Do grammatical errors bother you? - Page 21

Doug Huffman · 11-06-2010, 07:44 AM

Hmm, twenty pages of responses and retorts, so I'll take this thread as a poll.

There is much to read and little time. A grammatical error or an obvious typographic error is quite enough to put me off.

Lexi Revellian · 11-06-2010, 08:06 AM

Do grammatical errors bother me? Yes, particularly in a book on sale to the public. You wouldn't expect a new car to have dents and scratches, and you certainly wouldn't accept it, saying, "But it'll get me from A to B, and that's what matters."

Pi Squared · 11-09-2010, 03:45 AM

Going back to the 'hone in on' issue, I believe the use of the word originally had implications of grinding, as in honing a knife to sharpen it. You could also hone a piece of wood to grind away the unrequired bits and leave whatever shape or size was desired. So to 'hone in on' implies a target or goal and getting rid of all the other material surrounding it. I can accept the use of the phrase in the right context but not if it is a mistake for 'home in on' which seems to mean a different thing.

On another issue, I have just (in the past couple of minutes) received a copy of an e-mail at work regarding a business proposal our company has made to potential customer. The sender wrote "This bid is now in a formal process so we have to play by the rules. Of which Jeff is a master at." Isn't that second 'sentence' (if it is one) a masterpiece! How can such a beautiful language be used to construct such ugly statements?

HarryT · 11-09-2010, 04:03 AM

It is a sentence (it has both a subject and a verb), but I agree that it is an extremely ugly one!

ManosHandsOfFate · 11-09-2010, 02:37 PM

The prescriptive versus descriptive grammar wars!

I don't usually notice non-standard English unless my mind can't seamlessly make the translation. If an author writes "it's" instead of "its", I won't notice it because my mind already assumes a meaning of the word in the context of the sentence.

Frankly, I'm sort of glad I don't notice most non-standard English, particularly in casual reading. I'd probably enjoy reading less.

Of course I'd never make it as a proofreader. . .

OCR errors are a whole different ballgame. Those usually give me pause.

SneakySnake · 11-09-2010, 06:32 PM

I agree with the context thing. I often don't notice small errors because I read the paragraph as a whole. I guess, as is with many of us, there are just some things that I do notice, and do annoy me.

I know someone is going to be annoyed by three commas the full stop after thing in my sentence.

SeaBookGuy · 11-09-2010, 09:20 PM

Your commas make sense to me - only thing better would've been a semi-colon after "thing" instead of the period (full stop).

mrscoach · 11-10-2010, 12:42 PM

"This bid is now in a formal process so we have to play by the rules. Of which Jeff is a master at."

First, the last 'sentence' ends in a preposition, and really is a description of the word rules, so would be better with a comma. The 'of which' makes this into a clause, not a full on sentence, and it needs to be tied to a sentence.

"This bid is now in a formal process so we have to play by the rules, of which Jeff is a master."

I hope this was an internal memo, which could account for a slightly less formal style.

HarryT · 11-10-2010, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrscoach

First, the last 'sentence' ends in a preposition

That is something up with which I cannot put!

mrscoach · 11-10-2010, 01:27 PM

I'm not a stickler for the 'no ending in a preposition' rule, but you have to admit we tend to tack on preps for no reason. "Where are you at?" when "Where are you?" would work. But in the case of the aforementioned sentence, the 'at' was fighting with the 'of which', IMO. Just awkward to read. They could have even said 'something Jeff is a master at', and I wouldn't have had a problem.

Note that ends in a preposition, and is 'technically' incorrect, but I don't really care.

SneakySnake · 11-10-2010, 07:30 PM

Change the 'at' to an 'of', and it becomes apparent to us non-experts that there is a double up.

"Of which Jeff is a master of." 'And everythink and that!'

WT Sharpe · 11-10-2010, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrscoach

I'm not a stickler for the 'no ending in a preposition' rule, but you have to admit we tend to tack on preps for no reason. "Where are you at?" when "Where are you?" would work. But in the case of the aforementioned sentence, the 'at' was fighting with the 'of which', IMO. Just awkward to read. They could have even said 'something Jeff is a master at', and I wouldn't have had a problem.

Note that ends in a preposition, and is 'technically' incorrect, but I don't really care.

When I asked my mother on her deathbed where something was "at"; with fading strength she replied, "Behind the 'at'."

My mother was a stickler for proper English to the end!

Under the Covers · 11-11-2010, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

When I asked my mother on her deathbed where something was "at"; with fading strength she replied, "Behind the 'at'."

My mother was a stickler for proper English to the end!

Mine too (along with proper diction/enunciation). I love your mother's response.

Pi Squared · 11-12-2010, 06:05 AM

As I type I am trying to remember a really convoluted story which was about a little boy, upstairs in bed, whose father had decided to read him a bedtime story about Australia. The little boy didn't like it, and asked (deep breath) -

"Dad, why did you bring that book that I didn't want to be read to from about Down Under up for?"

Seven prepositions (OK, 'down' and 'under' are cheating

). The competition is now open. Do I hear eight anywhere?

