Saturday, March 15, 2008

Being Wrong About Writing Stuff

One of the dangers of talking about how to use good grammar happens when the purported teacher makes a mistake. There will always be a mistake. Well, almost always. Take "Clever Nickname on Blog That No One Will Ever Use," for example. Does it mean no one will ever use the blog? Or does it mean no one will ever use the clever nickname? The writer intended for it to mean that no one will ever use the clever nickname, but it's not written that way. To be correct and specific, it would have had to say, "Clever Blog Nickname That No One Will Ever Use." I guess it could mean both. I'll just have to be satisfied with imperfections, my own and others'. I guess that's why I don't often draw attention to grammatical mistakes; instead, I cringe inwardly when I see an apostrophe out of place or other, similar blatant error. By the way, would it be others'. or others.' ??

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