EDITGOLD HINTS

Formatting

You can cut back your editing costs by setting up your document as follows

• one space only between sentences not two (or three)
• paragaphs not indented (it's very dated)
• same spacing between paragraphs (generally one return)
• tables all done in the same style
• single rather than double quotation marks (in modern style double quotation marks are used mainly for quotes within quotes)
• consistent indenting in all dot point lists.

Fewer and less

Many people have difficulty working out when to use 'fewer' and when to use 'less'.

'Less people went to the football match this week,' is not correct; it should be 'fewer people'.  The rule is easy once you get the hang of it.  Few applies to a smaller number of:  if you can count the item, use fewer - fewer people, fewer footballers.  Less, however, refers to a smaller quantity of - less sugar, less tax - the things you can't count.

Another way of getting it correct is to use 'fewer' with plurals and 'less' with singulars.  Except for measurements.  Here it is 'less than 80 pounds' as it's seen as meaning 'less than a weight of 80 pounds' so is a singular.


That and which

Should it be 'that' or 'which'?  What we are talking about here is whether you should write, 'Parks that are there for the community should be monitored by security guards,' or 'Parks, which are there for the community, should be monitored by security guards'.

Well it depends on whether the clause is defining or non-defining.  There is a distinction in meaning between the two statements.  The first one implies that only parks that are open to the community should have security guards.  Private parks, not open to the community, it is saying, do not need guards.  'That' is introducing a defining (sometimes called a restricting) clause.

In the second sentence the clause is non-defining.  It is referring to all parks.

The test is whether you can put a comma before and after the 'which' or 'that'.  If a comma can be inserted it should be 'which' (even if you don't actually put it in).

Me or myself?

Why is that 'myself' has crept into the language instead of 'me'?  For example, 'He asked a number of people, including myself, whether it was fine that day'.

Myself, along with herself, yourself, itself etc, is a reflexive pronoun.  They are used when both the object and subject are the same, as in, 'She gave herself a treat'.

Think carefully about when to use myself. 'I starved myself to fit into my new dress,' is correct. 'They will be coming to see myself tomorrow,' is not.  It's me, me, me!