My post today at The Chicago Manual of Style Shop Talk blog:
Writers and editors are used to keeping reference books close at hand or bookmarked online. Even so, there are times we’re simply at a loss. How do you find a grammar or usage rule when you don’t know what it’s called or where to look it up?
Here at the University of Chicago Press, we can knock on just about anyone’s door to ask, “What’s the rule for that thing I always forget?” and miraculously get an answer.
But what if you don’t work in a building full of experts? What if you want to know whether it’s OK to begin a sentence with hopefully, or whether none is always singular?
