Two Negatives Make a Positive?

Although not uncommon in everyday use, in our class I would suggest we not use two negatives to make a positive without good reason. These two links discuss the subject of double negatives and give "litotes" as a good reason.

• Grammar Book, a resource for grammar and punctuation states that “To avoid confusion (and pompousness), don't use two negatives to make a positive without good reason. Sometimes a not un- construction may be desirable, perhaps even necessary: Example: The book is uneven but not uninteresting.” GrammerBook also quoted “…novelist-essayist George Orwell warned of its abuse with this deliberately silly sentence: "A not unblack dog was chasing a not unsmall rabbit across a not ungreen field." 
• Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, a recognized conservative dictionary, defines litotes as an “understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary (as in “not a bad singer” or “not unhappy”)”
  
  
  When writing we need to keep our site visitors in mind. The use of double negatives may cause our visitors confusion, making them pause to think about the meaning of our intended statement.

Canceled or Cancelled?

This is a word that can be spelled both ways. I suggest that we should spell the word canceled with one l.

•  I have included a link that helps support my theory.

http://grammarist.com/spelling/cancel/

The verb in modern American English is usually spelled with one l. In other areas of the world where English is taught and spoken, such as Britain, it is typically spelled with two l’s.

• According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, and most of the other sources I found, it is spelled both ways. 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancel

• The British version spell cancelled with two l’s and the American English version spell the word canceled with one l.

"Less" OR "Fewer"

It seems that most people do not know how to use "less" or "fewer" correctly in writing. Many do not realize that there is a difference in the two. The authorities that I found in my research all agree in the manner in which you would use "less"  or "fewer." 

• The English Oxford Living Dictionary:  Less would be used when something cannot be counted or referring to people or things that are not plural.  Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own.  Fewer would be correct when referring to people or things in a plural form or to emphasize how small the number of people or things is.

• Grammar.com: There is a key difference between the two words: The word "less" modifies singular nouns, while "fewer" modifies plural nouns. Less would be used when something is not easily counted.   

• Writer's Digest:  Less is usually applied when speaking about bulk or quantity. Fewer is applied when emphasizing a number of persons or items, and when modifying plural nouns. 

As I was reading the different information from the above authorities, it appears that they are all in agreement when and how to use the words, "less" and "fewer." It is very easy to confuse the two if you are not paying attention to the sentence and how it is written.  The fact is that both words can be used to specify or describe quantity but they have their own specific use in a sentence.  

A Space or Two Spaces?

     This is a topic that we recently debated at my work. Do you type one space or two spaces after a sentence-ending period?

• The Chicago Manual of Style - you will always use only one space after a period. Chicago’s online Q&A section states that “there is no proof that an extra space actually improves readability,” and “CMOS follows the industry standard of one space after a period.”
• MLA Handbook - you will “Leave one space after a period or other concluding punctuation mark, unless your instructor prefers two spaces,” under the text formatting section.
• APA’s Sixth Edition - is returning to the use of two spaces after a period, “Punctuation—return to two spaces after the period at the end of the sentence recommended for ease of reading comprehension.”

     After reading through multiple sites, it appears that most style guides have come to the agreement that only one space is needed after a period. I read various articles and blogs that state the use of the extra space comes from when typewriters were commonly used and is no longer needed since the default spacing on electronic devices is more “readable.” I conclude that we only need to use one space after periods.

"MORE THAN" "OVER"

According to the following websites that I have read. The change in using "over" than "more than" has caused quite the uproar in the writing profession. I would never have really paid attention to this if it were not for taking this class. 

• Grammarly - Stated that according to the AP Stylebook, "more than" and "over" can now be used interchangeably. The organization cited "overwhelming usage" in both professional and non-professional contexts as the primary reason.

• Public Relations Society of America - As a professional communicator. I am outraged and disheartened by the decision. Over is a locative. It refers to a spatial relationship. More than deals with numerical value. If we encourage people to ignore AP style in one instance, we are eroding its authority and usefulness.

Taking all this into consideration, I use more "more than." To me, we are degrading the English language. It appears that people are getting lazier when it comes to writing. If this continues, we are going to be using more symbols and fewer words such as; #, <, >.

Welcome!

Welcome to the class Style Guide for SCC's Writing for the Web class of Spring of 2017!

Each student in our class will post two entries. Each entry will state a position, supported by an acknowledged online style guide or dictionary, on a topic of grammar, word use, or style.

The purpose of our Style Guide is to agree on a set of rules for issues encountered by web writers. Not all style guides agree, and successful writers observe these rules consistently in their writing. Students in our class may comment to each post with agreement or disagreement as long as they support their positions with appropriate authorities.

Include a link to your authority. Be sure to notice the headline in this example:

E-mail or Email?

I propose that we spell this word without the hyphen in this class. I've listed two dictionaries with opposing positions on this topic below. Both include links to websites for these dictionaries.

• Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, a recognized conservative dictionary, tells us to spell this word with a hyphen. It explains the history of the term as it has evolved since 1982. This history illustrates the way that words change over time with usage by English speakers.
• Oxford's New American dictionary is a more modern, progressive dictionary that supports removing the hyphen in the spelling of this word. 

Since web writing is a more modern way of communicating, and since many site visitors use more modern ways of communicating, a more modern way of spelling this way seems appropriate. In addition, the word is much easier to key without the hyphen. Many web writers have been dropping this hyphen for quite some time.