From the Grammar Police
Where are the proofreaders?
Keith Nelson
Give me a brake!
Bruce Moore
Can’t get a word in etchwise!
Bruce Moore
This phrase comes from the rodeo circuit. A bronco and rider emerge from a small holding pen. They are coming out of the chute.
Lawyers are very talented. But if you already have died, there's not a whole lot even they can do for you.
We've talked about hyperbole, and about cowardly writers piling on unnecessary modifiers. We get it. You’re excited. Adding absolutely makes this sound, well, absolutely silly.
Is the actor chasing a lion in Africa? No. The NFL has copyrighted “Super Bowl,” so you can’t use the term in a commercial. You have to say “championship game.” Or, “big game.” And we get this grammatical jiu-jitsu to say this was a spot that aired during the Super Bowl.
Pronunciation guide: Since it’s been in the news lately, we remind you that the country is not pronounced ih-RANN or eye-RANN. It’s ih-RAHN. Just like you wouldn’t want the rest of the world to say OH-ri-gahn or KISS-ih-mee or — closer to home — Boca RATAHN.
And we go to the video archives! Click for Segment 5: Homophones.
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!