Thursday, March 31, 2011

Don't SHOUT

When I worked at newspapers, I never liked it when I received press releases that WERE IN ALL-CAPITALS. WHO WANTS SOMEONE SHOUTING AT YOU AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS?

The other problem with Capitalization is that writers capitalize words indiscriminately. I recently saw that a guy taught Composition in high school. That's great, but why does a subject need to be capitalized? I took journalism in college and never felt the need to say that I took Journalism.


I recently was Proofreading a non-fiction Book, and I found hundreds of Words that were capitalized incorrectly or indiscriminately. Yes, you would uppercase General as in General Norman Schwarzkopf; otherwise, it's Norman Schwarzkopf, a former general.


But the ubiquitous uppercasing of words doesn't bother me as much as poor grammar. I just found "You've probably heard Wilson and I talk ..." online, and, frankly, "Wilson and I" just doesn't cut it. Would you say "You've probably heard I talk about this or that?" No, you'd say "You've probably heard me talk..."


Same with further and farther. Farther is distance -- you ran farther than I did today. Further has more of a time element -- after further review, for instance.


Then there's "between you and I." Two men of letters were arguing in the 1993 remake of the movie "The Sea Wolf." The late Christopher Reeve was playing protagonist Humphrey van Weyden, and the other man was ready to fight a duel. The man said "between you and I," and that fueled van Weyden's final volley. He said something like, "For my weapon, I choose words, and, between you and me, you're out of ammunition."


It was great to hear a snooty guy on a bad version of a classic novel using language correctly. It's a never-ending battle, though. As Rosana-Rosana Dana said so eloquently, "It's always something."



Contact: I can be reached at tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com. Also, my Twitter handle is EDITORatWORK.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)
(the book of great NASCAR stories)

More blog entries by Tom Gillispie

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

Monday, March 28, 2011

Bad headines

A friend emailed me some bad headlines, and I thought I'd pass a few along.

I'm just glad I didn't write any of them.


Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter


The editor had to re-read it two or three times before he realized that a man couldn't kill himself, then shoot someone else. The correction went in the paper the next day.


Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says


Well, duh!


Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over


I wonder what the female panda thought of that.


Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant


When all else fails, shoot them.


If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile


What was the headline writer thinking? If anything.


Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide


Homicide follows when someone is slain. Otherwise, you're stuck with natural causes or suicide.


Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges


Do they make red duct tape?


Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft


Sorry... Those beans will get you every time.


Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half


I can imagine a magician pulling out his saw.


Hospitals Are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors


Apparently foot doctors are getting taller these days.



Contact: I can be reached at tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com. Also, my Twitter handle is EDITORatWORK.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)
(the book of great NASCAR stories)

More blog entries by Tom Gillispie

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie