tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4464076094633287753..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.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2495736729781245072010-07-24T05:48:37.329-07:002010-07-24T05:48:37.329-07:00Reminds me of Terry Pratchett's "Witches ...Reminds me of Terry Pratchett's "Witches Abroad" and how, due to a spelling error, an iteration of the dwarf "Glod" from a far away mountain country always apperead once king Midas touched something.<br /><br />People remembered Midas' kingdom for its very short and disgruntled population.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01936042470523695383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91681150069519283032010-07-23T08:19:01.139-07:002010-07-23T08:19:01.139-07:00Please don't like the phrase "she goes&qu...Please don't like the phrase "she goes" start replacing the correct "she says" in ANY context.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76865602227311395762010-07-23T07:57:48.579-07:002010-07-23T07:57:48.579-07:00In addition to regular old typos, I think we all h...In addition to regular old typos, I think we all have things we regularly screw up when writing. <br /><br />One NY Times bestselling author, or that author's copy editor, cannot get Colombia right. Her books contain references to pre-Columbian art, Columbian gun smugglers, etc. I know she doesn't mean South Carolina.<br /><br />When my first book came back from the copy editor, there were several grammar rules that I'd broken. Clearly, these were rules that I'd either forgotten or never learned. Humbling experience.<br /><br />I never stop and proof when I'm in the thick of writing. It stops the creative flow. I can always go back and correct the goofs later.Mary Stellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02186261066656584772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18678592869699478882010-07-23T07:18:25.074-07:002010-07-23T07:18:25.074-07:00There have been times I thought, "Geez, Ken n...There have been times I thought, "Geez, Ken needs a copy editor." The occasional time, a missing comma or such made me do a double-take to understand what you were trying to say.<br /><br />Having said that, Ken, it's more fun reading your own free-form prose. As an editor myself, I understand how we can sometimes go overboard and become a writer's buzzkill. And sometimes it's nice to see someone's humanity through the occasional typo or misused hyphen.<br /><br />The pressure on writers and editors to be perfect all the time can become ridiculous. When it comes to blogs and emails, sometimes you have to stop scrutinizing yourself and let the words flow.Michael in Vancouvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68788774458060541822010-07-23T06:37:37.782-07:002010-07-23T06:37:37.782-07:00I have nothing to add except that I totally agree ...I have nothing to add except that I totally agree with Great Big Radio Guy, 100%!!!!!!<br /><br />My word verification was misspeltRichard Ynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79077563914886423872010-07-23T06:23:20.706-07:002010-07-23T06:23:20.706-07:00Natalie WouldNatalie WouldRoger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54609082474715663582010-07-23T01:24:39.093-07:002010-07-23T01:24:39.093-07:00It doesn't help that grammar keeps changing - ...It doesn't help that grammar keeps changing - or at least, "acceptable use" keeps changing. Like, "he is a person THAT" instead of "he is a person WHO" - hell, even on Frasier (of all shows) they used "that." <br /><br />And how about "canceled" - one L or two? Spellcheck puts it at one, but the rest of the English-speaking world throws in another L.just an interlopernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16286102575419126312010-07-23T00:34:54.371-07:002010-07-23T00:34:54.371-07:00I read an interview of Christopher Walken somewher...I read an interview of Christopher Walken somewhere and he said he ignores the punctuation when reading his lines, kind of explains his delivery.<br /><br />Your post reminded me of these two guides:<br /><a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe" rel="nofollow">How To Use an Apostrophe</a><br />and...<br /><a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling" rel="nofollow">10 Words You Need To Stop Mispelling</a>l.a.guynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1832148787223473852010-07-22T21:06:11.088-07:002010-07-22T21:06:11.088-07:00There's just something inappropriate about tha...There's just something inappropriate about that picture of Natalie Wood, somehow...Paul Ducanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81995743236241845512010-07-22T20:08:01.823-07:002010-07-22T20:08:01.823-07:00"...(it’s is only used as a contraction for i..."...(it’s is only used as a contraction for it is)...."<br /><br />Oh, yeah? It's been nice reading your blog.Kevin J.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65844595745821206262010-07-22T16:30:01.781-07:002010-07-22T16:30:01.781-07:00D. McEwan said...
