ATTN: Copyeditors and Grammar Fiends

It used to be gramatically acceptable to use a masculine pronoun (he, him, etc.) when referring to a person of unspecified gender (you know what I mean.. I can't think of any other way to put it), but now the "he or she"/"his or her" method is the proper form.

I'm not sure if it makes a difference whether you use a slash or the word "or." I suspect that the slash is unacceptable in formal writing.

Unless it's academic writing, and it allows you to make a terrible pun somehow.

Proper, maybe. But it should be pointed out that if you're having to cram this into your sentence, you;re writing a clumsy sentence, and you should probably drop back and punt.

hyphens
Our style is to use one word wherever possible, including some instances where a word might be hyphenated by other publications. Hyphens tend to clutter up text (particularly when the computer breaks already hyphenated words at the end of lines)

Inventions, ideas and new concepts often begin life as two words, then become hyphenated, before finally becoming accepted as one word. Why wait? "Wire-less" and "down-stairs" were once hyphenated. In pursuit of this it is preferable to go further than Collins does in many cases: eg trenchcoat is two words in Collins but one under our style

Never use hyphens after adverbs, eg politically naive, wholly owned. But do use them to form compound adjectives, eg two-tonne vessel, three-year deal

Do use hyphens where not using one would be ambiguous, eg to distinguish "black-cab drivers come under attack" from "black cab-drivers come under attack"

Tracer, I read this as advocating the phrase "fact-checking" as a verb (sorry, should have made that clear) so thanks were in order!

assuming i only have one brother, would it be acceptable to write, "I went with my brother Isaac to the store" or do i have to write, "I went with my brother, Isaac, to the store" ?

for some reason i am under the impression that non-essential info can be stuck in without commas as long as it is only one or two words. but apparently, this is wrong?

(fun with nonessential elements)

'I went to the store with my brother Isaac.'

The evidence for “Americanization” of French culture is mixed, and its extent is impossible to measure, as culture is not easily definable, let alone quantifiable.

Please can you help me arrange it so it sounds better. Most importantly I need a more essay-register way of saying "let alone", but the whole sentence seems really clumsy still and I don't know how to fix it.

I hope there's someone around who can help. My head hurts.

Culture is not easily definable, much less quantifiable. Thus, not only is the evidence for "Americanization" of French culture mixed, but its actual extent is impossible to measure.

?

the "not only/but" thing is unnecessary

Thanks all.

I just finished my essay, wahey!!

I've decided to switch from a Jan 27, 1997 format to a 27 Jan 1997 format for dates because eliminating the extra comma helps the readability of some of my nastier sentences.

Here it is: "Although there are many different types of HLA proteins, each person has only a small, relatively unique set that is inherited from their parents."

Thanks much. And, uh, I'm on deadline, so hurry up!

Although there are many different types of HLA proteins, individuals inherit from their parents only a small and relatively unique subset.

etc.

"Although many different types of HLA proteins exist, each person inherits only a small, realtively unique set."

.. not sure if that meaning is accurate or not. You may want to clarify the sentence in that .. is only the inherited set small, or is the total set small?

You don't have to be a grammar/usage nazi to object to torture in all its forms, including wrt the language.

Also, I want to kill the person who prompted Andrew's initial post.

So, any thoughts on "relatively unique?" Oh shit I'm an idiot, I just realized that is a great pun! Maybe I should keep it, then.

(the Graun do, at least)

For real? Awful

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-style-guide-s
A lot of people are saying it's Sad, very sad

Help please: book of 'favourite memories' of school children.
I've been instructed to anonymise some of the tales.

So instead of "When Jenny called herself hot" I'm going with "When someone called themselves hot" OR "when someone called themself hot". Both now seem wrong and clunky!
I'm aware the humour is somewhat lost this way....

"when a girl i know" if you can gender them (with “she” to follow)
"when my friend" or "when someone i know" if not (with “they” to follow)

It's the reflexive I was questioning - "when someone called themselves hot, or called themself hot? Can't say 'called they hot'

But I think you're correct and I can gender them. So thanks!

re: themself/themselves Chicago style considers both to be acceptable, it's up to the author/client

Following mark s, and offering more advice you didn't ask for, you could perhaps consider -- assuming the style/context/your role allows for it -- returning some of the "particular" quality of the stories whilst anonymizing along the lines of "When the boy with the striped shirt went to the water fountain," "When the girl with the brown hair called herself hot" ... idk just an idea. But that goes a bit beyond copyediting

how about 'jenny felt hot (and)'

(might delete later)