tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post876955200645387034..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Blog spelling and punctuatio, or lack of sameBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50718678929235871222013-11-18T08:02:23.887-08:002013-11-18T08:02:23.887-08:00Aoccdrnig to rscheearch dnoe at an Elingsh uinervt...Aoccdrnig to rscheearch dnoe at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it<br />deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny<br />iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are at the rghit<br />pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit<br />porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the<br />wrod as a wlohe.JT Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17859574895105837480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3246157992708947752013-11-18T01:44:47.236-08:002013-11-18T01:44:47.236-08:00I agree that attention to proper grammar and spell...I agree that attention to proper grammar and spelling is (and should be) secondary to getting ideas onto the page. However, before the material is distributed, whether it's a script, newspaper article, or blog, the errors should be corrected so as to not distract someone who reads it. While a typo or two slipping through the cracks is understandable, allowing any more than that is simply unprofessional and disrespectful. Waves of Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17441593487387142147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45807785735336775182013-11-17T07:54:34.382-08:002013-11-17T07:54:34.382-08:00Re the photo of Natalie, and with allusion to one ...Re the photo of Natalie, and with allusion to one of my all-time-favorite movie lines (Sean Connery to Jill St. John in "Diamonds Are Forever")...<br /><br /><i>I wonder if the puppy matches the pussy?</i><br /><br />Laughs galore.Igornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16217814801511968822013-11-17T06:58:23.337-08:002013-11-17T06:58:23.337-08:00Kelsey Grammar: You're not entirely right. For...Kelsey Grammar: You're not entirely right. For one thing, British and US practice differ substantially on this. For another, the relative positions of . and " depend to some extent on percentages and usage. So, <br /><br />He said, "It's a proofreading nightmare."<br /><br />BUT<br /><br />He called it a "proofreading nightmare". <br /><br />Jon88: The problem I have is that in some shows - for example, MAD MEN, which is set in the period in which I was going to school and being taught the correct usage of "lie" and "lay" and "you and I", I find it really jarring when the characters say something that's grammatically incorrect because I can't tell if it's a character note or the writers' own modern error. So I wish *those* shows would hire me to fix those things. :)<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84137218441648769992013-11-17T03:11:34.335-08:002013-11-17T03:11:34.335-08:00I think there's a general movement to try and ...I think there's a general movement to try and improve grammar because people can see it slipping. Not just in blogs, but in magazines, advertisements, even newspapers. The fact that "literally" can now also mean "figuratively" is a prime example for many of this growing ignorance. <br /><br />But, stepping back from that, language changes and evolves. When Samuel Johnson wrote the first ever dictionary his goal was to chart the language as it was, not to impose heavy rules on it. In an effort to reduce confusion he tried to write a guide that would aid understanding. <br /><br />Somewhere along the way the roles got reversed, and many of us had the importance of this standardized version of the language drummed into us at school. It makes sense, I guess, if we all speak exactly the same language, confusion will be reduced. <br /><br />But if there's no confusion, and everyone understands what was written, then pointing out mistakes often appears to come out of a desire to look superior -- and that's not a great reason to do something. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42533922641498563462013-11-17T01:17:35.718-08:002013-11-17T01:17:35.718-08:00I noted one error in your blog post. The principa...I noted one error in your blog post. The principal is not your pal. If he is, he'll get fired.Breadbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9228251099725079572013-11-16T22:07:54.607-08:002013-11-16T22:07:54.607-08:00One would hope that by the time your manuscript re...One would hope that by the time your manuscript reaches the proofreading stage the copy editor would have caught the grammar mistakes.Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90425382058494111392013-11-16T15:46:24.437-08:002013-11-16T15:46:24.437-08:00Jon88 wrote, "I grant you that people don'...Jon88 wrote, "I grant you that people don't always talk in grammatically correct sentences, but it would be nice if movie and TV characters could distinguish between 'you and I' and 'you and me' at least one time in ten (to pick only one common error)."