Those are probably the same English teachers who go insane when they watch reruns of the original Star Trek. “Blast those split infinitives!”
I can’t really criticize them, though; I used to be a bit pedantic myself. Course, I’ve long since crossed over to the dark side.
Hey emilyforce. What kind of training does an editor have? And, if you don’t mind helping me out a little, where can I find a good source for proper comma placement in AmE?
The reason for the OP is that I am trying to work on a writing style which reflects the informal way Americans speak yet still follows proper grammatical rules. I have experience as an ESL teacher and I majored in linguistics at college but I feel my techinical writing skills are lacking. I am never sure where to put a comma or if I should use the traditional verb form. Do editor’s have certain standards in English (an organization that regulates standard American English) or are there big discrepancies in rules?
“Hanged” refers solely to someone who has died by the noose. “Hung” for everything else.
So the NJ compilment of “He’s hung like a stallion” is perfect Queen’s English.
Editors have a wiiiide variety of training. I don’t have any formal training in editing or even in English; I’ve just always been good at it. Most of the editors I work with are former middle-school or high-school teachers, because this is a textbook company and it’s usually part of the hiring requirement. I have a little bit of teaching experience with college freshmen, some experience tutoring spoken ESL, and some freelance experience editing grad students’ and professors’ work (theses, dissertations, articles, etc.).
To get this job, I had to complete a work sample – I copyedited some text they sent me, using the resources they require and their marking conventions. I didn’t know a thing about any of this before I went job-hunting. I got a couple of books and dived in.
Different organizations use different standards. There’s no one organization that regulates American English – nothing equivalent to the Académie Française, for instance. Americans’ ideas about liberty and freedom of expression pretty much make such a thing unthinkable. When I first found out that there was such a thing for the French, I remember our entire French class didn’t believe it, and made the teacher bring in stuff to prove it to us.
The most common standards are probably The Chicago Manual of Style (which we use) and the MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook (which is standard in most college situations, though not all), though there are many others.
There are many, many handbooks that will tell you how to use commas and other punctuation properly, but I don’t know of any resources to show you how Americans commonly use them. Generally speaking, you can’t “reflect the informal way Americans speak yet still follow proper grammatical rules.” Part of the problem is that we don’t speak commas – that is, commas are often correct in places where most native speakers wouldn’t pause. Plus, American informal speech changes pretty quickly (some rules that were iron-clad when I was a kid are now considered optional). But Americans rarely strive to write the way we speak in technical or academic writing.
My favorite style guide/handbook is the Harbrace College Handbook. I find it easy to use, and the book itself is a good size to keep handy. Chapter 17 is “The Comma”!
Did that answer your questions, parlo americano?
I’m still laughing at making the french teacher prove it! I’ve always been more surprised that we have no standard comitee set up.
Thanks so much for the post. I already know the MLA as it was required reading in some class. The Chicago manual is great. Thank you.
Emilyforce, I think it’s great you edit but what a shame your own voice isn’t center stage.
And yes, you answered my question. (Big time)
[blushes, ducks head] But see, that would draw undue attention to my Nefarious Plot to Take Over the World.
Having spent my formative years in English schools, I generally use “burnt” as the adjective. I use “burned” to denote the verb form though… I wouldn’t say “I burnt my toast”.
Oh, and “whilst” is certainly not archaic.