What Is a Usage Guide?
This post discusses usage guides, a type of reference work that is commonly consulted in the publishing industry but that may be unfamiliar to many students and . . .Published 19 November 2019
If I am writing about two people with the last name Anderson, and one uses the suffix Sr., where do I place the suffix?
List the full name of each person and provide the suffix after the last name of the person to whom it belongs. In MLA style, the suffix . . .Published 14 November 2019
Should sic be used to indicate that a quotation includes slang?
No. Do not use "sic," from the Latin for "thus" or "so," to indicate that a quotation has been reproduced accurately. If clarification of a quotation is . . .Published 7 November 2019
Three Guides on the Path to Publication: Style Manuals, In-House Guides, and Style Sheets
Among the qualities that smooth the path from composition to publication is stylistic consistency—the consistent treatment of words, numbers, names, titles, quotations, and other matters. Consistency . . .Published 5 November 2019
How are notes numbered and placed in the MLA’s books?
In edited collections of essays, the MLA places notes at the end of each essay and restarts note numbering at 1. We follow the same numbering practice . . .Published 1 November 2019
“Scary” Punctuation: The Origins, Use, and Abuse of Scare Quotes
For those wordsmiths and linguaphiles among us, there seems no more fitting way to celebrate All Hallows' Eve than with a tribute to the most "frightening" of . . .Published 31 October 2019
On Integrating Critical Works: Adam Wilson’s “Good Bad Bad Good: What Was the Golden Age of TV?”
The series Spotlight on Good Writing highlights techniques used in public-facing writing that are widely applicable to writing of all kinds, including research papers and . . .Published 30 October 2019
Versus or Against?
When The New York Times ran with the front-page headline “Trump Urges Unity versus Racism,” many readers questioned the accuracy of this assertion, but . . .Published 22 October 2019
In a block quotation, can I reverse the order of two sentences if I separate them with an ellipsis?
No. Sentences in a block quotation cannot be reversed because, as the MLA Handbook notes, "[a] quotation should never be presented in a . . .Published 21 October 2019
On Words: Michael Chabon’s “Ulysses on Trial”
The series Spotlight on Good Writing highlights techniques used in public-facing writing that are widely applicable to writing of all kinds, including research papers and . . .Published 16 October 2019