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Saturday, December 14, 2013

A US Copy Editor's Perspective: Ordinance or Ordnance?


The difference between ordinance and ordnance in spelling is one little I. As a copy editor, I am focused on single characters. So I watch for such, including missing periods, commas that should be semicolons and vice versa, etc.

The difference between ordinance and ordnance in definition is a bigger one than whether an I is there.

An ordinance is a regulation or law. See Web11 for the full definition.

However, ordnance means military goods, including weapons as well as vehicles. Again see Web11 for more details.

So if your novel concerns a US clothing manufacturer or some business corporation, you are more likely to need the first word of the two we are discussing here. Yet, should your story be like Rambo, then the second offering is probably the way to go.


"If your vocation isn't a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)


What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don't give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra

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