If Black is up, do we capitalize White?
I’ve devoted quite a bit of thinking time over the past several weeks on the question of whether white as a racial designation should be...
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Mark Allen
- Jan 7, 2020
- 5 min
Style guides differ on Word of the Decade: A status update on the epicene they
An earlier version of this column was published on the blog of ACES: The Society for Editing. This was last updated on August 24, 2021....
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Mark Allen
- Nov 20, 2017
- 3 min
If ‘they’ is singular, does ‘themself’ naturally follow?
Respected reference sources have signaled a modicum of acceptance of the pronoun they in a singular sense. The Associated Press Stylebook...
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Mark Allen
- Dec 29, 2016
- 3 min
Great writing informs great copy editing
The ending lines of The Great Gatsby make any good list of the best closings in literature. The last line is perfect while the...
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Mark Allen
- Apr 15, 2016
- 2 min
Possessive of a title in quotes? Just don’t
English has a lot of conventions—best not to call them rules—that sometimes fall apart when we try to apply them in all possible...
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Mark Allen
- Oct 30, 2015
- 3 min
In standard usage, ‘daylight saving time’ wins out
The end of daylight saving time offers an opportunity for people prone to correcting to remind us the middle word is singular—”daylight...
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Mark Allen
- Apr 23, 2014
- 2 min
Bard Day celebration offers much to read about
It’s Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, more or less, and all of Twitter is a stage for stories about the immortal one. There is no time for...
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Mark Allen
- Mar 3, 2014
- 14 min
ACES 2014 National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest entries
Here are the entries in the National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku contest. If you don’t see your entry here, be assured it was considered if...
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Mark Allen
- Nov 4, 2013
- 3 min
A little bit of what I’ve learned on Twitter
The following column originally appeared on Copyediting.com in two parts. As I have no space limitations, here it is in its entirety for...
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Mark Allen
- Aug 28, 2013
- 2 min
If someone says eye-licking is causing infections, check it out
I wrote a blog entry for Copyediting about the failure of a reporter and editors at the Guardian to check the sources on a story about a...
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Mark Allen
- Jul 26, 2013
- 3 min
Habitat for Humanity house is a fitting tribute to a nice guy
My plan was to drive back to Grand Rapids, Mich., today and spend Saturday pounding nails and raising walls on a Habitat for Humanity...
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Mark Allen
- Jul 24, 2013
- 1 min
More from me at the Copyediting newsletter blog
More from me at the Copyediting newsletter blog I’ve joined the blog team at Copyediting newsletter, so I’ll be posting there regularly...
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Mark Allen
- Jun 19, 2013
- 3 min
Made-up ‘rules’ may offer a path to clarity
Columnist and language expert Ben Yagoda resorted to all caps in a brief Twitter exchange on the difference (if any) between “since” and...
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Mark Allen
- Mar 4, 2013
- 3 min
Here are the winning winners in the Tweeted Haiku Contest
Arika Okrent’s 17 syllables captured the hearts of the judges, but there were scores of worthy entries in the National Grammar Day...
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Mark Allen
- Mar 4, 2013
- 3 min
arika okrent / the judges loudly proclaim / winning haikuist
Arika Okrent tapped into a universal feeling of realization and dread when she wrote her winning entry for the 2013 National Grammar Day...
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Mark Allen
- Mar 1, 2013
- 1 min
Kory Stamper: Celebrate, don’t denigrate, this National Grammar Day
Smug peevery is not the way to mark National Grammar Day, lexicographer Kory Stamper reminds us: A Plea for Sanity this National (US)...
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Mark Allen
- Feb 27, 2013
- 2 min
Tweeted-haiku contest returns this week
March 4 approaches, and with it comes National Grammar Day, a day we celebrate with the annual Tweeted Haiku Contest. Last year, we had...
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Mark Allen
- Nov 6, 2012
- 3 min
Warning: political content; but politics affects us all
This has nothing to do with words and everything to do with politics. For that, I apologize, but I hope you read it anyway. Gov. Romney...
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Mark Allen
- Oct 9, 2012
- 2 min
Funny, but it’s still rock ‘n’ roll to me
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (small) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I’ve been tweeting in lieu of blogging lately, but sometimes a matter...
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Mark Allen
- Mar 4, 2012
- 3 min
Allow me to dangle the winning haiku in front of you
Judging for the 2012 National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest was as difficult as any in the history of the event. Nearly 200 entries...
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Mark Allen
- Feb 29, 2012
- 2 min
March forth and write haiku to celebrate National Grammar Day
Without grammar, your haiku would fall to pieces. I think I’ll tweet that. The National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest is back. Nearly...
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Mark Allen
- Feb 9, 2012
- 4 min
Don’t discount the editor when the focus is ‘online-first’
Newspapers have been quick to tell us about the latest trends and help us prepare for a changing world. But they’ve been amazingly slow...
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Mark Allen
- Dec 26, 2011
- 1 min
I don’t know why you say ‘good-bye’
I’d like to say goodbye to “good-bye.” The unhyphenated “goodbye” gets nearly five times as many Google hits. “Goodbye” is the preferred...
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Mark Allen
- Jul 27, 2011