None of the Above
Q. Hi there! I am working in the production department of a well-known publisher, and my manager and I are trying to subdue a sudden rash of blank recto pages. Are they or are they not permissible? Thank you! Answer »
Q. CMOS 7.55. Italics at first occurrence: “If a foreign word not listed in an English dictionary is used repeatedly throughout a work, it need be italicized only on its first occurrence. If it appears only rarely, however, italics may be retained.” What’s your reasoning? Answer »
Q. I’ve been unable to find any competent freelance editors. Do you offer any editing services? Answer »
Q. In a business salutation to Mr. and Mrs. Mike Stern, do we address the letter to Dear Mike and Irene or Dear Irene and Mike? Please advise. Answer »
Q. What should be the average number of words in an instruction manual? This one explains the hidden meanings in seventy-eight drawings. Thanks. Answer »
Q. At the annual meeting of our local PBK chapter, dispute on the pronunciation of “archival” arose: whether the stress falls on the first or the second syllable. Give us your wisdom. I will pass it on in the column I write weekly in a local paper about any subject that pops into my head. Answer »
Q. I am editing an article in which two organizations are named. Each has the word “roundtable” in its name, but one is Round Table and the other is Roundtable. Should I leave the spellings as they are (and risk looking like I have made a mistake) or “nudge” the one into a single word? Answer »
Q. In CMOS 15, paragraphs 3.11 and 3.12, you address the subject of typographical widows and orphans. Perhaps I’ve missed it, but with orphans, do you suggest a minimum number of characters for the last line of a paragraph? (For instance, “it.” could end up on the last line.) Or is this simply a matter of what appears best to us? Answer »
