Double quotations vs. single quotations --  figuring out how to properly use both of these types of punctuation can be confusing, especially depe...

Here at TEC, we generally view summer as prime reading time, what with all the vacations, long weekends at the cottage, and general relaxation. We've ...

What does an editor do?   We can be correctors, arbiters, hand-holders. We can correct spelling errors or rearrange whole chapters, fix d...

So you've decided to self-publish a book. That's great! Self-publishing a book can be quite the journey, and it can also be incredibly rewarding. Here...

  Still puzzled by the different Canadian vs. American spellings? Drawing on the three blogs Barbara compiled (A to G, H to P, and Q to Z), we h...

  Q: How many editors does it take to split an infinitive? A: Just one, but he has to really be persuaded. If, as Dr. Johnson said, patriotism...

Stop right there. Did you read "queue to zee"? If you did, you're using American pronunciation. Up here in the land of butter tarts and ...

  What does it mean when we say an author is "working" the manuscript? It means that we recognize that the author is making the time...

  How do you look at a city? What do you see when you walk down its alleys, across its streets, and through its neighbourhoods? When I look ...

The "They" Debate The use of "they" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun has been the subject of much debate in the publishing wo...

  Every city has its own peculiarities of spelling and pronunciation. Some things you just have to know – such as the fact that the first ...

Variety Is the Spice of Life It's hard to believe that a whole month has gone by since we posted the first part of our Canadian and American spelling...

We have been absolutely inundated with work this week at TEC! Because of our crazy schedules, we're re-posting one of our most useful blogs. Barbara...

It's April Fool's Day, and in lieu of pulling pranks, we've got humour of a more literary nature in mind. With April being National Poetry Month ...

  A 2012 article by Bruce McCall in Vanity Fair attempted to unravel the secret of Canadian humour (or "humor" as the magazine spelled...

  Vive la Différence! We all know that there's a difference between Canadian and American spelling,* and many of us have a basic grasp o...

  Oscar season might be over, but the many great movies that were nominated are still just as fantastic today as they were before the Oscars hap...

  As some of you may know, I am taking a hiatus from editing this spring, as I'm expecting my first baby to arrive any day now.   Alth...

  An editor is an expert at revising collections of written words. In fact, one French term for editor is "réviseur." As a prof...

  While drafting the February edition of the TEC newsletter, I found myself flipping through Beth's collection of Editorial Eye back issues, sea...

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established on June 1, 2008, issued its final report on December 15, 2015. In over two thousand pages of text...

When reading a document, there are any number of writing errors or distractions that can take you out of the moment and interrupt the flow of your rea...

Happy 2016! The end of the year allowed us to take some time to rest, relax, and recharge. We hope your holidays were great and, like us, you are now ...

  Below are a few of the most common punctuation-related errors or inconsistencies that we see here at TEC. Here is what you need to keep in min...

Triptych: From the Greek adjective meaning "three-fold": tri = three, ptysso = to fold, or ptyx = fold. Usually a panel painting that is div...