Friday, February 8, 2008

Mini copyediting course, part 2

I wrote a useful post once. Apparently, it was so useful (and such a break from the norm around here) that people wanted more. So, I'm here to provide you with even more nitpicky information about basic editing and proofreading.

But before I start, let me make it clear that I do not judge blogs by editorial standards. As long as it's coherent and decently written, I don't sit there picking apart comma usage, etc. They're blogs. They're informal forms of personal expression. The stuff I'm talking about here has to do with my job, and standards for formal documents designed for official presentation to and use by other people. So don't worry. Yes, I work as an editor. No, I'm not mentally editing your blog as I read it.

Okay. First, let's talk about the serial semicolon. According to my trusty Chicago Manual of Style, there are two times when a serial semicolon should be used in place of a comma. The first, and more common, is when items in a series contain punctuation of their own. Let's take the example of resumes, since that's what I've been editing recently.

First, a standard series, using commas: Jess writes, edits, and formats.

Now, where the serial comma would come into play would be in a longer sentence where the above series becomes part of a bigger overall series. For example: Jess updates the website regularly; writes, edits, and formats web content; and tracks web statistics.

It is also possible for a semicolon to be used in place of a comma when items in a series are particularly long and complex. In my personal opinion, this is a fairly rare circumstance, and honestly, if your items in a series are so long that they need something stronger than a comma to separate them, and yet they don't require any independent punctuation of their own, they probably need to be reworded. But that's just me.

Now, since we're discussing semicolons anyway, let's look at them a little bit more generally. There are many instances in which a semicolon can be used. But in the interest of brevity, I'm going to distill the rules down to one simple edict: the semicolon can be used if, and only if, the clauses on either side of the semicolon are independent. That is, they must be able to feasibly function as independent sentences. So I could say, for example; "I'm hungry; I haven't eaten all day." Because "I'm hungry" could be its own sentence, and so could, "I haven't eaten all day."

Okay, moving on to other fun punctuation: possessive apostrophes! First of all, its vs. it's. I know this is confusing, because in general one adds an apostrophe S to the end of a word to make it possessive. However, "it" is an exception. "It's" is a contraction that stands for "it is." "Its" is possessive. A dog does not lick it's own balls; a dog licks its own balls. Excuse the crass example.

The other confusing thing about the apostrophe S is attaching it to words that end in S. What's important here is that it's not just whether or not the noun ends in S; it's whether or not it's a singular or plural noun. This rule depends on which style guide you follow. I have my own preferences, though, and they align perfectly with the Chicago Manual, which is essentially the editor's Bible. So, that's what we're going to use.

The general rule, according to the Chicago Manual, is: "The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, and the possessive of plural nouns (except for a few irregular plurals that do not end in s) by adding an apostrophe only."

Got it? If it's singular, you use the S. If it's plural, you don't. So Torsten isn't Jess' fiancé; he's Jess's fiancé. Even though my name ends in S, it is a singular noun and thus the S is is used after the apostrophe.

However, of course, there are exceptions, and not just the one mentioned in the above quote. I'm not going to cover all of them, since some are rather obscure, but there are a couple worth noting. First, if a noun ends in S and is the same in both singular and plural form, such as economics or politics, only the apostrophe is used to make it possessive. If the name of a place or organization, such as the United States, involves a plural noun at the end, only the apostrophe is used to make it possessive. And "For...sake" expressions where the noun ends in S use only the apostrophe, such as "for goodness' sake."

The reason, according to the Chicago Manual, that so many of us are taught that it is okay to leave off the S for all singular nouns that end in S is just to avoid having to worry about exceptions. This is technically accepted practice. But I hate it. Since my name ends in S, I'm allowed to have such a strong opinion. And I do. And now you know what it is.

48 comments:

  1. I think my head may have just exploded. Also memories of a comma test I failed miserably in the 9th grade have come flooding back.

    I may have to star this post b/c I really find stuff like this helpful :)

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  2. Is is weird that I love these posts SO MUCH? Because I DO.

    First of all, are you sure DOUBLE SURE (DAMN YOU TILLY!) that you don't mentally copyedit our blogs? Well, it MUST be true, since you are still reading MY blog. Still: nervous tummy.

    That is a GOOD TIP on the "for...sake". AS YOU KNOW, I use that all the time. I never knew what to do, so sometimes I just leave the apostrophe totally off, which is CLEARLY wrong.

