The Song Fight Bulletin Board

In honor of this week's title -- I'm Curious -- have any of you fellow grammar dorks seen this? Is it good? (I know Strunk and White are good... but what about the illustrations?)

I's wants to knows.

I've never been remotely interested in this stuff before, but I've learnt something already and my inner pedant is screaming for more. I don't really see the point of the pictures but I suppose it adds character.

Now my only worry is did I punctuate correctly?

Oh, and does an enhanced understanding of english grammar contribute to disassociation with the proletariat and hence, a reduced empathy with one's fellow man? Should one have to experience social exclusion for knowing the difference between should have's and should of's? Or can greater ability to articulate one's thoughts lead to the mental transcendance of such matters and graduation to a higher plane of thought altogether??......

....I'll get me coat

Strunk and White are terrible and their book is a fiction. Far better to buy the Chicago Manual of Style, or New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage, or the AP or New York Times style books.

Furrypedro wrote:....I'll get me coat

My coat ...

mkilly wrote:... their book is a fiction.

Well, no, it's clearly not. Firebrand criticism will not achieve the downfall of grammar pedantry, will it?

j$

Shut up Marcus; hurry up and get the sophomore bullcrap out of your system. Yes I used a semicolon. Want to make something of it?

It's a nice edition of the book. The illustrations are great. Funny. I have it on a little stand in my cube. Heh.

jb wrote:Shut up Marcus; hurry up and get the sophomore bullcrap out of your system. Yes I used a semicolon. Want to make something of it?

It's a nice edition of the book. The illustrations are great. Funny. I have it on a little stand in my cube. Heh.

When White was taking a class from Strunk, the Red Sox had just won the World Series. With that in mind, I think the book is useful only as an historical curio.

DON'T BEGIN SENTENCES WITH "HOWEVER"
WRITE WITH NOUNS AND VERBS, NOT ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
DON'T SPLIT INFINITIVES
USE THE ACTIVE VOICE
OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS
BE CLEAR

all those last three have adjectives, of course. strunk & white ignores english usage of not only the last several centuries, but the usage of its own authors with its impossible guidelines given to us from on high. ACCORDING TO THEM THAT SENTENCE BLOWS NUTS AND SHOULDN'T EVER BE UTTERED. it's a terrible volume whose requirements one can never satisfy, and if one could would succeed in writing a work as dry as the volume. they are the ones who are the sophomores!!!!!

Gosh golly! The prescriptivist versus descriptivist wars rage on!

Personally, I use Words into Type

I also like the terminal comma before an "and" in items in a series.

...and I overuse dot-dot-dot ellipses.

I am not exactly a grammar nazi...

But I do think I have to check out this book! I mean, if JB has it in his cube, and all...

--Em

anti-m wrote:I also like the terminal comma before an "and" in items in a series.

"Serial comma," or "Oxford comma," or "Harvard comma."

ohmygod I just noticed something totally irrelevant

Franklin? is it really you??

anti-m wrote:...and I overuse dot-dot-dot ellipses.

Well you're no Poor June...

the Jazz wrote:

anti-m wrote:...and I overuse dot-dot-dot ellipses.

Well you're no Poor June...

Why am I laughing so?


OK, I'm done here.

Furrypedro wrote:ohmygod I just noticed something totally irrelevant

Franklin? is it really you??

I don't need none of yo' tired-ass country club, ya freak bitch!