1 March 201612 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 23: Spellings Part 18 – Disagreements with the Dragon

Red Dragon My apologies for taking so long to get around to writing another Bite-sized Tips post. This one has been on my to-do list for a while, as have many others. In fact I could quite happily spend my entire working life writing for my blog were it not for the need to earn a living!

Last time I looked at ten spellings that DNS gets right when I’m dictating. Today I’m focusing on ten that DNS does not get right according to the New Oxford Style Manual, which I base both my work and this series on. And if I can’t find what I’m looking for in the style manual, I turn to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

9 November 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 22: Spellings Part 17 – The Dragon Agrees

Green Dragon In no. 20 of this series, Watch out for the Dragon, I started highlighting some differences between what Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS) dictates and correct spellings according to the New Oxford Style Manual, which I base both my work and this series on. If I cannot find what I’m looking for in the style manual, I turn to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

5 October 201512 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 21: Spellings Part 16 – Getting Trickier Every Time

Spellings Part 16 – Getting Trickier Every Time

Here are today’s ten words, which, as ever, are based on the spellings I find in the New Oxford Style Manual or the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Regular readers will know that, in the absence of alternative instructions from my client, I base my translations into English on Oxford.

Given that we are bombarded with not only different versions but also varying levels of written English on a daily basis, my brain cells can get a trifle confused on occasion, so I look words up just to make sure that I’m being faithful to the style I have chosen to follow and can answer any queries (if any come my way) on why I have chosen to spell a word a certain way.

12 September 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 20: Watch out for the Dragon

If you use Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS) or another dictation software, you’ll probably have realised by now that it sometimes has a life of its own. That’s why you need to pay attention to spelling and that you are being faithful to whichever style manual you are following (either your own personal decision or dictated by the client), especially as the spellchecker in Word might not highlight spellings as wrong that are not consistent with your style guide. Regular readers will know that I base my work on the New Oxford Style Manual. From now on in this series I’ll be highlighting terms that DNS can get wrong.

Please read my post Why All the Fuss about Spellings and Style Guides? for an explanation of why I think it’s important to be consistent in our work and be aware of the types of details I focus on in the Bite-sized Tips series.

30 August 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 19: Spellings Part 15 – Another Ten

Spellings Part 15 – Another Ten

Here are another ten spellings that have cropped up in my translations/revisions and which I’ve looked up in the style guide I base my work on, the New Oxford Style Manual, to make sure I’m getting them correct. When this set of four books cannot give me a satisfactory answer, I then turn to the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

There are a number of reasons why I focus my interest on spellings both on the blog and in my work, and if you’d like to know what they are, then please read my post Why All the Fuss about Spellings and Style Guides?. Links below the post will take you to other entries in the series, and you can also find a full list of all the past bite-sized tips posts here.

11 July 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 18: Spellings Part 14 – Some Tricky Ones

Spellings Part 14 – Some Tricky Ones

Below are another ten spellings I’ve looked up to make sure that I’m getting them right according to the style guide I try to base my work on (the New Oxford Style Manual). As you will see, the spellchecker in Microsoft Word doesn’t agree with Oxford a lot of the time, which, in my opinion, is another reason why it’s so important to have a clear idea of the style guide you want to follow (you might like to read this post I wrote on the subject).

31 May 201526 April 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Why All the Fuss about Spellings and Style Guides?

I expect some people will see my latest bite-sized tips post and wonder what it’s all about and why I bother with these lists of spellings and occasional forays into a bit of grammar based on the New Oxford Style Manual. If you’re one of them, then wonder no more because I’m going to reveal my main reasons below.

31 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 17: Spellings Part 13 – Some that might trip you up

Spellings Part 13 – Some that might trip you up

Today we look at another ten spellings, based on the New Oxford Style Manual, which can cause some confusion. Sometimes people add hyphens when they’re not necessary, and other times they leave them out and write the term as two words when it should really be hyphenated. I hope today’s post will confirm what you already know and/or prove useful. All of today’s spellings can be found in the New Oxford Spelling Dictionary, and most also appear in the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors, which occasionally provides a brief comment on the spelling rule.

29 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 15: Spellings Part 12 – Pesky Hyphens

Spellings Part 12 – Pesky Hyphens

Pesky = annoying, disagreeable, hateful. I guess that does just about sum up how I feel sometimes when trying to grapple with the use of hyphens in the English language. Some of today’s words may surprise or even exasperate you, but I can assure you that I’m only trying to be helpful with these posts. Honest.

29 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 14: Spellings Part 11 – Fighting the Spellcheckers

Spellings Part 11 – Fighting the Spellcheckers

Today I’m going to put my warpaint on (and that’s one word too) and help you fight the spellcheckers, because the annoying things don’t always know what they’re talking about. Please bear in mind that, as far as possible, I base the spellings on The New Oxford Style Manual and the OED.