Author Archives: Team Stylebot

Maybe not “laughing grass,” but…
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "“Marijuana” and “cannabis” are often used interchangeably, but marijuana is the flower of the cannabis plant. Some people avoid use of “marijuana” because of its racist history, and you should consider an alternative such as “cannabis” or “weed” when appropriate. Don’t capitalize any of the terms: “Her mom smoked pot well into her 70s.” “THC” is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in the drug, and is acceptable on first reference. “CBD,” short for cannabidiol, is another component of marijuana, though it does not produce a high. “CBD” is acceptable on first reference: “CVS has begun selling CBD oil.”"
A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: ""Altogether" is one word as an adverb meaning completely or on the whole: "It was altogether a good plan, but it needed some tweaking." Use two words in other uses: "She was surprised he was able to put it all together in time.""

Keep it all together
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: The phrase is "home in," not "hone in": "He always wanted to go to Penn, so he homed in on getting admitted there, putting less effort into his other college applications." In addition to its more familiar meanings, "home" is also a verb that means to move toward or direct attention to something. Meanwhile, "hone" means to sharpen or make more effective.

🏡Home as a…verb?
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April Holidays

Writing tips for April holidays and events
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Capitalize Islamic titles such as "ayatollah," "imam" and "sheikh" only when they come directly before a name. Otherwise, do not capitalize: "He saw the imam at the mosque." The branches of Islam use the titles differently, so double-check before using a title.

Ramadan is on
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "Hollywood is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, not a city. Avoid implying that it is: “Hollywood stars will gather at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday for the Oscars." There is a city of West Hollywood, however: “The Standard’s West Hollywood location will close for good next week.”

🏆 The fun fact you might not know about Hollywood
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Stylebot new client checklist
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Don't use the abbreviation "OOO" without explaining it, as it stands for different things in different contexts: "His reply said that he was 'OOO until further notice,' using the common abbreviation for 'out of office.'"

Re: Your OOO message
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March holidays

Writing tips for March holidays and events
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Use "playwright" to refer to someone who writes plays and "playwriting" to refer to their occupation: "The playwright was heavily influenced by Christopher Marlowe." "Francisco's playwriting overtly challenges American expectations."

The writes and wrongs of theater 🎭
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