<br /><br />With respect, you've revealed the answer to your own complaint. If professional writers forget the distinctions, how many lay people are likely to remember them? If the characters are supposed to be average people, then mistakes are appropriate. OTOH, if the script contains a scene set at an editors' meeting for the Chicago Manual of Style...Kaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51860351495837000222013-11-16T15:22:12.385-08:002013-11-16T15:22:12.385-08:00Something about that picture seems inappropriate.....Something about that picture seems inappropriate...<br /><br /><br />I read that News Corp's FXX cab;e network has signed a deal with sister 20th Century-Fox Television that could be worth a billion dollars, for them to air THE SIMPSONS. How much of that will you and David get?Paul Ducanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44559181213663504422013-11-16T13:25:56.839-08:002013-11-16T13:25:56.839-08:00So, did we feed you and Deb Salmon when you were l...So, did we feed you and Deb Salmon when you were last here (a gazillion years ago) and is that why we haven't seen you since????<br />Note: Spencer always thought that was the case... who knewCoreynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73535558905894436682013-11-16T13:23:00.627-08:002013-11-16T13:23:00.627-08:00Hey Ken,
when you mentioned the mis-spelling from ...Hey Ken,<br />when you mentioned the mis-spelling from your earlier book... you completely missed a G O L D E N<br />opportunity to do another of your famous, shameless plugs... for your new book. Shame on you...Coreynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57182116256435292182013-11-16T13:04:18.194-08:002013-11-16T13:04:18.194-08:00As Ralph Wiggum once said (back when The Simpsons ...As Ralph Wiggum once said (back when The Simpsons was still funny): "Me fail English? That's unpossible".<br /><br />By the way, though I asked a Friday question yesterday re. the Cheers title sequence, I wanna scratch that and ask a different one, as I realized next Friday is the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, so my question is what are your recollections of that day?Hamidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33706719012750504802013-11-16T11:59:49.549-08:002013-11-16T11:59:49.549-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.外國人https://www.blogger.com/profile/02283303820702952636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53259819603352915262013-11-16T11:32:56.770-08:002013-11-16T11:32:56.770-08:00In my college radio years, I once corrected a miss...In my college radio years, I once corrected a misspelled word on a program director's office bulletin board memo, then forgot about the incident until that same PD hired me some years later and recalled the "teaching moment." He genuinely thanked me for having instilled the proper spelling of the word in his vocabulary, but that recollection taught me a lesson: to be more tactful and - whenever the urge to flash the grammar police badge couldn't be sufficiently nipped in the bud - to do it privately.<br /><br />A humorous blog is a wonderful thing: it makes it far easier to forgive any misspellings and usage errors while I'm laughing my head off. Then there are those rare, unintentionally-hilarious online usage slip-ups that manage to out-Levine even Ken:<br /><br />"I reached down and touched my toes, counted to ten, then raised myself back up and put both hands on my waste..."Yah Shurenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69716503591607752852013-11-16T11:25:23.087-08:002013-11-16T11:25:23.087-08:00Nothing will make one a grammar nazi more than a g...Nothing will make one a grammar nazi more than a girlfriend who was a grammar nazi on you. I had one of those and she was totally worth it at the time. But the anal retentiveness of spotting mistakes remained all these years. That's not to say what I'm writing here is grammatically correct, but the fact that I even brought that up speaks volumes of my neurosis.Howard Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05377628524697677407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90711618545308970902013-11-16T10:40:50.886-08:002013-11-16T10:40:50.886-08:00Over at Nationals Journal, the Washington National...Over at Nationals Journal, the Washington Nationals blog from the Washington Post, many commenters regularly inveigh about grammar and misspelling in the entries as compared to Nats stories in the print version of the Post -- not realizing that the biggest and most crucial difference is that (aside from story accuracy), speed is the highest priority when it comes to beat blogging. If Nats GM Mike Rizzo trades for Matt Garza, the Post reporter wants to get the particulars of the deal before CSN Washington or the MASN reporters do. <br /><br />I do some freelance proofreading and fix most of the punctuation mistakes I see in the press releases I work with, but I don't go overboard with it; that's not what the client wants.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54671442647566167832013-11-16T10:36:56.546-08:002013-11-16T10:36:56.546-08:00"...get your ideas on the page while their in..."