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  3. The only thing I didn't know in there was about the "'s" at the end of a singular word ending in s. Awesome. Thank you. It will probably be a tough habit to break!

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  4. Thanks for the lesson! I used three semi colons in my latest entry (one for a winky so I guess it doesn't count) and I went back to check that I had used them properly. Phew...I think. I have some colon action going on that may have muddled things up.

    I appreciate the lesson the possessive 's too. I must admit when a word ends in s I don't add an extra S after the ' but now that I understand why one would (or is that should?), I will!

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  5. And you know what else I would like you to write about next time? When to use "me" vs. "I" (As in Jess and I went to the store). I THINK I remember that I is for the subject of the sentence and me is for the predicate, and that is what I always do, but...the chances that this is TOTALLY, SO, SO, WRONG are...at least even.

    Okay, 70/30.

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  6. Tessie--it's noted! I've added it to my list of things to discuss in the next one.

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  7. I love reading these posts. Love.

    BTW, I am still waiting for the stupid AP Stylebook (what we use at work) to change "Web site" to "website" because I hate that whole two-word, initial cap crap.

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  8. I love this post and will definitely reference it in the future. I edit a lot of stuff at work and some of the guys insist on using a semi-colon when a colon should be used. I tell them over and over and over again, but they continue to get it wrong. Each time I see their mistake, it make my blood boil!!!!

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  9. Thanks, Jess. I have to write work reports and studies all the time and I am always having to look shiz up. It's nice to have a little crash course in one place.

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  10. There are also some names that fall under the exception to the apostrophe s rule, Jesus for one. My little "Elements of Style" book is one of my favorites. They just released it with a much prettier cover than the one I have.

    Great post.

    I used to work in editorial and now I work mostly in marketing so my Bible has become the AP Style Guide.

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  11. Ever so helpful you are!

    And Ditto Tessie's recs re: next post.

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  12. THANK YOU! Also thank you Rebecca for referring to this blog. I have really bad grammar and I need this sort of course, as English is not my first language, my grammar does suffer form this. Thank you so much, this was really helpful, I hope I can be able to remember it.

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  13. I do that all the time!

    Thanks for the heads-up.

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  14. I love apostrophes, so your strong statement against their abuse warms my heart.

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  15. And "For...sake" expressions use only the apostrophe, such as "for goodness' sake."

    So... wait. Would take make it "For fuck' sake"? Because that doesn't make any sense...

    And no, I'm not asking just to be a pain in the arse (okay, well, maybe I am just a little), I am actually a grammar nazi myself and would like my obscenities to be properly punctuated.

    Thanks! :)

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  16. THANK YOU for confirming Jess's. AS's first name ends in "S" and he is always trying to tell me that these are AS' toys. He is WRONG.

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  17. Frog Princess--Sorry! I should have clarified! The Chicago Manual says that "for...sake" expressions "traditionally omit the S when the noun ends in S or an S sound." So since fuck doesn't end in S, it would be "for fuck's sake." I'll edit the post right now.

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  18. Hey there... stopping by from Swistle's to let you know you can get that comb from Sally Beauty supply. When I was still doing hair, I used them all the time. Here's the site:

    http://www.sallybeauty.com/Double+Dip+Volume+Comb+V300D/SBS-183735,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair11-01

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  19. i have to admit the apostrophe "s" thing threw me for a loop. i've always done jess' without the "s". hmm. can't believe i've been wrong this whole time!

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  20. Thanks for the info. It's helpful and handy!

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  21. Please make this a weekly feature. I love it!

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  22. I love this stuff! And yet, I am so terrible at it.

    "...the semicolon can be used if, and only if, the clauses on either side of the semicolon are independent. "

    I really try to live by this rule, but I know I use semicolons too often. I've starred this post - it is so helpful

    Thanks, Jess!

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  23. P.S. Have you see the Apostrophe Abuse blog? Funny stuff.

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  24. I think I just learned more here then I did in four years of english....lol..thanks for the info!

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  25. The worst possessive I ever saw: a daycare teacher with a student named James wrote "Jame's parents" on an envelope. MY EYES! MY EYES!!!

    My mother claims that "Jesus" is so amazing, he gets to have his own punctuation rule and be, for example, "Jesus' disciples" and "In Jesus' name." Confirm or deny?

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  26. Thanks for the little lesson. Very useful. I, am, very, and grateful. Ooops! Over use of commas? LOL!

