Comments | musesfool: depends what your definition of is, is

musesfool

depends what your definition of is, is

Jan 27, 2007 13:38

I was just gonna run out to Dunkin Donuts for a doughnut and coffee, but then I spoke to fleurdeleo and now we're going to the diner for lunch. Mmm...diner... That's one of my favorite things about this neighborhood--there are five diners all in (short) walking distance, and I think all of them are open 24/7 ( Read more... )

writing: spag, writing: on titles & summaries

Comments 25

yasminke January 27 2007, 22:50:20 UTC

OMG. I have to have the same debate with every incoming student. One of my problems is, every department uses a different style guide. Or (grrr) they cut and paste from our library's on-line catalogue, which is as inconsistent as -- I have no analogy.

However, the larger, more serious problem: "Are you sure 'is' is a verb? It doesn't do anything."

musesfool January 27 2007, 23:05:15 UTC

One of my problems is, every department uses a different style guide.

Well, yes. I think in non-fiction, f'rinstance, APA requires only the first word and then proper names to be capped, but MLA uses the standard I quoted above (though it's been many years since I looked at either one, so that may have changed).

However, the larger, more serious problem: "Are you sure 'is' is a verb? It doesn't do anything."

*weeps for the future*

yasminke January 27 2007, 23:13:11 UTC

MLA's capitalisation is pretty much the same, but the rest ... ch-ch-changes. We, in my own little department, have people who use Chicago, MLA, and MHRA (or Cambridge). Geez, remember Turabian?

That is also why I tell students: use EndNotes. It will change your data base into the proper form for you. Even if you don't like the way it looks.

As for the weeping? We could solve our drought problem. That statement, I swear on stack of Gideons, is a direct quote. And the tip of the iceberg.

musesfool January 27 2007, 23:33:34 UTC

We, in my own little department, have people who use Chicago, MLA, and MHRA (or Cambridge). Geez, remember Turabian?

I don't remember Turabian, but I do remember the annoyance of doing a psych bib according to MLA standards and having to redo it to APA etc. and arguing MLA (which I keep typing MAL) v. Chicago at one job. Now I'm lucky anything I work on is grammatical, as it's mostly all written by lawyers. *shudders*

As for the weeping? We could solve our drought problem. That statement, I swear on stack of Gideons, is a direct quote. And the tip of the iceberg.

You know, I don't have the best background in grammar - most of what I know I either know from having absorbed from reading so much as a kid, or from when I took Italian and had to learn English grammar then, but is is a verb! How do people not know this?

Thread 9

novembersnow January 28 2007, 01:49:29 UTC

This means *is* and *was* and *have* and *be* all get capped.

I've had to teach that rule to almost every new writer we've had at my workplace since I was hired four years ago. (And, given the revolving door of employees we have there, that's a LOT of writers.)

My boss, by contrast, has a mental block on the word "your." She's convinced that it's a preposition, and so refuses to capitalize it. Seriously.

musesfool January 28 2007, 03:10:16 UTC

I've had to teach that rule to almost every new writer we've had at my workplace since I was hired four years ago.

Sigh.

My boss, by contrast, has a mental block on the word "your." She's convinced that it's a preposition, and so refuses to capitalize it. Seriously.

Well, we all know your boss is insane, so that shouldn't surprise me as much as it does.