tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78265236148461370712024-02-20T19:57:42.592-08:00Grammar BanditFor a writing teacher, grammar is something to ponder over, linger on, and argue about. I love learning new tidbits about grammar. And I get annoyed when I see mistakes in texts. You might say it brings out the dragon in me! This is my chance to share new considerations and complain about sloppy work.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-71183401831003798372014-10-17T12:12:00.000-07:002014-10-17T12:12:06.658-07:00Toward or Towards?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh, no! According to David Foster Wallace, "towards" is British. It's like writing the word "colour."<br />
But I like to say "towards." I don't even know why. Is it a regionalism? Does it have to do with having read lots of British literature?<br />
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I suspect it also might be a regionalism?<br />
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Read Wallace's explanation <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2013/03/david_foster_wallace_breaks_down_five_common_word_usage_mistakes_in_english.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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What do you say? Do you notice if people say it the "other" way, whichever way that is?<br />
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As both a writer and a writing teacher, I have to pay attention to these details!<br />
To read about my novels, (spotlessly edited!), please visit <a href="http://www.drransdellnovels.com/">http://www.drransdellnovels.com</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-41689655180363725712014-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:002014-06-10T09:00:03.154-07:00I Agree!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was intrigued by a recent <a href="http://eahoornaert.com/2014/05/18/top-ten-things-readers-hate-about-books/" target="_blank">blog</a> by "Mr. Valentine." He asked his paranormal club what they hated most as readers.<br />
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When I started reading the post, I assumed the worst thing would be something like a weak ending or the murder of their favorite character.<br />
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Although Mr. Valentine clearly explains that his survey wasn't scientific, I was delighted by the readers' pet peeves. Can you guess what they hated the most about reading a book?<br />
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They hated typos and other grammar errors!<br />
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In other words, his readers are just me! (No, that last sentence might not be termed grammatical, but<br />
"his readers are just as I am" didn't quite cut it.)<br />
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I've talked with lots of other readers lately, and they all agree that editing has gone downhill lately. It's easy to understand why. Publishing companies are shortstaffed. They don't have the resources to work on editing, so they often just skip it.<br />
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Some readers probably don't care. They might be so engrossed in the material that they skip right over these flaws; after all, when I'm reading my students' essays, I have to read past the flaws as well in order to decipher content. I've learned to do that. But I've always seen novels as models, and models ought to be right.<br />
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And so I'm ruthless. The first mistake I find I shrug off. The second I ignore. But if there are three grammar/language/typos within the first pages, I get angry. And then I throw away the book. I don't even try to take it to the used bookstore.<br />
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Anyway, it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who gets irritated by carelessness!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-53632494640820903932014-05-12T21:21:00.000-07:002014-05-27T02:51:10.746-07:00Psychos Beware<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is another fun comma thing to remember! (Who says grammar isn't way fun?)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-36581798837783058162014-04-09T21:20:00.000-07:002014-04-09T21:27:29.750-07:00Horror Story for Teens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Couldn't pass this one up without passing it along! Actually at this time of year, it's the students I most want to cut and paste!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-32536456505188420652014-03-10T13:36:00.001-07:002014-03-10T13:37:39.070-07:00Grammar Fun: The Elusive Double Positive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday George <a href="https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei/photos/a.737221629640626.1073741825.205344452828349/894177040611750/?type=1" target="_blank">Takei</a> shared a cute anecdote about the MIT professor who was explaining about double negatives. In most languages, such as Spanish, a double negative simply makes things more negative: No tengo nada que decir. (Literally, I don't have nothing to say.) In English, however, a double negative makes a positive. In Standard English they're not allowed. "Nobody has no idea" would become "Nobody has any idea." <br />
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The professor tried to argue that there was no language in which a double positive meant a negative.<br />
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From the back of the room, a student who was at least paying attention yelled out, "Yeah, right."<br />
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Moral: Be careful when making grammatical proclamations. There is almost always an exception somehow!<br />
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For more fun with D.R. Ransdell's writing, please visit: <a href="http://www.dr-ransdell.com/">http://www.dr-ransdell.com</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-44523842288367155332014-01-22T02:52:00.000-08:002014-01-22T02:52:00.776-08:00What Is Editing?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week I went to our monthly Sisters-in-Crime meeting, but my attitude was half hearted. The morning speaker was going to talk about editing.<br />
