The Chicago manual of style
In the seven years since the previous edition debuted, we have seen an extraordinary evolution in the way we create and share knowledge. This seventeenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has been prepared with an eye toward how we find, create, and cite information that readers are as likely to access from their pockets as from a bookshelf. It offers updated guidelines on electronic workflows and publication formats, tools for PDF annotation and citation management, web accessibility standards, and effective use of metadata, abstracts, and keywords. It recognizes the needs of those who are self-publishing or following open access or Creative Commons publishing models. The citation chapters reflect the ever-expanding universe of electronic sources--including social media posts and comments, private messages, and app content--and also offer updated guidelines on such issues as DOIs, time stamps, and e-book locators.
Stats for nerds
19recommend
132mentions
112people
2010–2026years
15% recommend84% neutral1% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Short: Elements of Style, Strunk and White. Comprehensive: Chicago Manual of Style
- I think you might intend to compare 'that' and 'which'? Common advice is to use 'that' with people and 'which' with objects, though that isn't necessarily followed and omits many nuances.
Use 'who' with people especially, often with other living beings ('my dog, who runs away daily, always is home for dinner') or groups of them ('the NY Yankees, who won the championship that year, were my favorite'), but never with objects unless pretending they live ('my stuffed bear, who sleeps in my bed, wakes me every morning').
If you care about these things, the Chicago Manual of Style is a large, technical, highly respected guide aimed at publishing. Fowler's Modern English Usage is more focused on usage. A short and beloved guide is The Elements of Style by Strunk & White. You can find all on the Internet Archive, I'm almost certain.
- Regarding getting better at writing, there was a post recently on improving technical writing, ostensibly about shell scripts to detect passive voice, but it also had a list of recommendations: Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace as an alternative to Strunk and White, the Chicago Manual of Style, and A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations specifically for technical writing.
- This is great advice.
I only contend on two things. First is recommending Strunk and White - in general a style guide should not stifle writers' voices and instead equip them with tools to express their own. Here I would rather recommend the far more authoritative and comprehensive The Chicago Manual of Style [1]. Second is excess punctuation - easily incurs in too much line noise. You should generally avoid adding distracting elements seldom added pro forma.
The best source for me has been the Handbook of Writing for the Mathematical Sciences by Nicholas J. Higham [1]. His I can fully get behind. Another is Writing Mathematics Well by Leonard Gillman [3]. Still another is Mathematical Writing by Franco Vivaldi [4].
[1] https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
[2] https://epubs.siam.org/doi/book/10.1137/1.9781611976106
[3] https://bookstore.ams.org/mmbk-7/
[4] https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4471-6527-9
- >The patents relied on by Sable were filed around the turn of the century, and they addressed the hardware-based router technology of the day.
At first I was wondering what routers existed back in 1900, then realized it was not that turn of the century. I think this is the first time I have see 'turn of the century' refer to 1999->2000.
Chicago Manual of Style has some good usage suggestions on this...
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/U...
>A: Instead, write “at the beginning of the twentieth century,” or “at the end of the nineteenth century,” or “in the years around 1900.” “The turn of the century” is useful only when the context makes it obvious which turn you’re talking about.
Of course when talking routers I guess the context was clear.
- Get a good grammar textbook (several available to buy) or buy the Chicago Manual of Style. These will help you learn grammar, spelling, and puncuation instead of relying on software.
Related
The Associated Press Stylebook
2 recommend · 5
The Elements of Style
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Style
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Handbook of writing for the mathematical sciences
2 recommend · 2
Style Guide
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2011–2024
Style-The Basics Of Clarity And Grace
5 recommend · 5