HarryT · 11-12-2010, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pi Squared

As I type I am trying to remember a really convoluted story which was about a little boy, upstairs in bed, whose father had decided to read him a bedtime story about Australia. The little boy didn't like it, and asked (deep breath) -

"Dad, why did you bring that book that I didn't want to be read to from about Down Under up for?"

Seven prepositions (OK, 'down' and 'under' are cheating

). The competition is now open. Do I hear eight anywhere?

If the title of the book had happened to be "About Down Under" then you could have said:

"Dad, why did you bring that book that I didn't want to be read to from about Down Under, 'About Down Under', up for?"

11-09-2010, 06:32 PM	#306
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	I agree with the context thing. I often don't notice small errors because I read the paragraph as a whole. I guess, as is with many of us, there are just some things that I do notice, and do annoy me. I know someone is going to be annoyed by three commas the full stop after thing in my sentence. Last edited by SneakySnake; 11-09-2010 at 09:31 PM.

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11-06-2010, 07:44 AM	#301
Doug Huffman Banned Posts: 102 Karma: 7860 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Washington Island, across Death's Door, Wisconsin, USA Device: KINDLE 3 WiFi	Hmm, twenty pages of responses and retorts, so I'll take this thread as a poll. There is much to read and little time. A grammatical error or an obvious typographic error is quite enough to put me off.

11-06-2010, 08:06 AM	#302
Lexi Revellian Groupie Posts: 172 Karma: 200001 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: London Device: Kindle keyboard	Do grammatical errors bother me? Yes, particularly in a book on sale to the public. You wouldn't expect a new car to have dents and scratches, and you certainly wouldn't accept it, saying, "But it'll get me from A to B, and that's what matters."

11-09-2010, 03:45 AM	#303
Pi Squared Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Sony PRS 505	Going back to the 'hone in on' issue, I believe the use of the word originally had implications of grinding, as in honing a knife to sharpen it. You could also hone a piece of wood to grind away the unrequired bits and leave whatever shape or size was desired. So to 'hone in on' implies a target or goal and getting rid of all the other material surrounding it. I can accept the use of the phrase in the right context but not if it is a mistake for 'home in on' which seems to mean a different thing. On another issue, I have just (in the past couple of minutes) received a copy of an e-mail at work regarding a business proposal our company has made to potential customer. The sender wrote "This bid is now in a formal process so we have to play by the rules. Of which Jeff is a master at." Isn't that second 'sentence' (if it is one) a masterpiece! How can such a beautiful language be used to construct such ugly statements?

11-09-2010, 04:03 AM	#304
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It is a sentence (it has both a subject and a verb), but I agree that it is an extremely ugly one!

11-09-2010, 02:37 PM	#305
ManosHandsOfFate Addict Posts: 298 Karma: 1537324 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Chicago Device: Nook, K3, Fire, Nexus 7	The prescriptive versus descriptive grammar wars! I don't usually notice non-standard English unless my mind can't seamlessly make the translation. If an author writes "it's" instead of "its", I won't notice it because my mind already assumes a meaning of the word in the context of the sentence. Frankly, I'm sort of glad I don't notice most non-standard English, particularly in casual reading. I'd probably enjoy reading less. Of course I'd never make it as a proofreader. . . OCR errors are a whole different ballgame. Those usually give me pause.

11-09-2010, 09:20 PM	#307
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	Your commas make sense to me - only thing better would've been a semi-colon after "thing" instead of the period (full stop).

11-10-2010, 12:42 PM	#308
mrscoach Guru Posts: 767 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	"This bid is now in a formal process so we have to play by the rules. Of which Jeff is a master at." First, the last 'sentence' ends in a preposition, and really is a description of the word rules, so would be better with a comma. The 'of which' makes this into a clause, not a full on sentence, and it needs to be tied to a sentence. "This bid is now in a formal process so we have to play by the rules, of which Jeff is a master." I hope this was an internal memo, which could account for a slightly less formal style.

11-10-2010, 01:27 PM	#310
mrscoach Guru Posts: 767 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	I'm not a stickler for the 'no ending in a preposition' rule, but you have to admit we tend to tack on preps for no reason. "Where are you at?" when "Where are you?" would work. But in the case of the aforementioned sentence, the 'at' was fighting with the 'of which', IMO. Just awkward to read. They could have even said 'something Jeff is a master at', and I wouldn't have had a problem. Note that ends in a preposition, and is 'technically' incorrect, but I don't really care.

11-10-2010, 07:30 PM	#311
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	Change the 'at' to an 'of', and it becomes apparent to us non-experts that there is a double up. "Of which Jeff is a master of." 'And everythink and that!'

11-12-2010, 06:05 AM	#314
Pi Squared Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Sony PRS 505	As I type I am trying to remember a really convoluted story which was about a little boy, upstairs in bed, whose father had decided to read him a bedtime story about Australia. The little boy didn't like it, and asked (deep breath) - "Dad, why did you bring that book that I didn't want to be read to from about Down Under up for?" Seven prepositions (OK, 'down' and 'under' are cheating ). The competition is now open. Do I hear eight anywhere?

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