grammardivas

We've decided to share our daily discoveries of egregious grammar with one and all. Enjoy.

Friday, June 30, 2006

The opposite of "create"

From an insurance claim form:
Use discreation when faxing your personal medical information.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Itz really a fairly simple concept

I have no specific examples, but I have seen numerous misuses of its and it's lately. I don't know if it's just carelessness, or if people really don't grasp the difference.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

This sentence has so much wrong with it....

"Pryor, 49, of Norman said party workers are trying to make sure Democrats who vote only in presidential election years get out to vote this year and to persuade registered Democrats who have been voting Republican to return to their party."

First of all, the "of Norman" should be in a different sentence. Choose either the "49," (*does it matter how old the chair of a state political party is??) or the "of Norman," but not both. Second, "party workers," the predicate noun, is followed by the two verb phrases: "are trying to make sure" and "[are trying] to persuade." But there is too much info between these phrases and the "to persuade" seems to come out of nowhere.

This has not been my most eloquent grammar explanation but it's sunday morning and I'm tired.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

I would expect more from Crane's

[Taken verbatim from their website]

These correspondence cards are designed to be handwritten they are too heavy for computer printing.

Friday, June 16, 2006

How to Cheat Good

http://alex.halavais.net/?p=1427

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Two things really getting on my nerves

The janitor at my office (not that I'm blaming him) puts up a sign when he cleans the bathrooms that says "Restroom closed. Due to cleaning." And when it's not posted it's sitting on the floor in the bathroom itself, so I get to see it all the time. Oh Joy!

There's also a sign posted in the lobby of my building that advertises "New Avon" and then one line down "representative." You'd think that "Avon" and "representative" would kinda go together, but this person felt that "New Avon" made more sense, and "representative" was just added on as a bonus.

As Dr. Evil says, "It's a homophone....Throw me a frickin' bone here, people."

Seen recently: "For all intense and purposes. . . ."

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Pheromones do what?

This is perhaps not terribly egregious, but it still bothers me:

"I am a vocational rehabilitation counselor and one of my clients informed me that because she has polycystic ovarian syndrome, she puts off pheromones, which attract deer, rats and dogs. Is that a remote possibility?"

The way it is written, it appears that all pheromones attract deer, rats and dogs. S/he should remove the comma after pheromones and change the which to that. [It would also be more clear to say "certain pheromones," but okay okay, I'll stop.]