Lapsing into a comma book

A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in print and how to avoid them by bill walsh. His ideas, outlined in chapter, talks about aligning objectives with metrics, to arrive at a. Download book lapsing into a comma a curmudgeon s guide to the many things that can go wrong in print and how to avoid them in pdf format. By laura brown every copy desk should have a copy of this book, or several copies, so those who need to look. Download pdf lapsing into a comma a curmudgeon s guide to. The entries are absolutely correct, but they fail to address an alternative position that i did not realize was held by some published authorities. Lapsing into a comma paperback a curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them. May 22, 2000 however, this notsoeasytouse reference of journalistic style is often not uptodate and leaves reporters and copyeditors unsatisfied. Apr 22, 2012 lapsing into an oxford comma my year at the university of oxford. Confessions of a comma queen, in which context comma queen is defined as a copy editor. The best way to describe bill walshs lapsing into a comma. Chapter 7 in social media marketing, is all about quantifying the roi return on investment that a marketer can expect based on their social networking activities.

If a marketer stays intouch with their customers, theres a good chance that their customers will start treating the marketer as one of their own. Apr 04, 2011 posts about personal reflections written by karan kapila. Now, picking up where he left off in lapsing, walsh addresses the dozen or so biggest issues that every writer or editor must master. A trunkload of tips on the big issues and gray areas of contemporary american englishpaperback. The best of newspaper design, 20th edition this is the 1999 edition of the society for news designs yearbook. For lovers of language, lapsing into a comma is a sensible and very funny guide to the technicalities of writing and copy editing. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them by walsh, bill isbn. Lapsing into a comma begins with a brisk condemnation of what walsh calls the searchandreplace school of copy editing sic, a slavish devotion to style at the expense of natural writing for example, invariably revising passive writing, followed by a brief guide to using a dictionary to resolve issues. As a gal who spent 35 years as an abderhalden and had to spell both first and last names each and every time to each and every george and georgette out there, take it from me.

This rule is a hard one to follow, in my opinion and i think bill walsh would agree with me, since he wrote the following on page 170 of his book lapsing into a comma. May 22, 2000 in lapsing into a comma, bill walsh shares his advice on how to handle many common problems that he has encountered as copy editor of the business section at the washington post. Book excerpts are provided by the publisher and may. Advice on good writing from everybodys favorite editorial curmudgeon persnickety, cantankerous, opinionated, entertaining, hilarious, wise. How to be a language snob without being a jerk, introduced bill walsh to people who. Posts about personal reflections written by karan kapila. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Pdf lapsing into a comma download full pdf book download. In traditional media, professional journalists and authors have their writing cleaned up by copy editors before it is. Just what a copy editor does seems to puzzle many reporters and, from time to time, the very management of a newspaper.

Lapsing into a comma available for download and read online in other formats. Save up to 80% by choosing the etextbook option for isbn. For lovers of language, lapsing into a comma is a sensible and very funny guide to the technicalities of writing. No writers or editors desk is complete without a battered, p. Chapter in social media marketing, seemed to bring back memories of reading chapter 7 in the same book. In my first book, lapsing into a comma, i called email an abomination. It can be stressful, but who am i to complain about reading three novels a week.

A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how t paperback walsh, bill on. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how t paperback. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how t paperback paperback 2000 by bill walsh author. Writers of poetry and of prose can learn much from this delightful, practical, enthralling, and wise book. Bill walsh whether youre editing your own writing or someone elses, you will find lapsing into a comma an invaluable and entertaining resource. Becoming a designer is like learning to play tennis.

The elephants of style microsoft library overdrive. Walsh frequently refers to the ap stylebook, but sometimes disagrees with it. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how t. Now, it should be noted that in the posts new style book the copy desk is referred to, quite properly, as the newspapers last line of defense. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers all about lapsing into a comma.

No writers or editors desk is complete without a battered, pagebent copy of the ap stylebook. Lapsing into a comma by mark nichol in 1995, when the internet was still a relatively obscure phenomenon, a newspaper copy editor named bill walsh began sharing his knowledge and opinions about his craft on a website called the slot. If the place that hires you as an intern likes you, that place will hire you full time. In an opinionated, humorous, and yes, curmudgeonly way, he shows how to apply the basic rules to unique, modern grammar issues. Perhaps it was only my love for stringing words together that compelled me to do so. Lapsing into a comma librarything catalog your books. If youre just starting college or still in college mode, no matter what your age and you want to be a copy editor when you grow up, make internship your mantra. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them bill walsh no writers or editors desk is complete without a battered, pagebent copy of the ap stylebook. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them by bill walsh the internet and printondemand technology have enabled almost everyone to become a publisher. This book starts with nine chapters covering various grammatical issues followed by a stylebook with approximately 340 entries. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them paperback. Lapsing into a comma was chosen as a book ofthemonth club alternate selection. Follow the usual rules of subjectverb agreement when confronted with one of those newfangled singular collective team names that seem to be especially popular in florida. Lapsing into a comma by bill walsh, 9780809225354, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.

