Editor's Corner

Happy Tuesday to you all.

Today I’m going to share some information about the four sentence types. Yep, there are only four, and even if you don’t remember them from your school days, you may find the information interesting now. So, let’s share some nerd time and delve into a review. These are the four sentence types:

• Declarative
• Imperative
• Interrogative
• Exclamatory

Declarative sentences make a statement or express an opinion. This kind of sentence ends with a period.

Examples:

· I want to take a long walk after work. (statement)

· The perfect weather for walking is 65 degrees. (opinion)

Imperative sentences give a command or make a request. These sentences usually end with a period, but they can also end with an exclamation point.

Examples:

· “You need to get outside and take a walk right now!” (command)

· “You should take a walk with me.” (request)

Interrogative sentences ask a question. These sentences often begin with who, what, where, when, why, how, or do, and they end with a question mark.

Examples:

· “When do you think you’ll be ready to take that walk?”

· “Do you know if the weather will be good enough to walk later on?”

Exclamatory sentences express emotion, like excitement, surprise, happiness, and anger, and they end with an exclamation point.

Examples:

· “It is much too hot and steamy to walk right now!”

· “I walked over five miles today!”

There it is. All you need to know about sentence types—at least for today. I hope the weather is good enough for you take a walk and get your 10,000 steps in.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

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

Pronouns she/her/hers

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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Dear Editrix:

We remember the "Enquiring minds want to know" advertising slogan used in the ’80s by the National Enquirer. What I want to inquire of your mind is what is the difference between “enquire” and “inquire?”

I don’t want to spend money on a supermarket tabloid to find out.

Dear Enquirer,

My first thought on this was that it must be a British English vs. American English thing—I figured they both meant “to ask.” But then I realized, the National Enquirer was published here in the U.S., so I had to do a little more research. The short and simple answer from the Grammarly blog is the following:

· Traditionally, enquire simply meant “ask,” while inquire was used for formal investigations.

· In the UK, the two words are used interchangeably, although inquire is still the more commonly used word for formal or official investigations.

· In the United States, inquire is the strongly preferred spelling in all uses.

I read several other articles and they had similar information. In the U.S., we don’t usually enquire, we simply ask. And even if we were to inquire, we’d do it with an “i”. [Side note: I looked up both spellings in Merriam-Webster and when I entered
enquire, it took me to the definition for inquire and said,
“less commonly enquiry.”]

Keep the inquiries coming!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hello, folks!

I attended a class a few weeks ago that was about flags. It was specifically about the LGBTQ+ flag and its history, but I learned so many interesting things, including some new words, and I’d love to share them with you. The following information is from the class and from Wikipedia:

Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism, and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum (which refers to a kind of square flag which was carried by Roman cavalry) and the Greek suffix -logia ("study"). The first known usage of the word vexillology was in 1959.

A person who studies flags is a vexillologist, one who designs flags is a vexillographer, and the art of flag-designing is called vexillography. One who is a hobbyist or general admirer of flags is a vexillophile.

Now, you know me, I couldn’t stop there. I like doing research and going where these new words take me. I thought I’d look up the American flag, the Swedish flag, the Greek flag…and then I realized that I don’t get paid to be a vexillologist, so I settled on the United States, Mexico, and the LGBTQ+ flag (in honor of PRIDE month, and upcoming events).

Let’s start with the U.S. flag. Many of us know that the stars represent the 50 states, and the stripes represent the original 13 colonies. But why red, white, and blue? An interesting choice since the British flag we were escaping from is also red, white, and blue. According to PBS.org, “red symbolizes hardiness and valor; white symbolizes purity and innocence; blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.”

