HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 01:58 PM
Original message |
Oh...that stupid grammar nazi came in again |
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THIS WOMAN CAME IN AGAIN WITH THE PAPER ALL HIGHLIGHTED. Thankfully my copy was all very clean. But she did circle, once again things that aren’t mistakes by Canadian Press Standards. She was hassling my publisher to give her the editor position. He told her no…..when I leave these town I know exactly what I’ll do….tell me what you think of this.
A letter that says something to the point of "You are a rude person, and I don’t give a shit if you have an english degree this is journalistic writing, which you know nothing about."
Then I’ll enclose clippings of where she made her dumb mistakes…I will properly berate her during this portion.
Then I’ll enclose a copy of my Canadian Press style book and tell her to read up on it. Then, once she knows that, she can come in and bother us.
Sound good?
Yes it’s petty, but so am I.
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Dookus
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:00 PM
Response to Original message |
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unless you're TRYING to antagonize her further, I'd capitalize "English" and not end the sentence with a preposition.
-Dookus the grammar nazi :)
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zx22778a
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Wed Feb-25-04 04:26 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
34. Or, as Winston Churchill said in a similar situation |
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"That is the sort of nonsense up with which I shall not put."
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orwell
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:02 PM
Response to Original message |
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Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "Canadian Press style" book. I have heard of references in other posts to style books and I was curious.
Thanks in advance.
O
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Westegg
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #2 |
3. It seems to involve a misuse of commas and ellipises. |
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Beyond, that I couldn't tell you. ...
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HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:07 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
25. It's the book of how you are supposed to write for a Canadian paper |
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What to capitalize, how to write numbers...etc.
ANd actually it forbids use of ellipises
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orwell
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:19 PM
Response to Reply #25 |
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I'm not so good with rules...
Thank the Goddess for spell check...
O
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RebelOne
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:56 PM
Response to Reply #2 |
24. It's probably the Canadian version |
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of The Associated Press Stylebook.
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TXlib
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:19 PM
Response to Original message |
4. Ve haff vays of making you punctuate... |
TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:21 PM
Response to Original message |
5. "But" is a conjunction. |
TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:22 PM
Response to Original message |
6. "these" is plural, "town" is singular |
HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:08 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
26. If you guys want me to take the time to make my posts perfect |
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I will, but then I WILL become the worst grammar nazi ever to terrorize DU...so you best Back off.
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Liberal Christian
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Wed Feb-25-04 04:42 PM
Response to Reply #26 |
36. Why would you NOT want to take a moment |
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to make sure your posts are grammatically correct and spelled correctly?
Roll eyes if you will, or chalk it up to my being a former English teacher, but I simply don't understand why someone who knows how to do something the right way would do it the wrong way for everyone to see.
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 05:36 PM
Response to Reply #26 |
TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:23 PM
Response to Original message |
TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:24 PM
Response to Reply #7 |
9. and are useful for clarity |
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she did circle, once again things
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Book Lover
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:23 PM
Response to Original message |
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Or is she just a loon of the street who brings in the "corrected" paper?
Myself, I would just present her with the book with a note along the lines of, "You do so much work (evidenced by the papers you bring in all the time) on your own time that I am certain your copy is practically all worn out. Here, please, take this copy, use it, and be well."
Are you sure you want to give her your copy of CPS?
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HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:09 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
27. Yeah, shes just a citizen... |
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I'll give her my copy it's 20 bucks but it's worth it.
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Book Lover
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Wed Feb-25-04 05:09 PM
Response to Reply #27 |
40. Now's *that* is out of line |
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If the paper is so poorly edited, why does she read it? Sheesh... I'd suggest we hook her up with the copy editing listserv; she could post there and be ridiculed into oblivion...
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Liberal Christian
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Wed Feb-25-04 05:57 PM
Response to Reply #40 |
44. Why is it out of line to expect a newspaper |
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to use correct, standard English? It's bad enough that signs in stores, ad copy, and other forms of writing for the public often exhibit egregious errors, why should we tolerate the same thing in journalism, a field in which clarity of expression and "getting it right" are supposed to be important?
How can I trust that the information is correct if the grammar and mechanics are faulty?
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 05:59 PM
Response to Reply #44 |
45. I'm shocked at the number of errors on the CNN scroll |
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The captioning I can understand, the guy's typing faster than he can think, but you'd think they'd put a bit of effort into getting the scroll right.
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Book Lover
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Wed Feb-25-04 11:07 PM
Response to Reply #44 |
46. You are absolutely correct |
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There is no excuse for a newspaper to regularly use bad grammar, misspellings, etc. I was talking about this woman's boorish behavior, though. Typos will slip in; to have someone not on the payroll hunt them out, highlight them, and call your attention to them, rudely, on a regular basis, well, that's just not right.
If this woman is so obsessed with finding grammatical errors, she should take a few editcetera classes and do it for a living. As you so rightly point out, it is a job that needs doing.
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:25 PM
Response to Original message |
10. I'm used to sentences containing primary verbs |
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A letter that says something to the point of "You are a rude person, and I don’t give a shit if you have an english degree this is journalistic writing, which you know nothing about."
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:26 PM
Response to Original message |
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Thankfully my copy was all very clean.
Was it entirely clean or was it only very clean?
