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First the 13th, then the fourth
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Happy Friday...the 13th. Most of you got the right answer on last week's quiz. Just as you spell out one through nine and use numerals for 10 and higher, you do the same for ordinals. So this month we have Friday the 13th, and next month we'll have July Fourth. You got a peek at our Google Docs extension last week, and this week we're excited to share another great review: "Style Guide Checker is a great product that provides a second set of eyes to catch things that often go overlooked. Not only has it helped to ensure that stories published by The Riverside Record are using active voice, but it has also prompted deeper conversations about the language we use in covering sensitive topics." Educators who sign up by the end of the month can get three months free. Use code SUMMER2025 at checkout. π€« Before we get to this week's quiz, here's a little secret: We can't see what answer you choose, only whether or not you played. We've heard from some of you that you don't want to guess and get it wrong if you're not sure of the answer. We also noticed an uptick in participation in last week's relatively easy quiz π Get in the game! If you shoot your shot and miss, you're the only one who will know. Next Friday marks the official start of a new season. How would you write about it?
β€ Team Stylebot
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Stylebot
Hone your writing skills and never use "hone in" again. Get writing tips, have fun with words and learn something new in a one-minute read each week by signing up for Stylebotβs newsletter.
Whether you use "kitty" or "catty" before "corner" to describe something that is diagonally opposite, you're not talking about cats. In fact, the origin of "kitty-corner" is more closely related to dice π² π² That wasn't an option on last week's quiz, and we didn't trick you by giving you the option to pick "cats." Most of you guessed "diagonal," and while that is part of the word's meaning now, the origin of "kitty-corner" goes back to the French word meaning "four." English speakers adapted...
Did you see any flags flying at half-staff on Memorial Day? What about at half-mast? These terms are often used interchangeably to describe flags that are flown only halfway up the flagpole, and the answers to last week's quiz on the terms were pretty evenly split. We probably should have added an "it depends" answer choice, though. Everyone technically got it right, but we recommend using "half-staff" as the default term, as it's what's used for flags on land. Reserve "half-mast" for flags...
Dangling modifiers creep into our speaking and writing all the time, but you all are pretty good at spotting one π§ If you didn't take last week's quiz, you might be thinking, "What are dangling modifiers and how can I avoid them?" Dangling modifiers occur when a sentence begins with an adjectival modifier but the subject of that modifier is misplaced in the sentence or simply isn't there at all. Longtime newsletter readers will be familiar with our favorite high-profile example that's easily...