The Editor's Blog

You are an editor. Your friends and colleagues say you are nit-picky and anal, but you know the truth: You just like being right. The Editor's Blog is designed to be both a resource for you (whether "editor" is your job title or obsession) and a sounding board for you to share the many annoying and egregious errors you come across to others who will appreciate them (because your husband or sister or roommate is tired of listening to you). I hope you will share editing experiences and opinions on certain subjective edits like the serial comma and UK vs. U.S. English, as well as grammar bloopers, pet peeves, and other questions and/or reference materials you have. If anything, I hope this blog spares you the embarrassment of asking a friend or colleague a question that they think (and you know) you should know the answer to. After all, you like being right.

Monday, August 23, 2004

Use 'em. Don't Confuse 'em.

Homonyms are some of the most confusing of the most confusable words. Homonyms are those pesky words that sound the same but have different meanings. You know that differences exist between affect and effect, their and their, your and you’re, and principle and principal. Do you know what those differences are? For most of you, this will be a bit of a grammar school review. You might want to print these materials out and post them in your office. Just as the doctor in your family gets called for advice on every family member’s newest ailment, so do you get called for a quick proofread and advice on whether to use elicit and illicit in a certain sentence. Make them think you’re a walking AP Manual of Style.

Commonly Misused Words and Expressions

Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, William Strunk, Jr. (1869–1946). The Elements of Style. 1918.



posted by Katie and Chris @ 8:01 AM  

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