sure why this question pops up around the holidays so often, but it seems to be the topic of podcasts, articles, emails to Editor’s Corner, and now a letter to the Chicago Manual of Style. Because I’m feeling fatigued without my morning coffee, I will leave the Q&A to the big boys and girls at CMOS.

Q. Dear Chicago, What is your stance on myriad versus a myriad of? Myriad thanks.

A. CMOS is silent on the issue, but Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary (our go-to resource) has this to say, s.v. myriad: “Recent criticism of the use of myriad as a noun, both in the plural form myriads and in the phrase a myriad of, seems to reflect a mistaken belief that the word was originally and is still properly only an adjective. As the entries here show, however, the noun is in fact the older form, dating to the 16th century. The noun myriad has appeared in the works of such writers as Milton (plural myriads) and Thoreau (a myriad of), and it continues to occur frequently in reputable English. There is no reason to avoid it.”

Note: In the paragraph above, s.v. stands for “sub verbo” which means “under the word” or “under the heading.” It is an abbreviation used after an encyclopedia (or in this case, a dictionary) is mentioned, to guide the reader to the section of the reference that is being quoted.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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It may be a holiday week, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy on you! Rather than talking turkey, today I’m going to delve into a couple of words people seem to have trouble with: since and because. The trouble comes from the times where these words seem to be interchangeable, so let’s review their similarities and differences. (The definitions are from Merriam-Webster; the examples are mine.)

since

1. continuously, from a time in the past until the present
People have been enjoying the food at Blue’s Crab Shack since 1959.

2. before the present time: ago
The rose sachet has been in the drawer for so many years, it has since lost any trace of fragrance.

3. after a time in the past: subsequently
In 1612, an adobe wall (since decayed) was built around the entire settlement.

because

1. since: for the reason that: on account of the cause that
We shouted with glee because the puppies were so cute.

2. that: the fact that: on account of being
Because bananas are mushy and gooey I can’t stand eating them.

Helpful hint: If you can’t decide whether you should use since or because, think of since referring to time and because referring to causation. For example:

· Since I discovered this four leaf clover, I’ve found a pot of gold, I’ve seen three double rainbows, and I’ve married a leprechaun.

· Because I found this four leaf clover, my luck is bound to improve.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Happy Friday!

Today’s selection of misheard song lyrics is brought to you by Hit Me with Your Pet Shark: Misheard Lyrics of the 1980s, by Charles Grosvenor Jr.

Coming soon…holiday song mondegreens from my latest purchase: Deck the Halls with Buddy Holly.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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First, I want to inform you that this is the last official Nifty Nuggets article you’ll receive. But don’t worry! Nifty Nuggets is not going away, it is merging with Editor’s Corner. So, you can still receive information about JHA styles, correct word usage, tips to improve your writing, and lots of other fun language-related shenanigans. Kara Church usually writes the Editor’s Corner, but all of the editors will occasionally fill in. If you’re not already signed up for the Editor’s Corner, just send an email to kchurch.

And now for your nugget:

Lately, a few people have asked me about how many spaces they should put after a period. Is it one or two? Believe it or not, this issue has been hotly debated (maybe not as hotly as, say, Lady Gaga’s meat dress, but we grammar geeks got red in the face and nearly raised our voices over it).

So here’s what you need to know: the JHA Style Guide clearly states, “Use a single space after a period between sentences.” The same is true for all end punctuation, such as question marks and exclamation points—they are all followed by only one space.

And in case you’re wondering, almost all style guides agree—one space is all you need (well, you also need water, food, shelter, and love; but that’s a different kind of nugget—that’s more of a Daily Affirmation Nugget).

Donna Bradley Burcher | Technical Editor, Adv. | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432

I received a call from my brother yesterday, who started his call with an apology. He didnt drunk dial, but hed been riding his motorcycle in the frosty northwest air and said his brain was frozen. He began musing about the word pilot, because hed been driving behind a Honda Pilot. What an odd looking word, he said. I was wondering what the etymology could be since there are so many ways we use the wordpilots fly, there are pilot screws, pilot lights. And what about Pontius Pilate? What the heck is that all about?