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I'm a writing teacher--I grade lots of "college-level" essays each semester. I'm constantly thinking about grammar and straightening out the grammar of my students. Since I'm also an author, I'm always vigiliant when it comes to my own writing. I spend a lot of time working with grammar. This is a normal part of my job both as a teacher and as a writer.<br />
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Hence I didn't feel that the speaker from the local community college would be able to teach me anything about grammar. Indeed Terry Filipowicz didn't teach me a single thing about grammar. Instead what she taught me was that in the world of writing and publishing, "editing" means something very different to most people than what it normally means to me.<br />
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Terry asked us a rhetorical question at the beginning of her talk. "Would you rather have someone who's good in your field or good as an editor?" she asked the gathering of mystery writers. Then she started talking about some of the "editing" she'd done. She'd toned down scenes that were too explicit, for example. She'd realized that "Danny Boy" had been written after the turn of the century, but the author had placed it in a story that took place a couple of decades earlier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master editor having grammar discussion, photo by DRR</td></tr>
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To me, toning down a scene is a kind of rewriting. It's re-seeing the text, re-working the text. It's understanding the audience and responding to that audience's needs. Getting a song with the right date is a kind of fact-checking. To me, neither of those actions, while important, would be considered editing.<br />
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For me "editing" is always grammar/language/mechanics. I expected the speaker to help us with tricky subjunctive clauses or difficult punctuation cases, not to speak about broader matters.<br />
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<span class="mention-gloss-double-quote">What ensued was a lively discussion among the authors. Some had hired "editors" to help them work with storylines or character development. They didn't have any complaints about the people they'd engaged for such activities.</span><br />
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<span class="mention-gloss-double-quote">When it came to grammar, they had a lot to say because only one had found a good grammar editor (line editor). They were frustrated that they hadn't been able to find someone reliable. They also complained (I was the loudest) about all the flaws they'd seen in recent books, as if current authors simply couldn't be bothered to either proofread their work or pay someone worthwhile to look at it for them.</span><br />
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<span class="mention-gloss-double-quote">The point was made that there's no exam to be an "editor." Anyone might call herself an "editor" until not proven guilty. But this meant another painful truth was evident: most people don't know how to edit, especially so-called editors. Instead the onus is on the writer to get it right.Maybe that's where it should be. That's also why I always use my mom and a colleague--both former English teachers--as my primary line editors. Between the three of us, I'm confident we can produce a manuscript with few errors. </span><br />
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What does editing mean to you? Who do you turn to when you need line editing?<br />
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For my recent novels, both of which were carefully line edited, please see <a href="http://www.dr-ransdell.com/" target="_blank">http://www.dr-ransdell.com</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-38540858120907422702013-09-30T23:52:00.000-07:002013-09-30T23:53:02.431-07:00Free Help, Not So Free<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week a high school English teacher contacted me. She'd noticed that A Merchant of Venice was on my website for a summer abroad course I teach in Italy. She wanted help creating assignments because "you have so much more experience than me."<br />
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I should have been nice. I should have spent lots of time helping her do her work. But, the snark in me won out. Dear X, I started, "more experience than I...."<br />
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I did assure her that her own assignment was just fine.<br />
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So far she hasn't contacted me again.<br />
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Will she know what was wrong?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-51824640330799251172013-03-09T01:15:00.001-08:002013-03-09T01:16:28.374-08:00Even Dogs Care About Grammar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 3/7/13</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This loldog from I Has a Hotdog was too cute not to share. It's good to know that even dogs are discerning when it comes to grammar!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-13715735806689158392013-03-02T02:24:00.000-08:002013-03-02T02:24:00.216-08:00The Oxford Comma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tonight I learned a new trick via a blog from a fellow writer at Oak Tree Press.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOXWzD03d_HS6_ScomWURgVHALdKypeQYRNrAnSon6uLNmTeHJugd3pqdQjO6elr5EYcXkwlY55MYy6iQpaOZaihirXpXwu8jDIx7zQp1gXM4mxL8UwjOXrN7zb1CXz5Um0IFnlG0zQAd/s1600/drr__120624_merton627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOXWzD03d_HS6_ScomWURgVHALdKypeQYRNrAnSon6uLNmTeHJugd3pqdQjO6elr5EYcXkwlY55MYy6iQpaOZaihirXpXwu8jDIx7zQp1gXM4mxL8UwjOXrN7zb1CXz5Um0IFnlG0zQAd/s320/drr__120624_merton627.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D.R. at Merton College, where Tolkien taught</td></tr>
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I didn't realize that the second comma in a series, the one joining elements and the conjunction, is called "The Oxford Comma." I suppose we could assume the rule is thought of as high class or stuffy somehow, but I was taught to use the Oxford Comma when I started grad school and have been a fan ever since. I agree that the job of punctuation is to aid with clarity. Thus, I dislike reading "My friend went to church, home and school" unless that school is indeed within the home (which I don't like either).<br />
