Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

STYLE
BETIER: The following are suggestions on how physicians can try to
change the minds of patients who decline to participate in research
studies.
Local Grandmother Wins Pulitzer Prize!
Avoid defining women by their maternal or marital roles, or by
their physical appearance, unless there is direct relevance. Doing
so when the focus should be on professional or personal achievement
trivializes what has been achieved. To determine if you have worked
any inappropriate references into a description of a woman, think
for a moment if you are saying anything about her that you wouldn't
bother saying about a man.
BETIER: Local journalist Wins Pulitzer Prize!
Every kid in Canada grows up dreaming of playing one day in the NHL.
While the exaggeration of such a statement might be acceptable
with regard to Canadian boys, it seems less than likely that a majority
of small girls aspire to be professional hockey players. Using the
word kid when clearly only boys are meant carries an implication
that boys' interests are really the ones that matter when one refers
to children.
BETIER: Every boy in Canada grows up dreaming of playing one day in
the NHL.
Mr. Smith, who is gay and a former convict, says that the support he
has received from the group has turned his life around.
To imply that homosexuality is either linked with criminal behavior
or is on a par with it is simple homophobia. Sexual orientation
is independent of other traits, good or bad-and indeed should only
be mentioned at all if there is some relevance to it.
BETIER: Mr. Smith, a former convict, says that the support he has received
from the group has turned his life around.
In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, accompanied by a Nepalese
guide, became the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
When two or more individuals play roles of equal significance,
there is no justification for treating their identities and achievements
unevenly. Imagine if the above were turned around so that only
the Nepalese participant was named, with Sir Edmund dismissively
referred to as "a white climber.''
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