{"id":2762,"date":"2018-05-29T23:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T05:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=2762"},"modified":"2024-02-02T17:51:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T23:51:40","slug":"figuring-out-the-trick-behind-sic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/effective-writing\/figuring-out-the-trick-behind-sic\/","title":{"rendered":"Figuring Out the Trick Behind [sic<\/em>]"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Note that our discussion of this topic also has been updated as it applies to use in 2024<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

We’ve all seen it at some point when reading: a three-letter package in brackets. It follows text to draw attention to or make a point about it.<\/p>\n

We’re talking about [sic<\/em>]. What is it\u2014and when do we accurately use it?<\/p>\n

Fowler’s Modern English Usage<\/em>\u00a0explains that\u00a0sic<\/em>\u00a0is Latin for “so, thus.” It is a complete word and so requires no punctuation for abbreviation. It is inserted within brackets after quoted text to establish its accuracy as a quotation. In essence,\u00a0sic<\/em>\u00a0stands for “in case you’re in doubt, this appeared in the original material.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On that note, writers should include [sic<\/em>] after something quoted only when they intuit readers will doubt it as presented.\u00a0The Associated Press Stylebook<\/em>\u00a0further advises to exclude [sic<\/em>] unless it is in material being quoted\u2014i.e., writers should not employ it within their own writing.<\/p>\n

Common examples of quoted text prompting insertion of [sic<\/em>] are obvious and likely unintentional misspellings, misused words, and imprecise statements. For instance, if quoting a political luminary known as well spoken, writers might include [sic<\/em>] if the individual speaks atypically: “I just don’t know what lays [sic<\/em>] ahead with all of the activism mounting against the legislation,” said Sen. Brackenridge.<\/p>\n

Another otherwise articulate speaker might be caught saying, “We are excited about the enormity [sic<\/em>] of the attendance for this year’s event.” Here, the speaker is misusing the word “enormity,” which means “monstrous wickedness.”<\/p>\n

If quoting from a column that includes “Upon becoming a state in 1947, Israel\u2026,” writers would add [sic<\/em>] after the opening phrase because Israel became a state in 1948 (“Upon becoming a state in 1947 [sic<\/em>], Israel\u2026”).<\/p>\n

At the same time, [sic<\/em>] should not be used to emphasize what appears incorrect but is used intentionally. For example, a slogan for a state lottery game might read “Daily Scratch: It’s a lotto pay for those who play!” Inserting [sic<\/em>] after “lotto” would be unnecessary when quoting that content because most people can understand it as word play. Similarly, quoting writing or speech from different U.S. regions will often allow for variations in dialect, which could include alternate spellings, expressions, and contractions.<\/p>\n

Typographical treatment of the bracketed word is often a matter of writer’s preference. Where many writers present it as [sic<\/em>] (italics), others will use [sic] (no italics).\u00a0The Chicago Manual of Style<\/em>\u00a0advises italicizing it because of its “peculiar use in quoted matter.”<\/p>\n

In sum, remember [sic<\/em>] applies to addressing potential reader doubt about unintentional errors in your quoted content. Also exclude it from your own writing beyond any material you quote. Maintaining these guidelines, you’ll ensure that [sic<\/em>] rarely\u2014if ever\u2014tricks you.<\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Identify whether the insertion of [sic<\/em>] in the following quoted material is warranted. Answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.<\/p>\n

1. “I can’t believe y’all [sic<\/em>] got so worked up about a little break in the main pipe.” (Yes \/ No)<\/p>\n

2. “What the council thought was the problem proved to be vice-a-versa [sic<\/em>].” (Yes \/ No)<\/p>\n

3. “Irregardless [sic<\/em>], the manager stuck to his lineup for the playoffs even though the GM was against it.” (Yes \/ No)<\/p>\n

4. “Southwest Airlines attributes much of its recent success to its emphasis on ‘transfarency’ [sic<\/em>].” (Yes \/ No)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. “I can’t believe y’all [sic<\/em>] got so worked up about a little break in the main pipe.”\u00a0No<\/strong>: common regional dialect<\/p>\n

2. “What the council thought was the problem proved to be vice-a-versa [sic<\/em>].”\u00a0Yes<\/strong>: should be vice versa<\/em><\/p>\n

3. “Irregardless [sic<\/em>], the manager stuck to his lineup for the playoffs even though the GM was against it.”\u00a0Yes<\/strong>: Irregardles<\/em>s is not a word<\/p>\n

4. “Southwest Airlines attributes much of its recent success to its emphasis on ‘transfarency’ [sic<\/em>].”\u00a0No<\/strong>: transfarency<\/em> is an intentional play on the words transparency<\/em> and fare<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Note that our discussion of this topic also has been updated as it applies to use in 2024.] We’ve all seen it at some point when reading: a three-letter package in brackets. It follows text to draw attention to or make a point about it. We’re talking about [sic]. What is it\u2014and when do we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,12,39,37,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brackets","category-effective-writing","category-proofreading","category-spelling","category-vocabulary"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2762"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6834,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2762\/revisions\/6834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}