Puzzled by grammar rules you never thought were important in the fifth grade? Wonder whether the preface comes before or after the introduction? Forgotten when numerals are spelled out? Fortunately, there’s a rule book . . . for all those pesky questions that can slow down the most productive writing session.
Hyphenation rules are many!
The Chicago Manual of Style is the “Bible” of all questions book-related.
- It will tell you the proper sequence for front matter elements.
- It will tell you when to cap and where to italicize.
- It will tell you how to hyphenate Italian and when to use the pinyin spelling of Chinese place names.
- It will tell you when it is Coast Guard and when it is coast guard.
- It will tell you whether it is whoever or whomever, contagious or infectious, hanger or hangar.
Every author needs a Chicago by their side and should refer to it often. Retails for $55, usually discounted on Amazon. You can also sign up for a FREE 30 day trial at www.ChicagoManulOfStyle.org. It costs $30 a year for access and you can bookmark electronic pages. Sign up, too, for the Q&A email and periodically you’ll get editing questions with answers from the editors.