Writing Tip : Serif and sans-serif fonts

Serif and sans-serif fonts

Summary

This article distinguishes between serif and sans-serif fonts and discusses when each is appropriate.

 
Consider the following characters. The first is set in Georgia, a lovely serif font. The second is set in Verdana, an easy- to-read sans-serif font.

serif	sans serif

 
Notice the small decorative flourishes at the ends of the strokes in the left character. These are called serif. The right character does not have these strokes and is said to be in a sans-serif font. ( Sans is the French word for without.)
 
Times New Roman is a commonly used serif font. Arial is a commonly used sans-serif font.

Use serif for printed work

Serif fonts are usually easier to read than sans-serif fonts.
 
This is because the serif make the individual letters more distinctive and easier for our brains to recognise quickly. Without the serif, the brain has to spend longer identifying the letter because the shape is less distinctive.
 
The commonly used convention for printed work is to use a serif font for the body of the work. A sans-serif font is often used for headings and captions.

Use sans serif for online work

An important exception must be made for the web. Printed works generally have a resolution of at least 1,000 dots per inch; whereas, computer monitors are less than 100 dots per inch. This lesser resolution can make very small serif characters harder to read than the equivalent sans-serif characters because of their more complex shapes.

It follows that small on-screen text is better in a sans-serif font like Verdana or Arial.

Writing Tip : Semicolons and commas: A few simple guidelines

Semicolons and commas: A few simple guidelines

Summary

This article provides some simple punctuation guidelines.

The problem

When writing very short sentences one after the other, an unpleasant stop–start effect can result. For example:

• This is John. This is Kate. This is Sam.
• Sample one worked. Sample two failed.

Joining short sentences together to form a single, longer sentence can avoid this stop–start effect. This is done using a combination of commas, semicolons and joining words like and, or and but.

Four guidelines

Note: In the examples below, "[words]" represents any sequence of words that could stand by themselves as a sentence. For example, "he missed the ball" or "today is Monday".
 
Similarly, "[joining word]" represents a word chosen from the left column.

Rule	Joining words	Punctuation
1.	[none]	[Words] ; [words] .

For example:

• This is John; this is Kate; this is Sam.
• Sample one worked; sample two failed.

 

Rule	Joining words	Punctuation
2.	consequently for example however moreover namely nevertheless otherwise therefore that is thus	[Words] ; [joining word] , [words] .

For example:

• It's just what we need; thus, our search is over!
• Sample one worked; however, sample two failed.
• He missed the ball; therefore, he loses four points.

 

Rule	Joining words	Punctuation
3.	i.e. e.g.	[Words] ; [joining word] [words] .

For example:

• Choose a common name; e.g. John or Mike.
• Sample one worked; i.e. it yielded a positive result.

 

Rule	Joining words	Punctuation
4.	and but for nor or so yet	[Words] , [joining word] [words] .

For example:

• I am Karen, and this is my sister Sue.
• Sample one worked, but sample two failed.
• Today is Monday, so tomorrow is Tuesday.

Notes

You can find more information on the difference between i.e. and e.g. here.
 
Note also that if, as, because and then are usually not preceded by a comma. For example, we write:

• Sample one worked because sample two failed.

not

• Sample one worked, because sample two failed.

Writing Tip : Line spacing and you

Line spacing and you

Summary

This article discusses how and why to vary your line spacing when using Microsoft Word.

 
You probably know your word processor well enough to be able to get single-spacing, one-and-a-half spacing and double spacing, but are these sufficient? Well, probably not. Just look for yourself:
 

 
If you agree that single spacing is too tight and one-and-a-half spacing a bit too loose, it follows that we need something in between the two. With Microsoft Word, it's easy to get any spacing you like; for example, one-and-a-third or even one-and-three-elevenths.
 
How? Simple. Just select the Paragraph command from Word's Format menu. You'll see a dialogue like this one:
 

(This example uses Word 2000. Other versions may appear a little different.)

 
Note the pop-up menu labelled Line spacing. Here you'll see the common line- spacing values of Single, 1.5 lines and Double. The one that interests us most is Multiple.
 
Let's say that you want one-and-a-quarter line spacing. Just select Multiple from the pop-up menu and set the value to the right to be 1.25. That's all there is to it. If you want more space, try 1.33.

What line spacing is best?

As a rule of thumb for small text, try using a line spacing around one-and-a-quarter to one-and-a-third times the font size. Experiment, though, to discover what you prefer. Here are some examples:

Writing Tip : How wide should my margins be?

How wide should my margins be?

Summary

This article provides a guideline for setting the width of a column of text.

 
Imagine if this article was printed on a page that was a metre wide. Reading it would be a bit like watching a tennis match. Your head would constantly be scanning left-to-right as you read each line. It wouldn't be an easy read, would it?
 
Conversely, what if each
line was very narrow,
like this? This isn't
much fun either.
 
So just how wide should a line of text be for optimum viewing?
 
Well, there are all sorts of opinions floating around, but I'll provide you with an easy rule of thumb. Choose the font and font size that you're going to use. Now write the alphabet in lower-case letters twice on a single line, like this:
 
  abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

All things being equal, that's not a bad length for a line of text. If your document is much wider than this, consider using two or three columns or changing the margin settings. (Look at your word processor's online help for instructions on how to do this.)

Writing Tip : Formatting tables neatly

Formatting tables neatly

Summary

This article provides tips for neatly formatting tables.

Consider the two tables that follow. Both present the same information in the same order and in roughly the same amount of space. Nonetheless, one appears more presentable than the other.
 

