From the Grammar Police

The holidays are, well…

We’ve talked about dishonest advertising. If it’s always 30 percent off, then that’s always the price. Which means it’s always zero percent off. (It says in small print that the “marked price” reflects 30 percent off “general U.S. market value for similar products.” Misleading? You decide.)

Honest, boss. I don’t know how that extra the got in there. It must have snuck in when I wasn’t looking.

Do not go gental into that good night!

Daydreaming is one word.

It’s Marjory. (This was an official state publication.)

We’ve covered this before. Your name is not Edward with a local investment company. Your name is Edward.

“The train will be stopping momentarily, but only momentarily.”
“We filmed the debate live, but also filmed it.”
“I finished my dentist's appointment and made an appointment for my next appointment.”
And, “Make sure you have plenty of funds in your fund.”
In each of these examples, the word in bold shouldn’t be used. But you knew that.
People call us nitpickers. But writing rules are there for a reason. It’s a simple concept: clarity. When people go rogue, we end up with chaos such as this.

And we go to the video archives for Segment 96: Dumb statements.

Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong" features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police.” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, menus, TV news graphics, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we can credit you properly. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com

Haven’t signed up for our newsletter yet? Do it now! And tell your friends!

NOTE: Eliot and Lou Ann are available for speaking engagements, and can travel. Reach us through the comments section. Just think of all of your employees getting back to work on a Monday, their heads filled with all the ways we’ve shown them to be better communicators!