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My students don't seem impressed by my preference for using this comma. Even though I tell them that they want credit for their first draft, their second draft, and their susequent drafts, they don't "get" it, and they usually omit the comma. I don't know why they should be so stingy with punctuation. After all, it doesn't cost them anything. Granted, this is still one of their lesser sins, but after having visited Oxford last summer (in search of the inspirations of J.R.R.T.), I will now not only teach the rule but the phrase. Poor students! But if they want to pass, it's best for them to put up with me.<br />
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To read the original post:<br />
<a href="http://www.otpblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-oxford-comma.html">http://www.otpblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-oxford-comma.html</a> <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0Oxford, UK51.890053935216926 -1.2304687546.897591935216923 -11.55761725 56.882515935216929 9.09667975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-74159818099356009702013-01-27T01:57:00.001-08:002013-01-27T01:57:49.435-08:00Luncheon at a Punctuation Party<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Susan Vreeland's <i>Luncheon of the Boating Party</i> is a reimagining of the processes Renoir went through to create one of his most famous paintings. The work was a colossal endeavor: a huge canvas made with the help of a variety of friends/models. It was created along the Seine at the Masion Fournaise, not far from Paris. <br />
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In the book Vreeland has great fun imagining the decisions that went into the painting, the doubts, the false starts. I purchased the book on the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend with whom I'd seen the famous work.<br />
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However, I wasn't able to stay excited about the book. I made it throught the first chapter before running into nonstandard punctuation of a non-restrictive clause. A non-restrictive clause (which could also be thought of as "unnecesary," at least in terms of the grammar of the sentence) takes commas. The commas signal that the information is "extra" information rather than necessary information to identify the subject.<br />
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An easy way to understand the difference is this:<br />
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If I say<br />
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My brother, who lives in Switzerland, has five cats.<br />
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the implication would be that I have one brother and that he happens to live in Switzerland. In this case "who lives in Switzerland" is bonus information.<br />
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But if my brothers all live in different countries, the phrase "who lives in Switzerland" distinguishes John from all the others. In this case it's a restrictive clause, meaning a necessary part of the sentence that restricts the definition of John. Thus it doesn't take commas. It's not extra.<br />
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My brother who lives in Switzerland has five cats.<br />
My brother who lives in Italy has five daughters.<br />
My brother who lives in England is too poor to have anything.<br />
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Vreeland's confusing sentence near the beginning of Chapter 2 is "He used to be welcomed anytime, by Jeanne or her mother who stuffed his cheeks with sweets, but that was last winter."<br />
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Vreeland's unintended implication is that Jeanne has several mothers, but this one is responsible for stuffing [Auguste]'s cheeks with sweets.<br />
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In a similar example at the bottom of the page, Vreeland uses a comma before the first "interrupter," a phrase that interrupts the grammar of the sentence, but fails to use a comma after the phrase. She writes:<br />
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Once, just this once he'd....<br />
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instead of writing<br />
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Once, just this once, ..... <br />
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It is quite common for writers to make the mistake of using only one comma where they needed two or where they didn't need any at all. To help myself remember this rule, I think: unnecessary (non-restrictive) phrases get commas. We could take those phrases out and still have a perfect luncheon at the punctuation party.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-38514617515604110502013-01-27T01:02:00.000-08:002013-01-27T01:05:28.030-08:00Good Thief Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few months later, with Amsterdam still on my mind, I decided to give Ewan's book another try; the narrator's voice was fetching, and the light-heartedness reminded me of similar mystery books I'd read. But the first two pages of the second chapter had another interesting array of issues.<br />
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1. use of 'alright'. Generally this word is considered nonstandard, although it's frequently found, especially in journalism. But if the author is in service to the readers, and the readers get caught up by nonstandard forms, it might be better to go ahead and write out the two words.<br />
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2. use of hyphens. The narrator defines one man as heavy-set and another as rail-thin and almost ill-looking. However, hyphens are used to join adjectives that modify nouns. Thus, standard usage would be:<br />
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The man was heavy set.<br />
He was a heavy-set man. <br />
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3. use of an object pronoun instead of a possessive adjective before a gerund<br />
The narrator said "there was more chance of me turning down..." when standard usage would be "there was more chance of my turning down..."<br />
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4. use of "less" with a noncountable noun<br />