This Editors Corner is for my dear brother, Fritz. You may be getting a dictionary for Christmas. J

From Merriam-Webster:

pilot (noun)

1. a: one employed to steer a ship
b: a person who is duly qualified and usually licensed to conduct a ship into and out of a port or in special waters, often for fixed fees and who while in charge has the whole conduct of her navigation
c: a book giving detailed navigational information of a body of water and the adjacent coastline

2. a guide who leads along a difficult or unknown course: one who takes charge during dangerous or unsettled times: a leader who inspires

3. Menominee whitefish

4. a: an inclined triangular frame on the front of a railroad locomotive for removing obstacles from the track also called a cowcatcher
b: a locomotive engineer assigned to assist in operating a train over track with which the regular engineer is unfamiliar

5. one who flies or is qualified to fly an airplane

6. a: a cylindrical projection at the end of a tool (as a counterbore, countersink, boring rod) to guide it
b: a bar or simple element acting as a guide or relay for another mechanical element
c: an auxiliary mechanism that actuates, energizes, governs, or regulates another mechanism <a pilot-operated sliding disk valve>

7. the relatively small heading or excavation first made in the driving of a larger tunnel

8. the manager of a baseball team

9. a television show produced as a sample of a proposed series

10. pilot light: a small permanent flame used to ignite gas at a burner

Origin of PILOT

Middle French pilote, from Italian pilota, alteration of pedota, from (assumed) Middle Greek pdts, from Greek pda steering oars, rudder, plural of pdon oar

And additional etymological information from the Online Etymology Dictionary:

pilot (n.)

1510s, "one who steers a ship," from Middle French pillote (16c.), from Italian piloto, supposed to be an alteration of Old Italian pedoto, which usually is said to be from Medieval Greek *pedotes "rudder, helmsman," from Greek pedon "steering oar," related to pous (genitive podos) "foot" (see foot (n.)). Change of -d- to -l- in Latin ("Sabine -l-") parallels that in odor/olfactory; see lachrymose.

Sense extended 1848 to "one who controls a balloon," and 1907 to "one who flies an airplane." As an adjective, 1788 as "pertaining to a pilot;" from 1928 as "serving as a prototype." Thus the noun pilot meaning "pilot episode" (etc.), attested from 1962. Pilot light is from 1890.

pilot (v.)

1640s, "to guide, lead;" 1690s, "to conduct as a pilot," from pilot (n.) or from French piloter. Related: Piloted; piloting.

pilot-fish (n.)

1630s, from pilot (n.) + fish (n.). So called because they were thought to lead sharks to prey.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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Good morning, folks.

I just got in to work. I just stepped up on my soapbox, and here I go.

I have noticed an ugly habit in our technical community: people are haphazardly turning verbs into nouns.

For instance, I have heard and read statements similar to these:

· The module will be added during the install.

· Changing this parameter could cause a mass delete.

In the sentences above, both install and delete are verbs that are being used as nouns. You can install software and you can delete a record, but you cannot (grammatically speaking) have, or perform, an install or a delete.

What confuses me, is that we already have perfectly good nouns that we should be using: installation and deletion.

· The module will be added during the installation.

· Changing this parameter could cause a mass deletion of the record.

Granted, the correct words are three syllables long rather than one; but have we really gotten that lazy? Is it worth saving the nanosecond it takes to say or the millisecond it takes to type the longer word?

Oh my gosh, I sound like my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Forbrag. No one liked her. Let’s not tell Jackie what a downer I can be. She may not let me guest host anymore.

Enjoy your day!

Donna Bradley Burcher | Technical Editor, Adv. | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

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Today’s topic is one I’ve covered before, but hopefully it will serve as a good reminder and provide some helpful suggestions. These are some of the tips and tricks I learned in a copyediting course, along with my comments. For the original list and Mignon Fogarty’s comments, see her webpage: Grammar Girl.

1. Have someone else read your work.
KC – We live by this rule here in Editing. Yes, we miss things now and then, but luckily, not too often. Donna has saved me from embarrassment countless times. (I love you, Donna.)

2. When you’re writing on your computer, use the auto-correct feature.

3. Run your work through your computer’s spell-checking tool.
KC – It doesn’t help if you type “manger” instead of “manager,” or “turkey” instead of “turn-key,” but it can catch some of the errors.

