Benjamin Feen (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} benjyfeen) wrote,@ 2005-08-17 12:22:00 |
|
The Economist style guide on Americanisms
The Economist's style guide includes a fascinating (to dorks like me) page on the distinctions between British and American usage. I had no idea about a lot of these things. "To host a party" is an Americanism? "To slate" can mean "to abuse" in Britain?
http://www.economist.com/research/style
In Britain, though cattle and pigs may be raised, children are (or should be) brought up.
Only the speechless are dumb, the well-dressed smart and the insane mad. Scenarios are best kept for the theatre, postures for the gym, parameters for the parabola.
Try not to verb nouns or to adjective them. So do not access files, haemorrhage red ink (haemorrhage is a noun), let one event impact another, author books (still less co-author them), critique style sheets, host parties, pressure colleagues (press will do), progress reports, trial programmes or loan money.
The Economist's style guide includes a fascinating (to dorks like me) page on the distinctions between British and American usage. I had no idea about a lot of these things. "To host a party" is an Americanism? "To slate" can mean "to abuse" in Britain?
http://www.economist.com/research/style
In Britain, though cattle and pigs may be raised, children are (or should be) brought up.
Only the speechless are dumb, the well-dressed smart and the insane mad. Scenarios are best kept for the theatre, postures for the gym, parameters for the parabola.
Try not to verb nouns or to adjective them. So do not access files, haemorrhage red ink (haemorrhage is a noun), let one event impact another, author books (still less co-author them), critique style sheets, host parties, pressure colleagues (press will do), progress reports, trial programmes or loan money.
