By Warren Vieth & Darcy Delaney Copyediting By Warren Vieth & Darcy Delaney

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn” Six-Word Stories Ernest Hemmingway “For sale: baby shoes, never worn” SMITH Magazine compiles “Six-Word Memoirs”

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Couldn’t cope so I wrote songs.” -Aimee Mann

“At the end of normal street.” -Tracey Morgan “Six-Word Memoirs” “At the end of normal street.” -Tracey Morgan

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Yes, you can edit this biography.” -Jimmy Wales

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Dad died, mom crazy, me, too.” -Moby

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Danced in Fields of Infinite Possibilities.” -Deepak Chopra

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Dad wore leather pants in Reno.” -John Falk

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Learning disability, MIT. Never give up.” -Joe Keselman

“Six-Word Memoirs” “Thought long and hard. Got migraine.” -Lisa Levy

“Well, I thought it was funny.” “Six-Word Memoirs” “Well, I thought it was funny.” -Stephen Colbert

Exercise Divide into groups Come up with six-word story Vote on best six-word story from group Raise hand when completed

How does this have anything to do with copyediting?

Headlines Headlines must: Draw the reader in Be concise Be easily understood (Don’t make the reader reread)

“Poll: Alabamians believe not enogh spent on education” Headline Bloopers “Poll: Alabamians believe not enogh spent on education”

“Couple slain: Police suspect homicide” Headline Bloopers “Couple slain: Police suspect homicide”

“Typhoon rips through cemetery hundreds dead” Headline Bloopers “Typhoon rips through cemetery hundreds dead”

“Something went wrong in plane crash, experts say” Headline Bloopers “Something went wrong in plane crash, experts say”

Copyediting Avoid clichés Know the numbers Know common misspellings Know common grammar errors

Clichés Common clichés: What are some of your least favorite clichés? “Hit and miss” “All intents and purposes” “Pedal to the metal” “Hotch-potch” “Ace in the hole” What are some of your least favorite clichés?

Numbers Know: Percentages Simple addition Simple subtraction Multiplication Division Pay attention to birthdates

How old is someone born Dec. 13, 1954? Numbers QUESTION: How old is someone born Dec. 13, 1954?

Numbers ANSWER: 54

Numbers QUESTION: The city’s parks and recreation budget was cut from $2.4 million to $1.2 million. What was the percent change?

Numbers ANSWER: 50 percent

Numbers QUESTION: Last year your town had three murders. This year there were none. How would you describe the change?

Numbers ANSWER: 100 percent decrease

Common Misspellings Accidentally Believe Calendar Discipline Embarrass Foreign Guarantee Harass

Common Misspellings (continued) Judgment Library Misspell Neighbor Occurrence Pastime Receive

Common Misspellings (continued) Separate Twelfth Vacuum Weird (Source:http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/misspelled.html)

Common Grammar Errors It’s vs. its it’s: it is its: something belongs to it They’re, There and Their They’re: They are There: A place (let’s go there) Their: Plural possessive pronoun (their house) You’re vs. Your You’re: You are Your: Possessive pronoun (your house)

(Source: http://www.copyblogger.com) Common Grammar Errors The dangling participle Example: “After rotting in the cellar for weeks, my brother brought up some oranges.” (Source: http://www.copyblogger.com)

Links www.NewsU.org www.PaceSetter.OU.edu www.NiemanLab.org www.MediaBistro.com www.CopyDesk.org/Words