Introduction

What I Do 

1. Mechanical editing, which covers grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and so forth 

2. Substantive editing, which addresses content, organization, effectiveness, style, unity, appropriateness to audience, and the like 

3. Developmental editing, which guides the author through the planning and writing of a manuscript 

4. Seminars on grammar, composition, technical writing, business writing, and fiction 

I accept fiction, nonfiction, articles, and technical, academic, and commercial documents. 

What I Don't Do 

1. Documents on a level of technicality that requires an editor from the field 

2. Manuscripts I consider hateful, libelous, or pornographic   

Introduction

Have a wonderful 2019, everyone! Our recent experience with an earthquake has once again reminded me of the good things in my life, and the good people that make them happen. 

I appreciate the feedback and the questions you have sent—thank you for keeping me on my toes! 

 Questions

Hyphenation remains a challenge to many writers, possibly because it leaves room for personal judgment and exceptions. No absolutes here. However, a few (bendable) rules apply:

1. Most common prefixes, such as non, pro, co, un, pre, de no longer require a hyphen (reemerge, nonfiction, dehumanize, coworker, coowner). The American eye still does not like two a’s or i’s in a row (or u’s, but I cannot think of any way this would happen), so it is ultra-archaic, anti-intellectual.
2. If the absence of a hyphen might create confusion, hyphenate: un-ionized, re-sign (in the sense of sign again).
3. If a prefix is followed by a capitalized word or a numeral, hyphenate: un-American, pre-2015.

 Grammar Gripes and Style Stumblers

A report on the retrieval of a murder victim’s cell phone stated that the phone “was turned into the local police department.” Be careful with your intos. The phone was turned in to the department, not into the department (that would be a magic trick). 

Similar problems arise with onto. I may jump onto a truck, and move on to better things. 

In both cases, it helps to be a grammar freak. I am, without shame. When you turn something in, or move on, in and on are adverbs. These often qualify verbs. Another word may or may not be inserted between them, such as:

He turned the phone in—as well he should—to the police department.

We moved happily on.

Did you see when the package was handed in to this clerk?              

Into and onto are prepositions, and are stuck together for better for worse, usually followed by a noun or pronoun.

I poured water into a cup.

She lifted her bike onto the sidewalk.

I ran into him yesterday.

The ship ran onto a sandbank.

 Terrible Twos

Blatant and flagrant are often mistaken for each other.  Their meanings are similar but not identical:

Blatant = noisily offensive and obnoxious, shocking

(blatant insults, blatant ridicule)

Flagrant = glaring, gross, conspicuously offensive

(flagrant media bias, flagrant misconduct)

 Media Turkeys

A report on teenagers trapped in an elevator produced the declaration that the first priority of the firefighters was to eradicate them from their temporary prison. I think they wanted extricate. 

And an overly hyper online reporter referred to a traffic accident with several fatalities as a terrible travesty. A terrible tragedy, or better yet, a tragedy, would have been the way to phrase it.

Potholes

Years ago, I made a statement that has followed me to this day—I was always obsessed with language, and the opportunity to get back at me was not lost on the family—which was grammatically correct, but semantically a few degrees short of acceptable: He told me his pig was bigger than I, but I don’t believe it. There is no bigger pig than I. 

No pig bigger than I would have been grammatically a little better, but it would probably still have left the wrong impression. Perhaps No pig is bigger than I would have worked. Taller than I would have removed all doubt.

 Everybody Does It

Latter-day literacy, heard during a boring wait, subjected to equally boring cell phone conversations in a line at a store: I mean, I was like “Let’s go,” and we basically like ran, you know, like real fast over to the other side of the street, I mean, you know what I’m saying? 

The only word missing was amazing.