When I read Annamarie Mostert’s blog, I was keen to understand more about the CCC model (correspondence, consistency, correctness) and how I could use it in my work as a copy editor. After reading more in one of my...
I signed up for a grammar course. I know my English isn’t perfect and I can edit fairly well, but I also know that if someone asked me to explain each and every edit, I wouldn’t be able to do that effectively. I cannot...
The tragic arc of author Terry Pratchett’s life is well known: a prolific and celebrated writer, he was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s in 2007, at age 59. He carried on writing, with his final novel being...
(The instructions are intended as guidelines and apply to Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2403 Build 16.0.17425.20124 64-bit) for Windows 11. Details may differ slightly for other versions.) In...
I have written this brief piece in response to an enquiry from a respected language practitioner colleague who was asking which of the meanings of ‘skryfwyse’ the English word ‘style’ best conveys, if any at all. My...
Then: 2007 We found this in an edition of Pegboard from as far back as 2007. These were deliberations of editors about prepositions at the end of sentences: Do your hackles rise when you spot a preposition at the end...
Let’s face it. Not many of us have the privilege of editing on a full-time basis. I suppose it falls into the same category as writing, acting or dancing as a career. Such pursuits often require that we hang on to our...
Renkema’s CCC model facilitates and evaluates the text-editing process in a systematic, standardised and accountable way. This blog briefly describes the origin, composition and usefulness of this model. (The blog was...
Renkema’s K3/CCC-model facilitates and evaluates the text-editing process in a systematic, standardised and accountable way. The first of our blogs written in Afrikaans, this blog briefly describes the origin,...
One of the many jobs of an editor is to be on the lookout for plagiarism. I don’t have a magic formula for spotting it, but I do have some tips that might help. First off, what is plagiarism? The dictionary definition...
Professional editors are, by definition, Microsoft Word power users because we spend 90% of our time wrangling texts into submission in this specific word-processing software. But did you know that Microsoft has...
What is the active voice? In the active voice, the subject performs the action. Sentences are active in voice when the person or thing performing the action comes before the verb. The message is clear about who is...
We asked PEGgers why they edit and what keeps them editing. Responses were received from members who have been with PEG for 30 years to members of just two months. Let’s look at their reasons for editing. Joy, passion...
Plagiarism on the grand scale has been made more and more tempting and easy for lazy [writers] by people who provide whole essays on all manner of subjects on the web. – Manning Murphy (2019) To understand the nature...
When a friend was retrenched and asked me what you need to set yourself up as a freelance proofreader or editor, I mentally went through the tools I use and gave her a rundown. It occurred to me that the list might be...
Debating accreditation: This was the title of a contribution by the PEG newsletter editor at the time, André Snyders, in the edition dated November 2007. How far we have come. And how long it has taken! Sixteen years...
In our last article on technology for editors we looked at the basic components of a computer and the main differences between a desktop and a laptop computer. This article highlights some of the main problems you...
In support of the efforts of Alexis Grewan, our national chairperson, to work towards greater diversity and inclusion in PEG, I offer my thoughts on what this means for PEG and its members and what it requires of all...
Editors and websites This straightforward guide by Debbie Emmitt certainly helped me improve my editor website. Debbie is a copy editor and author with over 20 years of experience in web content. She brings together...
In a recent coffee conversation with PEG members, we discussed technology and how it could be used better to help us get our work done more efficiently. A number of questions were raised which prompted me to put...