You should get familiar with the different writing guidelines
recommended by major publications. It’s a good idea to learn which style an
individual editor wants for submissions; guidelines do vary between periodicals
and book publishers.
Here are the most commonly accepted styles and the general
use for each: AP (Associated Press
Style), news writing or journalism-based writing; CMS (Chicago Manual of Style), manuscripts (fiction or nonfiction) and
written publications; APA (American
Psychological Association), social sciences —
not to be confused with AP Style;
MLA (Modern Language Association
Style), academics, literature and humanities.
There are also lesser known and useful guides, including styles
for Australia, Canada, and the U.K., that you can find online at http://abt.cm/1YMvDdJ . While some of the
major guides have information available online, the best sources for these are
reference libraries and bookstores.
There are several abbreviations we often insert into our
writing and not always correctly. Some of these common abbreviations are in
Latin. Let’s review a few:
· e.g. (exempli gratia) means for example. [Any donation, even a small
one, (e.g., a nickel) is appreciated.]
· i.e. (id est) means that is or in other words.
[Certain dresses were harder to keep in stock (i.e., blue was a popular choice)
than others.]
· et al. (et alii) means and others. [Sandy, Mary, Donna, et al. brought food for the party.]
· etc. (et cetera) means and so on or and so forth.
[The table was filled with lots of food (turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc.)
and we ate until we thought we would burst.]
· vis. means namely. [He sold his sports car and
bought a vehicle for the whole family (vis., the Honda Odyssey) to travel in.]
· vs. means versus. [The two teams, Rangers vs.
Devils, played an exciting game.]
Writing
Exercise: Write examples of sentences using each of the abbreviations: e.g.; i.e.; et al.; etc.; vis.; and vs.
Writing
Prompt: You went to the bathroom at the library just before closing time and
accidentally got locked in the library. The phones are turned off at closing
time and you don’t have your cell phone with you. You are sure that you are
alone until some books get knocked off the shelves. What are you going to do?
Challenge
Assignment: Research any two to three writing styles. Choose a brief newspaper
article or random blog post. Rewrite this article/post in at least two
different writing styles.
