Thursday, October 1, 2015
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Your Driving Me Crazy!
An email from the highest-ranking person at my workplace that went out to ALL employees, opened like this today:
Dear Employees,
As your aware, we had a blood drive yesterday...
*facepalm*
Just shoot me.
Please.
Yes, I know...it's an easy typo to make. And I would expect to see it all over Facebook, Twitter, comment threads at various websites, and in texts. But I hold journalists, executives, educators (and others who should know better) to a higher standard.
It takes less than a minute to proofread your email before hitting SEND. Such a small investment of time to avoid looking dumb.
What awful emails have you received from the "top dogs" at your company that made your head shake with grammatical disgust?
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Weird Al, the Grammar Snob Loves You!
Why? Because of this:
That's all.
P.S. Pet writing-related peeve of the day:
People whose email signature line includes "Thanks," as an automatic sign off. Seriously. "Thanks" is not always the appropriate conclusion to your email message - it is not a universal closing, and can look pretty weird depending on the actual content of the email body. Also, it reeks of laziness and insincerity.
Thanks,
The Grammar Snob
That's all.
P.S. Pet writing-related peeve of the day:
People whose email signature line includes "Thanks," as an automatic sign off. Seriously. "Thanks" is not always the appropriate conclusion to your email message - it is not a universal closing, and can look pretty weird depending on the actual content of the email body. Also, it reeks of laziness and insincerity.
Thanks,
The Grammar Snob
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Permanantly
Permanantly closed, eh?
This sign, on the wall of the old gym at my workplace (across the hall from my office), has a little problem. Unfortunately, it's permanant, since this sign isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
The best part, though? The little "e" that someone (not me) drew above the errant "a" on the sign. I love the fact that someone else in my workplace cares enough to engage in guerrilla proofreading.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Journalists Who Can't Write
It's an epidemic. And we're not immune here in the Beehive State.
Check out this double-whammy from the Deseret News. It wasn't enough that the photo caption read "For the second year in a year..." - which is a feat of chronological contortionism - but the lead sentence begins with a construction that's nearly as bad: "For the second year in a row..."
Sorry to break this to you, Deseret News, but two items do not make a "row." Three in a row, yes. Two in a row? Nope. That would be, "For the second year running..." or "For the second consecutive year.." or even "For the second straight year..." But...NO ROWS FOR YOU! Not until you have three items or more.
UPDATE: And......they did it again!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
People Who Should Know Better
At the launch of this blog, I mentioned that I would mostly highlight the writing faux pas of other communication professionals - that is, I would mostly refrain from picking on the uninitiated. Of course, I have, on occasion, pointed out some egregious writing from laypeople, simply because I couldn't resist. And they were funny.
So, in returning somewhat to my charter, I want to point out (without naming names, Jake Freivald) that one should try to pick a side and be consistent.
That is, if you want to write like a Brit, I'm sure there's room for you across the pond. But as an American communication professional, I recommend adherence to an American style guide. You don't even need to pick one style guide. I mean, I float freely among AP, Chicago, AMA, or even the corporate style guide du jour - that is, I happily flex to please my clients. And when writing fiction, I stick with Generally Accepted American English (GAAE). Yes, I made that up. And, of course, there are exceptions for accented dialogue, poetry, etc.
So, why do I bring this up? Because when you are writing in the United States, for a mostly American audience, your commas and periods belong inside the quotation marks. This is not a matter of personal preference.
"That is all."
So, in returning somewhat to my charter, I want to point out (without naming names, Jake Freivald) that one should try to pick a side and be consistent.
That is, if you want to write like a Brit, I'm sure there's room for you across the pond. But as an American communication professional, I recommend adherence to an American style guide. You don't even need to pick one style guide. I mean, I float freely among AP, Chicago, AMA, or even the corporate style guide du jour - that is, I happily flex to please my clients. And when writing fiction, I stick with Generally Accepted American English (GAAE). Yes, I made that up. And, of course, there are exceptions for accented dialogue, poetry, etc.
So, why do I bring this up? Because when you are writing in the United States, for a mostly American audience, your commas and periods belong inside the quotation marks. This is not a matter of personal preference.
"That is all."
Monday, December 2, 2013
Review Time
Here's a fun review I found on Amazon for a product that you plug into your cigarette lighter in the car so you can play music from your phone.
Creeps popping out if my blugin
By nathen l smith on December 2, 2013
Can't see the screen much but that is not needed rilly and it pops out of the blugin in my car but good sound I can't find a longer cord for it thow and the cord is only like 1ft
Based on that, I think I will not be buying it. I mean, who wants creeps popping out of their blugins?
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