Why copy editors mull over sentence structure and composition Subject, verb, object (subject + predicate) – may seem like an obvious order for many people, but recognising how words are strung together and in what...
Sentence structure
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PEG on Plain: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
We asked PEG members with a particular interest in Plain Language – and a long commitment as PEG members – their thoughts on Plain Language. This blog post is a collaborative effort of several PEG members: it takes us...
ChatGPT for editors – friend or foe?*
We have all met the development of ChatGPT with a mixture of interest, awe, distrust and mild hysteria. What an incredible feat that a group of software engineers have created generative artificial intelligence (AI)...
Formatting before Editing 1: Introduction
Richard Steele said in his recent blog about his take on academic referencing: Formatting “makes it much easier for me to work with the document, it looks professional, and it is much easier for the examiners to...
7 tips to avoid isolation when editing from home
Let’s face it: working remotely can be lonely. Yes, we love the independence and flexibility that being a freelance editor or proofreader allows, but there may still be times when we feel isolated while we work alone...
It’s all write to be wrong
It’s the bravery – the courageous stepping into the unknown – that now delights me. There was a time when pedantry could have been my middle name. When misplaced apostrophes, caps strewn among non-proper-noun words...
Honouring Hester von Wielligh
We took some time away from the business of copy-editing to hear from Hester von Wielligh, a member of PEG since 2006, about her thoughts and her experiences as a long-standing member of the Guild. She, too, is...
My take on certain aspects of academic editing
I have been a supervisor and an examiner of academic texts but am now an editor of academic texts. I offer my services in academic editing because I want the student’s (and the university’s) efforts to be honoured with...
The comma
To me, part of the beauty of a comma is that it offers a rest, like one in music: a break that gives the whole piece of music greater shape, deeper harmony. It allows us to catch our breath (Pico Iyer). This post gives...
PEG publications: From the postman on foot to the portal online
1994 | In the beginning Almost since its inception, the Professional Editors’ Guild (PEG) has been committed to keeping its members updated and informed through publications. PEG’s first newsletter was a five-page...
The author’s voice
I tried to find points of reference for this topic (the author's voice) and there were not any in my usual go-to sources. This suggests that the author’s voice is something that cannot be easily quantified or taught in...
Plain Language in academic writing (part 3)
In part 1 and part 2 of this post, I discussed some of the problems of lack of clarity and of verbosity that are common in academic writing and gave two examples of how typical constructions can be greatly improved in...
Plain Language in academic writing (part 2)
In part 1 of this post, I discussed some of the problems of the lack of clarity and of verbosity that are common in academic writing. What follows are some examples of typical constructions that can be greatly improved...
Plain Language in academic writing (part 1)
We are all familiar with fusty, complicated, roundabout academic writing – no doubt it filled many of the textbooks you struggled through at school and university; and if you have to read academic texts in your working...
Essential resources for language practitioners (part 2)
(Note: The first part of this article introduced helpful resources for various dictionaries and general copy-editing.) A book can contain many elements besides solid blocks of type. ... It is the editor's job to make...
Essential resources for language practitioners (part 1)
No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft. HG Wells A passion it may well be, but altering ‘someone else’s draft’ also requires more than a mote of know-how. Now, that know-how does...
6 tips for your first editing gigs
Your first few jobs as an editor can feel daunting and you may have questions about how best to tackle the initial paperwork so that the project starts without a hitch. Below are six tips to help you to quote...
Gender-neutral language causes us to think differently
This article appeared in De Morgen newspaper on Saturday, 10 August 2019. It was translated from the Dutch by John Linnegar for the May 2020 issue of PEGboard. Gender-neutral language makes people think...
3 ways to reduce the risk of non-payment
There is nothing more demoralising than pounding away at a task, delivering it in good time and then waiting to be paid – but never seeing that payment. Here are three things to put in place that, at the very least,...
How to find your files
(With a nod to How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. I did not like the self-illustrated book but I loved the DVD.) You can make it easier to find files on your computer or smartphone if you structure...