EditorMark
@editormark.bsky.social
Focus: the free exchange of ideas. Editor, writer, ally. Advocate for plain language, journalism, diversity, tolerance. Believes universities, corporations and other institutions should not be arms of the state (i.e., antifascist). Host, That Word Chat.
Spring in Latin is "ver," so "vernal" as an adjective. Two words from Latin combine for "equinox": a form of "equal" and "nox", or "night," as in "nocturnal." So, literally, equal night, as the night accounts for fully half the day (slightly less where I live).
Photo: katerinavulcova, Pixabay
Photo: katerinavulcova, Pixabay
March 20, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Spring in Latin is "ver," so "vernal" as an adjective. Two words from Latin combine for "equinox": a form of "equal" and "nox", or "night," as in "nocturnal." So, literally, equal night, as the night accounts for fully half the day (slightly less where I live).
Photo: katerinavulcova, Pixabay
Photo: katerinavulcova, Pixabay
"Barbecue" is the preferred spelling for the gathering or cooking style. It's from a Taino-Arawak word that the Spanish spelled "barbacoa." "BBQ" is a casual but widely understood option, as is "barbie" if you happen to be in Australia or New Zealand. #words #tips #bbq #barbecue
February 25, 2025 at 3:27 PM
It's hard to tell when it's spoken, but write "iced tea," not "ice tea." Same with "iced coffee." But it's "ice wine" and the rapper and actor goes by "Ice-T." "Ice cream," by the way, started out as "iced cream."
zurl.co/qoML3
Photo: Pexels on Pixabay zurl.co/qoML3
zurl.co/qoML3
Photo: Pexels on Pixabay zurl.co/qoML3
February 7, 2025 at 1:27 PM
It's hard to tell when it's spoken, but write "iced tea," not "ice tea." Same with "iced coffee." But it's "ice wine" and the rapper and actor goes by "Ice-T." "Ice cream," by the way, started out as "iced cream."
zurl.co/qoML3
Photo: Pexels on Pixabay zurl.co/qoML3
zurl.co/qoML3
Photo: Pexels on Pixabay zurl.co/qoML3
The often-misspelled “fluoride” and “flux” are cousins. To remember the “flu" beginning for what’s in your toothpaste, think of what you use to solder pipes or a state of change. They come from the Latin "fluor," to flow, also found in "fluorescent."
Photo: Towfiqu barbhuiya, Pexels
Photo: Towfiqu barbhuiya, Pexels
February 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
The often-misspelled “fluoride” and “flux” are cousins. To remember the “flu" beginning for what’s in your toothpaste, think of what you use to solder pipes or a state of change. They come from the Latin "fluor," to flow, also found in "fluorescent."
Photo: Towfiqu barbhuiya, Pexels
Photo: Towfiqu barbhuiya, Pexels
Dictionaries might accept "Busses Welcome" signs, but that spelling strikes me as inviting kisses. Use "buses" (unless you welcome a buss). #words #spelling #kissing
Goodbye buss at Greyhound terminal, Chicago, New Year's Day, 1943. Photo by Esther Bubley. Public domain image, Library of Congress.
Goodbye buss at Greyhound terminal, Chicago, New Year's Day, 1943. Photo by Esther Bubley. Public domain image, Library of Congress.
January 30, 2025 at 9:57 PM
You stand on your “feet.” That EE in the middle also is a shoe width that I can sometimes squeeze into. A “feat” is an achievement, related to the word “fact.” Getting an A in class can be quite a feat. #words #spelling #mnemonics
Source: zurl.co/ySyJa Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
Source: zurl.co/ySyJa Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
January 28, 2025 at 6:09 PM
You stand on your “feet.” That EE in the middle also is a shoe width that I can sometimes squeeze into. A “feat” is an achievement, related to the word “fact.” Getting an A in class can be quite a feat. #words #spelling #mnemonics
Source: zurl.co/ySyJa Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
Source: zurl.co/ySyJa Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
For centuries, the dominant sense of “gender” applied to grammar. Its use for "sex" became common in the 20th century. “Sex” for biology and “gender” to also mean sexual identity is a useful modern distinction.
#sex #gender #words
Image: zurl.co/wk5qn susan-lu4esm on Pixabay
#sex #gender #words
Image: zurl.co/wk5qn susan-lu4esm on Pixabay
January 21, 2025 at 2:06 PM
For centuries, the dominant sense of “gender” applied to grammar. Its use for "sex" became common in the 20th century. “Sex” for biology and “gender” to also mean sexual identity is a useful modern distinction.
#sex #gender #words
Image: zurl.co/wk5qn susan-lu4esm on Pixabay
#sex #gender #words
Image: zurl.co/wk5qn susan-lu4esm on Pixabay
In the UK, stamps are “cancelled.” Noah Webster eschewed double “l,” so in the US they’re “canceled.” Root is “cancelli,” or “crossbars,” as the first meaning was to draw lines through words to delete them. #words #spelling
Image: zurl.co/SRStO Brett Jordan, Pexels
Image: zurl.co/SRStO Brett Jordan, Pexels
January 20, 2025 at 2:03 PM
In the UK, stamps are “cancelled.” Noah Webster eschewed double “l,” so in the US they’re “canceled.” Root is “cancelli,” or “crossbars,” as the first meaning was to draw lines through words to delete them. #words #spelling
Image: zurl.co/SRStO Brett Jordan, Pexels
Image: zurl.co/SRStO Brett Jordan, Pexels
The root of "dual" and "duel" is the noun "duo" (two). Remember the "a" spelling, "dual," is for the adjective describing two of something. "Duel," the fighting word, is a noun or verb.
