I might as well tell you that TTAG has been a low priority for me since I won a big contract doing tech editing for a large clothing manufacturer AND decided that I wanted to go back to university full time. I might as well tell you that I’ve tried to recruit others to join me here but the attraction of a blog about grammar is about as appealing for most as having your wisdom teeth pulled sans Novocaine. I might as well show you this screenshot that I’m sure will at least make you snicker:
I might as well point out to L’avventura that the phrase is “might as well” not “minus well.”
Finally, I might as well tell you that the state of good grammar is at its lowest I’ve ever seen. I fear I am losing the war. I am attending a well-known university in Boston, MA, and not only are my peers horrible, but one of my instructors shocked—shocked! I tell you—me with his horrible writing. To make matters worse, he taught a science class, a discipline that demands accuracy and precision. Despite his ineptitude, I passed with an “A” (and I grabbed many juicy screenshots of his work which I’ll put up soon). Thanks for sticking around.
Count the Errors, "Sharpwind" Edition (wink, wink)
This is for my buddy, DJS, who alerted me to this fine comment. Count the errors! Damn, I lost count! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . . . 13, 14, 15 . . .
"Bailout" versus "bail out"
I proofread a blog called “The Truth About Cars” and, as you can imagine, there’s been much written on the domestic auto industry of late. While the site’s contributors try to keep the posts light and humorous, there is a need to report the news truthfully without spin (ahem, MSM). Bailouts are a popular topic and require me to be extra vigilant. Too often “bailout” and “bail out” are used interchangably though they mean two different things. “Bailout” is a noun, as in The auto industry bailout is a boondoggle. “Bail out” is a verb + modifier, as in I’m going to bail out if this plane suffers a malfunction or Help me bail out this water before the boat sinks!
