What It's Really Like To Be A Copy Editor - Page 2

Worldwalker · 07-28-2010, 03:46 AM

Another pet peeve: people who write "myself" for "I". It's the freaking reflexive form, dudes. "I went there myself" is good; "Joe and myself went there" is bad. As with anything else there are weird exceptions, but as a general rule, "myself" must come after "I".

And don't get me started on the people who think "whom" is a more sophisticated form of "who", nor the ones who think the indefinite article used before a word beginning with a vowel should be spelled "and".

afa · 07-28-2010, 06:38 AM

What about using "passion" as a synonym for "love"? Technically, I suppose this is somewhat acceptable, but I dislike the practice, nonetheless.

Or confusing "accept" with "except"? Personally, I also dislike the interchangeable way in which "licence" and "license" are used. I was always taught (under British curriculum) that licence is a noun ("I have a driving licence") but license is a verb ("I am licensed to drive"). But I suppose this might come under the differences between American and British English.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Do the people who use "decimate" to mean "devastate" go to that part of hell too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It amuses me when I read "decimate" being used in the sense of "everybody being killed", or something similar. Decimation was, of course, the punishment for cowardice in the Roman legions, and involved (as the name suggests) every tenth man being killed by his comrades. ie a 90% survival rate.

It seems both are valid.

Definition of "decimate" according to Merriam-Webster:

Quote:

1 : to select by lot and kill every tenth man of
2 : to exact a tax of 10 percent from <poor as a decimated Cavalier — John Dryden>
3 a : to reduce drastically especially in number <cholera decimated the population> b : to cause great destruction or harm to <firebombs decimated the city> <an industry decimated by recession>

Or Oxford, if you prefer (which I do, myself [*checks with Worldwalker*]):

Quote:

verb
[with object]
1 - kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of:
the inhabitants of the country had been decimated
drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something):
public transport has been decimated
2 - historicalkill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a punishment for the whole group

*checks with Worldwalker whether his punctuation was satisfactory*

NickSpalding · 07-28-2010, 11:49 AM

Reading this thread has reminded me of the horror that was Mr Lindsey, my first english language teacher. The man could give Hitler a run for his money on the anti-social stakes.

I often wondered if he hadn't missed his calling as baseball pitcher, judging from the way he could wang the blackboard rubber across the whole class with unswerving accuracy.

*shudder*

alecE · 07-28-2010, 04:42 PM

Oh bliss, a sane discussion on the hyphenation of anal-retentive, comprehension of the difference between comprise and consist, its vs. it's, only on MR, joy!

May I suggest a crusade against all perpetrators of the redundant and superfluous unnecessary apostrophe? (As in "Direction's", "computer's repaired", "panini's"...) - I think a slow roast around gas mark 5 would be suitable punishment?

Worldwalker · 07-28-2010, 05:32 PM

I carry Liquid Paper.

A while ago, I noticed that the gas pumps at a membership warehouse I shop at (Sam's Club) had signs saying "Member s Only" with a gap where a greengrocer's apostrophe had apparently been peeled off. I've been wondering what happened ever since. Did someone in management get a clue, or did a fellow member do some editing with a pocketknife?

hidari · 07-28-2010, 08:05 PM

Fortunately...... Despite all the pet-peeving language is an ocean ....not a canal.... I quite like all the mistakes and variety..... As for spelling How arbitrary can you get.... Read a few linguistic books and I would say many would stop complaining about how a person uses their language.

HarryT · 07-29-2010, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alecE

May I suggest a crusade against all perpetrators of the redundant and superfluous unnecessary apostrophe? (As in "Direction's", "computer's repaired", "panini's"...) - I think a slow roast around gas mark 5 would be suitable punishment?

Arrrggghhh - don't get me started on "paninis", with or without an apostrophe

.

PANINI IS A PLURAL AND DOES NOT NEED AN "S".

Sorry - just had to get that off my chest.

The singular is "panino". Exactly the same is true of other Italian masculine plural words like "spaghetti", "ravioli", "grafitti", etc. They are all plural nouns, No "s", please, with or without an apostrophe!

Worldwalker · 07-29-2010, 04:24 AM

I've always treated "ravioli" as Latin and refer to a single one as a "raviolus" as in "There's only one raveolus left; you want it?" So it should be "raviolo"? Tough. "Raviolus" sounds funnier.

banjobama · 07-29-2010, 04:30 AM

All these errors are making my eye's hurt.

HarryT · 07-29-2010, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

I've always treated "ravioli" as Latin and refer to a single one as a "raviolus" as in "There's only one raveolus left; you want it?" So it should be "raviolo"? Tough. "Raviolus" sounds funnier.

That's right - the 2nd declension masculine "-us" ending of Latin has become "-o" in Italian. So if you're not very hungry you might decide to have a spaghetto or a raviolo for lunch. Or you might very mildly deface a wall with a graffito

.

Worldwalker · 07-29-2010, 12:29 PM

Neat! One of these years, I really do need to learn Latin. I've actually seen "graffito" used in print (correctly, even!).

Nate the great · 07-29-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Another pet peeve: people who write "myself" for "I". It's the freaking reflexive form, dudes. "I went there myself" is good; "Joe and myself went there" is bad. As with anything else there are weird exceptions, but as a general rule, "myself" must come after "I".

Don't forget the people who use I instead of me as the direct object. "It belongs to John and I."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

And don't get me started on the people who think "whom" is a more sophisticated form of "who", nor the ones who think the indefinite article used before a word beginning with a vowel should be spelled "and".

I know someone who does that. I've taken to throwing things at him. (I've gotten quite good at not quite hitting him.)

