From the Grammar Police
We’re starting our sixth year! Thank you!
Chronics, 2026 Edition
Sadly, the news world today is inhabited to a large extent by rogues who have abandoned all semblance of accuracy, balance and objectivity. But some writers are at the other end of the spectrum. They’re cowardly. The result is the mess here. It says two people who were alleged shooters definitely committed this despicable massacre. So they must have been suspected in another shooting before they opened fire at Bondi Beach? Let’s do some first aid: “…the two men police say descended…”
People still fight us on this. They still are wrong! One more time: It’s redundant. Coffee beverage. Beef meat. Apple fruit. Now do you get it?
This STILL says “seventy dollars dollars.”
This chronic always floors us. This says 67 and 87 hundredths of a penny. Why did no one catch that? We’re tempted to lay down two pennies and demand change.
Alumni is plural. Each of these men is an alumnus. Anyone who was female would be an alumna.
Former colleague and longtime reader Dan Scapusio helped us on this one: “Does she have a DeLorean with a flux capacitor?”
And we go to the video archives for Segment 98: More Dumb Sports.
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
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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!