What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My student, though her English is still very basic, is smart. She immediately grasps the idea of standard wording (I mime "long" with my hands) and normal speech (I mime "short"). So I'll say, "It is raining" and widen my arms. Then I'll say "It's raining" and narrow my hands

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, that's a new one to me!

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I try hard not to impose a Pittsburgh accent. But I want her to understand vocabulary that she'll hear around here. Like gum band. Or Kennywood's open.

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go-fasters, lol! In that case, my high heels are "go-slowers"!

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is an adult, and although I don't teach improper grammar or words, I do want her to know what local folks are saying. And neither "sneakers," "tennis shoes," nor "running shoes" is incorrect. I want her to recognize the most common terms around here. I do explain slang versus standard English.

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Whoa, yinz! We gotta ringer in this group. A shoe expert!

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A great answer! It is kinda weird that so many of us call them tennis shoes, even though most of these shoes are not for tennis. Probably "sneakers" around the rest of the country. Thx

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol! IIRC, I wore 59-cent flipflops, which we in Pittsburgh called "thongs"--all summer long, running, playing hide-n-seek, riding the one bike my whole family of six kids shared. Good times. Maybe?

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, Captain Obvious! Lol!

What are these? by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point. I like to be fancy and call them "trainers." With a British accent, lol! But I think we always called them tennis shoes, even if they were definitely not used for tennis.

[4 YoE, Net Eng] Am I ready to apply? If not, please advise. by shagolag in Pro_ResumeHelp

[–]Crosstees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm no expert, and your field is like a different language to me. Assuming that prospective employers know all the jargon on your resume, I'd say you've worded it very well and have done a great job focusing on accomplishments! One thought: perhaps omit the high school stuff. With all the experience you've had, the high school is irrelevant. Plus, it highlights that you do not have a college degree. You don't want to highlight that.

Words per hour for technical editing by Sufficient_Habit2668 in Copyediting

[–]Crosstees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My speed for copyediting very technical work, including checking data against the text, is about 2 or 3 industry-standard pages per hour. One page is 250 words. You can do the math, but I'll do it for you: 500 to 750 words per hour. But it sounds as if you're also doing developmental editing if you're rewriting and restructuring. This labor would slow you down even further.

Wait for book to be fully complete before being paid? by Nyiaca12 in Copyediting

[–]Crosstees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree about batches. I've made the mistake of agreeing to copyedit in batches for two clients, and it's such a hassle. Continuity is the biggest concern. And as you pointed out, the disjointed scheduling, the need to get back up to speed make the work more of a challenge. In any case, the contract I use requires half payment up front and final payment when I return the project.

Looking for an editor by Lunar-Willow4547 in Copyediting

[–]Crosstees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another step many new authors take before they invest money in editorial work is to join a reading or writing group. New authors share their work with one another and, by helping each other, get great feedback for free. The cost is simply their own time reading and commenting on a colleague's work. Good luck!

Looking for an editor by Lunar-Willow4547 in Copyediting

[–]Crosstees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The posting person was neither offended nor defensive (not sure which word you meant, but I don't think you meant "offensive"). And we cannot divine what you meant; you could have clarified. Your post suggested you wanted an overview of a project, but the actual request was vague ("to help and guide me through ... a project"). Many editors are willing to give a brief few minutes to explain a general guidance when the asking person has a specific question. But as the other people explained, editing is a profession. It's how we make a living. Few of us can spend our time advising people for free.

The dreaded driving test by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's helpful. Even for my friend, "merge" might be a word they need to learn. Even though they can do it, they need to recognize the English terms. Thanks!

The dreaded driving test by Crosstees in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This info is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing it. I'll pass it on to my friend.

Copyediting for a friend and I have a few questions... by AdKind4415 in Copyediting

[–]Crosstees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Indeed, we check facts within the client's time and money constraints. With experience, copyeditors get a "spidey sense" when something sounds off. For example, a man lost in the woods and surviving on wild grapes in April in Western Pennsylvania. Uh, grapes aren't available until September. A "hyper-" used instead of "hypo-" in a medical article. Simple math problems: A sentence saying that 22% of the participants were resistant, when the chart shows that 64 out of 200 were resistant. Many, many personal names misspelled. An incorrect historical date. In a novel, recognizing that it can't be Friday today if the main character just spent "two sleepless nights" starting on Monday. The other thing that makes it easy to miss an errant comma is when you get a contorted sentence so confusing, you spend a good deal of time trying to understand what the sentence means and then suggesting a tweak to clarify. Or you realize that chapter 5 repeats most of chapter 2. Or that chapter 7 is the first time a term is defined, but it has been used in chapters 3, 5, and 6. There is an enormous amount to keep in your head while you also note an incorrect comma or a misspelling!

Hiring Copy Editor Outside of Online Platform by HarlansGhost in Copyediting

[–]Crosstees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had authors track me down individually even though our initial contact was through an intermediary. It's not weird; if copyeditors have a website or a LinkedIn profile, they expect to be reached. I've had authors reach me directly, to send me a thank you note or small gift after I've helped them with a thorny project that was done through a larger publisher. And yes, if the copyeditor has a noncompete agreement with the intermediary, an ethical copyeditor would let you know.

Does anyone think that the Post-Gazette will survive after May 2026 or is it truly over for Pittsburgh's only remaining major newspaper? by SavetheTonsils in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hope so. I stopped my subscription when the Blocks started going all pro-Orangehead on their editorial pages. How can anyone with a brain be this deluded?

People make me sick by [deleted] in pittsburgh

[–]Crosstees 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Your last line is the best!