Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Why It's Always Better to Query

Alrighty, put on your copyediting or proofreading hats. What do you notice about the following sentence?

 At the funeral home, I wrapped up all the ashes from the burned part of the family money gift [tshuab ntawv vam sab].

 Careful readers will note that the "v" in "vam" is not italicized. [Be honest. Did you see it?]

 Most cases, one might simply think it's an error and italicize it, right? I queried, and received this pretty fascinating answer from the author:

 "Nonitalicized if spoken aloud; italicized if thought. Stet."

 I hope Hmong copyeditors get paid the big bucks.
at

3 comments:

  1. moiNovember 14, 2012 at 9:00 PM

    Yes, I saw it. No, I had no idea. Fascinating. Always something to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. czarNovember 14, 2012 at 9:39 PM

    @Moi: Like John Lennon, you passed the audition.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 18, 2012 at 7:13 PM

    Czar, sent you email. You can send that way or post here and I'll copy over.

    Serendipity

    ReplyDelete

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