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Topic: Bad Grammar
| Author | Message |
| neugirl | Posted – 4/9/2008 5:30:12 PM | show profile I've noticed that I'm reading a lot of books these days with really obvious and embarrassing grammatical errors. I guess in an effort to get the books published as quickly as possible they don't go through the same strict editing process anymore. |
| sophiesMOM | Posted – 4/9/2008 6:05:24 PM | show profile you're telling me. i was reading a Peter Pan pop-up book to my two-year old the other night and came across the word "replyed" as in "...Peter replyed to Tinker Bell." ugh. |
| neugirl | Posted – 4/9/2008 8:46:00 PM | show profile Check this out: Clearly, Trey Stevens's ego was totally out of control. Stevens's? |
| writerandeditor | Posted – 4/9/2008 8:55:25 PM | show profile I think adding the extra s after an apostrophe is a style thing. I'm not fond of it, but I've edited copy that uses that style. |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 4/9/2008 11:16:00 PM | show profile Personally I like the added s. I know it's not AP, but to me Stevens' doesn't make any sense--unless there is more than one Steven and they all possess the same thing. It actually irks me to seethe s left out for that reason. But like someone already said, a matter of style or opinion. |
| neugirl | Posted – 4/10/2008 11:10:22 AM | show profile I actually didn't realize it was acceptable to add an extra "s" like that so I've learned something. But there were other mistakes that I'm sure would not be deemed as acceptable but I don't think people are as picky about good grammar and accurate spelling as they used to be. |
| Mr. Biggles | Posted – 4/10/2008 11:51:07 AM | show profile This is merely an example of Chicago style (Stevens's) vs. AP (Stevens'). |
| sofisays | Posted – 4/10/2008 1:53:25 PM | show profile Now your talking... I recently posted on another forum in MB, about this very topic. Mistakes are made. When I send in something that has errors in it- either grammatical, spelling, or commas is it the end of the world? I am not talking about every sentance having an error, but a few little missing commas or maybe- maybe one wrongly spelled word. Point is: if books are being published with errors, why can't a well written, thought provoking article be given the slightest bit of slack? What is better- a boring grammatically perfect article or a made you smile and think article, with a comma or two out of place? Having said that- I try my utmost not to have any errors- but as you all know it is not so easy... |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 4/10/2008 5:39:50 PM | show profile It's always good to have someone read your stuff, since your eyes will run right over your own mistakes. But if it's the first time you're dealing with an editor, those things stand out and look unprofessional, especially when it's the simple stuff like the difference between "your" "and you're" (Not trying to be a jerk but only helpful...you have that wrong in your subject line. I only say that because it's one of those mistakes that really bothers an editor and I'd hate to see you get rejected because of it down the line, since it's an easy mistake to repeat. All the best.) |
| neugirl | Posted – 4/10/2008 8:29:53 PM | show profile Good point!! |
| sofisays | Posted – 4/10/2008 10:27:13 PM | show profile You are jkdscribe- Thank you for pointing out an obvious mistake, one in which, I would not have caught- Seeing as how I have completely forgotten a major portion of my grammar school lessons. I really need to brush up on all of the bells and whistles in writing.. Anytime you feel like editing my post's- have at it! Question- is the apostrophe s correct with post? Oh, I'm in for a long haul... |
| sofisays | Posted – 4/10/2008 10:29:13 PM | show profile oops.. It sounds as if I am saying, "you are a .." No- No I get the you're and your difference. Sorry, my bad- Again. |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 4/10/2008 11:10:30 PM | show profile Normally I would never (I think this is the first time, actually) edit interet posts. This is a casual internet forum where I'm sure I've made mistakes, and I don't want to come off as a pompous ass. Just thought, given the nature of the thread, I'd point it out. Glad to be of some help. Take care. |
| pzach | Posted – 4/11/2008 1:50:38 AM | show profile I just finished reading "The Three Trillion Dollar War." In one point they confused billion for trillion dollars. That's a pretty big mistake to make. Sigh. ------ ------ Great new music every day! www.returnticketmusic.com |