...get your ideas on the page while their in your head..." <br /><br />they're<br /><br />Remember, the grammar police are your friend. We are here to help you. I wouldn't worry too much, Ken. With the Twitter and Facebook spellings and abbreviations popping up everywhere our language is doomed. Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-92138251196089864872013-11-16T10:05:48.798-08:002013-11-16T10:05:48.798-08:00I have no control over being the grammar police in...I have no control over being the grammar police in my head, but I do have control over what I say, so I never say anything to anyone about their grammar issues... because I'm not an asshole. <br /><br />ONLY BECAUSE we're on the subject today, however, I will point out one thing you did today, which I have also seen you do previously. The period at the end of the sentence goes inside the quotation marks, even when it seems counter-intuitive. So, where you wrote "proofer's challenge". it should have been "proofer's challenge." And the same with "pal." In the grand scheme of things, a pretty minor transgression, but, since we were on the subject....<br /><br />Kelsey Grammar (not Kelsey Grammer, to avoid any potential speculation by those who misse the pun, which at this point kind of makes it not worth having chosen this pseudonym if it requires this much explanation)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10564868811188627842013-11-16T09:42:53.373-08:002013-11-16T09:42:53.373-08:00Some of us correcting Ken's grammar errors is ...Some of us correcting Ken's grammar errors is like the guy in the Vatican bitching that Michelangelo was dripping paint spots on the Sistine floor.Barefoot Billy Alohahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586870309250699505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85540157559920054122013-11-16T08:58:36.944-08:002013-11-16T08:58:36.944-08:00I grant you that people don't always talk in g...I grant you that people don't always talk in grammatically correct sentences, but it would be nice if movie and TV characters could distinguish between "you and I" and "you and me" at least one time in ten (to pick only one common error). As far as blogging is concerned, allowances are made. But it does jar when you write glowingly of people, especially friends, and misspell their names. I know you don't mean to imply disrespect to these folks, that is somewhat how it reads.Jon88https://www.blogger.com/profile/16908049871851563389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39174836182475560152013-11-16T08:54:00.442-08:002013-11-16T08:54:00.442-08:00I think I spotted a typo in the first few paragrap...I think I spotted a typo in the first few paragraphs of your post.Toledohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00180487031633463059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5464605654575913162013-11-16T08:41:10.449-08:002013-11-16T08:41:10.449-08:00You need to get people to realise that there are t...You need to get people to realise that there are two grammars in every language - one for the spoken language and one for the written one. Most of us crack the first one pretty well by the time we're five years old, thanks to lots of help from Mum and Dad. Then we go to school and not only do we learn about the existence of other one, we also get told that it's better and more correct. <br /><br />Hence most grammar books cover the rules for the posh version, the written one. And that's the one they use to teach English to foreigners. That's why people always say that foreigners speak English much better than native speakers. They don't actually, but because they don't know the grammar of the spoken language they use the written one instead. It sounds odd, but memories of our seven year old selves being slapped over the knuckles with a ruler make us think that we are the ones that are getting it wrong.<br /><br />Maybe the next Levine project should be a definitive grammar of the spoken word. Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89261502917638677702013-11-16T07:52:45.589-08:002013-11-16T07:52:45.589-08:00Did ABC warn that if Robert doesn't want to bl...Did ABC warn that if Robert doesn't want to blend completely into the SHARK TANK set he had to become extremely petulant?Brian O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09023652901791074595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90883576018175836112013-11-16T07:08:14.067-08:002013-11-16T07:08:14.067-08:00Well said Ken....I once had a boss that opened ALL...Well said Ken....I once had a boss that opened ALL mail even addressed to others in the department. He spell checked and corrected the grammar in letter margin, and circled the offending word(s) to the incoming mail then put it in our mail box.Richard Ynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45113212927194421472013-11-16T06:48:56.097-08:002013-11-16T06:48:56.097-08:00OK, I'll stop pointing out typos, spelling err...OK, I'll stop pointing out typos, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes.<br /><br />But not fact-checking: Steve Jobs did *not* invent the spelling checker!<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.com