See if you can find the flubs in these five sentences that were found by copy editors before they appeared in the Forum.
1. Americans should watch for disagreements between Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration.
2. The intent is to honor the contributions of long-time local leaders in shaping and serving the Chamber, community and region.
3. Another multi-million dollar sports facility appears to be on the horizon for southwest Fargo.
4. A Fargo financial advisor faces new charges after the execution of a search warrant at his business.
5. The United States has the potential to create more than four million jobs in coming decades.
1. Americans should watch for disagreements between congressional Democrats and the Obama administration.
2. The intent is to honor the contributions of longtime local leaders in shaping and serving the chamber, community and region.
3. Another multimillion-dollar sports facility appears to be on the horizon for southwest Fargo.
4. A Fargo financial adviser faces new charges after the execution of a search warrant at his business.
AP Stylebook says: adviser Not advisor.
5. The United States has the potential to create more than 4 million jobs in coming decades.
AP Stylebook says: millions, billions Use figures with million or billion in all except casual uses: I’d like to make a billion dollars. But: The nation has 1 million citizens. I need $7 billion.
Do not go beyond two decimal places. 7.51 million people, $256 billion, 7,542,500 people, $2,565,750,000. Decimals are preferred where practical: 1.5 million. Not: 1 1/2 million.
Do not mix millions and billions in the same figure: 2.6 billion. Not: 2 billion 600 million.
Do not drop the word million or billion in the first figure of a range: He is worth from $2 million to $4 million. Not: $2 to $4 million, unless you really mean $2.
Note that a hyphen is not used to join the figures and the word million or billion, even in this type of phrase: The president submitted a $300 billion budget.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
From home schooling to geothermal
Here are five more examples of flubs that were caught by copy editors before they made it into The Forum. See if you can find them.
1. North Dakota home schoolers deal with some of the tougher regulations.
2. Jury selection is underway.
3. The Republican's goal is to become the U.S. Senator from North Dakota.
4. She was a communications supervisor for the Minnesota State Patrol in Rochester, Minn.
5. Geo-thermal is a huge issue now.
1. North Dakota home-schoolers deal with some of the tougher regulations.
AP style is: home schooling, home-schooled, home-schooler.
2. Jury selection is under way.
3. The Republican's goal is to become the U.S. senator from North Dakota.
4. She was a communications supervisor for the Minnesota State Patrol in Rochester.
5. Geothermal is a huge issue now.
1. North Dakota home schoolers deal with some of the tougher regulations.
2. Jury selection is underway.
3. The Republican's goal is to become the U.S. Senator from North Dakota.
4. She was a communications supervisor for the Minnesota State Patrol in Rochester, Minn.
5. Geo-thermal is a huge issue now.
1. North Dakota home-schoolers deal with some of the tougher regulations.
AP style is: home schooling, home-schooled, home-schooler.
2. Jury selection is under way.
3. The Republican's goal is to become the U.S. senator from North Dakota.
4. She was a communications supervisor for the Minnesota State Patrol in Rochester.
5. Geothermal is a huge issue now.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Five sentences for you to dissect
Writing tight is always a good thing, so I'm going to list five instead of 10 examples of style flubs with each post. Don't worry about me doing this because I'm running out of examples. I've got plenty. It means it won't take you as long to go through the examples and I'll be posting more frequently.
See if you can find the flubs in these sentences that were caught before they got into The Forum.
1. The former taxi driver was convicted of strangling two young women to death in 1968.
2. Kraft and his wife Sari are partners in the business with Sari's parents.
3. The human brain is not fully developed until people are between the ages of 18 to 23.
4. She is the new owner of the business at 702 University Drive North.
5. Voters are asked for their Zip Code, and the tool takes them to a list where they'll find their address.
1. The former taxi driver was convicted of strangling two young women in 1968.
The definition of strangle in Webster's New World Dictionary: to kill by squeezing the throat as with the hands, a noose, etc., so as to shut off the breath. It would be redundant to write "strangle to death."
2. Kraft and his wife, Sari, are partners in the business with Sari's parents.
Setting the wife's name off with commas lets reader know for sure that Sari is Kraft's only wife.
3. The human brain is not fully developed until people are between the ages of 18 and 23.
4. She is the new owner of the business at 702 N. University Drive.
5. Voters are asked for their ZIP code, and the tool takes them to a list where they'll find their address.
AP Stylebook says: ZIP code Use all-caps ZIP for Zoning Improvement Plan, but always lowercase the word code. Run the five digits together without a comma, and do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code: New York, NY 10020.
