You might have read our previous article about the common grammar myths editors wish you knew. And you might have noticed it was a lengthy piece. Nonetheless, we were out of word count, so we thought we’d do what every great debut does: create a sequel.
This article continues on the path of grammatical perfection, offering writers of all genres a deeper understanding of common grammar myths that can hinder their clarity and accuracy. Let’s hope this is more The Empire Strikes Back than Grease 2.
Now, let’s be clear. These articles aren’t supposed to feel like a slap on the wrists. Far from it. We’re offering these articles to help writers develop great relationships with their editors. Because no writer loves getting comments and action points.
Ready? Let’s go!
1. The difference between i.e. and e.g.
There’s an easy way to remember the difference between i.e. and e.g., but it’s amazing how often writers of all disciplines get it wrong.
I.e., or in other words
Like many grammar rules, i.e. is a hangover from Latin. It translates as “id est” or “that is.” You use it to restate what has already been said.
E.g.
- Prepare your butterflied—i.e., deboned—whole chicken, and rub on spices.
- If your local water is hard (i.e., with a high mineral content), you’re likely to see limescale build-up around your kettle’s heating element.
I think the easiest way to remember how to use i.e. is to think of it as shorthand for “in other words.”
E.g.
- Prepare your butterflied (in other words, deboned) whole chicken and rub it with spices.
I.e. is often accompanied by brackets or em dashes (more about those later), but it can also follow a comma.
E.g., or for example
Did you notice that I used “e.g.” to indicate my examples? Well, that’s because e.g. means “exempli gratia” in Latin, or “for example” in English.
You typically use e.g. before an example (obviously) or a list, and you can place it between brackets, or following a comma or an em dash.
So, you might use e.g. in this way:
- When I’m looking to buy a new coat, I consider a range of variables, e.g., season, temperature, and waterproofing.
2. How to use quotation marks
When do you use double quotation marks (or “speech marks”)? And when is it right to use ‘single’?
Well, it depends on:
- House style
- The context
- American English vs. British English
Indicating dialogue
We all know that there are conventions for indicating speech and dialogue in a novel. And whether the publication uses double or single quotation marks depends on a range of variables.
In the UK, it’s typical to use ‘single quote marks’ to indicate dialogue and “double quotation marks” to notate when someone is quoting someone else.
E.g.
‘I’m waiting for him. He said, “Be here by 10.” But he isn’t here yet,’ said John.
However, in American English, the convention is to use double quote marks for general dialogue and single quote marks for indicating quotes within quotes.
E.g.
“I’m waiting for him. He said, ‘Be here by 10.’ But he isn’t here yet,” said John.
Novelistically, it’s more common to see double quotation marks to depict dialogue than single. Journalistically, following the above rules for American or British English is the best approach.
Either way, consider your audience, research the house style, and adhere to its conventions. If in doubt, always ask. Relay Publishing uses the American convention for depicting dialogue on the page.
Where does a period go when using quotation marks?
Ooh, the controversy builds. Because full stops appear in different places depending on whether you’re writing in American or British English.
The easiest to remember is the treatment of the full stop in American English because it’s always the same. With AE, the period always comes before the quotation mark. Simple.
However, British English (BE) differs. For example:
In AE, this is correct:
You use an en dash to indicate a range or word connection, replacing the word “to.”
But in BE, this is correct:
You use an en dash to indicate a range or word connection, replacing the word “to”.
In BE, the full stop goes inside the quotes only if the quotes contain a complete sentence.
Some more examples:
AE
- Jonny said, “Dogs are dumb.”
- This isn’t “enjoyable.”
- He loves the word “spaceship.”
BE
- Jonny said, ‘Cats like cheese.’
- This isn’t “enjoyable”.
- He loves the word “spaceship”.
3. How to use the em and en dash
Dashes create much controversy in the world of grammar, and for good reason. Part of why they’re so contestable is how particular word processors process them.
Let me explain:
There’s a big difference between an em dash and an en dash. An em dash is longer (the width of a printed capital M) and an en dash is shorter (the width of a printed capital N).
However, they perform different functions.
The en dash
You use an en dash to indicate a range or word connection, often replacing the word “to.”
Use an en dash when representing ranges of dates, numbers, or times (e.g., 12–14 hours, 2001–2024). Additionally, you can use an en dash to show a relationship or connection between words (e.g., Las Vegas–New York, a mother–daughter relationship).
The em dash
While most word processors treat the en dash identically, some aren’t great at reproducing the em dash. You create an em dash by combining two en dashes without a space in between. However, Google Docs, for example, doesn’t successfully create an em dash, requiring you to choose a special character to insert it. There’s no keyboard shortcut, which is quite problematic for your workflow.
Use an em dash to break up a sentence—a bit like using parentheses or commas. See, I used one there. The em dash helps build a dramatic pause or add emphasis. Alternatively, you can use it to separate parenthetical information.
For example:
He finally wrote—after months of work—the words, “The End.”
Ultimately, the em dash improves readability, suggesting a longer pause than implied by a comma.
Consider this:
- Janet hated the boys in school, especially Tommy.
- Janet hated the boys in school—especially Tommy.
The em dash implies a slightly longer pause, attributing greater emphasis on what comes next. And while these are both correct, the em dash adds additional impact.