4. Print your work.
KC – If we lived in a world of endless resources I might agree. Yes, it may help you edit, but it will also cost money, and Mother Earth will frown upon you. In most cases, I disagree with this step.

5. Give yourself some time.
KC – Ha ha! Grammar Girl must also live in a world without deadlines or speedy turnarounds. Again, in an ideal world this is fantastic advice: write something, leave it, and then proofread it.

6. Read your work aloud.
KC – As editors, we have to read things out loud on occasion to figure out if they really make sense. You can do this, too. Just remember, use your library voice when you talk to yourself (I mean when you read out loud) in the office.

7. Force yourself to view each word.
KC – Definitely do this. The times when we are speeding along are the times we miss “the the” or “of of” and that sort of typo in our text.

8. Read your work backward, starting with the last sentence and working your way in reverse order to the beginning.
KC – This is one of those things you learn in copyediting class. Then you go to the real world where there’s no time, at least not in the JHA arena. If you have the time when you write, go for it.

9. Separate proofreading tasks.
KC – We do this all of the time, though we have to group several tasks together when we edit. Read your work through, concentrating on the spelling and punctuation. On a second reading, check the grammar and flow. On a third reading, check the formatting or coding (in html or xml). It sounds like a lot of work, but you will be a better writer for it.

10. Print your work in a different font with different margins.
KC – Rather than printing your work, try applying different margins and fonts. By changing the look of your materials, you might see errors that weren’t clear to you before.

This artist, Austin Light, made the best of some movie typos by illustrating them. Click “Oboe Cop” (below) to see some of his other drawings.

Oboe Cop – by Justin Light

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Is it really Friday already? We all know what Friday means! It’s time for mondegreens! Today’s selection of misheard song lyrics is brought to you by Hit Me with Your Pet Shark: Misheard Lyrics of the 1980s, by Charles Grosvenor Jr.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
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Hi folks. Jackie has asked me to temporarily assume Nifty Nugget duty. I thought we’d start with a simple punctuation rule that causes a lot of confusion and controversy.

Today’s topic is the serial comma, which is also known as the Oxford comma. But don’t let its name intimidate you; this is an easy comma to figure out how to use.

Use the serial comma at the end of a list or series, just before the final conjunction (examples of conjunctions are and, but, and or). Here are a few examples with the serial comma and the conjunction highlighted.

· My favorite animals are dogs, elephants, and anacondas.

· I have to vacuum my car, wipe off the dashboard, clean out the trunk, and wash the windows before my mom will ride in it.

· You can buy candy by the piece, by the bag, or by the pound.

There are differing opinions about whether or not to use this comma. Some folks argue that it’s not necessary. However, most grammarians and most style guides opt to use it because it often eliminates ambiguity. Our JHA Style Guide clearly states: “In a series of three or more items, always use a comma to separate all elements.”

Be on the right side of the law. Use the serial comma.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Technical Editor, Adv. | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432

Good morning! Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz and the reasons behind the answers. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for mastering the pleonasm!

1. Original: Usually it was her custom to eat a chocolate cake on her birthday.
Correct: It was her custom to eat a chocolate cake on her birthday.

The word custom contains the meaning of usual or habitual.

2. Original: This beautiful waterfront park is the result of the joint collaboration of the Balboa Park Rose Garden and the Waterfront Association.
Correct: This beautiful waterfront park is the result of the collaboration of the Balboa Park Rose Garden and the Waterfront Association.

The word collaboration contains the meaning of cooperation between two or more agencies. You don’t need to add the word joint.

3. Original: Her wedding dress was marred by a tiny speck of black ink on the bodice.
Correct: Her wedding dress was marred by a speck of black ink on the bodice.

The word speck contains the meaning of tiny. A speck is a tiny particle.

4. Original: Johnny “Little Fingers” La Motta was sent to prison for life: the verdict was totally and completely unanimous.
Correct: Johnny “Little Fingers” La Motta was sent to prison for life: the verdict was unanimous.

The word unanimous contains the meaning of “lack of disagreement.” Totally and completely are redundant.

5. Original: I’m sorry, but the color intensity of this painting is not sufficient enough to qualify for the auction.
Correct: I’m sorry, but the color intensity of this painting is not sufficient to qualify for the auction.

The word sufficient means enough or adequate.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
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