HOUSE STYLE + EDITORIAL CONVENTIONS Flashcards
study notes 2 key words
En-rules
A dash that is longer than a hyphen and half as long as an em rule, and found in the Advanced Symbols feature of Word. In some punctuation styles – commonly in British styles – it is used spaced as a parenthetical dash; in many styles it is used without spaces in number ranges.
Em-rules
A dash that is twice as long as an en rule, found in the Advanced Symbols feature of Word. Some punctuation styles use a closed-up em rule—as here—as a parenthetical dash.
Long list
A list where each entry comprises a complete sentence or more than one sentence.
Short list
A list where each entry comprises short phrases but not complete sentences.
Run-in (short) quotes
When an element of the text that might usually be presented as displayed matter or otherwise separate from the body text is placed within the text. Quotations in quote marks that appear as part of the main text are known as run-in quotations.
Maximum capitalisation
A style of capitalisation applied to headings, captions and other features. In this style, all significant words are capitalised, and often articles, prepositions and coordinating conjunctions are lower case, but this varies. It is also called title case or initial capitals.
Minimum capitalisation
A style of capitalisation applied to headings, captions and other features. In this style, only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalised, all other words being lower case. It is also called sentence case or essential capitals.
Book-style paragraphs
The first paragraph in a text or under a heading is full out to the left, with subsequent first lines of paragraphs indented. There is no space between paragraphs.
Blocked paragraphs
All paragraphs are full out to the left-hand margin and separated by a space.
Dangling participle (dangling modifier)
A participle or modifier is described as dangling when it is used at the beginning of a sentence but has no connection with the subject of a sentence. ‘Nestling in a peaceful green valley [modifier], you [subject] will love the rural tranquillity of our holiday cottage.’ Dangling participles should be corrected as they introduce ambiguity.
Comma splice
Occurs where two independent clauses are (incorrectly) joined by a comma; for example, ‘John went to the shop, Nadia was there.’
While some fiction authors will use this construction for dramatic or literary effect, it is generally to be avoided. There are various ways to deal with this:
1. Create two sentences: ‘John went to the shop. Nadia was there.’
2. Replace the comma with a semicolon: ‘John went to the shop; Nadia was there.’
3. Replace the comma with a coordinating conjunction: ‘John went to the shop and Nadia was there.’
Choose the most appropriate solution for the context of the text you are working on.
Restrictive (defining) relative clause
A clause that cannot be omitted from the sentence without changing its meaning, for example:
- The English playwright Shakespeare also wrote sonnets.
No commas are used in restrictive clauses. The following sentence is incorrect because it implies that there has only ever been one English playwright – Shakespeare.
- [wrong] The English playwright, Shakespeare, also wrote sonnets.
Non-restrictive (non-defining) relative clause
A clause which adds additional information that can be omitted from the sentence without changing its meaning. For example:
- The English playwright who wrote Hamlet, Shakespeare, also wrote sonnets.
There is only one author of the play Hamlet, so Shakespeare’s name is put within commas.
The sentence still makes sense if the name is omitted:
- The English playwright who wrote Hamlet also wrote sonnets.
Serial (Oxford) comma
A comma that appears before ‘and’ or ‘or’ in a list, for example: ‘apples, oranges, and pears’. Texts not using this style of punctuation would give the list as ‘apples, oranges and pears’. This is commonly seen in texts using US styles. If it is used, it should be used consistently throughout a text. It is sometimes known as the Oxford comma as it forms part of the house style of Oxford University Press. Occasionally a serial comma is used for clarity in a text that doesn’t otherwise use one. This might happen if the last element in a list itself contains an ‘and’: ‘The work involved staff from the operations, logistics, and health and safety departments.’
