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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · 17h

Q. Should “little blue heron” be capitalized?
Q. Should it be “sample A” or “Sample A”?
Q. How would you style the title of a playlist?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the October Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · 7d

Family members may deserve our love and respect, but when do they merit an initial capital? Get the latest advice for capitalizing kinship names and similar words for people, this week at CMOS Shop Talk.

Capitalizing Kinship Names and the Like

A kinship name is a name for a family member, whether close or distant. Such names include mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, and so on.

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · 28d

Q. Why is MS Word asking me to change “all of” to “all”?
Q. Do I have to put boat names in italics?
Q. How do I cite a Substack post?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the September Q&A at CMOS Online.

The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition

Find it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. ¶ It is the indispensable reference for ...

www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Aug 12

One of the best ways to understand a rule is to consider its exceptions. Find out more in this newly updated post at CMOS Shop Talk (and be sure to read to the end for links to two more “exceptional” posts).

A Few Exceptions Worth Noting

Even the most straightforward rule will be subject to an exception sooner or later. That’s why CMOS qualifies so many of its rules with usually or generally. But some exceptions are so common that the...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Aug 5

Q. Can the first defined use of an abbreviation be plural?
Q. Does “painters tape” need an apostrophe?
Q. How do you cite a book that has a typo on the title page?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the August Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jul 23

Our online Q&A has been answering your questions about Chicago style since 1997. This month we dig into the archives for some tips and tricks, only at CMOS Shop Talk.

Inside the Q&A: Tips and Tricks

The Chicago Manual of Style Q&A first went online in 1997. According to a page from June of that year at the Wayback Machine, one early question was about submitting manuscripts on disk, which back th...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jul 1

Q. Should “Fortune” be in italics in “Fortune 500”?
Q. Is a comma needed after a word like “yesterday”?
Q. Does a term following “called” need to be in italics?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the July Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jun 10

Commas, like people and ducks, are often found in pairs. Read all about it in our latest post—which includes links to five related posts, all newly updated. Only at CMOS Shop Talk.

When Commas Come in Pairs

Commas, like the two in this sentence, often come in pairs. When they do, they’re usually acting like miniature parentheses. In fact, whenever you’re tempted to omit the second of two commas, convert ...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jun 3

Q. Should a unit with a fraction like “1/4” be singular or plural?
Q. How would Chicago style the AI company name “io”?
Q. Why is “due process clause” lowercase in Chicago style?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the June Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · May 20

What can a book review teach us about automated source citations (and AI)? This updated post explores some of the limits of automation—and the benefits of editorial intervention—only at CMOS Shop Talk.

Citing Book Reviews

Chicago-style source citations are designed to be both concise and informative. Ideally, readers should be able to tell what a citation refers to despite its abbreviated nature.

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Reposted by The Chicago Manual of Style

Hector Diaz @iamhectordiaz.com · May 8

A Chicago Pope implies the existence of an MLA Pope and APA Pope

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · May 6

Q. Should Winston-Salem be spelled with an en dash?
Q. Is it “dogs have a tail” or “dogs have tails”?
Q. Why is Southern California capped but not western Arizona?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the May Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Apr 15

It’s often mistaken for a hyphen, but editors know the difference. The subtle but powerful en dash is the subject of this newly updated post at CMOS Shop Talk.

En Dashes, the Editor’s Mark

An en dash can function either as a strong hyphen or as an ordinary dash. As a strong hyphen, it can connect numbers or words. As an ordinary dash it’s nothing special.

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Apr 1

Q. Can you omit a person’s middle initial in running text?
Q. Should the word “than” be capitalized in a title?
Q. Can “et al.” stand for just one person?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the April Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

A tabby kitten announces the April CMOS Q&A while leaping full length above a grassy field and against a blue sky with the faintest wisps of cloud on the horizon

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Mar 18

Sometimes a “the” at the beginning of a proper noun is capitalized—and sometimes it’s not. Read all about it (including updates relative to the 18th edition), only at CMOS Shop Talk.

When to Capitalize an Initial “The”

A “the” at the beginning of a word or phrase that would normally be capitalized—including the name of an organization or the title of a work—presents a dilemma. When is the “the” capitalized? In Chica...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Mar 10

Grammar Fans Flock to a Film About Participles and Gerunds www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/n...

Grammar Fans Flock to a Film About Participles and Gerunds

“Rebel With a Clause” celebrates the improbable cross-country journey of a woman who gently imparts grammar rules to strangers.

www.nytimes.com

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Mar 4

Q. What is Chicago style for elongated words?
Q. Which is preferred, (n + 1)st or (n + 1)th?
Q. How should we cite website content that has been removed?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the March Q&A at CMOS Online.

The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition

Find it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. ¶ It is the indispensable reference for ...

www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Feb 25

There’s a new Grammar Table documentary! Join us as Brandt Johnson and Ellen Jovin talk about their “grammarous” adventures in filmmaking, only at CMOS Shop Talk.

Filmmaker Brandt Johnson and grammar guru Ellen Jovin chat about Rebel with a Clause, a new docu-comedy about Ellen’s pop-up grammar advice stand on a road trip across America

Rebel with a Clause follows the adventures of Ellen’s Grammar Table and will have its New York City premiere on March 4 at the SVA Theatre in Manhattan. A book with the same title was published in 202...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Feb 4

Q. Do you have any guidance on the recent name changes for the Gulf of Mexico and Denali?
Q. How would I spell out numbers to the right of the decimal point?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the February Q&A at CMOS Online. cmos.style/QandA

A "smiling" border collie wearing red heart-shaped glasses against a white background with heart-shaped illustrated confetti and three cartoon conversation hearts spelling out Q and A in lowercase announcing the February CMOS Q&A

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jan 31

Are you ready for a Weekend Workout? Take our first quiz, “Chicago Style Workout 1: Series and the Serial Comma”—now updated for the 18th edition. Only at CMOS Shop Talk.

Chicago Style Workout 1: Series and the Serial Comma

This workout is the first in a series of dozens of workouts at Shop Talk, each of which has now been updated to refer and link to the 18th edition of CMOS. Whether you’re a beginner or an old pro, the...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jan 28

Looking for a fun, interactive way to explore the new edition of CMOS? All 81 (and counting) of our “Chicago style” workouts have now been updated to refer and link to the 18th edition. Start taking our quizzes today, only at CMOS Shop Talk.

Chicago Style Workouts Now Updated for the 18th Edition

As many of you know by now, the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style was published last September. To find out what’s new, you can check out “What’s New in the 18th Edition?” But now there’s an...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jan 23

The 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style is in PerfectIt proofreading software! Learn how it works—and what the update entailed—today at CMOS Shop Talk.

The Chicago Manual of Style for PerfectIt: 18th Edition Update

A little more than three years ago, we introduced The Chicago Manual of Style for PerfectIt, the proofreading software that works with Microsoft Word. That initial release was based on the 17th editio...

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jan 8

Hi @arrantpedantry.bsky.social!🪄

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jan 8

Happy New Year @bcdreyer.social! We're delighted about our first post on Bluesky!🪄

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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · Jan 8

Q. Can I change “%” to “percent” in quoted text?
Q. Is it wrong to put a space before a question mark?
Q. How would I include an ISBN in a source citation for a book?

We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the January Q&A at CMOS Online.

Check it out at cmos.style/QandA

Two Welsh Corgi dogs wearing pom pom hats in a snowy field and announcing the monthly January 2025 post of the Chicago Manual of Style Online Questions and Answers at https://cmos.style/QandA

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