Category Archives: Chicago Manual of Style

Style Guides

“Style Guides”
(Leave a Comment for a Chance to Win a Quick Study Version of Your Favorite Guide)
by
Sandy Tritt 

Oftentimes when I’m asked a question about grammar, punctuation, or citations, I’ll preface my response with the words, “depending on which style guide you are using . . . .” Of course, this response brings up an entirely new discussion. What is a style guide? Where do you find them? And how do you know which one you should be using?

“A style guide,” according to Wikipedia, “is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization, or field. A style guide establishes and enforces style to improve communication.” In other words, our English language is a living language that changes constantly. Some groups embrace these changes and variations at different times. But the most important part of writing style is consistency. Therefore, many publishing houses and many fields have adopted their own standards. So, a style guide is an interpretation of the rules of grammar, punctuation, and citations to create consistency. 
 
Style guides can be found in most libraries and bookstores. According to Wikipedia, in the United States, most non-journalism writing follows The Chicago Manual of Style, while most newspapers base their style on the Associated Press Stylebook. A classic style guide for the general public is The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White.
 
The more popular style guides are: 
 
For a more comprehensive list of style guides, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_style_guides
 
If writing is your career, you may want to invest in the latest edition of the style guide for your genre. Since our language does change and mutate, it’s important to get the latest edition available. You may also want to subscribe to the online version, which keeps up with changes as they happen. Chicago Manual of Style offers a free trial subscription at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
 
A cheaper and faster option is to purchase a “Quick Study” version of the style guide you use most. For example, you can purchase the Chicago Manual of Style Quick Study version for $6.25 at http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Manual-Style-Guidelines-Quick/dp/1423218604/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435184828&sr=8-2&keywords=chicago+manual+of+style. If you’d like to be the proud owner of your own quick study guide, just tell us in a comment below which one you’d like to have and how having one would be beneficial to you. We’ll randomly choose one winner on July 1, 2015, and send you out a copy. This mini-contest is limited to USA addresses only.
 
The bottom line is this: if you plan to be a professional writer (which means you plan to make money writing), you need to take your profession seriously and invest in the tools you need.
 
And, remember, we’re always here to answer your questions and provide a free sample edit. See more info at http://www.inspirationforwriters.com/editing/sample.html.

Ins and Outs of the Oxford Comma

by
Jessica Nelson

 
 
If any of you quirked an eyebrow when you read this title and asked yourself, “What is an ‘Oxford comma’?” don’t worry. The first time someone mentioned the Oxford comma to me, I had to ask for an explanation, because I had never heard of it before.

The Oxford comma is what most non-grammar-nerds know as the serial comma. That’s the comma that comes before the “and” in a list. (FUN FACT: I recently learned it is called the Oxford comma because it was primarily used by the printers, editors, and readers at the Oxford University Press. Its use is first mentioned—as far as my research has shown me—in the 1905 edition of the OUP Style Guide). Here’s an example of the Oxford comma:

My favorite authors are Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, and Mary Shelley.


(Not really, but you get the idea.)

Now, I could omit the Oxford comma and say:

My favorite authors are Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King and Mary Shelley.

The advantage of the Oxford comma is its ability to clear up ambiguous sentences. I know when I read a sentence that contains a list and there isn’t an Oxford comma, I tend to pair the last two items together, the same way most people pair “peanut butter and jelly.” We don’t always think of them as two separate items, but as things that go together. Then, I always expect there to be another item to the list, because, for me, the list isn’t over until I’ve seen “, and.”

Let me give you an example.

For lunch, Mrs. Jones put out a veggie platter, milk and peanut butter sandwiches.

The way I read that, without the Oxford comma, the sandwiches are made of bread, peanut butter, and milk. That just sounds gross—and soggy.

By adding the Oxford comma, it becomes clear that milk is a separate item offered (hopefully, served in some kind of cup). For that reason, I am a proponent of the Oxford comma.

Some style guides mandate the use of the Oxford comma and others prohibit it. This Wikipedia page has a section of “Recommendations by Style Guides” (Section Four, if you’re using the hotlinks in the Contents at the top page) that might be helpful if you aren’t sure if you need to use it. Here’s a quick hint: the Modern Language Association (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style—the preferred style for fiction writing—and The Elements of Style all support the use of the Oxford comma.

If you don’t know if the style guide you are using encourages or discourages the use of the Oxford comma, or—if you are like me—you don’t know which style guide you are using, make a decision about whether or not you want to use the Oxford comma, then do so consistently. However, if you have chosen not to use the Oxford comma, be sure to read all your list-containing sentences carefully. If the clarity of the sentence is ever in doubt, add the Oxford comma. It can’t hurt.

What is your stance in this heated debate? We’re curious to know. Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook page.