Module 3: The BSI symbols, part I (b)

Delete

Another symbol that is used quite a lot is ‘delete’: take something out.

Some examples of how to use the delete symbol are:

The 2005 BSI revision did away with ‘delete and close up’, which would have been marked when
deleting one of the ‘b’s in ‘abbroad’ to make ‘abroad’.

This combined symbol was used whenever a character (or characters) was removed from the middle
of a word or group of numbers or letters; it confirmed to the typesetter that there should be no
space where the character(s) had been deleted. However, when a character is deleted from the
middle of a word in a typesetting system, as on our computers, the characters on either side
automatically close up, so it was felt that this symbol was unnecessary.
You don’t have to worry about the ‘delete and close up’ when proofreading; it’s mentioned here
only because you might see it being marked by people who are not aware that it is no longer an
official symbol.
‘Delete and close up’ did have a useful purpose, however, in that it alerted the typesetter to the fact
that, for example, punctuation or some other character after a deletion should be retained:

Without the ‘and close up’, there is the danger that the typesetter won’t notice the retained
character and will mistakenly delete that, too. There are two possible ways to prevent this:
• draw the ‘stet’ mark underneath what is to remain:

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© M E Aherne and G V Clarke 1 Module 3(b)

• cross through that character as well and include it as a substitution rather than a deletion:

When you delete just one character, a single stroke through it is sufficient. Be careful, as with
substitutions, to draw the stroke only through the character to be removed. If you angle the stroke
too much, it may look as though you are crossing through two or even three characters.
When you delete two or more characters, be sure to make it clear precisely how much is to come
out, as discussed earlier in connection with substitution. Draw a horizontal line through the
characters to come out, and a vertical line at either end:

One change made several times

When the same change is needed more than once in a line, there is a quick and neat way to mark:
this:
• mark all places in the text – crossing out or inserting
• mark once in the margin the change to be made
• then put beside the instruction ‘x 2’ (or whatever number are required) in a circle.
(Remember always to encircle anything not to be typeset.)
The ‘x 2’ tells the typesetter to do that change twice. You can use the same principle whether you
are substituting or inserting.
If, however, there is another alteration to be made between these two, mark them separately in the
margin. Otherwise the typesetter could be confused.
Note that you should do this only when it applies to a single line. If you want to make the same
amendment in subsequent lines, you must mark each line.

Hyphens, en (N) rules and em (M) rules

You learned about the different uses of these three ‘dashes’ in Module 1. You might like to revise
that section before learning how to mark them using the BSI symbols.
When the wrong ‘dash’ has been used, it is simple to substitute the correct one. Here are some
examples.

Use the long–stay car park.

The pumpkins weighed 4-5 pounds.

‘Don’t do–’ she was interrupted.

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© M E Aherne and G V Clarke 2 Module 3(b)

Remember that a range of numbers that is preceded by ‘from’ must use ‘to’ rather than the en rule;
numbers preceded by ‘between’ must use ‘and’ rather than the en rule. However, if your proof uses
the en rule (or even a hyphen!) consistently in such instances, check with your supervisor before
amending them; these errors are so common that it might not be worth the time and cost to change
them.

Now do Exercise 3.2. It is a proofread-against-copy of a primary school’s document on its equality

policy. As with Exercise 3.1, use the colours to differentiate between errors by the typesetter (red)
and those by the copy-editor (blue). Use pencil for queries that will have to be dealt with later.
When you are happy with your work on the exercise, check it against the model answer to see how
well you have done. If you missed anything or did something not quite right, annotate your copy in
green. These annotations will help you see where your weaknesses lie.
Again, be sure to annotate your work meticulously. Seeing where you went astray will help you to
avoid repeating the mistakes – an important factor in doing well in the assignments!

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© M E Aherne and G V Clarke 3 Module 3(b)