Monday, May 04, 2009

A Little Historical Perspective


In my newspaper today, there's a story about the New York Police Department, and its digital mug-shot system.


And it contains these paragraphs:


But the mug shot as we know it - snapped with a Polaroid in some dingy precinct, its edges frayed and yellowed with the passage of time - is going the way of the six-shot revolver.

<>

Digital Photo Manager was implemented in May 1997, though at the time it was known as the Photo Imaging Network.

Police sources said it took several years before each precinct had access to it. Sources say until recently the Polaroid was still used on occasion.

But no more. The NYPD no longer buys Polaroid film, sources say.

Umm, perhaps that would be because as of last year, Polaroid no longer MAKES Polaroid film?  


Thursday, April 30, 2009

Not All Synonyms Are Created Equal


Twice in this issue, I've taken out the word "festoon."

Don't get me wrong, I like the word. It has a great sound, it's unusual without being weird. It feels festive and gay. And in fact, it comes from the word "festival."

But it has a very special meaning--it doesn't just mean "decorate." A festoon is a decorative chain that hangs between two buttons on a double-breasted coat (usually military). And, of course, any similar sort of decoration.

So, to "festoon" something is to attach a garland that drapes from spot to spot to spot. Unfortunately, we were using it to describe simple decorations.

What word have you seen stripped of its nuances and specificity?


Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Copyediting Errors with Consequences!

I found this in my e-mail in box during a housekeeping session, and remembered that I'd meant to post about it.

Back at the end of January, the Girl brought home a note from school about tardinesses for the previous months. On it was written this:


December

Days tardy

11


Some background--now that she's in high school, the Girl travels to school under her own steam, and her school is not far away and starts a bit later than we're used to. But nonetheless we'd felt throughout the end of the year that she was leaving a bit late and had been asking about it. She's a teenager--she's hard to get up in the morning.

She kept assuring us that she hadn't been tardy--and then we get this note!!!

So we kind of landed on her. And told her that she needed to talk with her teachers or whoever to find out how they can change the signals they give (or how she can read them more accurately) if she thinks she wasn't late when she was.

Then, the next day, I got to thinking about it. What with vacations, and an odd teacher-prep day, there were only 15 days of school in that entire month! How could she have been tardy that  many times? So I was *really* mad at her.

But my Husband sent a note to the parent coordinator.
Greetings--
>
> We received a letter from [school] recently that flagged the Girl's* being late for
> school in December. Was she late on December 11th or was she late 11 times? The
> letter says one thing. My daughter is saying another.
>
> Much appreciation if you can clarify this. Thanks.
 


And we got this reply (emphasis mine):

Hi Mr. Husband,
>
> She was late on the 11th. Not including "th's" and other indicators on the
> letters has caused a lot of misunderstandings
- I apologize for the confusion.
> Grace was definitely not late eleven times!
>
> Best,
 


According to the Girl, some kids had notes that read:

December

 Days absent

23

And there aren't even 23 days of school in a normal month!


****************************************


*did you notice that properly done genetive preceding the gerund? Sigh. . . .




Monday, April 27, 2009

He Prepositioned Me!


The Boy, who is now 11 years of age, prepositioned me this weekend!


We were planning the Pinewood Derby, and I was telling him that I felt we should drill the holes for the quarters (to add weight to the car so it meets the standard) over the weekend instead of leaving it for the Scout Master to do the night of the Derby itself.

"He won't have time to be drilling any holes in the car that night," I said.

"Mom, he won't be in the car," said my son. "He'll be in the meeting room."

Sigh! It's enough to make a parent proud.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Comma, No Comma


(I promise, I think of other things, too--I'll post about them eventually.)


Today my freelance copyeditor inserted a comma:

At this A-list, oceanfront beach bar


I don't like it. What do you think?

(wait--I think the bar is probably fine--it's the comma I don't like)


Friday, April 10, 2009

Comma, No Comma


Okay, here's today's:


cost-effective, pressure-regulated soda siphon


I took the comma out. WWYD?

Or, WWYHD?

(Or, WAYDFL?)

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Comma, No Comma?


Here's today's question. In a story about beaches, we find:




blue, Aegean water


I took the comma out: "blue Aegean water"

Your vote?

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Making Up New Words

I love new words, even when they don't deserve to be standard usage. It's just fun.

Here's one that I *think* is an error in editing, from the beauty copy today.



squoval-shaped nails


I *think* the editor was trying to change "square" to "oval" (or vice versa) and didn't realize that she'd left letters in. But she also pushes the envelope a little (and the best way to push it a little is to push it more, and than dial back), so maybe she MEANT it to be square/oval?

I'll ask her. Meanwhile, I love it. It even SOUNDS fun.


Follow-up: It's an industry term. So I'm going to lobby for this:

"squoval"
nails

to let the quotes do one of their *real* jobs, which is to indicate jargon.



Some background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squoval
Comma, No Comma


From the beauty story about hands and feet, fingers and toes:

I love a sheer, lavender polish


My vote: no comma: a sheer lavender polish



Wednesday, March 04, 2009

A Copyeditor's Daughter Celebrates National Grammar Day

The Girl is in high school, and she's taking Latin.

