I’m on a first-name basis with Chicago, having been using it since 1979, and I have a nodding acquaintance with AP. (AP stands for Associated Press, a nonprofit news agency that dates back to the mid-19th century.) Other common styles include MLA (Modern Language Association), which is especially popular in the humanities, and APA (American Psychological Association), widely used in the social sciences. newspapers and periodicals start with the AP Stylebook. publishers use the Chicago Manual of Style, often with their own additions and exceptions. These are often based on one of the major style guides. Style is far more flexible than grammar, and for this very reason publications, publishers, and academic disciplines adopt distinctive styles. A majority (of participants or whatever) are coming to the party.The majority has voted to replace the bridge.The same principle applies to majority and many other words denoting groups of persons, places, or things: is it referring to the group as a whole or to its constituent parts? (Tip: Is it preceded by the definite article the or the indefinite a(n)? Some examples: couple and family take a singular verb when referring to the unit, but a plural verb when its members are being emphasized. Take “subject-verb agreement.” The subject should always agree with its verb in number, right? Most of the time, yes, but some nouns can be singular or plural depending on how they’re being used. Even the basic ones have their exceptions. We talk about the “rules of grammar” as if they’re hard, fast, and uncompromising, but they aren’t. Over the years of working with English as an editor and writer I’ve learned to be careful of the words “right” and “wrong.” When asked if something is right or not, I often begin with “It depends” - on your intended audience, on context, on which side of “the pond” (aka the Atlantic Ocean) you’re on, and so on.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |