Quiz

BuzzFeed Staff

BuzzFeed

Never let anyone tell you copyediting isn't a sexy profession. 'Cause it's all ~glitz and grammar~.

Copyediting Quiz: The Glitz And Grammar Edition

The age needs hyphens when it comes before the subject (**8-year-old nephew**); **Ariana Grande**'s name _best_ be spelled correctly; song titles are always in quotes, and Ariana is on a **stationary bike** in the music video. Here's an easy way to remember the stationary/stationery homophone: You use a pEn to write on stationEry, and ARiana rides a stationARy bike.

My 8-year-old nephew explained to me that Ariana Grande’s song "Side to Side" is not about riding a stationary bike.

Choose the sentence below that best follows BuzzFeed style.

Bey _needs_ that accent mark. **DeRay** has the "R" capitalized and the "K" lowercased. The **internet** is lowercased, per BuzzFeed and AP style.

This Instagram picture of Beyoncé and DeRay Mckesson broke the internet.

Taylor employs the singular "**they**" here. The rule in our style guide: _They_ is acceptable (and preferred!) as a singular stand-in when gender is unknown or irrelevant. As for the other lyrics: Simon & Garfunkel and the Pussycat Dolls misuse the past tense verb ("**was**") rather than the subjunctive ("**were**"), while Queens of the Stone Age cram in the wrong verb to make the couplet rhyme.

Look what you made them do.

♫ Which of the following lyrics uses grammar that’s OK by BuzzFeed style? ♫

The correct spelling is "pursue." BuzzFeed style is to break the thoughts apart by using an em dash ( — ) with a space on either side (not two hyphens) and to capitalize separate words in a hashtag for clarity.

**Fast-forward** is _always_ spelled with a hyphen. BuzzFeed style closes up **Step-** relationships without a hyphen (unless the next word starts with a vowel). K-Pop artists like PSY or G-DRAGON are spelled without the screaming capital letters. "**The US**" is spelled without periods. And finally — "**national anthem**" is lowercased, while its proper name, "The Star-Spangled Banner," is capitalized.

Fast-forward to my stepsister’s wedding: There’s Psy, and he’s singing his most popular track, the US national anthem.

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Copyediting Quiz: The Glitz And Grammar Edition

The answers below follow the BuzzFeed Style Guide (which you can read here).

Copyediting Quiz: The Glitz And Grammar Edition

The answers below follow the BuzzFeed Style Guide (which you can read here).

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