What’s up with “that”?
Whether writing or editing, I’m consciously aiming for a smooth experience for readers—which means avoiding potholes, bumps, and other obstacles that momentarily distract them, pulling them out of the flow of the text.
Everything in its place
As an indexer, I tend to be obsessive about organizing things alphabetically—the books on my shelves, the spices in my cupboards, the DVDs and CDs in the basement . . . Of course Joan Aiken should come before Kate Atkinson,…
Three decades of usage
In 1989 things seemed fresh. The Berlin Wall came down. Reagan finally left the White House. Seinfeld hit TV screens; so did The Simpsons. New Kids on the Block were actually new. For me 1989 marked a fresh start. At…
Our evolving language
As we have celebrated the 25th anniversary of West Coast Editorial Associates in 2017, we’ve looked at our past, present, and future, as well as a few editorial highlights of 1992, the year WCEA was formed. I have recently been…
Words and the apostrophe in 1992
Twenty-five years ago, when West Coast Editorial Associates was born, I was barely a West Coaster and wasn’t yet an editor. Before moving to Victoria from Toronto in July 1992, I wrote articles for national magazines and reviewed screenplays for…
Behind the scenes at the word museum
In August 2016 I wrote about the Library of Congress in Washington, DC—a must-see for any language and literature buffs visiting the US capital. A January 25, 2017, Washington Post story reported that a new attraction for word lovers is…
Seven challenges for the word lover
What’s not to love about a short quiz on some favourite head-scratchers in the English language? Answers are at the end. Award yourself a chocolate truffle for every question you answer correctly. 1. Which is correct? a) I’ve been racking…
Spooks, zombie rules, and the singular “they”
’Tis the season for spooks, so what better time to talk about zombie rules? First, a little background. The term “zombie rules” was coined by Stanford linguistics professor Arnold Zwicky in a 2005 blog post: In the process of dissemination,…
What’s in a subject heading?
It seemed like a straightforward announcement from a body that is rarely in the public eye. On March 22, 2016, the Policy and Standards Division (PSD) of the Library of Congress (LoC), the national library of the United States, issued…
Marathon: A word to run with
marathon: (n.) A long-distance running race, strictly one of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 kilometres). A long-lasting or difficult task or activity; an endurance contest. Al Howie: The short warm-up run ahead of a very, very long outing. During a…