The big em dash discussion
You wouldn’t think that a little line on the page could cause such heated discussion. But, such is the fervor of grammar aficionados!
There’s a lot of online discussion suggesting that humans don’t use em dashes, and their inclusion in a sentence can make it appear as if the text is written by AI.
However, we think that’s nonsense. The em dash is an elegant way to break up a sentence, and when used correctly, it improves readability. And what could be wrong with that?
4. Never write in the first person
Again, this is one of those subjects that upsets many people (on the internet).
The insistence that you should avoid writing in the first person is an academic hangover. And while there’s a good argument for maintaining this perspective if you’re writing an academic paper, writing in the first person is generally fine for less formal writing.
The first person in journalistic content often offers a reassuring tone, and it can be super-immersive in novelistic writing.
Like all preference-based grammar rules, it’s a good idea to research the house style. And always stick with that.
5. Should I use two spaces after a period?
No.
Shall we move on?
Joking aside, two spaces after a full stop was a typewriter convention, which is now considered outdated. This is because typewriters used monospaced fonts, which means that every character occupied the same amount of page space, making it more challenging to identify sentence endings.
However, modern print uses proportionally spaced fonts, permitting characters that vary in width. This makes it easier to distinguish sentence endings, even when there’s only one space.
In fact, some writing applications, such as Microsoft Word, flag double spaces as errors. And nobody wants the annoying little paper-clip getting involved (showing my age, there!).
6. Do you add a period to a title?
This is a two-pronged answer, depending on whether you’re referring to the title of a book, an article, or someone’s title, i.e., Mr./Mrs./Dr., etc.
Periods for book and article titles
Titles for articles, novels, and documents tend not to require periods: The Taming of the Shrew doesn’t need a full stop unless you’re quoting that title and it comes at the end of a sentence.
This rule also applies to chapters in books, as well as to articles that are given subtitles and headings.
Many titles don’t constitute a complete sentence: Star Wars, for example, has no verb—it’s merely a statement rather than a complete sentence.
There are some notable examples of titles that include punctuation:
Adaptation. This 2002 film starring Nicolas Cage is recognized for its title’s full stop.
Good Night, and Good Luck. This 2005 film by George Clooney uses a period in its title.
So, while there are some exceptions, you don’t add a period to a title.
A person’s title, Mr/Mrs, etc
The period after a person’s title—if abbreviated—is another of those AE/BE quirks. In BE, the period is often omitted, whereas it’s always included in AE.
Both Mr King and Mr. King would be considered correct in British English, but the period is considered old-fashioned.
7. Do you capitalize headings?
Whether you capitalize headings typically depends on the context of the piece and house style.
Generally, academic writing often uses title case (i.e., Do You Capitalize Headings?), while online content and novelistic writing use sentence case (i.e., Do you capitalize headings?).
What is title case?
Title case generally capitalizes the first letter of each word, but uses lowercase for short prepositions, such as a, an, the, in, on, by, at, the, etc., in the middle of the title.
But you typically capitalize a preposition if it’s the first word of the title, i.e., The Lord of the Rings.
What is sentence case?
The first word in a sentence case title is capitalized, but the rest of the title is in lowercase (except for proper nouns).
In short, sentence case follows the capitalization conventions of a typical sentence (without the final period).
8. The Oxford comma
We talked about the Oxford comma in our previous article about grammar myths editors wish you knew. However, this optional grammar rule can be so divisive that we decided to add more context to the argument for the Oxford comma.
As a quick reminder, the Oxford comma is used in a list of three or more items before the final “and”, i.e., The journey was long, arduous, and dull.
Why do we need a comma before “and”?
The insistence that you should never use a comma before “and” is a little archaic in modern text. The problem is that the last two items in a list are implicitly connected when they’re not necessarily related. This can lead to some serious issues.
The classic example is “I invited my parents, Hitler and Stalin to dinner.” This makes it sound like Hitler and Stalin are that person’s parents. Whereas “I invited my parents, Hitler, and Stalin to dinner” is clearer, indicating that Hitler and Stalin are additional guests to their parents.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that particular dinner party.
The legal cases caused by misplaced punctuation
The Oxford comma doesn’t just save a few embarrassed glances when discussing a party invite list; it has—on occasion—cost companies millions of dollars.
Oakhurst Dairy vs. the workers
Three lorry drivers working for Oakhurst Dairy in Maine claimed that they were seriously out of pocket due to unpaid overtime. The company argued that overtime wasn’t due in the cases of “the canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of: 1) agricultural produce; 2) meat and fish products; and 3) perishable foods.”
The drivers argued that the lack of a comma between “shipment” and “or distribution” meant that they were due overtime pay—a claim that was successful in the US Court of Appeals, which ruled in their favor.
The mistake cost Oakhurst Dairy a substantial $5M. So, the moral of that story is that the Oxford comma is there for clarity.
Relay Publishing wants to hear from you
We hope you’ve enjoyed our second exploration of common grammar mistakes that editors wish you knew. Remember, we’re not out to make you feel dumb: great writers need great relationships with their editors. But every editor has their limit!
So, if you feel like you could be in the position to create a great relationship with an editor (or you’re an editor looking for a new challenge), get in touch.
Relay Publishing publishes hundreds of books a year, and we’re always looking for new writers, editors, and designers to come on board.
Get in touch. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.