JB Editing Services

JB Editing Services Do the intricacies and oddities of the English language interest you? If so, you're in the right pla

JB Editing offers editing, proofreading, and indexing services for theses, dissertations, books, blogs, newsletters, and anything that has words. Email janet@jbediting for more information, or go to jbediting.com.

08/06/2019

Word Usage
What’s the difference between further and farther?
Traditionally, the word farther relates to distance and the word further deals with quantity or degree. But the distinction concerning physical distance is disappearing; thus, either further or farther can be used to mean a greater distance.
The difference occurs when the meaning is additional, more, or to a greater degree. In this case, we should only use further.
Here are some examples:
The store is farther {distance} away than we realized.
Joe ran further {distance} than Steve before stopping.
To resolve this issue, we’ll have to look into this matter further {more}.
There will be no further {additional} discussion on this topic.

04/17/2019

English is so quirky. Did you know that some words can mean the opposite of themselves? No? Well, consider “leave” and “left.” These words can mean both “exit” and “remain.”

Want examples? Here we go:

When the children left, only the camp counselors were left.

Please leave the door open when you leave. (Please let the door remain open when you exit.)

Can you think of more words like this? Please post them here.

08/16/2017

Its or it’s—which should we use? This one baffles the best of us!
It’s = it is. This is a contraction: the words are smooshed together, and the apostrophe represents the deleted “i.”
Its = the possessive form of “it.” And this is why these words confuse us.
We’re used to using an apostrophe to show possession; however, that’s not the case with pronouns. Consider the following possessive words, none of which have an apostrophe: his, hers, yours, theirs, and (here it is) its. “Its” isn’t a rebel; it’s just following the rule for its category—possessive pronouns. (See what I did there?)
Okay, so what’s the easiest way to remember the difference? If you can change it to two words (it is), the apostrophe is necessary. Otherwise, leave it out.

07/04/2017

Pop quiz!
What’s the difference between the meaning of flammable and inflammable?
If you said there’s no difference, you’re correct. Your prize? Take the day off! In fact, have a barbecue and celebrate with fireworks. ;)
Both flammable and inflammable mean capable of being set on fire, combustible, easily ignited.
Because inflammable would seem to mean the opposite, it’s best to use flammable to avoid confusion.
Oh, and the word for something that doesn’t burn? That would be nonflammable.

06/21/2017

Zombie Rules. What is a zombie rule? It’s a rule that once was (or maybe never was) but now isn’t—yet it refuses to die.

Here’s how I ended my last post: “Now you have a tidbit you can impress your friends with.”

Chances are your high school English teacher taught you to never end a sentence with a preposition. To abide by that rule, I’d have to say now you have a tidbit with which to impress your friends. Umm—no. We don’t speak that way, and we don’t write that way.

So how did this zombie rule come about? Well, if we were speaking or writing in Latin, this rule would hold. Sentences in Latin don’t end with prepositions. But we’re not speaking Latin, so let’s bury that zombie for good and use English the way we were meant to.

(See what I did there? Would you rather I had said to bury the zombie and use English in the way in which we were meant? No, I didn’t think so.)

06/14/2017

We’ve probably all experienced this: we’ve said or written or typed the same word so many times that suddenly it loses its meaning and looks and sounds like gibberish. What’s that all about?

This is actually a psychological phenomenon, and yes, it has a name: semantic satiation. (Now you have a tidbit you can impress your friends with.)

06/07/2017

Let’s go back to words that carry opposite meanings. We’ve looked a left, which can mean depart or remain, and fast, which can mean moving rapidly or not moving at all—here’s another one:

Help.

Help can mean to assist or to refrain from. When I went to help the puppy, I couldn’t help laughing at its predicament.

I have other such words, but I’m sure you can add to my list. What words do you know that can be used as their own opposites?

05/31/2017

I’ve been thinking about why I love editing theses and dissertations, and the answer is fourfold.

I receive satisfaction from ensuring authors’ thoughts are expressed clearly and without distraction. Something as minor as a misused word can trip readers up, and I love being able to prevent that.

I like order, so I even enjoy formatting reference lists (that’s the part many of my editor friends dread).

I have met the most amazing people, if only by email. I have great respect for anyone who’s getting a master’s or doctorate—life is complicated enough without the added stress of classes and deadlines. And many of my clients are ESL students—English is not their first language. Imagine the difficulty of getting an advanced degree in a foreign language!

I learn so much! I’ve worked on papers with topics that range from how to prevent saltwater corrosion on antenna arrays on naval submarines to what leads children to early substance abuse to US relations with Thailand. I never know what I’ll learn next!

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