GrammarPhile Blog

When it comes to numbers, you may know that our standard style book, the Chicago Manual of Style, calls for spelling out whole numbers from one through one hundred. The Associated Press Stylebook calls for spelling out whole numbers only up to nine. Here are some more rules about numbers in your text.

You've been there, at some chic party, when the pompous oaf next to you says something like this: "My wife's such a delightful party guest--well-dressed, polite, and always ready with a bon mot." A what? Well, you don't want to look ignorant, so you smile and try to appear as though you know precisely what the fellow meant. And so does everyone else, even though they're probably wondering too! Read on, and this weekend it will be you impressing your friends with some very cool words.

JOIE DE VIVRE (jwa dih VEE-vruh) FRENCH
Definition: A hearty enjoyment of life. Literally, "joy of living."
Usage: Granny has real joie de vivre. She drives a convertible, listens to Caspian, and still skis the slalom course at fifteen off with the best of them.

PERSONA NON GRATA (purr-SOH-nuh nahn GRAH-tuh) LATIN
Definition: Unacceptable or unwelcome.
Usage: Billy has been persona non grata around our house ever since he knocked a baseball through our dining-room window.

FAUX PAS (foe pah) FRENCH
Definition: A social blunder. Usage: Criticizing the boss's daughter was just her first faux pas on the new job.

MENSCH (mentsh) YIDDISH
Definition: A person of honor and integrity; a decent, upright person.
Usage: His grandfather always used to tell him, "Comb your hair, straighten your tie, look people in the eye, be a mensch."

ENFANT TERRIBLE (on-fon teh-REE-bleh) FRENCH
Definition: A difficult child; an unconventional or outspoken person whose behavior dismays or embarrasses others.
Usage: In the author's opinion, John McEnroe, the enfant terrible of the eighties, single-handedly ruined the sport of tennis in America.

We often find mismatched subjects and verbs in even the most smartly edited client documents. But that's why we're here! Check out this week's post on the subject.

Authoritative style guide books contain pages and pages of notes on titles of works. Do you know that headlines, titles, and subtitles in proposals, white papers, and brochures are the most common spots for typos? And they are also hotspots for innocent errors (errors you look at and don't realize are errors) as well, mostly in capitalization and hyphenation. This week we're covering classic headline style.

A word with several meanings is polysemous. One of the more interesting forms is the Janus word, also sometimes called an autoantonym or a contranym, in which two of the meanings of the word are opposites of each other. A Janus word is so named for Janus, a Roman god that is identified with doors, gates, and all beginnings and that is depicted with two opposite faces.

Sometimes it’s easier and clearer to convey important information in the form of a vertical list, sometimes also known as a bullet list. There are several forms, and the form you choose is up to you. Be consistent, though, and follow the general guidelines here.

Last week, we gave you some general rules on possessives. This week, let's focus on possessives of proper nouns.

To make singular nouns possessive, add an apostrophe and an s. For plural nouns (except for a few irregular plurals), add an apostrophe only.

Punctuation and Spacing with Abbreviations (from simple to not-so-simple)

Our editors often find the need to edit between two meanings. They try to make the right assumption after examining the context. What is left when they are done is clearer and more precise. It is often amazing how punctuation can make all the difference.