SmithWriting Blog

A few weeks ago, while compiling financial documents for my accountant, I sat down to prepare a 1099 tax form for my subcontractor. A simple task, right? Well, you can imagine my surprise when I learned that the form had to be typewritten on special paper from the IRS. Well, that’s all well and good, but who has a typewriter in this day and age? I sure don’t, so I had to have a tax professional prepare the form for me.

It all worked out fine, but it got me to thinking: Where have all the typewriters gone?

There was a time not too long ago when every office had at least one typewriter. B.C. (Before Computers), typewriters were used for writing memos, letters, and other important documents. An office just wasn’t an office without the melodic sounds of tapping keys and typewriter bells.

Then along came the personal computer and dot-matrix printer in the 1980s. And it was goodbye typewriters. But where did they all go?

Well, unfortunately, most went to the landfill. Can you imagine millions of perfectly good typewriters piled haphazardly in dumps all over the country? What a waste!

Luckily, some typewriters were salvaged and continue to be in existence. Some offices use them for typing labels and envelopes, and, of course, they are needed for completing certain forms. In fact, most U.S. birth and death certificates are filled out by typewriters.

I also know some writers who swear by their typewriters. They eschew computers and opt instead to compose their works using the more romantic, vintage typewriter. Can’t you just picture the struggling novelist bent over his typewriter, frustratingly ripping out page after page of copy and tossing the rolled-up paper balls into the wastepaper basket? (Wasteful, yet poetic.)

With their unique look, sound, feel, and smell, typewriters are iconic in the writing and business worlds. Although I won’t be replacing my PC with one anytime soon (how do you possibly write without the “backspace” key?), I sure hope typewriters will be around for many years to come.

Filed by rebecca at 9:11 pm under Copywriting
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Back in September, I posted some of my favorite bawdy terms from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence (Digest Books, Inc.), a collection of late 18th- and early 19th-century British slang and colloquialisms.

Since we all got such a kick out of the first batch, I’ve gone ahead and pulled a few more crude yet comical entries:

Beetle-headed: Dull, stupid.

Beggar maker: A publican or ale-house keeper.

Clack: A tongue; chiefly applied to women; a simile drawn from the clack of a water-mill.

Gutfoundered: Exceeding hungry.

Knowledge box: The head.

Low tide: When there is no money in a man’s pocket.

Morning drop: The gallows.

One of my cousins: A woman of the town; a harlot.

Pompkin: A man or woman of Boston in America; from the number of pompkins raised and eaten by the people of that country.

Resurrection men: Persons employed by the students in anatomy to steal dead bodies out of church-yards.

Word pecker: A punster; one who plays upon words.

A large volume of words in the dictionary are denigrative to women, signifying the inferior role of women in that culture (and the prevalence of prostitution). For example, the term “noozed” means both “married” and “hanged”—not the most positive view of marriage.

Likewise, the book contains dozens of terms about drinking and gluttony. “Barrel fever” is when one kills oneself by drinking, and “casting up one’s accounts” means vomiting. Clearly, debauchery was rampant in this society.

Read my original scoundrels’ dictionary post.

Filed by rebecca at 12:58 pm under For the love of words
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Do you put one or two spaces after a period?

I always put just one, and I was surprised to learn that many people still put two.

Granted, back in high school typing class, we were all taught that two spaces belong after every period. But that was a long time ago, and in grammar (as in life), rules change with the times.

Old-fashioned typewriters used “monospaced” or “fixed-width” fonts, whose letters each occupy the same amount of space. Therefore, the second space was needed after a period for the reader’s eye to pick up on the beginning of a new sentence. Makes sense.

But nowadays, I’d venture a guess that most of us do our typing on computers.

Computers use “variable-width” fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial), whose letters differ in size to one another. And since most modern word processors automatically place the period close to the preceding letter, there is no need for the writer to add that second space. In fact, if they do, they can create unsightly “rivers” in a document. These unattractive blank spots can appear to run down a paragraph of text—especially when the two spaces line up approximately above one another in several consecutive lines.

Granted, some habits are hard to break. And those of us who have been typing for a long time may find this one especially difficult.

Bottom line is this: One space after a period is today’s typographic standard. However, if it is your organization’s style to put two spaces after a period—or if you’re a graphic designer who knows enough to break the rule for style—go for it.

Filed by rebecca at 12:51 pm under Grammar guide
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By request of Urban Panther, this post is a tutorial on when to use “that” versus when to use “which.”

Now, Panther is by no means alone when it comes to the use of these puzzling pronouns. So, let’s go over it together:

“That” and “which” are both pronouns used when referring to inanimate objects and animals without a name (you wouldn’t use them in reference to Steph’s Lucy or Friar’s Basil, in other words).

That

“That” is used with essential (otherwise known as “restrictive”) clauses. These clauses provide additional information about a word or phrase in a sentence, and they cannot be left off without changing the meaning of a sentence.

For example: Panthers that are bred with leopards are known as pumapards.

The essential clause here is “that are bred with leopards.”

If we drop it from the sentence, we come up with a much different (and not necessarily true) sentence: “Panthers are known as pumapards.”

Note that there are no commas around the clause.

Which

“Which” is used with nonessential (or “nonrestrictive”) clauses. These clauses also provide additional information about a word or phrase in a sentence, but they can be left off without altering the basic meaning of a sentence.

For example: Panthers, which are also known as cougars, pumas, and mountain lions, are native to Asia, America, and Africa.

The nonessential clause here is “which are also known as cougars, pumas, and mountain lions.”

If we drop it from the sentence, we come up with a new sentence that has the same basic meaning as the original: “Panthers are native to Asia, America, and Africa.”

Note that there are commas around the “which” clause. Always set nonessential clauses off from the rest of a sentence by commas.

Any other grammar questions? I’m taking requests!

Filed by rebecca at 5:39 pm under Grammar guide
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We all know the ampersand (&) as a sign that stands for “and.” Invented in the 17th century as a space-saver, the symbol is a ligature, or character combining two or more letters, of the Latin conjunction “et,” meaning—you guessed it—“and.” It comes from an old Roman system of shorthand signs authenticated in Pompeiian graffiti.

According to The Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “ampersand” is a contraction of “and per se and,” meaning “‘&’ by itself is ‘and.’” The term came into common English use around 1837.

How do I use the ampersand?

Sparingly. At least according to the AP Stylebook, which says that the ampersand should only be confined to names that formally contain it (e.g. AT&T, Johnson & Johnson).

Interestingly, with the advent of text messaging, the ampersand is making a bit of a comeback (because it’s SO much easier to text one character than three …).

I say, welcome back, &! I’ve always loved this sassy symbol, although I’ve never been able to draw it properly (mine usually ends up looking like a rounded “E” with a line through it). Thankfully, there are many beautiful typographic versions to choose from & enjoy.

Can’t get enough of &? Check out the ampersand blog.

Filed by rebecca at 6:54 pm under Grammar guide
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Each year, Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., releases its “List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”

Compiled from thousands of nominations, the list is comprised of overused words and phrases and pet peeves from everyday speech, the media, technology, advertising, and politics.

Here are a few terms from the list that I would love to see banned in 2009:

bailout
Even after hearing the economic term a million times, I still can’t say I understand what it is exactly. I mean, couldn’t we all use a rescue from financial difficulties?

first dude
Cute. But I find “first gentleman” a bit more distinguished, personally.

green
This word drew the most nominations to the list, and I completely agree that it should be banned. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a longtime supporter of protecting the environment, but I’ve never approved of the widespread overuse of this term (and I cringe when I hear “green” used as a verb!).

not so much
It’s fine for high school parlance, but, beyond that, this phrase is completely useless. What’s wrong with “no”?

staycation
Here’s one neologism I’d like to send away on a permanent vacation.

<3 (a texted heart)
Sorry, it looks like a bum to me.

The rest of the list:

• carbon footprint/offsetting
• desperate search
• game-changer
• icon/iconic
• it’s that time of year again
• maverick
• monkey (as a suffix on the Internet)
• Wall Street/Main Street
• winner of five nominations

Filed by rebecca at 3:38 pm under For the love of words
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Like many of you, I grew up listening to Christmas carols at this time of year. It just wasn’t Christmastime in our house until Burl Ives and the Ray Conniff Singers could be heard belting out their upbeat messages of peace and happiness and joy.

