Quick Editor Question

[AsylumSeeker]

What is the correct way of handling emphasis of a word? The story I'm working on is a contest entry so I'm concerned about doing this right. The writer uses all caps to imply emphasis but I don't think this is correct as I don't recall seeing this in my reading of professional works, but I could be wrong. Any input?

Thanks!

 

[ole_grouch_1124]

What is the correct way of handling emphasis of a word? The story I'm working on is a contest entry so I'm concerned about doing this right. The writer uses all caps to imply emphasis but I don't think this is correct as I don't recall seeing this in my reading of professional works, but I could be wrong. Any input?

Thanks!

I have seen words emphasized in many ways: caps, bold letters, italicized, or underlined. Any one or a combination of the three depending on how much emphasis you wish to put will work.

 

[sr71plt]

What is the correct way of handling emphasis of a word? The story I'm working on is a contest entry so I'm concerned about doing this right. The writer uses all caps to imply emphasis but I don't think this is correct as I don't recall seeing this in my reading of professional works, but I could be wrong. Any input?

Thanks!

Italics for emphasis--but only sparingly (Chicago Manual of Style, 7.49)

Capitals for emphasis "are now used only ironically" (Chicago Manual of Style, 7.50)

Underlining has not been used in text in publishing since the typewriter was pitched in favor of the computer--and was only used then because the typewriter couldn't render italics (Robin Williams, The PC Is Not a Typewriter)

 

[DeeZire]

Another question: I'm quoting text from a newspaper want ad. Would that be italics? Would it include single quotes?

Thanks

 

[sr71plt]

Another question: I'm quoting text from a newspaper want ad. Would that be italics? Would it include single quotes?

Thanks

For a story posted here, I would use single quotes, yes--to set it off obviously enough. (Normally it would be set up as an indented extract, but extract indenting doesn't seem to be an option on Lit.) This makes it an extract for this format and quoting of paragraphs isn't necessary. Whatever quotes normally done would most safely be done American style (all first-level instances in double quotes--as opposed to British style which uses single quotes for some forms at the first level). Whatever rejection mechanism Lit. has on story submissions seems to prefer American style over British.

 

[Darkniciad]

For a story posted here, I would use single quotes, yes--to set it off obviously enough. (Normally it would be set up as an indented extract, but extract indenting doesn't seem to be an option on Lit.) This makes it an extract for this format and quoting of paragraphs isn't necessary. Whatever quotes normally done would most safely be done American style (all first-level instances in double quotes--as opposed to British style which uses single quotes for some forms at the first level). Whatever rejection mechanism Lit. has on story submissions seems to prefer American style over British.

You can use <blockquote></blockqoute>, those are allowed tags for the text processor.

The problem is that it currently suffers from the same issue as <center> <left> <right>, in that it causes a hiccup in the text processor that changest the font size/face until you go to a new page.

 

[sr71plt]

You can use <blockquote></blockqoute>, those are allowed tags for the text processor.

The problem is that it currently suffers from the same issue as <center> <left> <right>, in that it causes a hiccup in the text processor that changest the font size/face until you go to a new page.

In which case, the italics route for the block of newspaper copy would seem the safest route, I'd think.

 

[Darkniciad]

In which case, the italics route for the block of newspaper copy would seem the safest route, I'd think.

Certainly a best bet for a contest story. Even with readers likely growing accustomed to the goof, no sense throwing off someone who hasn't encountered it yet or hasn't realized it's not the author's error.

I just keep using blockquote in hopes that "this time" is the one where it will post right because the programmers have finally chased the moth out of the text processor.

 

[DeeZire]

In which case, the italics route for the block of newspaper copy would seem the safest route, I'd think.

Thanks, ya'll. To clarify, I would use italics, but no quotes, in a new paragraph? The ad is only one line long.

If you want to see how badly I screw up this simple task, it will follow the second paragraph of my earth day story.

 

[sr71plt]

Thanks, ya'll. To clarify, I would use italics, but no quotes, in a new paragraph? The ad is only one line long.

