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 

A client once told me that she would write more, and love it more, if she weren’t so unsure about grammar in general and hyphenation in particular. Another had trouble with organization, with sentence structure, and punctuation. Some problems are very specific (is it “between you and I” or “between you and me?”), others more general in nature (Is there a rule about spelling out numbers?). What is your biggest problem with writing? What would you like to know or understand so you can improve your prose? If you let me know at mjces@gci.net , I will research it and try to help you figure it out.

 Questions

Punctuation is always a source of headaches, primarily because there is often—but not always—a lot of wiggle room. A question that comes up regularly is the use of commas in a series adjectives before a noun. 

my fat old cat                                              our old, well-used, rusty wagon               

a battered old yellow taxi cab                     yesterday’s cold, rainy, windy weather

my good old red sweater                             a brief, humorous, informative talk

I have many good employees                      a good, reliable employee

new honor students                                      Chinese, Dutch, and Spanish students

What makes one a candidate for commas, and the other not?   

Coordination. A distinction exists—sometimes clear, sometimes not so much— between coordinate and noncoordinate adjectives. And if that does not help you even a bit—coordinate adjectives occur when two or more of them precede a noun and:

• could easily be reversed in order without substantially changing meaning or sounding awkward;

or

• they could be joined by the word and, with or without commas.

Coordinate adjectives are separated by commas. 

• our old and rusty and well-used wagon; our rusty, old, well-used wagon advanced Spanish and Dutch and Chinese students; advanced Dutch, Spanish, and Chinese students
• yesterday’s rainy, cold, windy weather; cold and rainy and windy weather a brief, humorous, informative talk; a brief and humorous and informative talk         

With noncoordinate adjectives, reversing the order or separating them by the word and may change meaning or look awkward: 

My good and old and red sweater does not work very well, and neither does my red, good, old sweater. 

The good old red sweater is one concept. The sweater is not necessarily good or old, probably red, but just a beloved good old sweater. Old, sharp-tasting cheese, on the other hand, is both old and sharp-tasting. A battered old yellow taxi cab would not fare well as a yellow and battered and old cab, but it would do OK as an old, battered yellow cab, combining coordinate and noncoordinate adjectives. 

With noncoordinate adjectives, one or more form a unit with the noun. They are not separated by commas (her many unused French textbooks). 

In case you have a combination of coordinate and noncoordinate adjectives, keep the noncoordinates together: my beat-up, leaky, rusty old yellow taxi cab, and use commas or and with the rest. The rusty old yellow cab becomes one concept; other adjectives are coordinate, and serve as additional descriptors. 

The distinction is not always clear, and the best way to figure it out is to reverse the order of the adjectives or join them with and. If that does not sound right, use commas.  Remember: coordinate, commas—noncoordinate, nothing.

 Grammar Gripes and Style Stumblers

To spell out or not to spell out, that is the question. With numbers, anyway. 

The two major styles are the one- and two-digit styles, that is, spell out numbers under 10 or under 100, with the latter being preferred in more literary writing, and the former in business and technical writing (in the latter case, at times no numbers are spelled out). 

But there are many exceptions, additions, and variations to these seemingly simple rules. Among these the following are not spelled out: 

1. numbers accompanied by symbols or abbreviations (3 a.m., $5)
2. numbers grouped for contrast, comparison, seriation (They have 5 cats, 7 dogs, 3 pigs, 15 horses, and 12 chickens.)
3. numbers indicating precise measurements (This closet is 2 feet by 15 feet)
4. numbers accompanied by either the word or symbol for percentage (15%, 15 percent)
5. telephone numbers, page numbers
6. mixed fractions and uncommon fractions (1/34^th inch)
7. parts of a book (page 15, chapter 6)
8. calendar years
9. numbers in letters and reports (We shipped 5 cases of 16 bottles each.) 

Do spell out:

1. numbers in dialog, unless too long and cumbersome (“He said to jump fifteen times.”)
2. numbers at the beginning of a sentence (Nineteen twenty-five was the year the house was built.) If those are three- or four-digit numbers or more, switch the sentence around so the number is not at the beginning. (The house was built in 1925.)
3. whole numbers under 10 or 100 folllowed by hundred, thousand, million, etc. (three thousand, five hundred, forty-one million)
4. common fractions (I think two thirds of the class flunked out.)
5. Two figures in a row (In 2017 twenty-three collisions took place in this intersection.) 

What to do when rules conflict? 

This happens often with dialog. Most numbers are spelled out in dialog, but what if a number opens the sentence? And what if precise measurements are being discussed? I would personally always spell out the first word, but with measurements I may follow a different rule. Even in dialog, very large numbers are not often spelled out. 

Remember that the spelling or not spelling out of numbers is a policy, not a carved-in-cryptonite rule. Consistency is far more important than the choice of what to spell out or not spell out. Make your own policy for each document with these two styles as a framework. 

Set your numbers policy before you write the document. Make up your mind what exceptions you will and will not use, what special adjustments are required. for clarity or flow. It is perfectly acceptable to vary styles between documents, or to arbitrarily (but consistently!) treat particular numbers as measurements (or not). In an article about elementary education, for instance, you may want to consider all references to age or class ranking as measurements, when you would not otherwise do so (All 3^rd-and 4^th-graders line up in hallway A; 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, and 10-year-olds meet in Building 1). The more numbers a document contains, the fewer are spelled out. They become too cumbersome to read.

 Terrible Twos

Possible and potential are not the same thing, although many writers blissfully interchange them. Occasionally, probable is thrown into the stew. 

Probable = likely, to be expected, foreseeable. (Your neighbor has complained about your barking dog, and he has threatened to shoot the animal. The dog eats poisoned meat he finds right by the fence between your properties, far from any other yards and from the street. Your neighbor is the probable culprit. The speaker does not express certainty, but leans heavily toward a particular assumption or explanation. 

Possible= conceivable, credible, within the limits of capacity or ability. It is far more neutral than probable, and indicates something that may or may not be true. (Your daughter hangs out at malls every day and has far more money, clothes, and brand-new electronic devices than she can account for. Several of her friends have been caught shoplifting. Maybe she does indeed get these items from rich, generous friends. Maybe not. She is a possible shoplifter. 

Potential refers to a future possibility, something that may and may not come about. A potential delinquent is a kid who is not presently known to be in trouble, but is fascinated with gangs, lonely, a ready follower of other problem kids, and eager to show that no adult can tell him what to do. He may become a delinquent. The signs are there.

 Media Turkeys

During the Australian Open, a commentator referred to a particular individual as “one of the most vocal voices” in the game. Since voices are always vocal, that makes very little sense. 

Some time ago, CNN accused a politician of “backpeddling on women’s rights.”  It is remarkable how often it is the professional writers and commentators who struggle with spelling, logic, and semantics. Most likely, what they meant was back-pedaling. 

Potholes

Similarly, an applicant for a position was urged to “submit this application with speed.” In many locations, that remains illegal, and in virtually all locations, it would be frowned upon.

 Everybody Does It