Erin Brenner's Blog, page 6

The Grammar of Also

A reader once sent me the following sentences and asked which was correct and why:

The research also must be validated.

The research must also be validated.

Also is like only in that both are what The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language calls “focusing modifiers”: their position in the sentence determines which element in the sentence they focus on. 

Focusing modifiers can occupy several positions in the sentence, causing either ambiguity or clarity. Like real estate, also’...

Winners of “The Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors” Contest

Last week, we closed the book-cover contest to celebrate Erin’s new book, The Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors. We hope you enjoyed seeing everyone’s pictures; we know we did!

All the prize winners have been given the good news, and now we’re ready to share them with the world. Winners were chosen at random, except for Most Creative. We had a tough time deciding (editors are creative people!), but we narrowed it down to one that seemed most fitting and fun.

Most Creative Post Photo b...

When to Stop Defining Abbreviations

Back when I taught copyediting, my students once asked me when it would be OK to not spell out an abbreviation that doesn’t appear in the dictionary. I appreciated their confusion, because it is sometimes difficult to define an exception to the rule.

We used The Chicago Manual of Style in the course I was teaching, and even CMoS isn’t entirely clear on what the exceptions would be (17th ed., 10.3)

A number of expressions are almost always abbreviated, even in regular prose, and may be use...

Using Chatbots in Your Writing? Don’t Skip Human Editing!

Many small and midsize businesses face a familiar dilemma: they have limited staff members who juggle multiple tasks, including writing. With so many responsibilities, staff members find it nearly impossible to carve out the time needed to write professional-level copy. And there’s no budget to hire a dedicated writer. 

Chatbots are giving them a new way to solve the problem.

Chatbots are a type of generative AI trained on enormous amounts of data to give them advanced natural language cap...

“The Conscious Style Guide”: Transforming Language to Foster Equity and Understanding

Karen Yin’s The Conscious Style Guide has long been hoped for by writers and editors interested in intentional, compassionate language, myself included.

Yin coined the term conscious language in the early 2010s to describe a practice of being “more aware, mindful, and intentional about how we treat ourselves and others through language” (xv). She explored her ideas in, among other places, the Copyediting newsletter when I was editor-in-chief, and launched a resource site, ConsciousStyleGuide....

When to Use a Comma Before “But”

Across stylebooks, rules about the comma are some of the most frequent causes of debate. Once, I received an interesting question about using a comma before the word but. Here’s what the reader asked: 

Is there a rule that a comma may only be used before but if what follows is a complete thought, such as an independent clause?

Let’s dive in. 

But is a member of several parts of speech, or word classes. It can be a conjunction, preposition, adverb, or noun. Commas have many uses; Amy Ein...

Should You Leave Freelance Editing for an Employee Position?

Last week, I shared a list of things you should think about when considering a new editing job or client. But what about when a freelancer is offered an employee position? What should you think about? And what should you not think about?

What to Consider

Changing from freelancing to employment is a huge shift. You’re no longer in charge of your own schedule, but you also no longer have to find your own work. Before you make the leap, try to see the big picture. What would it take for you t...

Celebrate the Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors and Win Prizes

How do you celebrate the launch of a book about creating an editing business?

If you’re me, you celebrate by offering editors further help in their editing businesses.

My book, The Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors: How to Take Care of Your Business, Your Clients, and Yourself from Start-Up to Sustainability, is out today. I can’t thank you all enough for your support and for purchasing the book. Your enthusiasm means the world to me.

To celebrate this milestone and spread the word to...

Can You Afford To Take That Editing Job?

Whether you’re considering a new editing job or just a new client project, pay rate is probably one of the first things you look at.

You also likely consider what the work entails, what the company or client is like, and how well you get along with the people you’d be working with.

But what about the less-obvious aspects of a new job or client? What other details should you consider before making a commitment?

Let’s look at a few.

For Employees

An employee position is a big commit...

The Freelancer’s Strategy for a Personal Crisis

In late 2017, my father fell ill suddenly and died a week later. To say we were shocked is an understatement. A few weeks earlier, he had been camping with family and friends. He rode his bike daily when he snowbirded in Florida. He regularly did yard work when he was home in the Northeast. He was apparently healthy and able-bodied and he was alive.

I’m sharing this with you so you understand why for the two months that followed my father’s death I could barely keep my businesses running. All...