Questions tagged [style-manuals]
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How does one read aloud a birth year with no death year? Eg: John Smith (1994 – )
It is common to notate someone's lifespan using the syntax [year of birth] – [year of death]. When the subject is still living, you simply omit the death year, such as 1994 –.
When reading this aloud,...
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1answer
48 views
Capitalization of titles in an essay where the original work does not capitalize its title according to style (MLA)
In my essay (MLA), I talk about Kendrick Lamar's album titled good kid, m.A.A.d city (stylized like that). Which of the following ways would be the correct way to title my essay:
Kendrick Lamar's ...
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1answer
191 views
Two middle initials / data entry
When inputting names to a database (used by English and non-English language users) what would be the preferable way to tackle a name with two middle initials?
John George William Doe for example.
...
2
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1answer
91 views
Citations in Chicago Style For Direct Quote and Subsequent Paragraph - Two Citations and “Ibid.,” or One?
I apologize for the political nature of this quote, but this is what I'm working on. I am using the Chicago Manual of Style. I am wondering if, when quoting a comment in a medium-length section that ...
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1answer
28 views
What sort of phrases cannot be restrictive or non-restrictive?
The Chicago Manual of Style says
A phrase that is restrictive—that is, essential to the meaning (and
often the identity) of the noun it belongs to—should not be set off by
commas.
What sort of ...
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1answer
69 views
Works cited multiple pages in MLA
I'm currently writing an essay and cites a source multiple times, but at separate pages. Just for clarity's sake, I cited pages 10-11, 15, and 19. The issue is simple enough for in-text citations, but ...
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1answer
42 views
According to the Chicago manual of style for bibliographies do authors with initials have two stops before the title
According to the Chicago manual of style for bibliographies do authors with initials have two stops before the title?
So e.g.
Wells, H. G.. The Invisible Man
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52 views
Juxtaposing (more than) two sentences that can include “and” by using “and”
QUESTIONS:
Is the comma used in the below sentence necessary?
Is it okay to use different forms or parts of speech for juxtaposed elements?
I.g. In the below sentence, a noun "development" and ...
3
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2answers
256 views
Suspended hyphen in“ever-expanding and contracting gulf”?
My hunch is a suspended hyphen is not needed preceding the second word (contracting), but the writer queried this and I'm not sure. (We go by the Chicago Manual of Style but I can't find an example ...
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2answers
332 views
When is it OK to start a sentence with “But”? [duplicate]
Is starting a sentence with a "But" still bad? I know some Harvard graduates who are native English speakers and do this when they write. Is it acceptable now?
What are some of the examples where "...
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2answers
585 views
Using the Chicago Manual of Style, do colons go inside or outside quotes?
I have the following sentence:
The program identifies particular “targets” and “identifiers:” the “targets” are people who are suspected of committing a crime.
Does the colon go inside the quotes ...
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0answers
329 views
Space before mass-percent or volume-percent?
I am aware that a version of this question has already been asked, regarding space before a percent sign in general, and despite both the Chicago Manual of Style and Turabian's A Manual for Writers ...
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1answer
1k views
Shortest date abbreviation recommended by CMOS
What's the shortest abbreviation for a full date (day, month, and year) recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style?
I know CMOS recommends against all-numeral dates, so I'd rather not use those. (I ...
2
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1answer
308 views
The grammar of user interface (technical writing)
I need to translate the interface of our software into English, but I'm not sure how to deal with grammar. Should some auxiliary verbs, articles be omitted for the sake of brevity like in the ...
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1answer
201 views
Should the introductory sentence of a bulleted list end with a colon or a period?
Which of the two examples below is the right way to punctuate the introductory sentence before a bulleted list where each list item is a complete sentence ending with a period?
Example 1
There are a ...
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1answer
974 views
How should the phrase “thank you” be written in the following sentence? [duplicate]
According to prevalent formal writing style rules,
Should the phrase be in quotes (as in "thank you" or thank you)?
Should T of Thank be capital?
Should there be a hyphen?
They did not give him a ...