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  27. jess - Love these posts.

    swistle - I think it's like that because Jesus is both singular AND plural, right? He's three dudes, three dudes, three dudes in one. Am I going to hell now?

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  28. Swistle--You are in luck--the Chicago Manual has a very specific example that particularly refers to Jesus. The answer to your question is that Jesus, special as he is, does not get his own punctuation rule. His name, like mine, is a singular noun and therefore he gets the apostrophe S. The example in the Chicago Manual is "Jesus's contemporaries."

    HOWEVER, he also falls under the "for...sake" category, in that if you are saying, "For Jesus' sake," you DO leave off the S. So maybe that's where your mother got that idea.

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  29. Judicial opinions do not use the Chicago Manual, and a lot of judges do things differently. Like making a singular word that ends in s possessive. We used some rule that involved how many syllables the word had, I think. I don't know. I never understood it and just hoped someone else fixed it.

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  30. my brain is mushy.

    i hate periods and love love love commas, i try to write in entirely single sentences, extened by commas
    (cause it't how i talk)

    but i DO know how to pronounce many things correctly, diction wise that is.

    example: the word "the"
    "the" is pronounced in two different ways depending on whether consonent or vowel beginning word follows.

    The book; is pronounced "thuh book"

    and

    The Ocean; is pronounced "thee ocean"

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  31. I totally love this. I'm a nerd, right? I hope there's a part three.

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  32. would you hate me if i said i hate Chicago style? I'm an APA girl myself. I know my blog is a mess, but I write more how I talk about something. Anyways, that's no excuse!

    ok now I'm done. Thanks for the lesson!

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  33. You lost me at mini copyediting, lol! BTW, 25 years ago the Hubby and I agreed on everything. I'm not sure which one of us has gotten snarlier as we age, pretty darn sure it's him though :)!

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  34. i'm such a nerd, stuff like this makes me tingle! I hate when people get there, their, and they're mixed up...

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  35. Seriously must print out this page and tack it on my wall.

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  36. This was incredibly educational, and not boring. I think I want you to be my English tutor! And DEFINITELY my editor when I finally get to it and write that book I'm always half-heartedly thinking about.

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  37. Great Post!

    I think after a few years out a school everyone needs a good refresher!

    I am a freak about speaking, I think it has to do with working in radio, but my writing can suffer from time to time.

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  38. Oh....so much on a Saturday morning....my poor brain. I'm glad yours functions so well on weekends!

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  39. hahaha you are awesome for writing this. I am usually great with grammar, punctuation, etc UNLESS it's my blog, gosh, I'm terrrrriiible about ti on my blog.

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  40. You don't judge blogs on their grammatical errors? You know, you're among friends. You're allowed to tell us when our work sucks. (-; Very useful info.

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  41. Amen, sister. That post warmed my geeky little heart. You may recall I wrote about its vs. it's back in November, but although I've mentioned semicolons repeatedly (and have one on a necklace I wear often), I don't think I've ever talked about those. And OOOOHHHH, could I talk about those. A big part of my job is editing, too, and I swear, no one in my company knows what a semicolon is for, yet they insist on using them anyway. :-(

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  42. HEY! That description I found is actually a poster, I am thinking about buying it. They had a positive and a negative one, seriously, who would buy the negative one? I love it too...Thanks! :-)

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  43. i love the semicolon. WHEN USED PROPERLY. i am often aghast at how little grammar the typical college-educated person knows these days. uh, of course, i'm a little shaky on my use of hyphens, so this comment is probably grammatically incorrect :-)

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  44. I know I'm late, but my fiance and I were discussing the use of "an" vs "a" before words. We were taught in school that if the word following started with a vowel (or vowel sound), you use "an", and if it started with a consonant you use "a". Care to weigh in? Our specific discussion was about words that begin with an h, like historic.

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  45. Hehe, I hate to be nit-picky, but I noticed a few errors in your post (sorry, I can't help but notice these things, even in blogs, though I may appreciate validity of the informal style):

    "to feasibly function" -> "feasibly to function"

    Of course, I don't really but into the injunction against split infinitives.

    But I did notice that this semi-colon doesn't separate two independent clauses, since the "it's" that follows it refers to an antecedent in previous clause, and is thus dependent.

    "What's important here is that it's not just whether or not the noun ends in S; it's whether or not it's a singular or plural noun."

    Sorry, not to be a douche, just having fun with English. I did find your advice about possessives helpful, especially your "dog balls" example! :)

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