Grammar Cop (actually Spelling Cop) says, "It's lightNING, folks"

[MorningGlow]

Okay y'all, it's gonna be a long summer with many weather reports posted here, so let's get our spelling straight, shall we?

That flashy thing in the sky--the one followed by a booming noise--is lightning. No "e" in the middle.

"Lightening" means something is getting brighter, like the sky at dawn.

Please make this anal retentive former English teacher happy and choose the right spelling, okay? That is all! (Till I think of another grammar- or spelling-related pet peeve, of course.) :hi:

[KamaAina]

1. Alright. Try not to loose your cool.

the fad will eventually run it's course. :P

[MorningGlow]

2. GAAAAAHHHHH!!!

:headexplodes:

You suck. :P

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Mother of National Spelling Bee participant says,

"Sometimes even English Majors and terrific spellers make mistakes..." ;)

If I understand what someone is trying to say, I don't complain because I wouldn't want myself to be watched like a hawk. :rofl:

[MorningGlow]

4. I usually say nothing

I tend to let stuff like that go. Must be the heat. :D

[Mutley]

5. A dash is "--" and a hypen is "-"

:D

Couldn't help it.

[MorningGlow]

6. ...Ur? I'm missing something here. 'Splain? n/t

[Mutley]

8. I was just being silly

but you used a hyphen as a dash in your last sentence. :P

[MorningGlow]

13. Nope. That was intentional.

I mean to use hyphens for the compound adjectives. I could have used "grammar-related or spelling-related" but instead chose "grammar- or spelling-related" to shorten it up.

You phkin' with a professional editor, lady? :P

[Mutley]

17. After the word "grammar"

not after "spelling."

I'm not a professional editor, but I've got Oedi up my ass all the time. :D







Just kidding, Oedi. :*

[MorningGlow]

20. Yep, that's intentional and correct

It's "grammar-related" with "related" removed/implied because it's covered by the second "related" in "spelling-related". Entirely correct. :D

[Oeditpus Rex]

27. However, news style calls for

a space before and after an em dash.



This is not done in books, and it bugs the hell outa me. x(

[MorningGlow]

31. It does?! EW!

I'm with you on that one. I suppose it's dictated by online flow--no soft returns in 'puter typing.

[Oeditpus Rex]

32. I imagine it's because newspaper columns

are about 10p6 wide — much wider than the page margins in a book — and if dashes were connected to the words around and between them, there'd be too much chance of sloppy kerning with auto-justification.

[Oeditpus Rex]

26. Hmmm...

Nah, I'll let it go. :)

[Mutley]

30. !

What?!

I was kidding. :cry:

[Oeditpus Rex]

9. Em dash or en dash?

:P

[Mutley]

12. Em dash

Thanks.

:rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. As long as we're on an 'e' kick

one uses "deodorant" to fend off one's natural aromas, or odors.



The prefix "de-" means "to remove."

"Odor" is self-explanatory.

The suffix "-ant" means "agent."



De. Odor. Ant.

[Mutley]

10. Nazi.

:P

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. Jawohl!

Der Grammarüberhauptsturmbannführer.

[Mutley]

19. Now I'm askeared!

:hide:




:D

[MorningGlow]

11. Good one. Ooh, here's another.

The singular synonym for "female" is "woman", not "women". I have issues when I see someone say "a women".

Oh no. I've opened the flood gates. Somebody stop me before I correct again! :D

[KC]

22. Here is one

that always gets me... lie and lay ( I am going to lie / lay down ) People drive me crazy with that one

[MorningGlow]

23. I had to learn that one when I was in my 20s

I can't believe I never knew the difference all through high school and college.

Related to that one: further and farther. Farther is distance, further is extent. Alas, some dictionaries now list them as synonyms. Travesty!

[Oeditpus Rex]

28. 'Anything further, father?'

"'Anything further, father'? That can't be right! Isn't it 'Anything father, further'?"

[DS1]

15. ya'll?

What's that?

[MorningGlow]

18. Poetic license

Judicious use of slang, especially slang not native to the writer's geographic area, can be considered quite poetic by...um...all y'all?
:rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

29. 'Y'all'

Y(ou) all.

[DS1]

33. I know

and I caught that I wrote it wrong.

Here, have some vintage baseball photos. THis was at a field on Sunday, is the 90 degree heat


http://www.flickr.com/photos/trigger25/


classic rules, no glove, and a catch after a single bounce was still an out, and underhand pitching

[Oeditpus Rex]

34. Sweet!

I read about a league like that once. The wooden bat leagues think they're retro. Ha! :P



Catch the Nike "swooshes" on the cleats, though? :D

[DS1]

35. Yes, it was far from perfect, but they were out there doing it in some punishing sun

one guy just happened to "forget" his old uniform entirely. Probably because they were many layers, and all wool. The bats were clearly old, but still working well. Much thinner than you see today, even among other wooden bats.

[Oeditpus Rex]

36. Yeah, the old wool unies

Before double-knit came along, it wasn't uncommon for a pitcher to sweat off 10 pounds on a hot day in St. Louis or someplace.

Then, in the Polyester Age, you had guys who'd have their uniforms tailored because, as Wayne Comer (I think) put it, "I add 20 points to my average if I know I look bitchin' out there." :D

[hobbit709]

16. My mother used to work as an assistant editor at the local fishwrap.

She was amazed at the number of people that had degrees in journalism she dealt with that couldn't tell the difference between they're, their and there. I might add that my mother's native language is German, not English.

[MorningGlow]

21. We could definitely learn a thing or two (or 12) from non-native English speakers

They seem to learn our language, grammar, spelling, etc., much faster (and better) than we do. I'm always amazed at that, considering how convoluted our language is. Kudos to your mother!

[littlebit]

24. I was hit in the head one to many times as a child.

I have a hard time spelling anything right. Why must you mock me?:P

[MorningGlow]

25. Dain bramage cases excepted!

And that's EXCepted, not ACCepted or EXPECted.
:rofl:

[amitten]

37. Since lightning is a noun, the verb should be lightning-ing.

In my humble opinion:

"It was raining and thundering and lightning-ing outside last night."

I know no one agrees...

[ScreamingMeemie]

38. I did!

When I was 3. That's how I used to say it..."It's lightning-ning outside..."

[amitten]

39. We're the smart ones, kiddo.

Actually, it does make sense.