Archive for July, 2008

Watch out: if you ever find yourself writing homogenous, you probably mean homogeneous.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

Homogeneous means “of the same kind, alike … consisting of parts all of the same kind.”

Homogenous is “an old fashioned term for homologous,” which means “having the same relation, relative position, or structure.”

This one of those tricky distinctions many writers are unaware of, and an instance where an editor’s specialist attention can ensure absolute correctness and precision.

From benhourigan.com #

As an editor, I often follow this rule:

• When you can, change a word to one with less syllables but the same meaning.

I’m also quite happy to follow copywriters’ rules and start sentences with “but” or “and” when it helps to break long, multi-clause sentences into more readable chunks.

So, when I see a sentence starting with “However,” I usually change it to start with “But.”

This can produce some unfortunate repetition, as an author today pointed out to me. Take this sentence:

Not all of these welfare recipients rely entirely on benefits—some combine benefits with an element of paid work—but nearly all are net tax beneficiaries who do not make a real contribution to the public purse. But come election time, as adults they are compelled to vote. (emphasis added)

This shows that while it’s good to have a clear set of rules to edit by, it’s also important to keep looking for places where breaking them makes the writing better.