More book/article differences

For book manuscripts, a divorced man is a “divorcé”; a divorced woman is a “divorcée.”

An engaged man is a “fiancé”; an engaged woman is a “fiancée.” For articles, do not use accent marks over the e’s in “fiance,” or “fiancee.”

BOOKS VS. ARTICLES

US book publishers use different references than magazine or newspaper publishers do. For book manuscripts (and some popular magazines), use The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. For newspapers and journalistic-style magazines, use The Associated Press Stylebook and Webster's New World College Dictionary.

Here are some examples of the differences:

For book manuscripts, “backseat” is a noun; “back-seat” is an adjective. For articles, use “back seat” for “a secondary or inconspicuous position.”

For book manuscripts: “babysit, babysat, babysitting, babysitter.” For articles: “baby-sit, baby-sitting, baby-sat, baby sitter.”

New Friday PUGS Pointer

This week's Friday PUGS Pointer:

Dates in text include a comma only if the month and then the date precede the year. Example:

“On October 10, 1980, Donita submitted her fourth book in the series.”

When using only the month and year (or date, then month, then year), do not use a comma. Examples:

“Copyright October 1980”
“On 6 October 1924 Angelina wrote her first poem.”

(See The Chicago Manual of Style #6.46.)