grammar glitches in popular media2

7/31/2019 Grammar gLiTcHeS in Popular Media2

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by Brad Reiss


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y

If you remember nothing else

Even if you are the best writer in the

world, it is always beneficial to have

someone else read your writing for

you (if permitted).


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Apostrophes in Legal Writing

Defendants, Defendants, Defendants

Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs

its, its


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less/fewer

Less uncountable nouns. Examples: There is less anarchy now than there once

was.

Eating less butter might be healthier. BUT

I wont accept a penny less than $1,000,000.

Fewer countable nouns. Examples: ten items or fewer

John found fewer grammar mistakes than Bill.


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Pin the hyphen on the phrase!

extra marital sex

little used car

superfluous hair remover pickled herring merchant

two hundred odd members of the

Conservative Party

Examples taken from Eats, Shoots & Leaves


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No one can

outrun theirdestiny.


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And Im proud to bean American, where atleast I know Im free.

God Bless the USA

Lee Greenwood


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And Im proud to bein Canada, where at

least I know Im free.God Bless Canada

Lee Greenwood


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There's a lot ofmen dead, so we

can sleep in peaceat night when welay down our

head.Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

Toby Keith


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As time goesby, youwill get to know me a

little morebetter.Ill Never Break Your Heart

Backstreet Boys


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Commas

The big final rule for the comma is onethat you wont find in any books bygrammarians. It is quite easy to

remember, however. The rule is: dont usecommas like a stupid person.

Lynn Truss,Eats, Shoots & Leaves


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Literally

In a literal, exact, or actual sense; notfiguratively, allegorically, etc. OED

Incorrect: I am literally drowning inhomework!

Correct: That can of Pringles was literallytubular!


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One morning, Ishot an elephant

in my pajamas.How he got intomy pajamas, I

dont know.


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More modifier mayhem

Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case

Local High School Dropouts Cut In Half

Grandmother of Eight Makes A Hole inOne

Children who laugh rarely are shy


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further/farther

farther measure of physical distance

The inn was only a few miles farther down theroad.

further measure of metaphoricaldistance

Any further insubordination will be met with

extreme remedies.


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lie/lay

Lay setting something down (requiresdirect object)

He lay his cards on the table.

Lie something you do (requires no directobject)

I want to lie down.

BUT: Yesterday, I lay down on the floor.


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Space: the final frontier.These are the voyages ofthe starshipEnterprise.Its five-year mission: to

explore strange newworlds, to seek out newlife and new civilizations,to boldly gowhere no

man has gone before.


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Split Infinitives

Full infinitive: to + bare infinitive. Forexample: to go, to do, to run.

Split infinitives interpose adverbs between

the to and the bare infinitive

To boldly go

To wantonly disregard

To periodically check

To gloriously present


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The FBIinvestigated the

song Louie Louie

due to claims that

its lyrics were

obscene. After two

years, they were

still not able to

determine the


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Public Service Announcement

Its anti-climactic, not anti-climatic.

Its for all intents and purposes, not for allintensive purposes.

Its couldnt care less, not could care less. Its toe the line, not tow the line.

Its whet your appetite, not wet your appetite.

Its

bated breath, not baited breath. Its regardless, not irregardless.

The words dataand mediaare plural.


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