Redfox · 07-29-2010, 05:06 PM

I hate it when supermarkets hang signs over the express checkout saying "10 items or less". It's fewer, OK!!! Less is used with mass nouns (water, gold, space), fewer with count nouns (pigs, watermelons, nuclear reactors) and numbers.

OTOH folk etymology and spelling is sometimes funny. When I lived in South London, I saw a greengrocer's sign giving the price for 'Brockley' (a borough a few miles away)

I have no problem with usage changing over the years - 'nice' and 'silly' differ widely from their original meanings - and yes, some people are dyslexic and honestly can't help it. But if even official sources can't be bothered, it sets a bad example...

neilmarr · 07-30-2010, 03:05 AM

And then, Redfox, there's the famous 'grocer's apostrophe' ... orange's $2 a pound ... best price's for fresh veg. Neil

PS: Grocer's singular possessive in this case. N

Mickey330 · 07-30-2010, 05:58 PM

How about when people "could care less" - when actually, they couldn't care less.

Oi! That one drives me bonkers. In fact, there is a relatively new song out in which the singer uses the "could care less" phrase.

No matter how many times I hear it, I shout the proper phrase at the radio. Doesn't work.

Then there was the time I scratched an apostrophe on public restroom signs that initially read "Mens" and "Womens."

I couldn't care less if someone didn't like my actions.

Marilyn

07-29-2010, 05:06 PM	#28
Redfox aka Anne Lyle Posts: 85 Karma: 437516 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cambridge, UK Device: Sony PRS-600	I hate it when supermarkets hang signs over the express checkout saying "10 items or less". It's fewer, OK!!! Less is used with mass nouns (water, gold, space), fewer with count nouns (pigs, watermelons, nuclear reactors) and numbers. OTOH folk etymology and spelling is sometimes funny. When I lived in South London, I saw a greengrocer's sign giving the price for 'Brockley' (a borough a few miles away) I have no problem with usage changing over the years - 'nice' and 'silly' differ widely from their original meanings - and yes, some people are dyslexic and honestly can't help it. But if even official sources can't be bothered, it sets a bad example... Last edited by Redfox; 07-29-2010 at 05:10 PM.

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07-28-2010, 03:46 AM	#16
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Another pet peeve: people who write "myself" for "I". It's the freaking reflexive form, dudes. "I went there myself" is good; "Joe and myself went there" is bad. As with anything else there are weird exceptions, but as a general rule, "myself" must come after "I". And don't get me started on the people who think "whom" is a more sophisticated form of "who", nor the ones who think the indefinite article used before a word beginning with a vowel should be spelled "and".

07-28-2010, 11:49 AM	#18
NickSpalding Addict Posts: 270 Karma: 1041222 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: UK Device: Kindle	Reading this thread has reminded me of the horror that was Mr Lindsey, my first english language teacher. The man could give Hitler a run for his money on the anti-social stakes. I often wondered if he hadn't missed his calling as baseball pitcher, judging from the way he could wang the blackboard rubber across the whole class with unswerving accuracy. shudder

07-28-2010, 04:42 PM	#19
alecE Evangelist Posts: 412 Karma: 546196 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: UK canal boat Device: sony prs505, prs650, kobo Glo HD liseuses	Oh bliss, a sane discussion on the hyphenation of anal-retentive, comprehension of the difference between comprise and consist, its vs. it's, only on MR, joy! May I suggest a crusade against all perpetrators of the redundant and superfluous unnecessary apostrophe? (As in "Direction's", "computer's repaired", "panini's"...) - I think a slow roast around gas mark 5 would be suitable punishment?

07-28-2010, 05:32 PM	#20
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	I carry Liquid Paper. A while ago, I noticed that the gas pumps at a membership warehouse I shop at (Sam's Club) had signs saying "Member s Only" with a gap where a greengrocer's apostrophe had apparently been peeled off. I've been wondering what happened ever since. Did someone in management get a clue, or did a fellow member do some editing with a pocketknife?

07-28-2010, 08:05 PM	#21
hidari MR Drone Posts: 1,613 Karma: 15612282 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: DRONEZONE Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20	Fortunately...... Despite all the pet-peeving language is an ocean ....not a canal.... I quite like all the mistakes and variety..... As for spelling How arbitrary can you get.... Read a few linguistic books and I would say many would stop complaining about how a person uses their language.

07-29-2010, 04:24 AM	#23
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	I've always treated "ravioli" as Latin and refer to a single one as a "raviolus" as in "There's only one raveolus left; you want it?" So it should be "raviolo"? Tough. "Raviolus" sounds funnier.

07-29-2010, 04:30 AM	#24
banjobama Busy Read'n Posts: 980 Karma: 5039283 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Auburn, WA Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5	All these errors are making my eye's hurt.

07-29-2010, 12:29 PM	#26
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Neat! One of these years, I really do need to learn Latin. I've actually seen "graffito" used in print (correctly, even!).

07-30-2010, 03:05 AM	#29
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	And then, Redfox, there's the famous 'grocer's apostrophe' ... orange's $2 a pound ... best price's for fresh veg. Neil PS: Grocer's singular possessive in this case. N

07-30-2010, 05:58 PM	#30
Mickey330 Addict Posts: 378 Karma: 1107420 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Western New York state (USA) Device: Kindle Oasis & the Kindle app on iDevices	How about when people "could care less" - when actually, they couldn't care less. Oi! That one drives me bonkers. In fact, there is a relatively new song out in which the singer uses the "could care less" phrase. No matter how many times I hear it, I shout the proper phrase at the radio. Doesn't work. Then there was the time I scratched an apostrophe on public restroom signs that initially read "Mens" and "Womens." I couldn't care less if someone didn't like my actions. Marilyn

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