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Holy Mother Grammatica

Started by Elkhound, September 24, 2012, 10:32:14 AM

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Elkhound

http://silvablu.skeeter63.org/HMG/00-Introduction.htm

The examples are all from fanfic on the TV show "The Sentinel", but her advice is sound.

DesertRose

LOL, her advice is sound and packaged in a rather amusing fashion.  :D
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

Jerusha

This is the first time I've ever enjoyed a grammar lesson.  :)
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Alkari

Great fun.  I loved this one, in the 'common mistakes' section:-

tiramisu: Not "tiara misu." There are no rhinestones on this particular Italian dessert.

Not even when served at Hollywood weddings!

Elkhound

My favorite was the one about 'camera angels' (where the writer meant 'camera angles.')

DesertRose

Quote from: Elkhound on September 28, 2012, 10:11:35 PM
My favorite was the one about 'camera angels' (where the writer meant 'camera angles.')

That one may have been a typo rather than an actual word choice error.  I know I make transposition typos like that all the time.
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

Alkari

She makes a good point about using the spell-check function, which is only of use to pick up typos or glaring errors.  Many people protest and say: "Oh, but I used the spell check!" if you point out errors.   I used to find this when supervising staff writing reports or letters: what I had to explain to them was that the words had been spelled correctly, but that they had actually used the wrong words entirely - effect / affect, stationery/stationary, there/their, and so on.    And of course, the more advanced functions about grammar checking are only of use if the person has a basic knowledge of grammar in the first place - apostrophes breed like plague rabbits because people don't understand possessive vs plural vs a contraction  (it's vs its), and it's no use a grammar check function alerting them to use of the passive voice if they have no idea what that is in the first place.   *sigh*.   


DesertRose

And as any English major knows, it's an excellent idea to have an actual human being take a look at anything you've written before you turn it in to whatever higher authority (teacher/professor, supervisor, editor), because sometimes another set of eyes will catch things you miss.

This is why every decent writer has beta readers, even if s/he doesn't call them that.  :)

Oh, and on the topic of spell-check functions not catching word choice errors (not my work, I'm not sure who wrote it, otherwise I'd credit the author):

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

Elkhound

My favorite spellcheck story was how on a Harry Potter discussion my spellchecker kept trying to change 'Slytherin' to 'Lutheran.'  Who knew that Microsoft was Calvinist? 

DesertRose

That's cute.

MS Word's spell checker used to be unhappy about certain names.  I had a professor in college/uni named Morrison; Word thought I meant moron, which was about as far off true as you could get--she (Dr. Morrison) was sharper than a rapier, and could (verbally) skewer you as fast as one, also, if you ran afoul of her.  (I never personally ticked her off that I knew of, but I saw her chew the dickens out of a classmate who had been late to class three times in a row.)
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

Elkhound

#10
Quote from: DesertRose on September 29, 2012, 04:10:22 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on September 28, 2012, 10:11:35 PM
My favorite was the one about 'camera angels' (where the writer meant 'camera angles.')

That one may have been a typo rather than an actual word choice error.  I know I make transposition typos like that all the time.

True, but as HMG remarks, the image of angels holding cameras and driving away camera demons is SO delightful!

DesertRose

Quote from: Elkhound on October 04, 2012, 02:43:51 PM
Quote from: DesertRose on September 29, 2012, 04:10:22 PM
Quote from: Elkhound on September 28, 2012, 10:11:35 PM
My favorite was the one about 'camera angels' (where the writer meant 'camera angles.')

That one may have been a typo rather than an actual word choice error.  I know I make transposition typos like that all the time.

True, but as HMG results, the image of angels holding cameras and driving away camera demons is SO delightful!

True.  That is a very cute mental image.  :)
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)