Grammar police
[Yesterday, my American friends celebrated National Grammar Day, so I decided to dedicate today’s blog entry to everyone who protects and defends grammar. I realize I harped onabout punctuation back in September, but grammar extends beyond mere punctuation.]
Does it take tremendous self-control for you to resist correcting egregious grammatical errors on posters, brochures, web content and signs? If so, then consider yourself a card-carrying member of the grammar police.
If you aren't familiar with this elite squad, then allow me to share a few things about those of us who are members.
Yuck! This morning, Microsoft Word suggested I substitute “you’re not alone” with “you is not alone” in this blog post. For the record, the only time “you is” failed to make me cringe was when Aibileen repeated “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” to young Mae Mobley in The Help. In that case, the shared moment and the self-affirming message were more important than grammar.
Now, I’ll readily admit that I take liberties with grammar. Sometimes I stretch its limits in my tweets. Yes, I’m guilty of abusing the ellipsis and exclamation points when I write in a casual tone. Heck, for effect, I may even mess with the rules for prepositions and modifiers.
Realizing you’re not alone in wishing for a world where every day is National Grammar Day, well that’s
Does it take tremendous self-control for you to resist correcting egregious grammatical errors on posters, brochures, web content and signs? If so, then consider yourself a card-carrying member of the grammar police.
If you aren't familiar with this elite squad, then allow me to share a few things about those of us who are members.
- We’re vigilant, not mean.
- We abide by grammar rules at work, because failing to do so reflects poorly on our employers, detracts from the intended message, undermines our own credibility and sets a bad example for others.
- We’re more accurate than built-in software tools. Need proof? Check out today’s photo below.
Now, I’ll readily admit that I take liberties with grammar. Sometimes I stretch its limits in my tweets. Yes, I’m guilty of abusing the ellipsis and exclamation points when I write in a casual tone. Heck, for effect, I may even mess with the rules for prepositions and modifiers.
But in general, I show grammar plenty of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Fortunately, other people do the same.
There’s a proliferation of blogs, books, shirts, comics, mugs and photo essays to highlight grammar gaffes and explain how to apply the rules of grammar. Thank you, fellow grammar police.
There’s a proliferation of blogs, books, shirts, comics, mugs and photo essays to highlight grammar gaffes and explain how to apply the rules of grammar. Thank you, fellow grammar police.
Realizing you’re not alone in wishing for a world where every day is National Grammar Day, well that’s
AWESOME!!!
If you find you ever want a hand on the grammar front, then I encourage you to check out two of my favourite grammar-related sites:
Hey, how did those format-foiling gremlins sneak in here? Somehow my Word file gave Blogger some ghost commands, which wreaked havoc with my font size, paragraph spacing and all that jazz. Aaargh.
ReplyDeleteI believe I've now tidied up those layout hiccups. I guess that's just a reminder that factors other than grammar can undermine professionalism. Even when you think you know how something will look on screen or in print, always proof your layout, your blues or whatever else you can check and double check.
Sheepishly,
Lise
Is there a version of DYAC for Microsoft Word? That screen shot is priceless!
ReplyDelete