Roadside Assistance

Editorial Tip: Um, Could You Say That Again?
Wed Jun 15, 2011 11:06am

This is what happens when you don't have an editorial department - mutilated, misplaced, and missing modifiers.

Following are words, phrases, or clauses that do not clearly relate to the word they are intended to modify. Unfortunately, ALL the examples are actual advertisements or signs.

 

A superb and inexpensive restaurant. Fine food expertly served by waitresses in appetizing forms.

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.

Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.

We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand

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Editorial Tip: Watch That Split Infinitive!
Sun May 15, 2011 2:05pm

Nothing quite heralds the approach of spring warmth like annual National Grammar Day on March 4. But, instead of serving you legislation on sentence structure that will leave you cold, here is some un-grammar that shines some light on these outdated concepts.

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Editorial Tip: The Apostrophe With Letters, Abbreviations, and Numbers
Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:04pm

Rule: The plurals for capital letters and numbers used as nouns are not formed with apostrophes.

Example: She consulted with three MDs.

BUT

Example: She went to three MDs’ offices. 

The apostrophe is needed here to show plural possessive.

Even better, however, would be to simply say: She went to three MD offices. The possession is implied and this structure is less awkward. 

Example: She learned her ABCs.

Example: the 1990s

NOT

the 1990’s

Example: the ’90s or the mid-’70s

NOT

the ’90’s or the mid-’70’s

Example: She learned her multiplication tables for 6s and 7s.

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Editorial Tip: Majority vs Plurality
Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:03pm

See if you can spot what’s not quite right about this:

An Associated Press poll found that the majority of Americans approve of President Obama’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

According to the poll, 42 percent approve of Obama’s performance with the spill, while 33 percent disapprove and 21 percent say their feelings about his response are neutral.

The problem: majority isn’t the right choice.

Majority is best used to describe a situation in which there are two numbers and the larger is more than half the amount of the total. Majority means more than half of an amount.

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Editorial Tip: Subject/Verb Agreement When the Subject and Verb Are Separated
Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:01pm

In sentences that offer a good bit of detail, the subject and verb are often separated by clauses, phrases, or a single descriptive word. Sometimes these intervening words cause confusion about the choice of verb. In the following sentence, the verb is singular to agree with the singular subject:

The group of boys is planning to form a team, calling themselves the Springfield Cougars.

Group is the subject. The singular verb is must be used. Boys is the object of the preposition of. Objects of prepositions can never be subjects. One way to tell that your subject and verb are in agreement is to remove the preposition and see if the sentence still reads correctly:

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Editorial Tip: farther vs further
Fri Jul 02, 2010 7:07am

Use “farther” if you’re talking about something you can measure, like a real distance. Use “further” if you can’t physically measure something, like an abstract idea or point in time.

Examples of farther:

  • It's rainy and the restaurant you mentioned is farther from the office. Let's just eat taquitos at the 7-Eleven next door.
  • It was much farther to drive to New York for a bagel than to get one at the local Jewel, but Janet had a serious craving for lox.

Examples of further:

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bcurrie's picture

The Wireless Future of Medicine
Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:06am

We'll soon use our smartphones to monitor our vital signs and chronic conditions. The attached video highlights several of the most important wireless devices in medicine's future which will be used by physicians and the general population. See below or go to the original link at http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/772.

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Editorial Tip: the difference between “ie” and “eg"
Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:06am

These abbreviations of Latin phrases are easy to confuse, but here are some pointers. (Note: It’s Purohit Navigation style not to use periods with these terms, but they may be used as e.g. or i.e. elsewhere.)

ie (id est) means “that is.” Use it when rephrasing a sentence, as if you were saying “in other words.”

eg (exempli gratia) means “for example.” Think of it as “example given,” which also has the initials eg. Use it when giving possibilities for the term in question.

Examples using ie:

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Want to know more about Interactive Web Design?
Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:06am

Smashing Magazine

Smashingmagazine.com covers all aspects of design and is an excellent resource for learning about all the niches of designing for the Web.

Favourite Website Awards (FWA)

theFWA.com is updated almost daily with a new Web site and focuses on highly creative and unusual methods of Web design.

A List Apart

Alistapart.com focuses on best practices and current trends in Web design. Topics range from copywritting to programming Web sites.

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Editorial Tip: lets vs let's
Fri May 21, 2010 2:05pm

This week's tip: lets vs let's

"Lets" is a verb form of "to let," meaning to allow or permit.

"Let's" is a contraction of "let us."

- The new Yellow Diet lets you eat anything you want, as long as it's yellow. Tonight for dinner I'm having Funyuns and Twinkies!

- Andy's mother only lets him watch TV after his homework is finished.

- Let's go to the movies this weekend. I want to see the sappy one that's up for an Oscar. (Let us go to the movies.)

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