If you want to see how badly I screw up this simple task, it will follow the second paragraph of my earth day story.

I trust you have some sort of signal to give inside the story so that the reader will understand what it represents(?)

 

[sr71plt]

Certainly a best bet for a contest story. Even with readers likely growing accustomed to the goof, no sense throwing off someone who hasn't encountered it yet or hasn't realized it's not the author's error.

I just keep using blockquote in hopes that "this time" is the one where it will post right because the programmers have finally chased the moth out of the text processor.

Does the moth have a name? BFW might have another dog to name.

 

[DeeZire]

I trust you have some sort of signal to give inside the story so that the reader will understand what it represents(?)

Here's the section, quoted from my WP:


.....blah blah blah...when we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade. The ad read:

5 ACRES, WOODED, YEAR-ROUND STREAM. ALL UTILITIES TO PROPERTY LINE.

There was no mention of quicksand. Even if there had been, ...blah blah blah...


I'm guessing I'm going to have to lose the caps?

 

[DeeZire]

This DIY editing sucks.

Yet another question. Is there a tense problem using 'this' with 'we went'?

.....when we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade.

I get so confused. I knew I should have paid attention in English class.

 

[sr71plt]

Here's the section, quoted from my WP:


.....blah blah blah...when we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade. The ad read:

5 ACRES, WOODED, YEAR-ROUND STREAM. ALL UTILITIES TO PROPERTY LINE.

There was no mention of quicksand. Even if there had been, ...blah blah blah...


I'm guessing I'm going to have to lose the caps?

Oh, for something that short, your choice for a Lit. story, I'd think. For longer paragraphs, italics are just slightly less objectionable than all caps. If this were a published book, you'd be told the typesetter refused to set full-cap words/phrases in the text. But what you have above doesn't look too bad--and it's certainly set off from the text well enough. Enough identification as a newspaper ad.

 

[Darkniciad]

Looks good to me. I don't think the single line of all caps & italics will interrupt the eye-flow too much, and it does help to set it apart from just "thinking" or normal word emphasis.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

Here's the section, quoted from my WP:


.....blah blah blah...when we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade. The ad read:

5 ACRES, WOODED, YEAR-ROUND STREAM. ALL UTILITIES TO PROPERTY LINE.

There was no mention of quicksand. Even if there had been, ...blah blah blah...


I'm guessing I'm going to have to lose the caps?

I don't see why. That looks perfectly acceptable to me as a separate paragraph.

This DIY editing sucks.

Yet another question. Is there a tense problem using 'this' with 'we went'?

.....when we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade.

I get so confused. I knew I should have paid attention in English class.

No problem whatever. That sentence works perfectly well in any tense, even future perfect.

 

[DeeZire]

Thanks again for the help. As a songwriter, I can mangle grammar without worrying about it. As I prose writer, I'm in over my head, but still having a ball.

 

[lokeman]

This DIY editing sucks.

Yet another question. Is there a tense problem using 'this' with 'we went'?

.....when we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade.

I get so confused. I knew I should have paid attention in English class.

It is okay if you are specifically looking at the green, sun-speckled glade as opposed to something else.

In other words "...we went out exloring this green, sun-speckled glade for ourselves.

If you are being general ten you would use the word the, "...we went out exploring the green sun-speckled blade.

Hope it makes sense. When you used this you are narrowing a noun to something specific.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

It is okay if you are specifically looking at the green, sun-speckled glade as opposed to something else.

In other words "...we went out exploring this green, sun-speckled glade for ourselves.

If you are being general then you would use the word the, "...we went out exploring the green sun-speckled glade.

Hope it makes sense. When you used this you are narrowing a noun to something specific.

Sorry, lokeman, that may well be true where you live, and in most places, but it is a dialect usage in some parts of the anglophone world.

It is like the Irish usage "this has been happening for the last number of months" meaning "this has been happening for the last few months" in that it sounds odd if you don't use it in your local dialect.