Respected Reference Manuals Aren't Always Accurate or Pertinent

Sometimes the Most Respected Reference Manuals Don't Provide Pertinent Advice

Most often the reason for the error is the time that has passed since some rule was written. An example of this is a reference in THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE that allows for placing thoughts in quotations. This has been eschewed for decades, but in my writing workshops not long ago I had a participant cite section 10.42 from TCMOS and the following text: "I don't care if we have offended Morgenstern," thought Vera.

Fortunately, TCMOF illustrates four other ways to handle thoughts, and I believe any contemporary writer will be well advised to choose either of the last two, which is either straight interior monologue without any quotation marks or the use of italics.

THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE Also Approves of Dual Punctuation Ending a Sentence

Every so often I'll receive a draft from a client with both a question mark and an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. Never write like this. If a question is exclaimed with such force that an exclamation point is deemed necessary too, use it as the only punctuation to end that sentence and allow it to supersede the question mark. Again, never both--no matter how tempting it might be.

Strunk and White Are at the Top of the List of Style Enemies

I believe it's fair to state that almost every college student who has ever taken a 101 English course was informed via the syllabus to latch on to a copy of THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White. A while ago I was sent a very clever article about all that was wrong with this manual from the perspective of grammar, and while I could credit the author and replicate what I was provided, it would consume pages. So let me instead offer one example that stood out for me from my first reading of THE ELEMENTS eons ago. It dealt with avoiding unnecessary adjectives and reads as follows: "The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place." The sentence contains three adjectives.

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE is rife with misstatements about grammar that are evident to anyone who studies English. A great many of the problems are related to pompous drivel from Mr. Strunk (and later never corrected by Mr. White when he lent his magic to the text) and have nothing to do with style or grammar. This involves questionable advice about when not to apply commas in a series (hence fomenting the "running comma" debate) to their absurd rationale for eschewing passive voice except in extreme circumstances, exacerbated by the inaccuracy of three of their four examples of passive voice that are in fact active! No wonder so many people who took an English 101 course became confused--and stayed that way forever.

It's Important to Recognize Words That Don't Convey Their Intended Meaning

"Moot" means debatable, yet many people think it refers to the opposite. And sentences designed as aids to illustrate the word's correct usage serve to advance this misconception. Here are two sentences taken directly from Dictionary.com: "If you cannot repay your friend right now, the question is moot." And: "Which factor is the more important and which is the least remains a moot question." With examples like these, what is someone supposed to think is the definition of "moot"? After reading either of these sentences, it's easy to see how a person might assume that either issue is no longer open for discussion, when in fact the opposite is true. The best way I know to keep this straight is to think of "moot" in relationship to a "moot court," which refers to a debate court.

I've mentioned "mundane" before in articles, but the word fosters repeating my contention. It originally meant "worldly" and "elegant." Now it means "commonplace" and "ordinary," and is generally used in a disparaging way. Yet when we read a Victorian-era novel in college, "mundane" was meant in its original context.

Understand the Time Frame of a Work's Publication

Reference manuals that pertain to rhetoric--as well as the words that compose the English language--must all be viewed in a contemporary context. This is no different from reading a work such as Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS, which was published in the '20s, and assume in 2012 that any of us can mimic that style and place our protagonist's thoughts in quotations.

Read Current Bestseller Debut Material to Develop a Comfort Zone

This isn't sure-fire, but a writer can generally get a feel for what's acceptable by reading a debut novel that has become a success--and was originally published by a major imprint. Most first-time published authors have had to follow current convention quite closely, and this will often give an aspiring writer a decent idea of what will pass muster, as this book has had to run the publishing gantlet or it wouldn't be on the bookshelf.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder
The Perfect Write®

Free Critique Service! The Perfect Write® is now providing a Free Opening-Chapter Critique and Line-Edit. Paste the first chapter of your manuscript (up to 5000 words) to theperfectwrite@aol.com (no attachments). In addition to the critique, The Perfect Write® will line-edit, if applicable, a section of your double-spaced material also at no charge.