[Maree Fruhstorfer]

Hi, I’m Maree and I have just started the PAE course in August, so apologies if this question has been asked before or is very simple, but what proofreading mark is used to depict the removal of a blank line?

[Val Gyde]

Hi Maree

If you are referring to inconsistent line spacing in a text, you can use the mark up for “reduce space between lines” that is on the Handy Reference Chart, which came with your course resources. The textual mark (to be used in the text) is connecting lines between the adjacent lines of text. Then in the margin, you can write either “less#” or “close up” followed by a separator mark.

The chart also shows you what these marks should look like.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards

Val

[Dick Ward]

If it is a blank line in the middle of a paragraph then use run on to close up the gap to make it one complete paragraph; use the less # mark if the two blocks of text are separate and need to remain separate, e.g. two paragraphs that you want to move closer together but still staying as separate, a blank line in a column or table.

[Val Gyde]

Hi Dick

Thanks for that further clarification. Your explanation described the range of options for resolving this issue very well!

Val

[Contact NZIBS]

Hi Dick and Val,

I know well that there are alternatives in how we communicate with the typesetter. I understood your explanation, Val, as what I would do, and would also do it in a  table because it is unambiguous and seems to answer Maree’s question.

So why, Dick, would you choose a run on instead when it is clear that a blank line needs to be removed? AlsoI didn’t understand your comment:  e.g. two paragraphs that you want to move closer together but still staying as separate, a blank line in a column or table.

Specifically, why can we not use bracketed ‘close up’ in a table to remove a blank line or column?

Thanks

John!

 

 

 

[Dick Ward]

Hi John,

On looking at the end of my previous post I agree that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to the new reader. (It was , of course, perfectly clear in my mind when I wrote it. I suspect that I changed my post and didn’t proofread the final answer, so will go and sit on the naughty step!)

To reiterate, my view is that you can use brackets and close up/less # to get rid of a blank line between any two separate pieces of text, e.g. figures in a column, to delete a blank line in a table, to lessen the space between paragraphs.

However, if the empty line is in the middle of a paragraph I think it is clearer that you use run on as this makes it clear that the two pieces of text should be the same paragraph.

In practical terms it may not make an real difference to the end result in most cases. Either mark up is likely to be understood.

It may well depend on the context and whether the blank line occurs mid-sentence or between two sentences. If the blank line occurs between sentences the typesetter may be unsure whether the closed up lower line should be indented or not, or whether it’s a new paragraph or not.