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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 13 posts ] 
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 Post subject: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:54 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 744
Location: HuskerLand
Could I please get a chorus of testy copy editors' opinions on the preferability of the following choices: "about" versus "approximately" and "said Schmoe" versus "Schmoe said."<p>Is there a rhyme or reason for saying "said" before or after the name? Is there a difference to the reading public between "approximately" and about?" Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:19 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 1286
Location: Saranac Lake, N.Y.
I favor "about." It's shorter, more colloquial. <p>And I favor "Schmoe said." Again, it's more colloquial. I might use "said Schmoe" if the name is followed by a long title.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2003 6:04 pm 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 1775
Location: Baltimore
I prefer "about" to "approximately" in most cases.<p>What troubles me is the increasing use of "roughly." A few days ago I came across "roughly (number) spouse abuse cases." Let's save "roughly" for violence or unevenness.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:03 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 31, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 87
Location: Calgary, Canada
I would use "approximately" when there is an imprecise calculation involved. If there is no calculation, I would use "about."<p>"The value of pi is approximately 22/7," said Schmoe, who pays careful attention to semantics.<p>Schmoe said he remembers pi having a value of about 3.14.<p>[ September 03, 2003: Message edited by: Dyslexic ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:14 pm 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 3135
Location: Albuquerque, N.M. USA
Drop the "that," Dys.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:34 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 31, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 87
Location: Calgary, Canada
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by jjmoney62:
Drop the "that," Dys.<hr></blockquote><p>Thanks.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2003 5:58 pm 
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Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 356
Location: Everett, Wash.
Can't say I can defend it, but "some" bothers me when used for "about," as in "some 50,000 people," or "some 20 businesses." <p>Same goes for "roughly."<p>[ September 05, 2003: Message edited by: JonScribe ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Sat Sep 06, 2003 11:11 pm 
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Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 12:01 am
Posts: 4
Location: Tampa
I go with "Schmoe said" because I like it when verbs follow subjects. The example I use is "Schmoe ran" not "ran Schmoe." Who or what ran him, and where was he ran? Oh, and why? That's my preference.<p>As for about, yeah, I like that. But I don't have an aversion to approximately.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2003 11:43 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2003 1:01 am
Posts: 598
Location: The Herald in Everett, WA
Yeah, what's the deal with "roughly"? It's all over our reporters' copy. What happened to good ol' "about"?<p>I don't like "approximately" because it sounds like stilted language lifted right off a police report.<p>I like "Schmoe said" over "said Schmoe" because I like to know WHO said as quickly as possible. Same goes for heds, get the who out before the white-noise word "says."


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 12:19 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 3557
Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
I hate "said Schmoe." I change it 50 times a night.<p>Why? Because I can.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 8:34 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 836
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
re: "I would use "approximately" when there is an imprecise calculation involved. If there is no calculation, I would use "about."
"The value of pi is approximately 22/7," said Schmoe, who pays careful attention to semantics.<p>"Schmoe said he remembers pi having a value of about 3.14."<p>I always thought the value of pi was exactly 22/7. The thing is the division goes on indefinitely, so any actual number is always an approximation.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 4:03 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 31, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 87
Location: Calgary, Canada
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by KfitzR:<p>I always thought the value of pi was exactly 22/7. The thing is the division goes on indefinitely, so any actual number is always an approximation.<hr></blockquote><p>As an approximation of pi, 22/7 is accurate to only two decimal places.


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 Post subject: Re: Yes, a chance to offer your opinion
PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 9:07 pm 
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Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 3557
Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
I became a copy editor because I hate math. Cut it out, OK?


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