See if you can find the flubs in these sentences that were caught before they got into The Forum.
1. The former taxi driver was convicted of strangling two young women to death in 1968.
2. Kraft and his wife Sari are partners in the business with Sari's parents.
3. The human brain is not fully developed until people are between the ages of 18 to 23.
4. She is the new owner of the business at 702 University Drive North.
5. Voters are asked for their Zip Code, and the tool takes them to a list where they'll find their address.
1. The former taxi driver was convicted of strangling two young women in 1968.
The definition of strangle in Webster's New World Dictionary: to kill by squeezing the throat as with the hands, a noose, etc., so as to shut off the breath. It would be redundant to write "strangle to death."
2. Kraft and his wife, Sari, are partners in the business with Sari's parents.
Setting the wife's name off with commas lets reader know for sure that Sari is Kraft's only wife.
3. The human brain is not fully developed until people are between the ages of 18 and 23.
4. She is the new owner of the business at 702 N. University Drive.
5. Voters are asked for their ZIP code, and the tool takes them to a list where they'll find their address.
AP Stylebook says: ZIP code Use all-caps ZIP for Zoning Improvement Plan, but always lowercase the word code. Run the five digits together without a comma, and do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code: New York, NY 10020.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
See if you can find the style mistakes
Find the flubs in these sentences that were corrected by copy editors before they made their way into The Forum.
1. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
2. The Chamber's board of directors made the decision late last week.
3. The student to computer ratio in Weset Fargo is 3:1.
4. When Palin takes the stage tonight, it will be a welcome site for Dueker.
5. Crews will fill the piles with six to nine feet of geofoam.
6. He argued the case should be dismissed because his client's Constitutional rights were violated.
7. More than 400 sixth- through twelfth-graders took their violins, violas and cellos.
8. She abruptly closed her daycare in north Fargo last month.
9. The transmission line will be between 9.5 to 11.5 miles long.
10. It will extend from the wind park to the existing Otter Tail Power Company transmission line southeast of Glyndon, Minn.
1. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
2. The chamber's board of directors made the decision late last week.
3. The student to computer ratio in Weset Fargo is 3-to-1.
AP Stylebook says: ratios Use figures and hyphens: the ratio was 2-to-1, a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio. As illustrated, the word to should be omitted when the numbers precede the word ratio.
4. When Palin takes the stage tonight, it will be a welcome sight for Dueker.
5. Crews will fill the piles with 6 to 9 feet of geofoam.
6. He argued the case should be dismissed because his client's constitutional rights were violated.
AP Stylebook says: Lowercase constitutional in all uses.
7. More than 400 sixth- through 12th-graders took their violins, violas and cellos.
8. She abruptly closed her day care in north Fargo last month.
9. The transmission line will be between 9.5 and 11.5 milies long.
10. It will extend from the wind park to the existing Otter Tail Power Co. transmission line southeast of Glyndon, Minn.
1. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
2. The Chamber's board of directors made the decision late last week.
3. The student to computer ratio in Weset Fargo is 3:1.
4. When Palin takes the stage tonight, it will be a welcome site for Dueker.
5. Crews will fill the piles with six to nine feet of geofoam.
6. He argued the case should be dismissed because his client's Constitutional rights were violated.
7. More than 400 sixth- through twelfth-graders took their violins, violas and cellos.
8. She abruptly closed her daycare in north Fargo last month.
9. The transmission line will be between 9.5 to 11.5 miles long.
10. It will extend from the wind park to the existing Otter Tail Power Company transmission line southeast of Glyndon, Minn.
1. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
2. The chamber's board of directors made the decision late last week.
3. The student to computer ratio in Weset Fargo is 3-to-1.
AP Stylebook says: ratios Use figures and hyphens: the ratio was 2-to-1, a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio. As illustrated, the word to should be omitted when the numbers precede the word ratio.
4. When Palin takes the stage tonight, it will be a welcome sight for Dueker.
5. Crews will fill the piles with 6 to 9 feet of geofoam.
6. He argued the case should be dismissed because his client's constitutional rights were violated.
AP Stylebook says: Lowercase constitutional in all uses.
7. More than 400 sixth- through 12th-graders took their violins, violas and cellos.
8. She abruptly closed her day care in north Fargo last month.
9. The transmission line will be between 9.5 and 11.5 milies long.
10. It will extend from the wind park to the existing Otter Tail Power Co. transmission line southeast of Glyndon, Minn.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Electing to take a quiz
It's Election Day, so I hope you elect to take this short quiz to see if you can find the flubs in these sentences that were caught by copy editors before they made it into The Forum.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self worth.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Ave. S. in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move further into town.
