An E-Newsletter of Profitable Advice about Writing
To Increase Your Personal and Organizational Success
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| December 2009
Volume II, Issue 12
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| Writing, Editing, Ghostwriting & Publishing Services
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My office is conveniently located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. |
But if you don't have a boat,
send me an e-mail.
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Do You Have Any Pet Grammar Peeves?
Are there some misuses of the English language that really irritate you? We'll talk about that fascinating topic in this issue. Plus, I'll introduce you to a first-time author, and you'll get to take our famous grammar quiz. Enjoy reading about writing, and Merry Christmas!
Michael J. Dowling
Professional Writer, Editor, Ghostwriter & Publisher |
What's Your Pet Grammar Peeve?
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Al Kennedy of Newnan, Georgia, recently sent me a copy of an article that appeared in his hometown paper. (Yes, Newnan does have a newspaper!) The article praised a worker in the Department of Family Services "for literally keeping children from falling through the cracks."
Al wrote, "I could picture this woman grabbing children by their heels to keep them from disappearing through the cracks in the floor. One on my pet peeves is when people use the word 'literally' when they're really speaking or writing figuratively."
That started me thinking about the subject of pet grammar peeves. As someone who writes for a living, I admit to having lots of them.
Last week, while grocery shopping at Publix, I was delighted to see that the signs at the express checkout lanes read "10 or fewer items." In contrast, shopping at Wal-Mart for me is always a painful experience.
I can't help thinking that somebody in the Wal-Mart
corporate headquarters made a conscious decision to dumb down the signage to appeal to the masses. Why else would the the express checkout signs in all of their stores read "20 or less items"?
Al and I aren't the only ones who have pet grammar peeves.
My wife, Sarah, has quite a few. That's probably because she grew up in Darien, CT, where people say tomaaahto instead of tomato.
Whenever our granddaughter, Madison, says, "Me and my girlfriend did such and such," Sarah never fails to snap back, "My girlfriend and I! My girlfriend and I!"
Our 18-year-old, 6' 4" son, Eben, knows just how to get his mother's goat. When Sarah asks him how he's doing, he answers, "I'm doing good."
How about you?
What is your pet grammar peeve? Write and tell me about it. Perhaps I'll share it with our readers in a future issue of "The Write Stuff!"
While you're at it, I'd like to know whether grammatical mistakes in website copy, e-mails, and other written communications affect your impression of the person or organization responsible.
For example, do you care if an e-mail says "effect" when it should say "affect," or if a website's copy reads "complimentary" when the right word is "complementary"?
In this newsletter, I've often said that good grammar promotes success. But I could be wrong. Maybe I'm overstating the case.
So I'm conducting an informal survey, and I invite you to write and give me your opinion. Just make sure your e-mail doesn't contain any grammatical errors! |
Why keep all the fun to yourself? Tell your friends about "The Write Stuff" newsletter!
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Congratulations to Marty Harshberger!
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On the publication of his first book
Bottom Line Focus
How to Take Your Business from Surviving to Thriving in 18 Proven Steps
Now available at
http://www.BottomLineFocus.com
It was a privilege helping Marty become a first-time author. And it was truly a pleasure to receive the following e-mail from him this week: Mike,
I just received the copies of my book from the printer, and I gave away two of them to executives I know. Both really liked it. In fact, they said they made notes and underlined key passages. One called today and ordered six copies for his staff. The other said he had never read a book where the author's personality came through so well!
I wanted to share this positive response with you. You did a great job working with me on my book, and it's really encouraging to get this kind of feedback.
Marty |
Our Famous Grammar Quiz
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Are any of the following sentences grammatically incorrect?
(a) Most CEO's have a lot of responsibility.
(b) It's unusual for a dog to bite it's owner.
(c) I buy clothes from the Lands' End catalog.
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
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| White Papers Worth Reading |
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Answer to Grammar Quiz
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All three sentences are grammatically incorrect!
Sentence (a) should read CEOs, not CEO's. An apostrophe indicates possesion, which in this case is not intended.
Sentence (b) should read "to bite its owner" instead of "to bite it's owner. It's is a contraction of it is, while its is a possessive pronoun.
Sentence (c) is also incorrect. Because there is only one land, the apostrophe should be placed before the "s" rather than after.
If you missed this last one, don't be too concerned. The catalog itself has it wrong! Lynne Truss, author of the excellent book about punctuation titled Eats, Shoots & Leaves, has tried to get the company's management to correct this error, but they steadfastly refuse. |
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Michael J Dowling ~ Writer ~ Editor ~ Ghostwriter ~ Publisher
133 Worthing Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Phone: 912.230.5051 Fax: 912.634.5777
E-mail: MJD@MichaelJDowling.com Website: www.MichaelJDowling.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljdowling
Clear, concise, creative, and convincing writing and editing to enable individuals and organizations
to accomplish their goals and increase their visibility, credibility, and profitability.
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