my hero
As many of you know, I am what you call a grammar Nazi word nerd. I guess it’s because I’ve been a writer for so long, and I deal with the English language for a living.
I think my passionate hatred for bad grammar, spelling and punctuation escalated when I worked in the writing center of a junior college straight out of college. The lack of knowledge people had of their own language - and the fact that they didn’t seem to care - made me what to take out the unabridged dictionary and beat them with it.
To give you an example, here’s a conversation I had with one student:
Me: So, I noticed that about halfway through this paragraph, the voice changes. Are these your words?
Student: No, I got that out of a book.
Me: Word for word?
Student: Yeah.
Me: So why aren’t there quotation marks and internal documentation around it?
Student: Oh. Is that when you do that?
or perhaps…
Me: Do you know the rules for using a comma?
Student: What’s a comma?
That’s right; these kids graduated from high school. It’s a wonder I lasted an entire school year in that job without stabbing myself in the jugular with a pencil.
Apparently, people don’t get any better once they enter the business world because I see misspelled and badly punctuated signs, advertisements, menus, and billboards all the time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I had a red sharpie so I can act as a syntax vigilante wherever I go. That is why this guy is my hero: Roads Scholar Copy Edits America.
On the other hand, as long as there is a poor understanding of the English language, I will have job security. Plus, I don’t particularly want to be hated.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:16 am
It’s a hard road being an English major/teacher. You wind up feeling like the kid from Sixth Sense. “I see bad grammar, all the time. It doesn’t even know it’s bad!”
June 18th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Okay, I’m totally with you on grammar AND spelling. But…on my blog I’m disobeying rules all over the place and LOVING it. It’s very freeing! But I do wonder if people read it and think I never passed English. I guess for now it’s a risk I’m gonna take. (See? Gonna. Love it!!)
June 19th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I found a mistake in this entry! Can you see where it is?
tee-hee!!!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Oh, and I also think that guy in the article came up with such a creative way to make use of his english skills! Here in Mexico we have ALOT of these signs where things are spelled wrong, people send power point presentations of photos that people take when on the road in Mexico. You can find them everywhere and while it can be funny, its sad we lack proper education on every level here in Mexico. My friend who graduated from college has fatal spelling mistakes, when people read things he writes, they think a seven year old wrote it… its hard to believe teachers let this guy graduate!! LOL!!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
ps #2: Now I’m all self conscious about my writing here hahaha! Forgive my bad grammar and spelling!
Melissa (the introvert-junkie)
June 20th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Kellie - That is sooo funny - and so true.
Katy - I tend to be a little more lax on my blog too, and on instant messenger, I’m barely intelligible.
Mel - “what” instead of “want”? Oh, and if I were in Mexico, you could laugh at my Spanish grammar all day long. I’d make your friend look like a genius
So I’ll make you a deal: I won’t judge your English if you don’t judge my Spanish 