Copyediting sample 79:
InfoAnalyzer operation

A copyeditor must often correct a misplaced modifier; in this case, we want the reader to understand that "SQL Running" is a message in the status field (the table does not run in the status field). The reader might be running multiple tables, so active voice is preferable over the passive. Running multiple tables is optional, however, so if is a better conjunction than when.

A copyeditor is also aware of that old-fashioned (and deprecated) rule about never splitting an infinitive, as in "to immediately start" (where immediately "splits" the infinitive "to start"). Though the rule is deprecated, a good copyeditor avoids splitting the infinitive if possible, as long as the result is not awkward or ambiguous. Since so many readers are sensitive to that rule, why distract them from paying attention to the content?

Note: The author of this piece was not a native English speaker. He very much appreciated the heavy commentary that explained my thinking behind the many suggested revisions. The highlighted comments elucidated for him many of the subtle peculiarities of American English.

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