Since I started as an intern at this company in 2006, I’ve had a hand in about 17 years’ worth of our magazines–Grassroots Motorsports and our sister publication, Classic Motorsports. I’ve cast my eyes over almost every word that’s appeared in those 200-plus issues, checking for grammatical correctness and readability.
And after all these years as copy and design editor, …
Can we *please* start an argument about one space behind a period or two? I'm solidly in the two spaces camp myself, not that it matters, of course.
Also the Oxford Comma; hot, or not? I say hot.
Bathroom doors that say "Mens". I see it almost every day. Drives me a little nuts.
"Men" is plural. "Mens" is not a word.
The sign should say "Men" or "Men's".
They're their there
two to too
for sell
no punctuation run on sentences with multiple thoughts
"Needs replaced" or the like. It's not hard to write "needs replacing" or "needs to be replaced"
"Needs breaks"
My own "your" instead of "you're".
I know the difference, but my spellcheck often changes it to "your" when I type "you're"and it annoys me. Sometimes I don't catch it.
Decimated (which means reduce by 10%), instead of devastated, for when something is completely destroyed.
Incredible (which means not trust worthy) instead of extraordinary.
Missing Oxford comma.
And, in the age of spell check, there is no excuse for misspelled words.
"An historic..." This does not follow the rules.
A dog.
An apple.
was/were see/saw/seen. Those are both notorious Midwestern words misused consistently.
SV reX said:"Needs breaks"
Using "till" instead of " 'til ". To till is to dig up the dirt. " 'til" is the shortened version of "until". I have even seen this in closed captions on TV, and I fear that it will be one of those errors that is just becoming acceptable.
And the use of apostrophe s for plural forms.
I'm weary of people using "wary" when they mean fatigued or exhausted... and the converse.
Same with anxious/excited. If you are anxious to see me, then don't!
My favorite misspelling: the French word meaning "look" or "behold" ----- walla!
Appleseed said:"An historic..." This does not follow the rules.
A dog.
An apple.
Not so sure about that one. Do we sleep in "an hotel"?
When did hanged replace hung? There are a few similar to that.
The one that really gets me is when someone says he has an "ideal". That may be local but I hear it a lot.
"An" is correct usage before words starting with "H".
Hanged is the past tense of hang, as it relates to execution.
In reply to bludroptop :
You mean like "an happy moment"?
In reply to SV reX :
For the letter “H”, the pronunciation dictates the indefinite article: Use “a” before words where you pronounce the letter “H” such as “a hat,” “a house” or “a happy cat.” Use “an” before words where you don't pronounce the letter “H” such as “an herb,” “an hour,” or “an honorable man.”
In reply to bludroptop :
I agree
"He is risen" religious bumper stickers referring to Jesus. Is is present tense. The sky is blue. The Pontiac Aztek is cool. Risen is past tense. The Wright Flyer had risen to a height of 8 feet on their first flight.
Try reading "The Sun is risen at 6:07 today." I get the religious aspect of Jesus being everything, everywhere, all at once, but that hurts the brain to read.
SV reX said:Appleseed said:"An historic..." This does not follow the rules.
A dog.
An apple.
Not so sure about that one. Do we sleep in "an hotel"?
No we do not. But we love saying, "Its an historic event."
I Don't Know Why Some People Capitalize The First Letter In Ever Word Of A Sentence. It Takes A Good Amount Of Extra Work And It Looks Silly.
Quiz question - what is the past tense of the word "sneak"?
Your answer tells me how old you are. Over 60 will likely say "sneaked" while younger people almost always say "snuck".
Both are considered acceptable usage.
In reply to Sonic :
This is a regional dialect thing rather than a laziness thing, I believe
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:Can we *please* start an argument about one space behind a period or two? I'm solidly in the two spaces camp myself, not that it matters, of course.
Also the Oxford Comma; hot, or not? I say hot.
I would subscribe to your well-written newsletter.
I'm firmly in the 2 spaces after a period camp as well. The slightly wider space helps with readability, just like paragraph breaks do on a larger scale.
And I will die on the hill of using the Oxford comma. I have never, ever, not once heard a compelling argument against using the Oxford comma that went deeper than "you shouldn't have to."
Well, guess what, I don't have to write clearly at all. But why wouldn't I want to do something that aids my readers' comprehension?
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