| sofisays | Posted – 4/11/2008 11:25:45 AM | show profile | email poster New subject- which, that. Hi everybody- have a good one here... What is the difference or preference? Do editors frown on the word that. SHould you try to employ another word in its place? Thanks! |
| leprechaunsy | Posted – 4/11/2008 3:35:23 PM | show profile Which/that is another grammar issue. For a great grammar guide -- one that's easy to understand and actually pleasant to read -- check out "When Words Collide." It was our handbook at a top-tier journalism school, and it's one of the best books for beginners. |
| Blossom | Posted – 4/18/2008 7:35:18 PM | show profile | email poster Sofisays, the end of . . . I mean this kindly, Sofisays. It may not be the end of the world, but it could easily be the end of an editor's attention. Especially in a first line, the difference between your and you're, its and it's, was and were, could be whether your spec piece is read or tossed. Get yourself a grammar guide or take a good grammar course. Give yourself the advantage of a good first impression. |
| arewrites | Posted – 4/20/2008 4:18:58 AM | show profile >>jkdscribe- Thank you for pointing out an obvious mistake, one in which, I would not have caught- Seeing as how I have completely forgotten a major portion of my grammar school lessons. I really need to brush up on all of the bells and whistles in writing.. Anytime you feel like editing my post's- have at it! Question- is the apostrophe s correct with post? Oh, I'm in for a long haul...<< I don't know if you meant this deliberately, but you should know, if you didn't, that every single one of the sentences above contains grammatical errors, some of which are cringe-worthy. You might want to spend some time in the reference section of your local bookstore and select a few books to keep on hand. Many editors I know -- and if I still worked as an editor, I would be one, too --- simply delete queries with grammatical errors. And no, the apostrophe is not correct. An apostrophe stands in place of the possessive (his/hers/its), as in "jim his car" or "susie her house" (which become "jim's car" and "susie's house"). The plural "s" does not involve an apostrophe: "cars, " "houses," etc. |
| arewrites | Posted – 4/20/2008 4:26:30 AM | show profile Sofi, you've also noted in your own post why these things matter: grammatical errors can change the entire meaning of a sentence. So yes, a good story, badly written, is absolutely worse than a bad story well-written. In fact, a less-interesting story, if it is written well enough, will fascinate and entertain the reader. A great story, written sloppily, won't. More to the point, the difference between phrases like "your sh*t" and "you're sh*t" should be enough to make you realize that yes, grammar, spelling, punctuation -- these things definitely count. |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 4/21/2008 12:15:06 AM | show profile Best book I know of regarding grammar & style "The Elements of Style"--Strunk and White. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 4/21/2008 12:43:33 AM | show profile It's my understanding that most pop=up books and many children's books are printed in China these days because of the lower printing cost. That could explain the typo on something you might think was easy to catch -- a pop-up book with just a few words. In a country where English is the first language, everyone who sees the product in progress stands a chance of catching a typo. THat's my theory. |
| worldofnatasha | Posted – 4/21/2008 1:36:21 AM | show profile apropos of nothing... my big pet peeve: when books call the foreword a "forward." I've seen this countless times -- it drives me nuts! |
| Chitownwritergal | Posted – 4/21/2008 2:51:09 AM | show profile Arewrites, you and I think alike. Cringe-worthy, indeed. |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 4/21/2008 12:08:01 PM | show profile funny related story... I remember reading somewhere where the old Nintendo game "Donkey Kong" got its name. It was made in China and the people making it wanted to name to be some version of 'stubborn gorilla." So they got thesaurus. They found the word donkey after looking for words meaning stubborn, and used Kong from King Kong. Helps to know the language, I guess, when you're dealing with publishing. |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 4/21/2008 12:08:54 PM | show profile oops should say "the name" not "to name" |