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ScreamingMeemie
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:28 PM
Response to Original message |
12. I think it's grate..and you should make it a real long run on sentence |
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that will have her head spinning until she thinks its going to pop off her neck and roll down the hallway and take the elevator down never stopping once even...
**grammar mistakes made on purpose!!
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THUNDER HANDS
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:28 PM
Response to Original message |
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Shouldn't this copy editor person have a style guide on their desk when she's going over stuff?
If she doesn't know journlistic style, why is she there?
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:28 PM
Response to Original message |
14. so is she a member of a political party? |
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that stupid grammar nazi
It's the Nazi party. To distinguish those people who have a thing about grammar, they are generally referred to as a "grammar Nazi", or to follow strict General Semantics, a 'grammar Nazi'.
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:29 PM
Response to Original message |
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THE PAPER ALL HIGHLIGHTED
The entire paper? Every word?
What would be the point?
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muriel_volestrangler
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:31 PM
Response to Original message |
16. For all the pedants in this thread |
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may I recommend "Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" soon to be published in America. It was the bestselling book in the UK over Christmas. http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?sourceid=00395996645644787198&btob=Y&AR=Y&cds2Pid=371&ean=9781592400874
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Westegg
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:53 PM
Response to Reply #16 |
23. I'm gonna buy that book! Thanx! |
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The English language is in a constant state of flux (all languages are, I suppose, but English is mine), and I truly appreciate that fact. Because t'was ever thus. English needs to grow and change, with relevancy and broad communication as its ongoing goal. But slang is one thing; grammar another. When I read novels such as "A Clockwork Orange" or "Riddley Walker," I luxuriate in the way that these great writers have creatively imagined the vocab of the future. When I come across (far too frequently) bad grammar on the www., I rebel. I get mad. Because the violation of the fundamental laws of grammar undermines the message of the writer. And that don't serve no one.
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:31 PM
Response to Original message |
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Then I’ll enclose a copy of my Canadian Press style book
You wrote the book?
You're photocopying copywrited material?
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HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:10 PM
Response to Reply #17 |
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I'll send it to her I don't care it'll b worth the money to insult her
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:33 PM
Response to Original message |
18. Names of countries and their associated languages are usually capitalized |
ScreamingMeemie
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:33 PM
Response to Reply #18 |
19. TrogL is losing it... |
TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:35 PM
Response to Reply #19 |
HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:15 PM
Response to Reply #18 |
31. TrogL- I know all this but I couldn't care less when posting |
TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:34 PM
Response to Original message |
20. Under what conditions is berating "proper"? |
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I will properly berate her
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HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:11 PM
Response to Reply #20 |
29. Under these conditions smartypants |
YellowRubberDuckie
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Wed Feb-25-04 02:34 PM
Response to Original message |
21. Was it shit like comma placement and stupid crap like that? |
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I remember people griping at me when I was editor of my school newspaper including my english teacher. Then when I got to college and was working as a layout editor, we'd have people come to the editorial board meetings and freak out about stuff that they knew nothing about. So, I can comiserate. Duckie
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HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:14 PM
Response to Reply #21 |
30. Well, she only mark two of my stories |
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Once because I forgot to capitalize a creek's name, and once becuause I didn't capitalize head in "Head Chef"
However, she should have circled the chef part because it should not have been capitalized.
Most of what she circles is things like numbers for instance in CP style any number under ten you write out, over ten you use the actual number. So in an sentence like
"There is one 14-year-old" SHe would circle and get mad we weren't being consistant/. .
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Habibi
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Wed Feb-25-04 03:30 PM
Response to Reply #30 |
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This has to be one of the funniest, wittiest threads I've read here lately. And your last post just brought tears of joy to my eyes!
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HEyHEY
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Wed Feb-25-04 04:29 PM
Response to Reply #33 |
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Are you making fun of my lack-luster grammar here
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TrogL
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Wed Feb-25-04 05:38 PM
Response to Reply #35 |
Rabrrrrrr
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Thu Feb-26-04 06:16 PM
Response to Reply #42 |
48. TrogL, your posts made me laugh out loud! |
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I think it's wonderful you didn't correct everything in one post, but offered a separate post for each error. :-)
"You wrote the book?" LOL!
:evilgrin:
:cheers:
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YellowRubberDuckie
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Wed Feb-25-04 04:51 PM
Response to Reply #33 |
38. Don't you have security there? |
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Keep her out of your office. Duckie
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YellowRubberDuckie
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Wed Feb-25-04 04:51 PM
Response to Reply #33 |
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Edited on Wed Feb-25-04 04:52 PM by YellowRubberDuckie
Hit Post twice. sorry. Duckie
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Az
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Wed Feb-25-04 04:44 PM
Response to Original message |
( posts)
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Wed Feb-25-04 05:42 PM
Response to Original message |
43. let's hear it for Chomsky's grammar rules |
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As long as it communicates, it's ok. Grammar is in constant flux. One man's bad grammar is another man's good grammar.
I'm a proofreader by profession at the moment in a law firm, so I know all the stinking rules but the hell with them!!!
double quotes or single quotes for emphasis? Who cares?
comma inside the quote mark or outside? all depends who you ask, the British say one thing, the Americans say another....
etc.
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Shananigans
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Wed Feb-25-04 11:50 PM
Response to Original message |
HEyHEY
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Thu Feb-26-04 06:17 PM
Response to Reply #47 |
49. And now...my above plan will be executed |
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