2
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2answers
62 views
Are there any style guides that dictate the use of “on/at Amazon” (and other web platforms). If so, what are they and what's the reasoning behind it?
I've been doing some really basic copywriting for various books that I've seen on various reading lists and I occasionally refer readers to Amazon. Here's a simple example:
You can get a good ...
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0answers
176 views
Apostrophe on Proper Nouns that end in -s. “Louis's” vs “Louis’ '’? [duplicate]
Though I see that many have asked the question of whether acronyms that ends with a "s" should be s' or s's, I have puzzled over whether nouns that ends in “s” should end in s's or s'.
Many sources ...
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1answer
284 views
Is the expression “bring to light” considered cliché in academic | scientific writing? [closed]
I'd like to know if the expression "bring to light" used to mean to discover or reveal (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bring--to--light) is considered cliché - or even tacky - in scientific writing?
...
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1answer
263 views
Footnoting superscript with a colon preceding a block quote - Australian Style Manual
So the Australian Style manual specifies that superscript is placed within punctuation except for at the end of a sentence, where it falls outside of the full stop. All well and good, but how about in ...
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2answers
3k views
French fries or french fries? [duplicate]
Yesterday I came across the following sentence, using "french" fries in lowercase, in an exercise book for non-native speakers of English:
We ordered two "french" fries and two apple pies.
So I have ...
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2answers
1k views
Pronunciation guide for foreign words: Single or double quotation marks?
Is the use of single quotation marks below standard style in American English?
The Japanese word “Nagasaki” is pronounced as ‘na+ga+sa+ki’
Double quotation marks would seem more natural to me, ...
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1answer
151 views
Following the Chicago style guide, would I capitalise 'professor' in the phrase “He became a professor”? [closed]
I'm struggling a little with knowing when to capitalise words under the Chicago Manual of Style.
In the phrase "He became a professor", would I capitalise the word 'professor'?
My thinking is that ...
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1answer
509 views
Meaning of the “but” in the sentence [closed]
I'm trying to help my student to translate one of the manuals which she needs for work. There is a sentence that I don't understand completely:"For example, you might want to track the license number ...
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2answers
4k views
Which way to write 7th or seventh, 19th or nineteenth, 27th or twenty-seventh, 127, etc [closed]
I type reports for the federal government. I need to know what to do about writing numbers such as 7th or seventh, 19th or nineteenth, 27th or twenty-seventh, 190th or one hundred twenty-seventh or ...
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2answers
9k views
Capitalization in military writing
The editor for a book I'm writing tells me that Delta Company should be written Delta company within the text of the story. Examples: (1) "The only thing the old man told me was get on that helicopter ...
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1answer
1k views
Italicize Translated Title in Parentheses?
I'm proofreading a book and came across the title of a poem with the translation in parentheses (name changed for confidentiality):
"... in his poem, Les Amours des Dieux (The Loves of the Gods), .....
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2answers
6k views
Style clarification for date superscripts, th, st and nd
I wanted to know, while writing dates such as 1st April or 2nd March; do we need to superscript the st and the nd as 1st April and 2nd March, or is it ok to write them without the superscript ...
2
votes
2answers
211 views
What are Fowler's guidelines for comma usage for this phrase?
I don't need to set off "at times" in commas here, do I?
"It is an at times fraught debate... "
The alternative is as follows:
"It is an, at times, fraught debate... "
And, a second question, ...
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1answer
139 views
What is the stylistic form to use for including foreign text in an English article?
Academic texts often include translations of terms, and these are included in parentheses. Is there a standard to use when including foreign language text (e.g. Arabic, Russian, Chinese, etc.)?
Let'...
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1answer
159 views
Manuals of Style and Typography for British and American English [closed]
I would like to know which manuals of style and typography are the most common ones for British and American English. I am interested in the basic manuals and the manuals for technical scientists (...
2
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3answers
623 views
Do any style guides advocate the alternating use of “he” and “she” as a gender-neutral pronoun?
I don't like the options that are usually given in the "gender-neutral pronoun" debate. The singular they offends my prescriptivist sensibilities. His/her constructions are clunky and look terrible. ...
