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Pedants' corner

Guardian style guide

20 replies

UnquietDad · 29/09/2008 11:13

Abridged version given away with the Grauniad this weekend. Contains much of interest to pedants!

Interestingly they argue that it is a fallacy that "none" must take a singular verb. And I didn't know that "Frisbee" and "WiFi" were trademarks, and that one should use "plastic disc" and "wireless network".

They defend their "actor" policy while remaining inconsistent by defending "waiter/waitress", and mentioning in passing that there's not much they can do about awards ("Best Actress"). There is an interesting political dimension to some of the entries ("war on terror" is always in inverted commas; friendly fire never).

And amusingly, they insist on the "Heavy Metal Umlaut" when describing the work of Motörhead and Mötley Crüe. Meat Loaf's diatribe against people who spell his name as one word is quite funny too (and he's quite right - it's on every poster, ticket and album so there is no excuse).

OP posts:
policywonk · 29/09/2008 11:29

I was extremely excited about this guide (although haven't got around to reading it yet). I'm actually putting their full style guide on my Christmas list.

Aitch · 29/09/2008 11:31

i love the sunday times style book, it's hilarious.

Cappuccino · 29/09/2008 11:34

oh really, WiFi?

when I was a reporter we used to have to be really careful about portacabins - 'portable buildings' or pointed letters would be sent to us

Threadwworm · 29/09/2008 11:38

tsk at UQD for using 'fallacy' to mean commonly held false 'belief'.

Threadwworm · 29/09/2008 11:42

I stand corrected. Web dictionaries appear to give 'false notion' as a meaning of 'fallacy' as well as its puer meaning of 'argument based on a false or invalid inference'

NormaStanleyFletcher · 29/09/2008 11:45

I love this book. I brought it in to work today for fellow pedants. They all want it.

I like the entries for literally and exclusive.

I have also resolved to use more semicolons.

AllFallDown · 29/09/2008 12:15

Full Guardian style guide is here:
www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/0,,,00.html?gusrc=gpd

WideWebWitch · 29/09/2008 12:16

I enjoyed flicking through it yesterday too.

UnquietDad · 29/09/2008 12:54

There are some old favourites in there: fulsome, Lucian Freud, infer/imply.

OP posts:
Spockster · 29/09/2008 13:52

This is grammar for journos, not for pedants. They don't even advise the correct use of data and agenda...God knows what they would say about forums/fora...and octopodes....

AllFallDown · 29/09/2008 18:58

They say forums, on the grounds that it has passed into common usage.

NotCod · 29/09/2008 19:00

why do they need to ahev a style guide?

policywonk · 29/09/2008 19:01

So that their journalists don't say things like 'Ooh, I felt all schizophrenic but then I made my mind up!' (except they still do)

NotCod · 29/09/2008 19:04

id say let em

policywonk · 29/09/2008 19:06

Your modern liberal attitudes are most unwelcome in this topic!

Spockster · 29/09/2008 19:40

"Innit" has also passed into popular usage, along with Capitalising Everything and, of course, the good old rogue apostrophe. Very poor attitude, IMO.

Spockster · 29/09/2008 19:40

...or should it be, I.M.O.?

Aitch · 29/09/2008 19:44

oh i love random capitalisation. it Makes Me Happy.

pofaced · 29/09/2008 19:50

Check out BBC Radio 4 News style guide... fantastic! They can HEAR when a correspondent/ reporter puts a semi-colon in rather than a comma... puts those Grauniad typos to shame
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/radio_newsroom/1099302.stm

pofaced · 29/09/2008 19:52

And then this is the link to the alphabetical guide news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/radio_newsroom/1099593.stm
...the other link just explains why style guides are necessary for the unbelievers

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