Clearly the first table looks dreadful. The caption is too large, the text is of different sizes and styles, the vertical lines are distracting and the overall effect is very poor. Although exaggerated for effect, it is not uncommon to see printed tables that do suffer from one or more of these defects.

By comparison, the second table is an exemplar of simple elegance. Neat, understated; it presents the same information with a minimum of decoration, yet clearly appears more sophisticated for all its simplicity.

Ten table tips

Here then are some guidelines that you may wish to follow when setting tables in Word or some other word processor. These are not set in stone; they are simply a set of conventions that I've developed over the years. Feel free to adapt them to your own use.

Guideline 1

Set tables one or two points smaller than the surrounding text. For example, if your main text is set in 12 point, set your table in 10 or 11 point.

Guideline 2

Set your table in a sans-serif font like Arial or Verdana.

Guideline 3

All information in the table should be set one-and-a-half spaced. (Use the Paragraph... command from Word's Format... menu.)

Guideline 4

The paragraphs above and below the table should be separated from it by 18 points.

Guideline 5

Columns of numbers should be right-aligned if they have no decimal point or aligned on the decimal point if they do.

Guideline 6

Generally, the heading of the left-most column should be left aligned. Those in the other columns should be centred.

Guideline 7

The heading row has a thin rule (i.e. line) above and below it. There is also a thin rule below the final row.

Guideline 8

Do not use vertical rules.

Guideline 9

If the caption is more than one line long, it should be set with a hanging indent as shown above.

Guideline 10

If the final row contains summary information (e.g. totals or averages), the row should be set in bold face.

Writing Tip : Double negatives needn't be no sin

Double negatives needn't be no sin 

Summary

This article argues that double negatives can be an acceptable usage.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and contradict most of the books ever written on the subject of grammar. (Who said I wasn't brave?) Traditional advice has always been not to use double negatives. For example, sentences such as these are traditionally frowned on:

• I didn't do nothing!
• Don't give me no lip!
• There ain't no such thing.

Detractors will argue that such sentences involve a contradiction of the intended meaning. In the first sentence, if the speaker didn't do nothing then he or she must have done something. In the second sentence, the speaker seems to be asking to be given some lip. In the third sentence, the speaker is arguing that there is such a thing.
 
My position is that while these criticisms are pedantically true, there's really no likelihood that anyone would misunderstand the intended meaning. If a mother turns to her child and snaps "Don't give me no lip!", it would take a particularly slow-witted child to assume that she was inviting a dispute. (And certainly even the dullest child wouldn't make that particular mistake twice!)

 

Far from being misunderstood, in these cases a double negative actually makes the intended meaning clearer by being more emphatic. For example, consider these sentences:

• I didn't do it!
• I didn't do nothing!

To me, the second one seems like a stronger, more emphatic denial by virtue of having two negative words (didn't and nothing), rather than just one (didn't). The speaker might not be more believable, but he or she does sound more emphatic.
 
So even though a literal interpretation of a double negative may contradict the speaker's intended meaning, it's unlikely to be ambiguous in context. On the contrary, the meaning is probably made clearer: doubly so.
In closing, I should note that while double negatives can be quite acceptable in casual speech, they are usually inappropriate in more formal settings such as business.

Writing Tip : Does "Fathers Day" need an apostrophe?

Does "Fathers Day" need an apostrophe?

Summary

There is no consensus on whether to use an apostrophe in Fathers Day.

Take any group of people and ask them this question. Does Fathers Day need an apostrophe, and — if so — where does it go?
 
After the fighting stops, the combatants will have settled into three camps. Let's look at all three in turn.
Incidentally, because the names of holidays are written with an initial capital, we write Fathers Day, not fathers day, regardless of where you put the apostrophe, if any.

Choice 1. Fathers Day: no apostrophe

The argument here is that fathers do not own the day, so no possession is involved. No apostrophe is thus needed. We are describing a day for fathers, not a day belonging to fathers.

Choice 2. Father's Day: an apostrophe before the s

Here the argument is that the day belongs to one specific father (yours presumably). So, because possession is involved, Father's Day needs an apostrophe.

Choice 3. Fathers' Day: an apostrophe after the s

Here the argument is that the day is shared among all fathers collectively. We thus need an apostrophe after the s.

And the winner is...

So, which is it? Well, let me stress that you can make a reasonable case for all three of the choices, so it comes down to whether you think that ownership is involved or not.
 
In British English there is an increasing tendency to omit apostrophes when for is implied rather than of or belonging to. Thus an increasing number of editors of British English publications are opting for choice one (no apostrophe) arguing that it is a day for fathers, not a day belonging to a father or fathers. US usage, however, is predominantly split between choices two and three.
 
Having said this, there is still a great deal of uncertainty about the issue and you will certainly continue to see all three forms in use regardless of where you live.

Related phrases

If you agree that Fathers Day doesn't need an apostrophe (and feel free not to agree — this one's still controversial), you will probably agree that these don't need apostrophes either:

• girls school: a school for girls, not owned by girls
• visitors book: a book for visitors, not owned by visitors
• workers canteen: a canteen for workers, not owned by them

Note that in all the cases above the word for is implied, so no apostrophe is needed.

 

In the following cases, though, of or belonging to is implied, so we do use an apostrophe.

• John's report: the report belonging to John
• Bach's music: the music of Bach
• the team's bus: the bus belonging to the team

A rule of thumb

If an apostrophe implies of or belonging to, keep it. If it implies for, lose it. (Keep in mind, though, that this is a predominantly British-English usage at present.)