WordInk » BUSTED!

Burned!

Katie — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:22:03 +0000

Slate.com can has a reputation, for picking fights where there’s no fight to be found. That said, I have to agree with this article by Farhad Manjoo on the terrible state of restaurant websites. I realize that websites can be expensive and most restaurants aren’t exactly rolling in the dough (heh.) these days, but I know there are free options out there for people willing to do a bit of digging and feed a starving high schooler or college student.

Insane Diego

Katie — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:51:13 +0000

Best typo ever or potential new band name?

Your space or mine?

Katie — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:33:32 +0000

Last week, hard-hitting journalistic giant Slate.com took time out of their busy news cycle to report on an issue that has gotten far two little press over the years: post-period spacing. The lines have now definitively been drawn in this melodramatic battle over punctuation. I am proud to be in the “single space after a period” camp having bucked the misguided double-space trend back in 2004. Seven years of single spacing and I’ve never looked back. Plus, being a single-spacer gives you a lovely sense of exasperated superiority that us grammar nerds love.

NO!

Fixed that for you!

Katie — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:47:29 +0000

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.

Like Oil & Water

Katie — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:36:56 +0000

Thanks for ruining our environment BP! Although I appreciated the music selection in your ads about how green and environmentally friendly you are, and of course your logo, I always viewed you with some skepticism. And now it’s come to this. You ruined our fancy environment. I know, I know: it was an accident. The damage is done old chaps. And for the record, this is not at all like that time we dumped all your tea into the ocean. Since you’re busy not fixing what you broke, the interwebs have helpfully stepped up to free up some of your time by creating new advertising for you, employing withering sarcasm, my very favorite form of communication.

Worst. Company Name. Ever.

Katie — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:44:36 +0000

Maybe it had something to do with the bark?

Katie — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:59:15 +0000

ZOMG!! What was that poor dog doing inside that tree?!?

Bonus: “That’s the Lord’s work. He sent me to Walmart.”

Insurance Reform

Katie — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:24:07 +0000

The great health care debate has cast a spotlight on egregious horrors that millions of Americans face everyday. I am, of course, referring to improper word choice. Nothing says “please silently judge me” like interchanging the words insure, ensure and assure.

Sure, the insure/ensure/assure triumvirate is one of those quirks of the English language that have ESL-ers lamenting what a difficult language it is to learn. That’s no excuse! I’ve seen insure, ensure, and assure interchanged in BOOKS! Honest to goodness BOOKS! Produced by publishers, with editors! And not your Danielle Steele fare, quality books that should know better! So here it is America. A primer. Because it’s good for you and good for the country.

Insure: Is only used when there is a financial agreement. Did you sign a paper offering a payout to your friends when you insured them that Up In the Air was completely overrated? No? You didn’t? Then you didn’t insure them.

Ensure: Is kind of like a promise but you know, without all the legal hassles that go along with it if things don’t actually work out the way you say they would. For example, airlines say they are doing everything they can to ensure that their extra fees are helping them provide you with better service and avoid bankruptcy. Boy are they ever!

Assure: Is used then you’re actually telling someone something…it’s essentially a one-word way of saying “I want you to feel good about and totally believe whatever it is I’m about to tell you” as in “I assure you I won’t lay a hand on your daughter because I know you are trained in the martial arts.”

English! Love it or mangle it to pieces!

Up up and away!

Katie — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:14:54 +0000

Oh balloon boy, I’m not sure what I enjoyed more: the moment when it seemed that every child’s dream had come true or when you experienced a “reversal of fortune” live on the Today show. The frenzied horror you must have sent those producers into, I can only imagine. Also, I had this song in my head for the remainder of the week and it saddens me that it hasn’t been picked up by the meme-o-sphere yet. Sigh.

Still not helping…

Katie — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:26:39 +0000

Grass seed, seriously?