4. "I think childcare is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self-worth.
AP Stylebook states: self- Always hyphenate: self-assured, self-government, self-defense.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Avenue South in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move farther into town.
AP Stylebook states: farther, further Farther refers to physical distance: He walked farther into the woods. Further refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the mystery.
4. "I think child care is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self worth.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Ave. S. in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move further into town.
4. "I think childcare is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self-worth.
AP Stylebook states: self- Always hyphenate: self-assured, self-government, self-defense.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Avenue South in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move farther into town.
AP Stylebook states: farther, further Farther refers to physical distance: He walked farther into the woods. Further refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the mystery.
4. "I think child care is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
For your reading enjoyment
We have 10 more flubs for your reading enjoyment. There are mistakes in these sentences that were found before they made it into The Forum. Do you know what they are?
1. Services include a dental lab, x-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of sheetrock falling to the ground.
3. The free hotline provides immediate response to voters.
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the backburner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was seven years old.
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems farfetched.
7. Their German Sheppard cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student art work.
9. NDSU is hosting the thirteenth annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth grader "bucktooth."
1. Services include a dental lab, X-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of Sheetrock falling to the ground.
AP Stylebook: Sheetrock A trademark for a brand of gypsum wallboard.
3. The free hot line provides immediate response to voters.
AP Stylebook: hot line A direct telephone line between government leaders, especially the circuit linking the United States and Russia, for use in crisis situations. Lowercase. Webster's New World Dictionary: telephone line to a social service agency, as a suicide prevention center. two words
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the back burner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was 7 years old.
AP Stylebook: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates).
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems far-fetched.
7. Their German shepherd cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student artwork.
9. NDSU is hosting the 13th annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth-grader "bucktooth."
AP Stylebook: grade, grader Hyphenate both the noun forms (first-grader, second-grader, 10th-grader, etc.) and the adjectival forms (a fourth-grade pupil, a 12th-grade pupil).
1. Services include a dental lab, x-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of sheetrock falling to the ground.
3. The free hotline provides immediate response to voters.
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the backburner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was seven years old.
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems farfetched.
7. Their German Sheppard cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student art work.
9. NDSU is hosting the thirteenth annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth grader "bucktooth."
1. Services include a dental lab, X-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of Sheetrock falling to the ground.
AP Stylebook: Sheetrock A trademark for a brand of gypsum wallboard.
3. The free hot line provides immediate response to voters.
AP Stylebook: hot line A direct telephone line between government leaders, especially the circuit linking the United States and Russia, for use in crisis situations. Lowercase. Webster's New World Dictionary: telephone line to a social service agency, as a suicide prevention center. two words
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the back burner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was 7 years old.
AP Stylebook: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates).
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems far-fetched.
7. Their German shepherd cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student artwork.
9. NDSU is hosting the 13th annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth-grader "bucktooth."
AP Stylebook: grade, grader Hyphenate both the noun forms (first-grader, second-grader, 10th-grader, etc.) and the adjectival forms (a fourth-grade pupil, a 12th-grade pupil).
Thursday, October 23, 2008
And you thought I'd disappeared!
I apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I'm back! See if you you can find the flubs in these sentences that were found by copy editors before they appeared in The Forum.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 to 8 at the time.
2. But five-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levies.
4. It's holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next Administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about six million near Beijing.
7. She supports Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's workforce.
9. The school district will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for their high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 and 8 at the time.
2. But 5-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
AP Stylebook says: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates): The girl is 15 years old; the law is eight years old. When the context does not require years or years old, the figure is presumed to be years. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levees.
4. Its holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about 6 million near Beijing.
AP Stylebook says: millions, billions Use figures with million or billion in all except casual uses: I'd like to make a billion dollars. But: The nation has 1 million citizens. I need $7 billion.
7. She supports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's work force.
9. The School District will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for its high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in Eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 to 8 at the time.
2. But five-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levies.
4. It's holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next Administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about six million near Beijing.
7. She supports Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's workforce.
9. The school district will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for their high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 and 8 at the time.
2. But 5-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
AP Stylebook says: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates): The girl is 15 years old; the law is eight years old. When the context does not require years or years old, the figure is presumed to be years. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levees.
4. Its holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about 6 million near Beijing.
AP Stylebook says: millions, billions Use figures with million or billion in all except casual uses: I'd like to make a billion dollars. But: The nation has 1 million citizens. I need $7 billion.
7. She supports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's work force.
9. The School District will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for its high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in Eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
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