November 18, 2024 at 4:42 PM
The root of "dual" and "duel" is the noun "duo" (two). Remember the "a" spelling, "dual," is for the adjective describing two of something. "Duel," the fighting word, is a noun or verb.
April 2, 2024 at 4:05 PM
The Chicago Manual of Style updates this fall, and #ThatWordChat has the first look . Join us at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 5, as we welcome principal reviser Russell Harper.
Sign up for the webinar at lnkd.in/d72rAAgP.
#CMOS #ChicagoManual #Editing #Publishing #Chat #ACES2024
Sign up for the webinar at lnkd.in/d72rAAgP.
#CMOS #ChicagoManual #Editing #Publishing #Chat #ACES2024
March 26, 2024 at 1:51 PM
The Chicago Manual of Style updates this fall, and #ThatWordChat has the first look . Join us at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 5, as we welcome principal reviser Russell Harper.
Sign up for the webinar at lnkd.in/d72rAAgP.
#CMOS #ChicagoManual #Editing #Publishing #Chat #ACES2024
Sign up for the webinar at lnkd.in/d72rAAgP.
#CMOS #ChicagoManual #Editing #Publishing #Chat #ACES2024
Time will right itself eventually, but this year's equinox, normally today, came on March 19, thrown off by the leap day a few weeks earlier. In 2025, the vernal equinox it will reach us in the northern hemisphere the morning of March 20, putting the first day of spring back where it belongs.
March 20, 2024 at 5:06 PM
Time will right itself eventually, but this year's equinox, normally today, came on March 19, thrown off by the leap day a few weeks earlier. In 2025, the vernal equinox it will reach us in the northern hemisphere the morning of March 20, putting the first day of spring back where it belongs.
If it's mechanical, it’s a “dryer” — a noun. But if you seek a comparison, the spelling for the adjective is “drier.” “My new blow-dryer gets may hair drier.” It’s just one of those quirky distinctions in English.
February 19, 2024 at 5:23 PM
If it's mechanical, it’s a “dryer” — a noun. But if you seek a comparison, the spelling for the adjective is “drier.” “My new blow-dryer gets may hair drier.” It’s just one of those quirky distinctions in English.
"Bellwether" has been misspelled for centuries. It comes from a lead male sheep ("wether") that had a bell tied around its neck. Remember it has nothing to do with the weather.
February 14, 2024 at 12:39 PM
"Bellwether" has been misspelled for centuries. It comes from a lead male sheep ("wether") that had a bell tied around its neck. Remember it has nothing to do with the weather.
Missed our annual #WOTY episode? Head to our YouTube channel at 4:30 PM ET to catch up on the stories behind the 2023 words of the year. Watch it here: bit.ly/ThatWordVideo
#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #Edibuddies #ThatWordChat
#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #Edibuddies #ThatWordChat
January 16, 2024 at 8:01 PM
Missed our annual #WOTY episode? Head to our YouTube channel at 4:30 PM ET to catch up on the stories behind the 2023 words of the year. Watch it here: bit.ly/ThatWordVideo
#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #Edibuddies #ThatWordChat
#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #Edibuddies #ThatWordChat
Off-the-charts rizz for today's #ThatWordChat.
www.markalleneditorial.com/thatwordchat
#words #woty #woty2023
www.markalleneditorial.com/thatwordchat
#words #woty #woty2023
January 9, 2024 at 2:52 PM
Off-the-charts rizz for today's #ThatWordChat.
www.markalleneditorial.com/thatwordchat
#words #woty #woty2023
www.markalleneditorial.com/thatwordchat
#words #woty #woty2023
We're thrilled to feature a star-studded panel for our annual #WOTY show!
Join us next week to chat about the words that define 2023.
Register here: bit.ly/ThatWordChat
#Dictionarycom #TheEconomist #OED #SussexUni #CambridgeDictionary #MerriamWebster #AmericanDialectSociety #ThatWordChat
Join us next week to chat about the words that define 2023.
Register here: bit.ly/ThatWordChat
#Dictionarycom #TheEconomist #OED #SussexUni #CambridgeDictionary #MerriamWebster #AmericanDialectSociety #ThatWordChat
January 5, 2024 at 1:56 AM
We're thrilled to feature a star-studded panel for our annual #WOTY show!
Join us next week to chat about the words that define 2023.
Register here: bit.ly/ThatWordChat
#Dictionarycom #TheEconomist #OED #SussexUni #CambridgeDictionary #MerriamWebster #AmericanDialectSociety #ThatWordChat
Join us next week to chat about the words that define 2023.
Register here: bit.ly/ThatWordChat
#Dictionarycom #TheEconomist #OED #SussexUni #CambridgeDictionary #MerriamWebster #AmericanDialectSociety #ThatWordChat
Mignon Fogarty's "The Grammar Daily: 365 Quick Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl" is officially launched! Join us for the #LaunchParty today at 4:30 PM ET. Register here: www.markalleneditorial.com/thatwordchat
#ThatWordChat #AmEditing #WritingCommunity
#ThatWordChat #AmEditing #WritingCommunity
November 14, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Mignon Fogarty's "The Grammar Daily: 365 Quick Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl" is officially launched! Join us for the #LaunchParty today at 4:30 PM ET. Register here: www.markalleneditorial.com/thatwordchat
#ThatWordChat #AmEditing #WritingCommunity
#ThatWordChat #AmEditing #WritingCommunity
