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Subject:Re: Words to live by... From:Betsy Maaks <bmaaks -at- FRAME -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 26 Jul 1995 10:10:53 CDT
At 14:23 7/23/95 PDT, you wrote:
>Here's a little ditty I just picked up off a FidoNet tagline. Thought it
>would fit nicely here:
>"Good writing mirrors the author's respect for his/her audience."
>I'm seeing more and more hideous grammar popping up these days, not just in
>everyday writings, but in newspapers and even advertising (one muffler shop in
>Vancouver has their ad all over billboards and buses with the slogan, "Three
>Pro's, One <name of establishment>". Note: PRO'S. sigh...) I often hear it
>argued that most people don't know the difference anyway.
>I think the above quote applies here...
I think you're right. But I also think it's just sloppy habits and laziness.
I just dinged a techwrirler for writing "them what don't," which I hoped was
written tongue-in-cheek...I even see the simplest word, its/it's, misused.
sigh, echoed...
I think part of the problem came about when we began using acronyms as
nouns: CDM's features...and then also using the plural form of the acronym:
the CDMs you have installed...that looks pretty funny (CDMs) and I don't
think readers like it. That's not something "they" taught us in high school
grammar. [Side question: do they teach this now anywhere? Maybe it's (not
sic) included in one of the Style guides?]
Thanks for letting me lament on the current state of grammar. I welcome
comments directly to my email address. I will compile other responses for a
mass listing on the state of grammar. (This is *NOT* the "pet peeve"
department we had so recently, thank you).
Lamentably venting,
Betsy Maaks
The opinions expressed here are just my own.
****************************************************************
Betsy Maaks + Frame Technology Corp.
312-266-3208 + Advanced Products
bmaaks -at- frame -dot- com + 441 W. Huron Street
+ Chicago, IL 60610