"Wait! Is it participle o...<b>D. McEwan said...</b><br /> <br /><i>"Wait! Is it participle or participal? Neither one is a friend of mine."</i>... <br /><br />Doug:<br /><br />Probably doesn't matter, just as long as it isn't dangling...Tom Quigleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959628996361620134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31192896743297019872010-07-22T16:02:51.002-07:002010-07-22T16:02:51.002-07:00Wait! Is it participle or participal? Neither one ...Wait! Is it participle or participal? Neither one is a friend of mine.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71078362957670136792010-07-22T16:01:07.268-07:002010-07-22T16:01:07.268-07:00"Principle or principal – the principal is yo...<i>"Principle or principal – the principal is your 'pal'."</i><br /><br />My problem with that rule was, the principal was my nemesis, and prinicinemisis isn't a word.<br /><br />After years of writing scripts, when I began writing for readers instead of for performance, I found I had to relearn a lot of usage and punctuation rules, or my work would look like it was written by some sub-literate buffoon (or Sarah Palin). When your editor tells you the participle is wrong, I didn't want to reply: "I don't actually remember what a participle is."<br /><br />I think of poor Gene Rodenberry. "To boldly go" is a split infinitive, and folks were taking the mickey out of him over that one ever after. Honestly. What would it have hurt to have Shatner rerecord the line as "To go boldly"?D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26906460368038699732010-07-22T15:28:02.421-07:002010-07-22T15:28:02.421-07:00The spelling mistake or punctuation error now and ...The spelling mistake or punctuation error now and then doesn't bother me. If you're writing something interesting, I don't want to stop the momentum by rewriting the correct usage in my head and marking you down a point.<br /><br />I was reading the Frasier script you gave us, when Sam comes back. There was an exchange between Frasier and Niles about musical trivia. Frasier guessed that C.M. was for Czeslaw McLicvic, but Niles said no, McLicvic had come down with rosin poisoning in '62 and was no longer able to pluck.<br /><br />I figured the script was in error, "rosin" when "resin" was correct. Turns out rosin was right, or more right than resin.<br /><br />The script was right, and good spelling makes an impression.Max Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706524941272103444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60783969028263063582010-07-22T11:58:45.794-07:002010-07-22T11:58:45.794-07:00Great to see gNat again. Interesting bit of non-s...Great to see gNat again. Interesting bit of non-sense: my brain knows the last term of this post is supposed to say GALLEY PROOF, so that's what I thought I saw, till my mind said, 'No, wait a minute!'<br /><br />And thank you perfesser for invoking the memory of Dizzy Dean. I loved listening to Diz and Pee Wee doing the game of the week. Hearing him say that the runner slud into 2nd, and the inevitable singing of the Wabash Canonball!Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16300021275090146448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-100119256630858552010-07-22T11:40:08.423-07:002010-07-22T11:40:08.423-07:00As a professional screenwriter, I would be unemplo...As a professional screenwriter, I would be unemployed if it weren't for spell check. At times, when a word is spelled so poorly that spellcheck has no offerings, I turn to Google to unscramble the of letters I've cobbled together. Pathetic? Yes. But Google can't write a funny couplet...yet. Cheers, BobBob and Rob Professional American Writershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13273869278815498283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54164422012167690502010-07-22T11:35:03.125-07:002010-07-22T11:35:03.125-07:00And dots dot!And dots dot!bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1369133950763172272010-07-22T11:03:18.823-07:002010-07-22T11:03:18.823-07:00As a professional editor who regularly abuses the ...As a professional editor who regularly abuses the ellipsis in my...ummm... "personal" writing, I have to say I really appreciated this post. Thanks!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15556708221720930175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27128708655838338462010-07-22T09:35:15.571-07:002010-07-22T09:35:15.571-07:00You can blame Steve Jobs for a lot of things, but ...You can blame Steve Jobs for a lot of things, but Spell Check is not among them. That was developed for IBM at Georgetown in the 70s.Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12033150781834151732010-07-22T08:58:28.260-07:002010-07-22T08:58:28.260-07:00You misspelled "blog" in the title.You misspelled "blog" in the title.Totalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5909217011235512072010-07-22T08:31:00.635-07:002010-07-22T08:31:00.635-07:00First, since I am a college history professor, I&#...First, since I am a college history professor, I'll invoke Bill Clinton and say ah feel yo pain. Many of my students won't even use spell-checker, or else make every correction that it suggests, leading to even worse spelling.<br /><br />By the way, you also reminded me of something that Red Barber said (and for those who don't know or remember, Barber trained another red-headed Dodger announcer who's still very much with us, happily). He said that he took a rhetoric class in college and it was vital to his future career because he might say something ungrammatical, but he knew he was on solid rhetorical ground. That's reminiscent of Dizzy Dean saying when he said the score was nuthin-to-nuthing and neither team had nobody on, everybody knew what he meant.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64938431349991840562010-07-22T08:26:57.730-07:002010-07-22T08:26:57.730-07:00I make it a habit to talk in comma splices all the...I make it a habit to talk in comma splices all the time, it just feels good.<br /><br />(And Mrs. B, 10th grade English, is rolling in her grave....)Dudleys Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31592507663059201762010-07-22T08:20:02.289-07:002010-07-22T08:20:02.289-07:00I have to write a daily radio prep service (or per...I have to write a daily radio prep service (or perp service, if you perfer) under intense deadline pressure (5:00 a.m.), and my pet peeve is my habit of typing so fast that I drop a word out. My brain just goes faster than my fingers, and I think a word that doesn't appear onscreen. Usually, I assume the clients can guess what it is, but when it's a word that sets up a joke that's ruined by it not being there, I just want to kick myself. The only thing more annoying than that are the people who post in the comments section of websites just to correct other people's spelling or grammar. If I cared that much about correct spelling and proper grammar, I certainly wouldn't be reading the comments section of a website.Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59069824404802579872010-07-22T08:12:20.574-07:002010-07-22T08:12:20.574-07:00Ken,
Thanks for the picture of Natalee Would...
...Ken,<br /><br />Thanks for the picture of Natalee Would...<br /><br />tqTom Quigleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959628996361620134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15508912226562070142010-07-22T08:07:25.653-07:002010-07-22T08:07:25.653-07:00Love it. Off to Tweet this link!Love it. Off to Tweet this link!Beth Ciottahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02251212401535078560noreply@blogger.com