A couple of weeks ago, we were discussing lists of corrections that editors can make automatically using Microsoft Word's Find and Replace feature. For more information, you may want to read these two issues of Editorium Update:
http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708048908
http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708127357
I'd like to thank Martha H. Bowes, Ned Humphrey, and Joel Rosenberg for sending more items for our "master list." (If I've missed anyone, I apologize.) I'm especially grateful to Microsoft Word genius Steve Hudson, who contributed most of the corrections in the list below. Steve has sent me some other nifty things, which I'll be discussing soon.
If you have other items you'd like to add to this list, please let me know. It will be a work in progress, and I hope to have the combined lists from this and the past newsletters--with additional entries--available on our Web site soon. I've set up this week's list with the pipe symbol (|) between entries so the list can be used with our MegaReplacer program, which you can learn more about here:
http://www.editorium.com/14843.htm
And now, here's the latest installment, with the items to find on the left, and the items to replace them with on the right. Remember, don't use these blindly. Choose the items that will be most useful to you.
, and| and
a lot of|many
ain;t|are not
ain't|are not
aint|are not
app|application
apps|applications
aren;t|are not
aren't|are not
arn't|are not
at this moment in time|now
by using|with
can;t|cannot
cannot of been|cannot have been
can't|cannot
char|character
click|select
comm|communication
comms|communications
coudln't|could not
coudn't|could not
could of been|could have been
could of had|could have had
couldn;t|could not
couldnt|could not
couple of|several
coz|because
degrade|slow
dept|department
detailed|described
dev|development
devs|developers
didint|did not
didn;t|did not
didn't|did not
didnt|did not
diff|difference
diffs|differences
do not no|do not know
doc|document
docs|documents
doens't|does not
doesn;t|does not
doesn't|does not
doesnt|does not
don;t|do not
do'nt|do not
don't|do not
dont|do not
dosn't|does not
double click|double-click
dox|documents
eg|for example
epicenter|center
epicentre|centre
esp|especially
et cetera|and so on
etc|and so on
explained|described
func|functional
hadn;t|had not
hadn't|had not
hasn;t|has not
hasn't|has not
hasnt|has not
haven;t|have not
he;ll|he will
here;s|here is
I;d|I would
I;ll|I will
I'd|I would
I'd|I would
I'll|I will
I'm|I am
ie|that is
in order to|to
info|information
isn;t|is not
isn't|is not
it' snot|it is not
it snot|it is not
it;ll|it will
it'll|it will
it's|it is
let;s|let us
let;s|let us
made up|consists
may|can
mgr|manager
millenium/millennium
necc|necessary
needs to|must
op|operation
ops|operations
ot|to
para|paragraph
perm|permanent
peruse|study
perused|studied
perusing|studying
pref|preference
prefs|preferences
presently|at present
prod|production
QA|Quality Assurance
rep|representative
reps|representatives
res|resolution
right click|right-click
she;ll|she will
shoudln't|should not
shouldent|should not
shouldn;t|should not
shouldnt|should not
single click|single-click
spec|specification
specs|specifications
std|standard
succ|successful
sufficient number of|enough
teh|the
that has|with
thats|that is
they;l|they will
they;ll|they will
they;r|they are
they;re|they are
they;v|they have
they;ve|they have
they'l|they will
they'll|they will
they'r|they are
they're|they are
they'v|they have
they've|they have
theyll|they will
theyve|they have
trad|traditional
triple click|triple-click
twixt|between
uncheck|clear
untick|clear
utilise|use
utilize/use
via|by way of
visa versa|vice versa
wasnt|was not
we;d|we would
we;ll|we will
we;re|we are
we;ve|we have
we'd|we would
we'll|we will
we're|we are
we've|we have
wern;t|were not
wern't|were not
wernt|were not
what;s|what is
what's|what is
with regards to|about
won;t|will not
won't|will not
wo'nt|will not
woudln't|would not
wouldn;t|would not
wouldn't|would not
wouldnt|would not
you;d|you would
you;re|you are
you'd|you would
you're|you are
you've|you have
youare|you are
youve|you have
yr|year
_________________________________________
READERS WRITE
Ellen Ellender wrote:
"If you are using Find and Replace to replace '%' with 'percent', you must specify that the replacement is '[space]percent', or you'll end up with text reading '75percent' instead of '75 percent'."
Thanks to Ellen for this useful reminder. If you're making your own Find and Replace list, there may be other entries that need similar treatment.
Ed Nelson (ednelson1@earthlink.net) wrote with some questions that many computer users may be puzzling over:
"My newish keyboard has some added keys. One pair, between Alt and Ctl on each side, carries the MS logo. Maybe its only function is to add a new order of potential key combinations, but that might be a worthy addition if true."
I responded:
"Pressing this key is the equivalent of clicking the Start button on the Windows taskbar. I use it a lot, since I hate reaching for the mouse all the time."
Ed continued:
"In addition, next to the right Ctl key is one with what looks rather like an icon(?). Looks like the representation of a sheet of copy with an arrow-cursor pointing toward the top."
I replied:
"This key opens a 'popup' or 'context' menu. It's the equivalent of clicking the right mouse button. I like it, too."
Thanks to Ed for his questions.