The Bandera de México (Mexican flag) is green, white, and red, with the national coat of arms in the middle. The flag has changed a lot over the years, including the meanings of the colors, but they are currently said to be green for hope, white for purity, and red for the blood shed fighting for Mexico’s independence. There are some other interpretations out there too. As for the design in the middle, here is a description from Wikipedia:

The central emblem is the Mexican coat of arms, based on the Aztec symbol for Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), the center of the Aztec empire. It recalls the legend of an eagle sitting on a prickly pear cactus while devouring a serpent that signaled to the Aztecs where to found their city, Tenochtitlan. A ribbon in the national colors is at the bottom of the coat of arms…the cactus is situated on a rock that rises above a lake.

And before I continue, what’s up with white meaning “purity” in our countries? Does it mean we are founded on the backs of virgins? Does it mean our ancestors used Ivory (nearly 100%) pure soap? It definitely seems like an odd way to describe a country.

And for June, PRIDE month, a little about the LGBTQ+ flags.

Original design by Gilbert Baker, including pink (sex) and light blue (magic).

One of the current designs, which has been “traditional” for years. The six colors (as in Gilbert Baker’s flag) represent:

• Red = life
• Orange = healing
• Yellow = sunlight
• Green = nature
• Indigo = serenity
• Violet = spirit

A suggested redesign combining many of the different PRIDE flags, including black and brown for people of color and those lost to AIDS; and pink, blue, and white for transgender folks.

There are many other flags and combinations if you’re interested, including the straight ally flag! Visit here for more information on PRIDE flags and what they mean.

I hope to see a lot of new vexillophiles out there!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hi there, folks. I was looking for something in an old email and I found an article called, “Demonstrative Pronouns.” I don’t recall learning anything in English class by that name. I was thinking, “Hmm, this sounds interesting. I wonder what these pronouns demonstrate. How to use a Ginsu knife? How to turn a dollar into a million? How to make asparagus that will delight your guests?” Boy was I surprised when I saw that these are demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, and those.

It was one of those times I realized that this is something you learn growing up speaking a language, but it’s more like absorbing the information than studying lessons. I do not recall learning about demonstrative pronouns until French or Spanish class.

And why am I bringing this up? I mention it because we editors often remind you to make sure you use clear antecedents in your writing. For example, you might be writing about a new and exciting breed of puppy, but instead of saying “Poodle-Doodle” you say, “This is the best one of these you can buy.” You’re referring to a particular noun (Poodle-Doodle), but before you use “this” or “these,” you need to define which noun you are talking about. That noun is the antecedent. You could make the claim much clearer using one of these options:

• The Poodle-Doodle breed is very popular with dog lovers. This is the best dog you can buy.
• This Poodle-Doodle is the best dog you can buy.
• These Poodle-Doodles are the best dogs you can buy.

There are more possibilities, but as you can see, the antecedent (Poodle-Doodle) is a specific noun that occurs before you start using the pronoun.

Here are a few more examples for you:

For this class the instructor said colored pencils are required. We can also bring brushes, paints, and paper, but those aren’t required.

Antecedents: brushes, paints, and paper

Pronoun: those

Amit said he enjoys swimming, but that is not his favorite sport.

Antecedent: swimming

Pronoun: that

Roberto is with me viewing the Spanish painters at the Prado. These are our favorite painters.

Antecedents: painters

Pronoun: these

I am eating some rum raisin gelato; this is mine, so go get your own!

Antecedent: gelato

Pronoun: this

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

If you’re getting a college degree, here’s a bit of information that won’t be on your finals but will still be good to know: how to write about your achievement.

The other day, I was editing some biographies and I had to search the Chicago Manual of Style for information on capitalization. None of the pages I read put it simply. Most of us work so hard for our degrees, we want to shout in all caps from the rooftop and say, “LOOK WHAT I DID! I’m a bachelor of arts!” Or is it, “I have a Master’s Degree?” Or maybe even, “I’m a Doctor of Philosophy, but you can call me Ph.D.”

When do you capitalize letters, when do you add apostrophes, and what are the rules, if any?

Thank goodness for Grammar Girl. Her timing was perfect, and she just published the easy rules, the details, and information on the confusion.

Here is the easy rule: bachelor’s degree is lowercase, singular, and possessive. More from Mignon Fogarty:

Think of it this way:

A bachelor isn’t just a single guy who maybe eats out a lot but is also any person who has earned a specific type of degree from a university or college….

Now think of the degree as the property of the bachelor, with the apostrophe-s indicating possession: It is a bachelor’s degree, the degree of one person with the initial level of achievement at the university.

Now, here it becomes a little confusing. You do capitalize the name when you are talking about the formal name of a specific degree.

• Donnie has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. (Donnie has a bachelor’s degree.)
• Jayne is a Master of Fine Arts. (Jayne has a master’s degree.)
• Leticia is a Doctor of Dental Surgery. (Leticia has a doctor’s degree.)

I still have some trouble with this on some level, like a lot of title rules. When you’re trying to be safe, just remember the degree belongs to the person, so they have a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree. If you want the full article, see Grammar Girl’s article here!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Today, I’m commiserating with you. I know how hard it is to edit your own writing. It’s much easier to edit for someone else. It’s hard for writers to look at our own writing objectively. We know what we mean to say. We fill in any blanks. In our minds, we add all the missing context. And, unfortunately, we often skip over our own errors.

You can get better at being your own editor, though. Here are three tips that will help you be more objective:

• Take a break

Put your thoughts onto the page, and then take a break. When you come back to your piece, you’ll be at least a bit more able to be objective. Overnight is the optimal amount of time, but I realize that’s not always possible in our line of work. Even a 10- or 15-minute break gives you added perspective.

• Use common words, not fancy words

I’ve worked with quite a few people who were determined to use multisyllabic words or uncommon words because they thought it sounded more professional. But if you’re forcing your reader to run for a dictionary to look up a word, and they’re in a hurry, you might lose them. Writers don’t have to use big words or lots of words to sound smart. What we need to do is to write clearly and plainly.

• Kill your darlings

This odd little gruesome phrase is advice that is often given to writers. It means that you have to be willing to get rid of sentences, paragraphs, or even sections that you really like but that are not adding value to your text. We have to remember not to clutter the message by providing unnecessary information, even if we really like the information or the way we wrote it. If it is not focused on the message, and if it’s not necessary for the reader, you really should delete it.

And here’s one more tip: all of you Symitar employees can submit your work-related writing to Symitar Documentation & Education Services, and we’ll review it and send it back with our suggestions. We offer this valuable, painless service free of charge!

I hope the rest of your day is beautiful.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

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

Pronouns she/her/hers

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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Kara Church would like to recall the message, “Editor’s Corner: The Silent L”.
NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Hi Kara,

We are working on our last spelling list of the year and my second-grade daughter is mad at the people who created the English language. (She’s a bit dramatic sometimes.) She doesn’t understand why would, should, and could have an L in them, and said, “What? Did they not have enough words with L in them, so they threw it in these!?!” Any insight that would help me explain this to her?

Thanks,

Little Drama’s Mamma

Dear Mamma,

Hello there! What a smart kid. It’s tough to argue with her; those Ls don’t make a lot of sense. I did some searching, and they are particularly difficult for people studying English for the first time. Unlike many of the topics we research, there were no compact answers or prewritten lessons to share.

There’s a cool article on Merriam-Webster’s site called Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes.It’s a bit lengthy, but it sounds like something your daughter might get a kick out of…during next year’s spelling studies. Here is what M-W’s article said about L, which could possibly send her over the edge, though. On the other hand, maybe she helped write the first two sentences!

L

The most indecent of the silent L words is surely colonel. The word sounds identical to kernel, which is an honorable, respectfully spelled word. L is also silent in could, should, would, as well as in calf and half, and in chalk, talk, walk, and for many people in calm, palm, and psalm.

I suspected the answer behind the shifty silent L might be found in its history, so I went to my favorite etymologist online here: https://www.etymonline.com/.