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3answers
3k views
Civil War/antebellum terms in Chicago style
In Chicago style, should the term "union" be capitalized when referring to the pre-Civil War nation? What about the terms "northern" and "southern" as adjectives?
I can find clear-cut references for ...
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3answers
222 views
Do any style guides recommend an apostrophe at the end for double possessors? (John and Jacks' house)
I am aware that the universally accepted style is to put an apostrophe-s at the end of the second possessor's name.
Example: Amy and Steve's car
My question is not whether that is the common rule; ...
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2answers
138 views
Capitalisation of W in 'How to send money: Watch the video'
Should "W" of watch be capitalized as it is starting after a colon?
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2answers
1k views
What is the correct way to format a title within a title/headline/header?
The Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook generally disagree about how to format book/movie/album titles in a paragraph of text:
Chicago: The person is reading The Grapes of Wrath today.
AP: ...
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1answer
645 views
Chicago Manual of Style: Citations for photos downloaded from Flickr
I have "Photo Credits" section in my book containing a list of all image citations in the Chicago style, much like a bibliography. CMOS (Chicago manual of Style) 16th edition doesn't say anything ...
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1answer
408 views
Essay Formatting Question: Use of examples [closed]
Good day everyone;
I hope I have signed up to the right forum because I am conflicted on a formatting issue. As of now, I am writing an essay for one of my classes in the APA format. Just for ...
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2answers
737 views
Whats wrong in using the words Whilst and Due to?
I remember reading in an English style guide (The Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers) that the words whilst and due to were quite redundant and not to be used. The author did not seem to like them as ...
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3answers
577 views
Question about an AP Style rule
AP Style Rule:
If the word following a singular common noun ending in "s" begins with "s," add an apostrophe only.
Based on AP's rule above, are the following bulleted examples correctly ...
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1answer
3k views
What is the correct way to properly quote and cite a foreign language resource? [closed]
Should I provide my own translation? If so, where?
It is important for this particular quote to appear directly: it is the crux of the argument.
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3answers
13k views
Capitalization: 'rivers'
In the following sentence, is rivers capitalized or not?
The Delaware and Potomac rivers are beautiful.
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1answer
55 views
Different number of sub-levels in different chapters
Is it considered bad form to have a different number of sub-levels in different chapters in a technical report? Or would something like the following be admittable?
Chapter 1 - Introduction
...
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2answers
529 views
Using “and” in a list with an element already containing “and” [duplicate]
I'm struggling with the following sentence in an APA format paper. I don't like the double usage of and here, but 'supply and demand' is one thing in this context. Is this correct or do I need to make ...
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1answer
5k views
If the article title ends in closing punctuation, do we still add a period in an APA reference? [closed]
I have a question about citing a reference in APA format. The following reference was created by one of the members of my school group for a paper we are working on (let's just dismiss indentation on ...
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0answers
503 views
In the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries; suspended hyphen [duplicate]
How would you suggest to list centuries here:
Suspended hyphen:
In the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries...
Separated by commas:
In the late nineteenth-, and early twentieth-, ...
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3answers
11k views
Do you separate an imperative after a conjunction by a comma?
I want you to go and ask him the price, but don't tell him I sent you.
Is this a main clause followed by a coordinating clause (imperative)?
Pour the vodka into the glass, and add orange juice.
...
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1answer
476 views
How to quote a book that has a quote in the text that I'm quoting?
I'm trying to quote this in my paper:
despite the universal desire to return to "normal," things changed
How would I quote this in MLA? Would I substitute the double quotations for single, or use ...
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1answer
215 views
Is there a 35th edition of “On Writing Well”?
My English teacher recommended Zinsser's "On Writing Well" as a supplement to my reading of E.B. White's "The Elements of Style". While I know that Zinsser's 30th edition exists, I have come across an ...
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1answer
222 views
In a headline written with initial capitals, should “outside” be capitalized? [duplicate]
I'm writing a headline for an article ending with "outside the organization." According to our style book, we capitalize on headline. Should "outside" be capitalized in this context?
