Chapter 9: Spelling,
Capitalization, and
Abbreviations
3140 Technical Editing
Importance
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Errors demonstrate carelessness
Credibility suffers
May impair reader comprehension
Spelling
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Guidelines
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Use spell checker
Use a dictionary
Keep a list of frequently misspelled words
Develop mnemonics
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Principal (school official—your “pal”)
Stationery (writing paper)
Spelling
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Guidelines
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Learn root words, prefixes, and suffixes
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sub—under
mis—indicates error or wrongness
dis—indicates negation
in—not
Spelling
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Guidelines
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Apply spelling rules
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Final “e”
Final consonant (doubled with past tense or
“ing” form)
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web
Able/ible
Respect the limits of your knowledge
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Know your weaknesses
Spelling
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Useful list
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http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk4.html
Frequently Misused Words
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List 143-145
More
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http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk3.html
Capitalization
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First word of a sentence
Titles
People
Days, months, holidays
I
Proper nouns
Capitalization
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Names of specific regions
Adjectives of geographic names
Abbreviations
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When to use an abbreviation?
Why use an abbreviation?
How to punctuate abbreviations?
Summary
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Correct spelling, capitalization, and
abbreviations increase the accuracy and
clarity of writing. Experience with language
and understanding of its rules will help editors
work quickly and accurately on these aspects
of a document, but good editors will also
depend on dictionaries and style manuals.
These resources establish conventions and
aid in consistency. (Rude, 3rd ed. 151)