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writing & editing tips

All of the writing and editing tips on this page first appeared in Hollister Creative's free monthly e-newsletter. subscribe

do's & don'ts for writers and editors


INCONCEIVABLE
Make sure that word means what you think it means
design tips photo 14
Coopers Beach in the tony Hamptons was recently named the best beach in the country.* And the Associated Press reporter likely thought he was putting on the Ritz when he began his report by declaring: "Hamptons hoi polloi probably assumed it was always No. 1."

"Hoi polloi" sounds plenty hoity-toity, but, alas, it means just the opposite of what the reporter meant. It's snobby for sure, but only because it's a snobby putdown.

"Hoi polloi" comes from ancient Greek and means commoners, plebs, proles, the masses - not the wealthy swells the author implied.
  • DON'T show off by busting out a 50-cent word if you're not completely sure of its meaning.
  • DO yourself a favor and look it up. Keep a dictionary by your desk or use one of several available online, such as Dictionary.com.


Private tasteless jokes can lead to public embarrassment
In-house publications might go viral
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Middlebury's Mishap
It's embarrassing to underestimate your alumni's intelligence
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Editor DOs …
Ellipsis abuse is bad. Period. (period, period)
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Editor DO THIS and DO NOT DO THAT
Despite dire warnings, contractions are useful
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“Unnecessary quotes” are “confusing” to “readers”
Chris Farley “is” our guest “editor”
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When the In-joke's on you
Watch what you type — even in jest
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Some writers doth protest too much, wethinks
Avoid truly, honestly, literally and other redundancies
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It’s an apostrophe catastrophe  
Do know the difference between “it’s” and “its.”
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Who Ordered the Extra Large Misspelled Double Entendre?
The bigger the print, the more embarrassing the typo.
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The Pretension/Manure Direct Correlation Value Proposition  
Do remember there’s a thick line between smart and supercilious.
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Being Careful Editors, the Mistake in this Sentence Jumps Out.  
Don’t confuse your subjects.
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Desighners Nead Spelcheck Tou
Do a spellcheck and make sure verbs and subjects are in agreement before you go live.
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Who Am Eye?
Do make sure you spell every name correctly.
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Going Through an Awkward Phrase
Do help readers grasp unfamiliar terms
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In Repose at Kohl's
Don't opt for a euphemism when the truth is cold
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Seasonal Distress
Do know the difference between drama and melodrama
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Yeah, That's the Ticket!
Don't risk your credibility with half truths
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Identity Crisis
Do pay the most attention to the largest type
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Unexpected Amenities
Do use the spell checker on every press release
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Rough-Cut Precision
Do be specific or approximate, but not both
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Fishy Tale
Do question amazing stories before retelling them
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Spell Check for Precedent
Don't trust the spell checker for proper nouns
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Irony, Inc.'s  Newsletter
Do enlist an editor who is not the writer
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editor FAQs



Q: We want to make a quick printed flyer out of the text on our website. Command-A, command-C, command-V, command-P and we're done, right?
A: Hands off the hot keys, please! When you're copying and pasting text from a document in one format to a document in another, take time to reread the text. Crazy things can happen, especially when you're copying from Web to print or vice versa. They include:
  • Weird spacing, paragraphing and line breaks.
  • Stray headlines and menu items popping up unexpectedly at the bottom or the top - or in a clump in the middle.
  • Characters with accents or symbol characters that default into gibberish.
  • Forgetting to actually copy the intended text - so that when you paste, you paste the last thing you copied.
  • Copying only part of the intended text.
  • Pasting copied text in the wrong place.
  • And our personal favorite: including technology-inappropriate instructions, such as "click here to download" on a paper brochure, or "see Page 7 for more information" on a website.


Q: What’s the difference between annual and perennial?
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Q: I am semiconscious of the need to know about semicolons. But I'm also semi-certain they occupy a twilight zone between commas and periods, and I'm not sure I want to go there.
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Q: I’m writing a piece to educate fifth graders on a science topic. How do I give them the information without “dumbing it down?”
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Q: My editor said the headlines I wrote aren’t really headlines, they’re titles. What’s the diff?
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Q: The editor says my article has “holes” in it. Why can’t she just fill them?
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Q: I typed in the phrase “stationery bike” and spell check didn’t correct it. But it still looks weird to me. What’s wrong?
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Q: What’s the difference between complimentary and complementary?
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Q: If something’s going on right now, is it happening presently or currently?
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Q: Can I have some help with the can/may issue? Or is it may I have some help? Might I get help? Could I get help? HELP!!!
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Q: We had a Search Engine Optimization expert review our healthcare website. She said we should stop calling things by their proper medical names and start using the words an average person would use to search for those things. Won’t that dumb down the content?
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Q: Which one is right: farther or further? I’ve heard it both ways.
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Q: What’s that “h” doing in “ ‘whet’ your appetite”? Shouldn’t it be “wet,” because your mouth is watering?
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Q: What’s the difference between loathe and loath? And how do you pronounce them?
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Q: I was taught that “impact” is not a verb, yet these days I even hear news anchors using it that way. Is grammar dead?
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Q: I’ve written a bylined column for a trade publication. In her email acknowledgment, the editor said the length is fine and she is editing it for “style.” Does that mean she doesn’t like my writing style?
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Q: My graphic designer says I need to cut two lines from a 200-word article I wrote for the company newsletter, but all the information is important. I spent so long on it — it’s pretty much perfect. I can’t decide which sentences should go.
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Q: I've been asked to write a short article about a past event for my company's quarterly newsletter. I wrote down Who, What, When, Where and Why. How come it sounds so dull?
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Q: I'm good at grammar and spelling, so I get asked to proofread things. I'm so afraid I'm going to miss something. Is there a checklist that would help?
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Q: What's the difference between less and fewer?
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Q: Which is correct? A.M., AM or a.m.?
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