Monday, September 27, 2010

National Punctuation Day: One Exclamation Point Please


Generally, the exceptions to formal writing rules are rare but technology's burst has altered a few.

In a New York Times article, “The ‘Advice Gap’: When Words of Wisdom Fall on Deaf Ears,” a 21-year old consulted her mother about punctuation for a thank you email she had written to an executive in his 30s. Although the daughter insisted on including multiple exclamation points for emphasis, she relented and limited one to the email. In reply, the executive attached an exclamation mark to three of the four sentences he wrote. Did the mother err in dispensing advice based on formal writing rules? Absolutely not. 
The exclamation mark inclusion wouldn’t have been advisable had the young woman sent an email or handwritten note of thanks for a position with no technology emphasis. Yet, if anything, she is to be commended for knowing her target audience despite the obvious aversion to formal writing rules.       
          
National Punctuation Day
Generational Writing

Friday, September 17, 2010

Which One is Correct: Website or website?

Conveniently, the Internet renders access to massive amounts of information in a few clicks. Change is constant in life and language, largely governed by rules, isn’t exactly immune. If you’re confused about the capitalization rules that apply to the word “Web,” you’re definitely not alone. The examples culled from various sources below reflect variations that we’ve all seen:  
1.       “Her ‘world wide web’ events…”  WSJ Magazine article, June 2010
2.       “…available on the HDMD website.” Ad in Houston Defender, August 2010
3.        “Privacy on the Web is a constant issue…” Wall Street Journal article, August 2010
4.       “These days, though, the Web is a hotbed of hotties.” Houston Chronicle article, August 2009
5.       “…newfangled Web synergies.” Vanity Fair article, February 2010
The Grammarbook.com rule requiring capitalization of words derived from proper nouns stands as the caveat. World Wide Web is a proper noun, thus, the reason for capitalization when referenced in abbreviated fashion, the “Web.”
However, conflicting opinions surrounding how “Web” should be paired with “site” remain: is it Web site, Website or website? In alignment with the rule noted above, Website is preferable although some deem it “old school.” According to AP Style which governs news media and journalists, “Website is Webster's first choice and that spelling is widely used, so the AP Stylebook adopted it.”     
                              http://www.apstylebook.com/?do=view_recent_ask
                              http://www.wordbiz.com/newsletter/websitespelling.html