Wikipedia articles are remarkably consistent, and this is because the writing is governed by the Manual of Style (MoS), the breadth of which can be dizzying to new editors, or delightful reading for grammar nerds. We mentioned it last year, saying we would explain it all in good time. It’s time.
In the coming weeks, we will explore different facets of the manual, which explains what you need to know about:
- Varieties of English: Flavor or flavour?
- Capital letters: When to capitalize; when NOT to
- Numbers: When one is 1 and 2 is two
- Punctuation: "Where does one put the question mark in this quote?"
- Emphasis: Please use italics
- And/or: When to use and, or and/or and/or. Hint: Never and/or
And much more that will help you recognize good (and bad) Wikipedia writing. You cannot memorize it all, so bookmark it, and keep WP:60 handy.