By special request from one of our clients...

This is a tricky one as both affect and effect can be used both as a noun and as a verb. Usually, however, if a verb is being used then affect is correct and if a noun is being used effect is correct.

Affect
As a verb, affect means to influence or to adopt a pose or manner.

The outcome of treatment is affected by patients' degree of compliance.

The girl affected a couldn't care less attitude.

As a noun affect means an emotional state. It is rarely encountered outside the realm of psychiatry. So, most people are unlikely ever to use affect as a noun; however, you may well come across it in medical titles.

Effect
We don't think anyone is likely to have difficulty in comprehending the usual meaning of effect: something brought about; a result.

The effect of treatment was an improvement in patients' quality of life.

But effect may also be used as a verb, meaning to cause to happen.

The drugs effected a significant improvement in patients' quality of life.

... was a Gaul. The footnote indicator is an asterisk.

A benefactor provides largesse and a beneficiary is the recipient of it.

The above combination of letters is very common in scientific terminology. More often than not one of the consonants is missing, so always, always check. For example

ophthalmology
diphtheria (caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae)
phenolphthalein
naphthalene

Other combinations, e.g. chth, are possible.

ichthyology

We have a vacancy for a production editor with a science degree and relevant experience.

If you are interested in working for us then have look at our current vacancies.

Please apply by Friday 12 March 2010.

Patients are people, as are children, subjects, the elderly, etc.

All of these groups should be referred to using who or whom, not which or that.

More good news on the promotion front: one of our senior production editors, Catriona Vernal, will soon take up her new role of Publishing Team Leader.

Catriona has been with us since July 2007, having previously worked as a production editor in Edinburgh. She is a graduate of Glasgow University, where she studied Scottish History and Celtic Civilisation. Among other responsibilities, Catriona's team will produce Advances Wales, a technology transfer magazine that we produce for the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff.

No such word. Use recur.

We have promoted Dr Lucy Harrier to the post of Publishing Manager.

In her new role Lucy will have responsibility for editorial office services and journal production for both public sector and commercial clients. Lucy has been with the company for almost 7 years, and previously was one of the company's publishing services managers.

This is such a common error that we have decided to harp on about it again.

Comprise means contains or consists of. First, it is never, ever, followed by of. Second, the whole of something comprises its parts.

In contrast, the parts of something constitute, or make up, the whole.

Right: Audiences comprise ordinary people.
Wrong: Audiences are comprised of ordinary people.

Right: Ordinary people constitute the majority of theatre goers.
Wrong: Ordinary people comprise the majority of theatre goers.

In UK usage, practice is a noun and practise a verb.

Make it your practice to practise this.

A countable noun can be singular or plural, e.g. book/books, person/people.

An uncountable noun does not have a plural form, e.g. information, sugar, respect.

Less is used with uncountable nouns and fewer with countable nouns. I have less information about that because I have fewer books on that subject.

One of our project managers recently came across the use of ex-patriots in a manuscript, which should, of course, be ex-patriates.

This is typical of the the type of mistake that professional copy-editing can correct.