The Truth About Grammar » Spelling

How Do You Tell a Car Guy?

JP — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:30:05 +0000

When he writes “suspensions” when he means “suspicions.”

A Whine

JP — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:23:11 +0000

You’d think someone who went to college would know how to spell wineries, especially if he or she worked in a tasting room while attending college. But, no. Also, that is not an appropriate use of “ironically.” There is nothing ironic about your friend working there.

In the What?

JP — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:48:00 +0000

Not sure I’d respond to this eye-catching headline. The neighborhood must smell bad . . .

What Would Jeff Do?

JP — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:56:50 +0000

This person:

wrote the below in the item description. Soldiers, fight!

How Not to Advertise Your Business

JP — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:12:18 +0000

This was on Mashable in response to a story on the correlation between Old Spice’s viral videos and their products’ recent sales. Is Howie unclear on the concept of a blog? Does this principal of Sky Pulse Media, which claims to specialize in social media and customer engagement, not understand the nuances that distinguish most blogs from most traditional news outlets? In most cases, blogging is about niches, attracting page views, and feeding an ever-hungry monster with material. Good bloggers see potential connections and hypothetical cause and effect relationships that translate into stories that draw readers and encourage dialogue in the comments. I know only a few bloggers that have the time and resources to thoroughly vet the rumors, hints, claims and tips that give birth to blog posts. Those that do I usually consider as sources of dependable journalism; all others are interesting entertainment. Chill out, Howie.

Poor Howie doesn’t seem to understand the industry in which he claims to be a professional. Worse is that any credibility he may have is decimated by his poor spelling and grammar and angry reaction to a benign story. Any client that hires a marketing firm whose employee(s) can’t spell “you’re” deserves whatever it gets; and any client that does not vet this guy’s claims of being a marketing specialist (simply one look at SPM’s website speaks volumes) is a moron.

Grammar matters! It reflects your knowledge, professionalism and credibility. Nothing says amateur, idiot or unprofessional quite like “your an idiot” or “Apple’s for Sale!”

What A Disaster!

JP — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:09 +0000

Grant, there is no e and there are only three syllables in “disastrous.” Want yourself and your alternative news site taken seriously? Then spell well.

Proof That Life Is Not Fair

JP — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:26:48 +0000

This dipshit is on a full scholarship . . .

Weekend’s Here . . . Time for a Garage Sale

Jeff Puthuff — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 03:01:29 +0000

Lightening Strike?

Jeff Puthuff — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:24:01 +0000

Snapped this on RawStory.com. Lightning is Zeus’ weapon; lightening means “making light/er.” Duh.

State of Teaching at University Level

Jeff Puthuff — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:48:33 +0000

I mentioned a couple of posts ago an instructor I had that had atrocious grammar. I present now two samples of his “work” that made learning more difficult than necessary. Remember, this guy taught a science course. I’ve changed the most egregious errors to red text.

Is it any wonder that spelling and grammar is getting worse? With teaching like this, I forecast much work for proofreaders and editors.