Posts Tagged ‘bad copy is bad’

Oh happy day! Someone has finally stepped up to do the job that apparently book editors are no longer willing (or able) to do: edit books. I’m all for leniency with the gray areas of grammar (comma and hyphens, I’m looking at you) and respect for different writing styles. But there are basic rules that must be followed! It’s what separates us from the animals! Literally. Look it up.

The subject of choice for this blog couldn’t be better: The Twilight series. I think there should be a whole classes in high school based on this blog. Caution: occasional NSFW language. And I mean that with all seriousness. Don’t just tell kids how to write well; show them what bad grammar looks like and why it’s so completely, horribly wrong. Abuse of this kind should not be tolerated. We must warn the children so that they are not doomed to repeat our mistakes.

So sad. So true.

I’m almost positive this particular lesson was covered in high school, if not middle school.

There’s a reason some sentences sound awkward: because they are awkward.

This unnecessary pause reminds me of the Seinfeld where Pendant Publishing book editor, Elaine Benes ends every sentence with an exclamation mark.

This critique is dead on. Find a trusty online thesaurus, kids. Then bookmark it so you’ll have it forever and ever.

This many commas in a single sentence is a sign you either need to reevaluate your comma usage or rewrite the sentence.

Oh. Dear.