Today, my iPod plays many of the same songs my parents’ old record player used to spin. But, ever since I was a child, there are some lyrics that have always made me pause.

This year, I decided to research and define some of the more puzzling terms from my favorite Christmas carols:

We want some figgy pudding
We want some figgy pudding
We want some figgy pudding
Please bring it right here!
- “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”

figgy pudding (noun): A traditional English dessert from the 16th century. A steamed, cake-like treat filled with dried fruits and liqueurs; also known as Christmas pudding or plum pudding.

The horse was lean and lank;
Misfortune seemed his lot;
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got upsot.
- “Jingle Bells”

upsot (adj): Overturned (19th century).
There exists some debate on the meaning of the word. Some say that it means “intoxicated.”

The cattle are lowing,
the poor Baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
no crying He makes.
- “Away in a Manger”

low (verb): To utter the sound made by cattle; moo.
(an example of onomatopoeia)

Hark! the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
- “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

hark (verb): To listen; pay attention (c.1175), from Old English *heorcian.

Don we now our gay apparel
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.
Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
- “Deck the Halls”

troll (verb): To sing in a full, rolling voice (c.1575).

Now let’s get out there and troll some Christmas carols!

Filed by rebecca at 12:59 pm under For the love of words
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Onomatopoeia. Such a fun word to say! And its usage is just as enjoyable as its pronunciation.

Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word by imitating the natural sound associated with the object or action involved.

We’re all very familiar with onomatopoeia in everyday language. Young children can easily tell us what a duck says (“quack, quack”), and most all comic book readers know the sound of Spider-Man’s web shooter (“thwip!”).

Here are some additional examples:

• animal noises: hiss, moo, oink, woof
• beep
• click
• drip
• hiccup
• kerplunk
• pop
• pow
• sizzle
• slurp
• splat
• swish
• whoosh
• vroom

This is just a small sample. Feel free to share your own!

Filed by rebecca at 10:12 am under For the love of words
2 Comments

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working diligently as an editor on an 80-page, full-color magazine with a circulation of more than 40,000.

In this capacity, I’ve interfaced with freelance writers and photographers, designers and printers, copyeditors and consultants—and worked hard to keep everyone on track and on deadline. And I’ve loved every minute of it.

A few things I’d like to share about the editing process:

The editor’s job is not simply to decide what goes into the magazine. There’s a lot of project management involved, from coordinating meetings and interviews to tracking down photo credits, from editing copy for content, style, and length to writing titles, call-outs, and captions. And much, much more.

Copyediting is correcting errors in grammar, spelling, usage, consistency, and style as well as basic fact checking and minimal rewriting for clarification. Copyediting is crucial. Both the assistant editor and I reviewed every draft before it made it into design—and then a few more times after that!

Designers do a lot more than just copy and paste text into templates. They artfully work with fonts and colors to create a visual display that enhances the copy and its message. They never fail to impress me with their ability to turn a simple Word document into a stunning spread.

The final, vital stage of the editing process is proofreading. With skilled eyes and red pens, proofreaders look for typographical and mechanical errors on copy that has already been typeset. Their hieroglyphic marks can make all the difference between an embarrassing printed piece and a beautiful showpiece.

Filed by rebecca at 9:05 pm under Copywriting
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Confusing it’s and its is a very common mistake in written English—but it’s also one of my biggest grammar pet peeves.

I understand people’s confusion. Usually, an apostrophe is used to indicate possession. But in this case, the version without an apostrophe is used to indicate possession. Very misleading indeed.

Here’s an explanation to help cut through the confusion:

It’s is a contraction for it is or it has.

(The apostrophe serves as a substitute for the missing letters.)

examples:

It’s a lovely day. (It is a lovely day.)

It’s been a fun weekend. (It has been a fun weekend.)

Its is a possessive pronoun.

examples:

New England is known for its picturesque seasons.

The dog wagged its tail.

Helpful hint:

When writing, ask yourself if the it’s/its you’re about to use can be replaced by it is or it has. If so, use it’s. If not, use its.

example:

The giraffe stretched it’s/its long neck.

Does it make sense to say, “The giraffe stretched it is long neck”? Of course not. So we go with its:

The giraffe stretched its long neck.

See, it’s not so bad after all!

Filed by rebecca at 7:07 pm under Grammar guide
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