Throughout this semester, I have been reading Emily Favilla’s book “A World Without ‘Whom,’” and I have found her advice to be somewhat inconsistent with my beliefs.  In chapter 5 of this book, Favilla describes some of the Buzzfeed-specific rules that appear in their style guide. These rules are “the stuff that kind-sorta matters” (29). Although this author has many insightful things to say, I struggled to accept some of the rules she laid out in this chapter. Then, there are rules that I completely agree with. Because of this, I thought it would be fun to adapt her rules to my style, laying out the guidelines that made sense to me. 

The Stuff That Makes Sense

Throughout my writing career, I have struggled with particular grammar rules and word spellings. Sometimes, what the dictionary claims is correct just doesn’t feel right. Because of this, I think it is perfectly acceptable to adjust certain things to fit what is common in our current society. 

The Correct Spelling of Words

To hyphenate, or not to hyphenate, that is the question. Some words just don’t seem to need a hyphen. Oftentimes, dictionaries will be far behind when it comes to removing hyphens from words. In my opinion, and Favilla’s, the decision to hyphenate certain words should be up to the writer. Do you want to write “hourlong” instead of “hour-long”? Go ahead! There’s no one stopping you. This simple adjustment is not going to change the meaning of your word. Go wild. Do what you want.

This same sentiment holds true for a wide range of word spellings. Favilla uses the example of the word faceful (to have something covering/thrown at your face). When being polled on the subject, the general populace seems to like the “faceful” spelling, while the copyeditors at Buzzfeed prefer to use “face full.” Does the difference matter? Not really.

Abbreviations and Acronyms 

Favilla believes that writers should only use acronyms and abbreviations under specific circumstances. Some acronyms will make sense to most readers, for one, so their use isn’t all that contestable. Take the U.N. acronym, for example. The U.N., or United Nations, is an international organization. For this reason, most English speakers will be familiar with this acronym and understand it. Writing out the word, even when introducing the subject, isn’t always necessary. 

However, only some acronyms are going to be this widespread. For example, most citizens of the United States will recognize the F.B.I. acronym, which Favilla also points out in her book. However, international English speakers won’t automatically connect F.B.I. to mean the Federal Bureau of Investigation. So, when you’re using acronyms, be aware of your audience. It’s best to spell out the whole organization upon the first use of only nationally-recognized acronyms. For example, one could write, “According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or F.B.I. … ” when first introducing the subject. Later in the piece, however, you can use the acronym because you’ve already explained its meaning to your audience. Fun fact, though: using the U.S. as an acronym to stand for the United States is internationally recognized. You can use it without anyone questioning you.

Then, we have those instances where the acronyms aren’t widespread at all. While writing to a strictly U.S. audience, throwing around acronyms like F.B.I. or N.B.A. is entirely acceptable. However, some acronyms will be confusing and alienating to the majority of your readers. I’m talking about those slang acronyms only the “young folk” understand. If you expect to reach a wider audience, it’s best not to use these at all. Upon first sight of acronyms like IYKYK, your older readers will check out. And don’t even get me started on using acronyms for the titles of Taylor Swift songs. There are too many of them, and no one knows what you mean. 

The Em Dash

I am the em dash champion of the world. I love that little guy! The em dash, the punctuation mark that looks like this: —, is a great way to stylize your writing. There is something inherently different about using an em dash, even when a comma would work just fine. Stylistically, em dashes are a great choice. 

However, overusing an em dash can be a serious problem. If every single time you could use a comma, you choose to use an em dash instead, the dash completely loses its effect. In her book, Favilla explains this very well. See the highlighted portion of the screenshot below:

        So, use an em dash when it feels right, but don’t overdo it. Too much of any good thing can ruin it. Can you imagine how awful chocolate cake would taste if it were the only thing you could eat for the rest of your life? So—all this is to say—don’t overuse your em dashes—and be careful about how you use them—but don’t forget their power…

That last sentence was annoying, right? Did you want to rip the dash button off my keyboard by the end? That’s what overusing em dashes does to your readers.

The Advice I Refuse to Follow

Commas Before Coordinating Conjunctions

The coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) are tools that connect two complete sentences. For example, “Mary went to the store, and she bought some cheese.” The and is the coordinating conjunction, linking the first sentence, “Mary went to the store,” with the second sentence, “She bought some cheese.” Favilla believes the comma before the word and isn’t always necessary. In her words, “Some of you may have been taught the comma rule that if what follows an and could stand alone as its own complete sentence, a comma is necessary before the and … I am, however, open to the use of artistic license with commas.” On this stance, I reject her opinion entirely. 

Created via the imgflip meme generator

Favilla insists that writers can remove commas when “the clause that follows the comma is so tied to what precedes it that using a comma, and thus signaling to the reader to pause briefly, seems (to me) to read as bit more stilted.” I will counter her description by saying this: The comma itself is a way to connect these two phrases. If the phrases weren’t connected, there’d be no point in putting them in the same sentence. You could just as easily say, “Mary went to the store. She bought some cheese,” but the comma and the conjunction sound better because these two thoughts connect. So, in my opinion, use the comma. Your sentences will look wrong without them.

Writing Out Numbers

On this stance, Favilla believes your choice doesn’t matter. Once again, I disagree. The whole point of using numeric symbols instead of spelling out the entire number is to save time. Because of this, I stand firm with the rule that writers should spell out numbers under ten, and numbers above ten should use symbols. Look at the first ten numbers, for example. The longest numbers, seven and eight, are only five letters long. Once you hit 11, though, numbers start taking significantly more letters to spell. The shortest numbers are six letters long, one more than the longest numbers before ten, and the longest numbers are nine letters long. The problem grows from there. It is much easier to write 88 than it would be to spell out “eighty-eight.” You probably won’t get pushback if you decide to spell out these numbers, but why not save yourself time and energy by using the numeric symbols?

The Big Picture

Will your readers hate you if you follow all of Favilla’s advice? No. Will they hate you if you choose to follow my advice? Also, no. What’s important in the long run is that you have your own style and you stick to it. Out of everything Favilla says in her book, this is the piece of advice I agree with most. This stuff only “kinda-sorta” matters, and readers aren’t going to despise you if you choose one way or the other—unless they’re me. I might scream a little inside if I see a missing comma before a coordinating conjunction. But even then, I’ll be fine. When push comes to shove, follow your heart.