Book excerpts are provided by the publisher and may contain. Lapsing into a comma a curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them 1st edition by bill walsh and publisher mcgrawhill education professional. Winning in a world transformed lapsing into a comma blogging from. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them is a delightful and insightful work that would fit nicely into any copy editors reference shelf. Mar 06, 2016 ive just come across a wonderful book on editing by bill walsh. Bill walsh, copy chief for the washington posts business desk, addresses these shortcomings in lapsing into a comma. In his third book on writing style, the washington post copy editor and author of lapsing into a comma offers advice on how to follow the rules. Download pdf lapsing into a comma a curmudgeon s guide to the many things that can go wrong in print and how to avoid them book full free. If your bookstore doesnt have it, ask for a special order or order here see below.

The main point of contention with oxford, of course, is the work, which begins the moment you step inside the college quad and builds steadily into a relentless avalanche of books, criticism, essays and discussion until it threatens to submerge you in paperwork. Mar 16, 2017 lapsing into a comma from 2000, along with the elephants of style in 2004 and 20s yes, i could care less. Pdf lapsing into a comma a curmudgeon s guide to the. Pdf lapsing into a comma a curmudgeon s guide to the many. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go. Lapsing into a comma no writers or editors desk is complete without a battered, pagebent copy of the ap stylebook. Posts about lapsing into a comma written by bloodywellwrite. Persnickety, cantankerous, opinionated, entertaining, hilarious, wise. Lapsing into an oxford comma my year at the university of. Bill walsh was a copy editor and author of lapsing into a comma, the elephants of style and yes, i could care less. However, this notsoeasytouse reference of journalistic style is often not uptodate and leaves reporters and copyeditors unsatisfied.

So reading a book published nearly a generation ago about journalism and best practices was a little trippy. This is a somewhat ironic statement considering that the book was published in 2008. Lapsing into a comma has the same wit and humor previously found on walshs web site the slot, and keeps things in a clear and concise fashion that anyone and by that i mean nongrammar people like myself can understand. I spent most of the past week browsing through two infamous social media portals facebook and twitter, hoping that i could uncover what makes these websites tick, and more importantly, why people who use these websites feel as part of. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them by bill walsh. But converting a consumer into a customer is just half the pie, to have the rest, charlene and josh suggest using a constant contact paradigm. Author bill walsh, chief copy editor in the business section of the washington post, humorously discusses the changing rules of proper print style in the information age. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Style is not about being a slave to fifthgrade grammar rules. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in print and how to avoid them is that it serves as a time capsule. A promo code is an alphanumeric code that is attached to select promotions or advertisements that you may receive because you are a mcgrawhill professional customer or email alert subscriber. Dec 04, 2015 in my first book, lapsing into a comma, i called email an abomination.

At the time he was writing it, he was an editor at the washington post, and he wrote it as a guide not only for other editors, but for writers who want to stay on the good side of their editors. If your bookstore doesnt have it, ask for a special order. May 22, 2000 lapsing into a comma paperback a curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them. The internet and printondemand technology have enabled almost everyone to become a publisher. You can read online lapsing into a comma a curmudgeon s guide to the many things that can go wrong in print and how to avoid them here in pdf, epub, mobi or docx formats. May 22, 2000 buy the paperback book lapsing into a comma. Mar 16, 2017 lapsing into a comma npr coverage of lapsing into a comma. In 1995, when the internet was still a relatively obscure. Seeing your name in print correctly is about as big a thrill as any. Hence, any predictions hypothesized by charlene and josh back then, would have a significantly altered course today, 2011. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid thempaperback.

Lapsing into a comma npr coverage of lapsing into a comma. Bill walsh, a washington post copy editor who wrote three irreverent books about his craft, noting evolutions and devolutions of language, the indispensability of hyphens and his hostility toward semicolons, and distinctions for the sake of clarity between playboy playmates and playboy bunnies, died march 15 at a hospice center in arlington, va. Lapsing into a comma a great book on editing creative. Walsh strikes an often unpredictable balance between the traditional and the progressive in examining the state of american english usage in the computer age. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Every copy editor and many who think theyre copy editors should own and faithfully read and reference this book. In an opinionated, humorous, and yes, curmudgeonly way, he shows how to apply the basic. Perhaps i could learn in retrospect something of the mistakes ive been making all these years. Apr 04, 2011 a core feature of the book is to use the social feedback cycle as a tool for understanding and securing early. With 34 books under his belt he is as inescapable as your annual eye appointment, but is he any good. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. A curmudgeons guide to the many things that can go wrong in printand how to avoid them.