Study Up: Writing Resources for PR Pros
Is "irregardless" really a word? What does "ESG" mean, as in "a company’s ESG scorecard"? And what does the British English term "full stop" mean in American English?
It used to be that the Associated Press Stylebook and a good dictionary could stay up with new words and the latest do's and don'ts of the English language. But with the rise of the internet, social media and mobile technology, among other factors, new words are being propagated and new language rules are evolving at breakneck speed through an ever wider range of channels. (By the way, the answers to the questions above are yes, “irregardless” is an actual word; “ESG” stands for “environmental, social and governance, three central factors used in measuring the sustainability and societal impact of an investment in a company; and “full stop” means a period, the punctuation mark, in American English.)
As a result, today’s rapidly evolving language has become too large and fast-moving for any one stylebook to keep pace, and PR pros are frequently in need of additional resources to provide continuing education on the latest rules of the road for the English language.
The list below offers just such a set of resources – all online and free. They include two globally recognized style guides, several dictionaries for in-depth information on topics such as British English, tech, and slang words, and some of the top social media sites for the latest commentary on English usage. Together, these resources provide PR pros a powerful arsenal to supplement the AP Stylebook and sharpen their writing.
Style Guides
Chicago Manual of Style Q&A - Although most of this site is only accessible with a subscription, the Q&A section, a treasure trove of authoritative answers to current questions on such areas as capitalization, punctuation, tricky word uses and myths of English, can be viewed free. www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/latest.html
The Economist Style Guide - For those working with British English, this guide by one of the pre-eminent magazines in the U.K. is one of the best alternative resources to the AP Stylebook. www.economist.com/styleguide/introduction
Dictionaries
American Heritage Dictionary – What also makes the American Heritage a cut above the rest is that it doubles as a usage guide. For example, under the definition for "assure," a usage note explains the distinctions between "assure," "ensure" and "insure." www.ahdictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionaries - Need a resource to find a definition of an unfamiliar British English term and what its American English equivalent is? This guide by Cambridge Dictionaries is one of the best. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/british
Computer Desktop Encyclopedia - One of the best comprehensive guides for everything tech, with over 25,000 entries and a publication history going back to 1980. www.computerlanguage.com
Urban Dictionary - To get a lowdown on the latest street lingo, slang and catch phrases, no site is better. If you can't find a term among its 7 million-plus entries, it isn't out there yet. www.urbandictionary.com
Twitter Feeds
Benjamin Dreyer - Dreyer is one of the most savage (but also most irresistible) wits of the language and editing world. His book, Dreyer’s English, has quickly become a new classic for navigating the idiosyncrasies of today’s new words and usages as well as those oldies but goodies that continue to confuse and confound writers. www.twitter.com/bcdreyer
Bryan Garner - Garner is the closest thing the U.S. has to a dean of American English. His classic Garner's Modern EnglishUsage is but one of more than 25 books on language or law that he has authored or contributed to, and he shares and expounds on his many pearls of wisdom on his Twitter feed. www.twitter.com/bryanagarner
Blogs
You Don’t Say - John McIntyre, a copy editor at the Baltimore Sun for over 30 years, is a wicked wit who writes on issues ranging from the myth of split infinitives to the emergence of new clichés to the danger of using Wikipedia as a source in his well-regarded blog. www.baltimoresun.com/news/language-blog
Grammar Girl - For something on the lighter side, this site has become something of a national phenomenon in the last few years, tackling current conundrums of the English language in a way that is upbeat, easy to understand and fun. www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl
Do you have any resources you would add to this list? Please leave me a comment if you do.