tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post116350301570304907..comments2024-01-12T11:26:35.176-05:00Comments on Working Stiffs: All Is Not LostWorking Stiffshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270595837074553752noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163557930676673582006-11-14T21:32:00.000-05:002006-11-14T21:32:00.000-05:00Well 'anonymous,' I couldn't agree more. Language ...Well 'anonymous,' I couldn't agree more. Language is a democratic institution: the people have the power to change it. Over time and with enough lipservice, they can even transform a noun into a verb. <BR/><BR/>Power to the speaking masses!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163555731768137232006-11-14T20:55:00.000-05:002006-11-14T20:55:00.000-05:00Wow, a searing response from Anonymous, huh? When...Wow, a searing response from Anonymous, huh? When do I get my author powers?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163541963092685282006-11-14T17:06:00.000-05:002006-11-14T17:06:00.000-05:00Well, folks, the lovely thing about language is th...Well, folks, the lovely thing about language is that it is, by nature, progressive! It is always changing! <BR/><BR/>That means: <BR/>1. The rules you learned waaaaay back when you were in grade school may not necessarily apply anymore!<BR/>2. Language is a perfect medium for social change! Think the fifties were oppressive and freaky times? Then let's ditch their oppressive rules! Changing the way we use language creates a distinction between then and now.<BR/><BR/>We should also realize that spoken language can be formal or colloquial, as can written language. Just because it is written, doesn't mean it has to fit your strict ideology on what is right or wrong.<BR/><BR/>While I agree that educated people should have basic knowledge of grammar and spelling rules, these nitpicky points say more about the picker than the picked! You pickers are not letting the English language evolve!<BR/><BR/>Luckily, you writer types are in a position of power here! We may not always be able to elect progressive folks to our government, but we can allow progress in language (I feel a past progressive joke is in order here, but I can't think of one!).<BR/><BR/>"Eff" the octogenarians who wrote our grammar books!<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163536565386402912006-11-14T15:36:00.000-05:002006-11-14T15:36:00.000-05:00Mike, I share your concerns with commas. I work w...Mike, I share your concerns with commas. I work with a lot of folks who went to grade school in the no-grammar era. One woman assured me that she'd been taught that it's correct to use a comma wherever she would stop to breathe. [She must be breathing in some pretty odd places -- a made up example true to her style: The little old house, stood in the darkest part of, the forest where the wicked old witch had built, it herself."] My other gripe is spelling -- I miss "led." Just because "read" is the past tense of "read" doesn't mean that "lead" is the past tense of "lead." Right? And what about spit?? Isn't "spat" the past tense of "spit"? I grind my teeth when I see "spit" as the past tense, but I'm ready to punch walls when I see "spitted" (unless they're talking about a roasting fowl, of course). Grrrr. [Or should that be Grrrr!?]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163522866054835162006-11-14T11:47:00.000-05:002006-11-14T11:47:00.000-05:00Pat, I am SO glad I wasn't drinking anything when ...Pat, I am SO glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read your comment. It would not have been pretty!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163521391389656252006-11-14T11:23:00.000-05:002006-11-14T11:23:00.000-05:00Lisa-Now I'm confused...How would you conclude a s...Lisa-Now I'm confused...How would you conclude a sentence that begins with "howscome?" As in "Howscome yins jagoffs is always late, n'ant?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163520084110332112006-11-14T11:01:00.000-05:002006-11-14T11:01:00.000-05:00Kristine--thank God you didn't write "keep we in l...Kristine--thank God you didn't write "keep we in line"! (hmmm, small joke) <BR/>Lisa--I agree with you on that one. Maybe at that grade level it's just easier to teach strict rules rather than nuance. <BR/>Joyce--I don't think I'd last a day in your job! You have my sympathy.<BR/>Kathie--My dirty little secret is that I'm forever confusing it's and its and there and they're. I blame that on my typing--I type faster than I think. But lately I've become totally confused over whether something is less than or fewer than. Which is why I keep several reference guides handy--my favorite being The New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163513386374079482006-11-14T09:09:00.000-05:002006-11-14T09:09:00.000-05:00In general, I accept the premise that language is ...In general, I accept the premise that language is fluid and word useage changes over time. Still . . .<BR/><BR/>Impact is JUST NOT a verb!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163511345303328012006-11-14T08:35:00.000-05:002006-11-14T08:35:00.000-05:00Funny post, Mike. I fear I'll be giving you fits ...Funny post, Mike. I fear I'll be giving you fits with my grammar. I did learn it formally, but mostly I write by ear. Which goes right to your issue--language must morph at the spoken level much faster than the written. I'd think so anyway. Hope your day is poor grammar free!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163510510957073682006-11-14T08:21:00.000-05:002006-11-14T08:21:00.000-05:00Thing is, the freelance copyeditors who are being ...Thing is, the freelance copyeditors who are being hired by cost-conscious publishing houses these days are fresh out of college and go by those strict interpretations of rules Lisa mentioned. The good news is that about half way thru a ms, they lose interest and stop making all their little red marks. So undoing their nitpicky changes gets easier.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163509333906407082006-11-14T08:02:00.000-05:002006-11-14T08:02:00.000-05:00Oh, Mike, I so agree with the use of the word "gue...Oh, Mike, I so agree with the use of the word "guest." The first time I heard it used like that was when I started teaching yoga at a new studio and the owner referred to the students as "guests." I told her "they're STUDENTS not GUESTS!" And she actually changed the sign-in sheet to reflect that. One small step in the right direction.Annettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02755947919433555176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163508080303944222006-11-14T07:41:00.000-05:002006-11-14T07:41:00.000-05:00Looks like I should have edited my post before I h...Looks like I should have edited my post before I hit the publish button! Oops.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163507964996866862006-11-14T07:39:00.000-05:002006-11-14T07:39:00.000-05:00Mike, the good news is that as long as there are p...Mike, the good news is that as long as there are people who don't know the difference between "I" and "me" editors will always have a job!<BR/><BR/>If you want to see some really terrible writing/grammar/spelling, you should see the police reports! The only thing I'm permitted to correct when I type them is spelling. Grammar and punctuation have to stay the way the same as the original report. It drives me nuts! One officer can write a report that's a whole page long and it's all one sentence. And according to the officers, there/their/they're are all the same thing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163507156568840122006-11-14T07:25:00.000-05:002006-11-14T07:25:00.000-05:00Well said, Mike. If it comforts you any to know it...Well said, Mike. If it comforts you any to know it, my children, who are in second and third grade, are learning grammar in school. At this point, it's mostly identifying subjects/predicates, nouns/verbs, and proper punctuation. The 7-year-old got a B in English, mainly because he has trouble remembering that according to the rules of second-grade grammar, all sentences that start with how or what and aren't questions must end with an exclamation point, not a period. For example: "What a cute baby!" Or, "How thoughtful you are!" I keep reminding him of that rule, because they throw a couple of those sentences into every English test, but secretly, I question its usefulness and validity. It seems to me that there are instances when a period is appropriate. For example: "What a pain in the ass this punctuation business is." (irritated grumbling, not an exclamation) "You got a D on your English test. What a genius you are." (sarcasm, not an exclamation)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-1163507091744972492006-11-14T07:24:00.000-05:002006-11-14T07:24:00.000-05:00Now, Mike, that was VERY funny.Now, Mike, that was VERY funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com