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The narrator talks about "less people," but "fewer people" would be the standard form.<br />
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5. use of punctuation<br />
The rule is to use a comma between independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions unless the clauses are quite short. (You would not have to look far to find this rule in any grammar book.) Yet the author writes:<br />
<br />
"For one thing, it was already dark and there was a raw bite to the wind that was keeping people inside their homes and off the streets but, more to the point, it took me longer to pull my micro screwdriver and set of picks from my pocket than it did to snap back the lazy old cylinder lock on the door to the barge."<br />
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An additional comma before "but" would accurately signal readers that an independent clause was to follow.<br />
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At this point I had to make a conscious decision to enjoy the book despite its nonstandard usages. I read it the way I read student work, which is to say I read for meaning rather than paying attention to details or reading carefully or trying to take in every word. The difference is that when it comes to student work, I go back and read a second time, pointing out errors and deducting points accordingly.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0Tucson, Arizona70.844672634252774 154.687554.290751134252773 113.378906 87.398594134252775 -164.00390600000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-72187596889074053462012-10-25T02:25:00.002-07:002013-01-27T01:07:55.544-08:00A Good Thief's Guide to a Shelf of Grammar Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Having spent time in Amsterdam last summer, I was excited to find a copy of Chris Ewan's <i>The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam</i>. However, instead of getting caught up in the story, I got caught up in examples of nonstandard usages. In the second paragraph, the narrator states, "if I was a lesser writer..." But the statement should be contrary-to-fact, and hence, the verb form should change accordingly. The narrator should have said "If I were" unless he wanted to imply that he was indeed a lesser writer, which was probably not the intended implication. Granted, it's possible that Ewan didn't want the narrator to sound sophisticated. However, since the character is an expert locksmith, etc., I suspect this was an oversight on Ewan's part rather than at attempt to show character.<br />
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On the same page the narrator takes a twenty minute stroll, which implies that the stroll is a "twenty stroll" and also a "minute stroll;" the narrator means that it was a "twenty-minute stroll." He repeats the same problem when mentioning the "ten minute bicycle ride" by omitting a hyphen between ten and minute.<br />
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Both of these items, though small, accosted me on the first page.<br />
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On the third page, I learned that the narrator "was stood before a beer tap at a bar." "Was stood?" Was standing, perhaps. Or had already drunk so much that someone had physically stood him up before the bar to prevent him from falling back down.<br />
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Either way, these features of Ewan's language distracted me. It's easy to overlook a mistake when reading proofs. but to have this many in the first chapter is an indication that more lurk nearby.<br />
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Next time.... I'll cover just a few of those.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552394655165533447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826523614846137071.post-65626352185189210092012-09-09T03:56:00.000-07:002012-09-09T15:04:07.951-07:00When I Knew I Had a Problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few years ago I picked up a book by Lisa Scottoline. I knew she was famous and had a bunch of best sellers. I figured she must be a good writer. I like laywer-style mysteries anyway, so I sat down for a fun read.<br />
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I found so many editing mistakes in the first three pages that I couldn't stand to go further. Even though I had paid for the book, not only did I not read it, but I gave it away. Who could possibly support such a monstrosity?<br />
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I tried to reason: Could Scottoline have submitted a manuscript with countless mistakes? Or did the mistakes all happen in the typesetting? Either way, shouldn't the author or the editor have caught such egregious flaws in simple grammar use? The examples weren't the ones that grammarians wrestle with. They were simple things such as adding a comma before direct address as in Hey, Lisa!<br />
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I was dumb-founded. Did the demands of being a popular author dictate that Scottoline write with such speed that accuracy be overlooked?<br />
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I didn't know these answers. I only knew that I couldn't possibly read the book or any others by the same author, perhaps others by the same press. I was indignant that no care had been taken to produce the book and that the bad editing might serve as a role model. Scottoline has continued to write books, but I haven't picked up any others.<br />
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I wish I could say I never made a grammar, error. Not true. I make plenty. When I'm lucky, it's my mom who catches them. My first published novel, <i>Amirosian Nights,</i> has a few typos too. These were indeed caused by the typesetting, and even though I proofread a couple of times, these small few items slipped by me. Such accidents happen and are probably unavoidable. But they should at least be avoided.<br />
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I hereby invite you to share laments about other mistakes published in books, whether fiction or non-fiction. Probably the mistakes were unintentional--a simple matter of overlooking a detail. But if you're like me, being able to let off steam is the best possible solution.</div>
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