"Hey, Mom," she said. "Guess how I celebrated National Grammar Day?"

Latin grammar, I guessed. (When I was making Grammar Flags for the Grammar Cupcakes, she kept suggesting stuff like the ablative case.)

Yes, she said. "And I deconstructed Joshua's article." It needed help, she said: "His grammar is atrocious." So she fixed it for him.

She's also on the newspaper staff, and she edited his column!


Aw, it's enough to make a parent proud.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Flare for the Language


Found this in my tote bag; I ripped it out of my daily newspaper back on September 12, and intended to post it. Here it is--later, and more rumpled.

On the celebrity-news paper, an item about Kanye West's arrest in L.A. Airport after an altercation w/ paparazzi; West was accused of smashing a camera on the floor.

The line in question:

The singer has a history of flaring his temper.

A temper is not like a ruff--you can't flare it. It flares itself.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Comma, No Comma


a single, working mom



I vote for the comma, since "single" *could* mean "only one of them."



But, if it is:

a working single mom


(for that matter, if you left out "working," I'd still assume she was employed--I don't imagine many single moms get to stay home w/ their kids)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Grammar Cake


Speaking of square fondant-covered cakes:

National Grammar Day is coming up, and I'm planning a party.

I want to make a cake. A grammar cake.

But I have only two ideas, so I'm trolling for more.

My two ideas are:

--a basic rectangle, w/ fondant cut into letters that say: Grammar Are Great.
And then I'll use a piping tip and buttercream to draw editing marks that fix the grammar

--a series of cupcakes, each labeled w/ the name of a part of speech: (transitive verb, preposition, pronoun, appositive, etc.). 
I'll make the labels either out of something edible (writing w/ frosting, maybe), or print them onto pieces of paper, cut out, and tape to a toothpick.

My husband suggested creating a sentence in which the grammar is wrong because of the word order, and making a mini loaf of cake for each word.

Any other ideas?

(I have a cake idea for National Punctuation Day, but I'm saving it.)

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Comma, No Comma


a square, fondant-covered cake


or


a square fondant-covered cake

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Comma, No Comma?


This is an ongoing issue for me. I constantly read copy (either published by someone else, or passed to me in the office) in which someone else's judgment about the comma in the coordinate adjectives is different from mine. 

I find it hard to explain why I put them in and take them out. Especially when I am challenged.

Ian brought me a puzzle this morning.

The phrase:

tall, red boots

He and another copyeditor argued with the editor that the comma should be out:

tall red boots
But they couldn't explain why.

So, I'm going to be posting similar examples now and then, and ask for your vote.


Here's why I agree w/ Ian. But I can't find backup for this anywhere.

"Tall" is form; "red" is color. They are not coordinate, and therefore no comma.

What's your vote, and why?

And here, many other phrases I'm running across, and am wondering if I'm right.


a small stiff, flat base




Friday, January 23, 2009

Improving, How?

In today's copyediting puzzle, we have this sentence:

 
[product name here] treats your skin day and night, improving the look of dark circles, puffiness, and crow's feet.

Hmmm. Improving.

Improving a negative. Does that mean, making it a better version of the negative? (darker circles, puffier eyes, crow-ier crow's feet?)


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Today's Word Misuse

In beauty copy today, a semi-homonym switch:


Environmental stressors can wreck havoc on your skin.



"Wreak" is the word she needed.

It actually might be a good thing, to be able to wreck havoc. Once the havoc is damaged, wouldn't things get better?
He Didn't Look Distraught!


In my newspaper today:

A brief bit about hedge-fund manager Arthur G. Nadel, who disappeared six days ago, around the time he owed investors a $50 million payout.

The last line:

. . . he left his family a note in which he appeared to be distraught.

It was a note. He didn't look like anything in the note.

I really wish they'd used "seemed."

I konw that "appear" can be used metaphorically, but when there is such a strong literal situation (a single piece of paper, not a series of actions and writings), the "appeared' just hit wrong.

Whattya think?

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Copyeditor Plays Scrabble


The Girl and The Boy gave me Scrabble for the computer; I play it when I'm killing time.

Tonight I grabbed a double-letter score w/ M (3 points, x 2), and the triple word score, including the C (3). The word: MICS.

Which I HATE!
 
I hate it, I hate it. We *have* a word: mike. The "mic" is what the sound techs write on the equipment bcs there literally isn't room for the 4th letter.

An "open mic"--open mick?

The other word (all 1's, but I wiped out another triple word score): noun.

"How copyeditor of you," The Husband said.

Someday I'll write about playing Password. (shudder)

What word-geek words have *you* played?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Couple--Plural and Singular


These phrases came up in a story today.

Which would/should you choose?

the couple wear(s) matching smiles

the couple steal(s) a moment together

the couple steal(s) a moment alone
the couple take(s) their first spin on the dance floor
And why?

I'll come put my answers in the Comments