I’ve cut a bit here and there to make the definitions more friendly to today’s yout’.

could

Old English cuðe, past tense of cunnan "to be able" (can)); ending changed in the 14th century to standard English). The unetymological “L” was added in the 15th to16th century on model of would and should, where it is historical.

should

Circa 1200, from Old English sceolde, past tense of sceal (see shall). Preserves the original notion of "obligation" that has all but dropped from shall.

would

Old English wolde, past tense and past subjunctive of willan "to will" (see will). Would-be (adj.) "wishing to be, vainly pretending" is first recorded c. 1300.

To read the full descriptions and see the links to can, shall, and will, click here.

So, the easy answer to your daughter is that the L is part of the Old English words for will (would) and shall (should), and because the words can and could fit a similar pattern, they threw in the L to make them all similar, even though it wasn’t part of the original word. Now we don’t have the Old English verbs, but we’re still stuck with the silent Ls in the middle.

I hope that answer makes some sense to her, even if it does address her disdain. Tell her to keep asking those great questions!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hi Kara,

We are working on our last spelling list of the year and my second-grade daughter is mad at the people who created the English language. (She’s a bit dramatic sometimes.) She doesn’t understand why would, should, and could have an L in them, and said, “What? Did they not have enough words with L in them, so they threw it in these!?!” Any insight that would help me explain this to her?

Thanks,

Little Drama’s Mamma

Dear Mamma,

Hello there! What a smart kid. It’s tough to argue with her; those Ls don’t make a lot of sense. I did some searching, and they are particularly difficult for people studying English for the first time. Unlike many of the topics we research, there were no compact answers or prewritten lessons to share.

There’s a cool article on Merriam-Webster’s site called Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes.It’s a bit lengthy, but it sounds like something your daughter might get a kick out of…during next year’s spelling studies. Here is what M-W’s article said about L, which could possibly send her over the edge, though. On the other hand, maybe she helped write the first two sentences!

L

The most indecent of the silent L words is surely colonel. The word sounds identical to kernel, which is an honorable, respectfully spelled word. L is also silent in could, should, would, as well as in calf and half, and in chalk, talk, walk, and for many people in calm, palm, and psalm.

I suspected the answer behind the shifty silent L might be found in its history, so I went to my favorite etymologist online here: https://www.etymonline.com/.

I’ve cut a bit here and there to make the definitions more friendly to today’s yout’.

could

Old English cuðe, past tense of cunnan "to be able" (can)); ending changed in the 14th century to standard English). The unetymological “L” was added in the 15th to16th century on model of would and should, where it is historical.

should

Circa 1200, from Old English sceolde, past tense of sceal (see shall). Preserves the original notion of "obligation" that has all but dropped from shall.

would

Old English wolde, past tense and past subjunctive of willan "to will" (see will). Would-be (adj.) "wishing to be, vainly pretending" is first recorded c. 1300.

To read the full descriptions and see the links to can, shall, and will, click here.

So, the easy answer to your daughter is that the L is part of the Old English words for will (would) and shall (should), and because the words can and could fit a similar pattern, they through in the L to make them all similar, even though it wasn’t part of the original word. Now we don’t have the Old English verbs, but we’re still stuck with the silent Ls in the middle.

I hope that answer makes some sense to her, even if it does address her disdain. Tell her to keep asking those great questions!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hello folks!

Recently, I “met” someone from South Africa through an Editor’s Corner post. He said he was looking up the phrase, “It’s been a minute” and stumbled on our blog. After singing “It’s a small world after all,” and sending him my well wishes, I thought it was time to send out an email to everyone to remind you that we are here for you to answer your questions about English—whether British, American, Canadian, South African, or Australian. Have you been wondering about a phrase you’ve heard or a rule that seems to have changed? We will do our best to find the answer and get back to you, or guide you to a previous blog where we covered the topic before.

In the meantime, in honor of our Texan coworkers, I have a few signs from my favorite restaurant in Austin. No, I’ve never been there, but I already know it will be my favorite because of their signs and the pictures of their food.

If you have any topics you’d like us to cover as far as English goes, just send them my way: kchurch.

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/