Log on. No password required?

In many cases, "go to Web site X" is more accurate than "log on to Web site X." If you're entering a username and a password, fine. But beyond that, there's just no "logging in" going on.

And then we have the question of using one word or two.

"Login," "logon," "logout," and "logoff" function as adjectives:
This is our logout page.
Update your login information.

"Log in," "log on," "log out," and "log off" function as verbs ("verb phrases" if you want to get technical):
Log in here.
You should log off before you leave work.

You also want the two-word forms for verbals (a verbal is a noun or an adjective that was derived from a verb):
Logging in is easy. (Here, "logging in" is a noun. It's the thing that is [verb] easy [adjective].)

The emperor's new asterisk

So you're reading along and you come across something like this:
When Joe Schmo thought the microphone was off, he said, "Proposition 90 is s**t."

My hunch is your brain reads "s**t" and readily understands it as "shit." Am I wrong? I don't think I'm wrong.

So let's figure that we all easily understand "s**t" as "shit." Effectively we have an alternate spelling of "shit."

If you really wanted to make the profanity obscure, you'd use something more along the lines of:
When Joe Schmo thought the microphone was off, he said, "Proposition 90 is [obscenity]."

Unless you're legitimately concerned that your publication will be read by children, it seems silly to protect adults from the offensive character set "shit" when you print "s--t" with the understanding that they'll fully comprehend it as an alternate spelling.

But the funny thing is, I sense that adult readers are happier reading "s**t" and comprehending "shit" than being confronted with the horror of those extra two letters.

We are weird

Ah, mnemonic devices. Here are some of my favorites:

weird: "we are weird"; useful if you tend to transpose "ei" in this word

accommodate: the word is gracious enough to accommodate two C's and two M's

stationary/stationery: E for "envelope": the spelling with an E is the one that refers to writing materials

vacuum: "uuuuuuuu" is like the sound of a vacuum, which should help you remember that it's just the U that's duplicated

battalion: "battle lion": adding an extra L is a common error; this should help you remember which letter is duplicated

cemetery: E for "eternity": this word is often misspelled with an A (cemetary); remember that it's all E's for this word

The lady and the Lakers

Laker cheerleader? Cub player? A proper noun shouldn't change form just because it's used as an adjective. If you're referring to a player for a team called "the Cubs," then the player is a "Cubs player."

Let's venture outside the world of sports for some examples. You wouldn't call a fan of The Beatles a "Beatle fan" or a Darth Vader action figure a "Star War toy." The same logic should apply to a fan of the Dodgers. So “Dodgers fan,” if you please.

And now the bad news. Don't change a misused word if it appears as part of phrase that is itself a proper noun (e.g., "Laker Girl" or "Dodger Stadium"). Just as I could change my name to Mud Fence, sports teams are free to give cheerleaders and ball fields whatever titles they want. So enjoy a Dodgers game with a crowd of Dodgers fans, but if you're writing up your experiences for the day, don't forget to refer to the stadium by its Dodgers-given name, no matter how illogical that name may be.

Don't abuse bemuse

"Bemuse" isn't a synonym for "amuse." It means to confuse or to occupy the attention of.

Another duo that trips people up is "affect" and "effect."

The verb "affect" means to influence:
Your constant chattering affects my ability to concentrate.

The verb "effect" means to bring about:
If we campaign hard, we may effect change.

The noun "effect" refers to a result:
When I wear earplugs, your noise has no effect on me.

Practice those copy editing skills

Amy Einsohn's The Copyeditor's Handbook is a terrific resource if you want to refresh your skills for a copy editing job. The book is full of exercises with answer keys.

I worked through the book in 2000 while I was freelancing. The exercises were a good reminder of how important it is to slow down when you're editing. (I'm on a newspaper copy desk now, and slow is not the order of the day. We sometimes slam through stories in a few minutes, which is stressful on a number of levels.) But if you have the luxury of not working on an immediate deadline, take your time.

Style answers in a flash

I subscribe to the online version of The Associated Press Stylebook. It costs me about $20 a year, which I pay out of my own pocket -- but the online version is so much faster to use on deadline that I'm a bit surprised most copy editors don't spring for it. It's $20, granted, but I'll gladly give up a few coffees each year for the speed and ease of use. I also find that the search function digs up additional entries I probably wouldn't have gotten to if I'd just thumbed through the print version.