What is (sic)?

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
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The only place I've seen this is when there's a quote being made, what's that an abbreviation for? Or does it stand for something?
 

yiwonder

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2000
1,185
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<< The only place I've seen this is when there's a quote being made, what's that an abbreviation for? Or does it stand for something? >>


It's Latin I think. It is used when you quote something and a word that you are quoting is spelled wrong or there is some other error with the sentence. It means that it was purposefully misspelled on your part as the quote was misspelled.
 
Feb 24, 2001
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&quot;Fire ants in North America will eventually colonyze [sic] all of the western coast and into Canada&quot; (Meyers, 1993, p. 102).

sic should also be underlined but i dunno how to do that.
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
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sic adverb [not gradable]
a word written in brackets after a word or phrase that has been copied from somewhere else and is spelled or used wrongly. Writers use this word to tell readers that they know that the original text contains a mistake.
The notice outside the cinema said `Closed on Wedensday' (sic) (=Wednesday is spelled wrong).

 

Infos

Diamond Member
Jul 20, 2001
4,001
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A Fine Example :disgust:


<<This isn't really a joke, but it probably should be. If Gary Condit's
intern is (still!) missing, might he need another?

You bet he does.

He's advertising for replacements on his official House web site. Really:
http://www.house.gov/gcondit/intern_opportunities.htm

It's noted that &quot;Typical duties of Interns can range from assisting with
phone's [sic] to researching legislative projects.&quot; They have to say that
since the public perception of what interns have to do is ...um... a bit
different, isn't it?

And in a sweet nod to the missing Chandra Levy, note the &quot;missingkids.com&quot;
hyperlink at the bottom of the page!>>
 

yakko

Lifer
Apr 18, 2000
25,455
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<< What is (sic)? >>

Me nekkid and smothered in peanut butter and roadkill coming to your house for dinner.
 

GoldenGuppy

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2000
3,494
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One of my favorite quotation devices ;)

Sic according to the book of Webster states: Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally.

it's used so that you as a writer will not look stupid towards the audience.

&quot;Hey, don't shoot the messenger, the guy wrote it, I'm just reproducing it - and, yes, I know it's WRONG myself&quot;

><GG>
 

crt1530

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2001
3,194
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sic1 (sk)
adv.
Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally.

Editors use it when they quote people who misspelled or made a mistake in their own writing to show that it was not the editor's mistake.