A client asked me to edit a PowerPoint presentation and check the use of than vs. then. Sure enough, than had been used when then was the correct choice. When do you use which word?

Let’s look at the easier one first. The word than is used after a comparison, so it often accompanies comparatives like taller, better, and smarter (to name just a few) and words such as more, less, and fewer.

Examples:
Tim is taller than Tom.
Sunset is later this month than last month.
Cassie has fewer paperbacks than her sister has. 

Then is used when referring to time or a sequence of events.

Examples:
We’ll see you then.
She walked to the corner and then crossed the street.
Come to the diner, then we can order breakfast.

Combined with the word if, then can also mean in that case, or as a consequence.

Example: If the car is in the shop, then I won’t be driving to work.

Remember, use than in comparisons and then for everything else. Knowing the difference between than and then means you’ll never find yourself in this situation, from Season 1 of The Wire.

The other day, I sent back an edited manuscript to a client, and she had a reasonable question. Why did the phrase “search and rescue” have hyphens in some places and not in others?

The answer came down to parts of speech.  What part of speech the phrase was in a particular sentence determined whether it took hyphens. If “search and rescue” is a noun—such as “I work in search and rescue” or “I do search and rescue,” then the phrase does not need a hyphen. However, if the phrase is a compound adjective that describes a noun, such as “a search-and-rescue dog” or “a search-and-rescue mission,” then the phrase takes hyphens.

So the same words in a manuscript sometimes need hyphens and sometimes do not. When a compound adjective appears before a noun, then hyphens help readers to see that the words make up a single unit to describe the noun. For instance, in this sentence—“I have a washer-and-dryer unit in my apartment”—it’s clear that the writer is referring to one appliance; without the hyphens, the meaning is unclear. In the sentence, “I have a washer and dryer unit in my apartment,” it’s possible that there are two appliances: a washer and a dryer unit (whatever that is). Also, if “washer and dryer” are nouns in the sentence, such as “the stacked unit combines a washer and dryer,” then no hyphens are needed since the meaning is clear.

Here are other examples of phrases that will take hyphens when used as compound adjectives but will not when they appear in the sentence as nouns:

When deciding whether to add hyphens, look at the phrase. What part of speech is it in the sentence? If the words are nouns, then they likely do not need a hyphen between them. If they are adjectives and make up a single unit that describes a noun, then add the hyphens.

This elegant symbol was originally a combination of the letters e and t in et, the Latin word for and. The first appearance we know about was in Pompeii, when an unknown graffitist in a hurry scrawled it on a wall circa 79 A.D.

Although the symbol goes back nearly two thousand years, its name is a relative newcomer. Scholars believe the name ampersand originated in the nineteenth century, when the symbol & was included as the last letter of the alphabet. When children recited the alphabet aloud, they prefaced A, I, and & with per se, which meant by itself, because  when spoken aloud, A, I, and & create separate words. The children’s recitation sounded like this: “Y, Z, and per se and.” Over time, those words slurred together as ampersand.

The ampersand has a few specialized uses:

Remember, the ampersand is a specialist. Even though it means and, the word and symbol are not interchangeable.

When I went to college (back in the Dark Ages), we typed our papers on typewriters. We underlined composition titles because typewriters didn’t come with a separate italic typeface. How times have changed—now we all need to know when to use italics.

Titles of works often appear in italics. A general rule is that longer works (or those made up of smaller parts) take italics. Shorter works, such as poems and songs, go within quotation marks. However, how you designate composition titles really depends on your style guide. For example, in The Chicago Manual of Style, the title of a television show would be in italics, while episode titles would take quotation marks. In contrast, the Associated Press Stylebook calls for both to be in quotation marks.

The names of ships and rockets are italicized, but car makes and models are not. Example: Apollo 7 and USS Zumwalt but Ford Mustang.

When referring to a particular word as itself, use italics. Example: I never remember how to spell eccentricity. Individual letters follow the same rule. Example: When Ella was a toddler, she had trouble pronouncing her l’s. Words that take the place of sounds should appear in italics as well. Example: The dog’s ha-ruff bark was more like a deep cough.

Foreign words , such as abuela or kohlrouladen, are often italicized, but there are exceptions. A general rule is to look up the word in Merriam-Webster. If it has an entry, then you don’t need italics.

Italics also emphasize a word or part of a word in a sentence. Don’t overdo italics for emphasis—too many italicized words can become annoying to the reader. Examples: I don’t care OR Puh-lease, as if I’d ever wear that outfit.

Remembering these simple tips will help you use italics correctly.