The Stickler

Washington Post

2010-11-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

Promise rings, chastity pledges and other efforts to keep teenagers from having sex aren't jut ineffective -- they put kids in harm's way.

Were you wasting time? Or are we wasting time?

2010-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

The only thing were not wasting is time

Be Affriad. Be Very Affriad. And Run-on and on and on.

2010-11-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

need a real woman

Midvale, UT 84047 - Nov 9, 2010

looking for a good woman to come to the man expo with me this Saturday. i love the outdoors and am very adventurous. i'm looking for a woman, not a prissy girl, someone who is not affriad to get dirt under her nails. i just hitch hiked out here from VT and am looking to meet new people. so if you wanna come have some fun and maybe find a little trouble, shoot me an e-mail at (I've removed the email address...)
i am a 25 year old guy, not bad looking if i do say so myself, little rough around the edges but have a good, honest and loyal heart.

P.S.
to the people who keep reporting this ad to have it removed, what business is it of yours? if you don't want to go on a date with me, then disregard the ad, mind your business! I'm just gonna keep re posting until KSL.com has a personal section anyway...

Uggly Grammar...

2010-11-03T10:41:00.001-07:00

From Fbook...

From 27th of november to 4th of december we decided that to be the UGG boots week.

To make this even more special we are giving away 1000 pairs of brand new UGG boots on a daily basis.

We are doing this because we want to make this event more and more popular every year on the same week.

The other thing why we are giving away boots is that we want to spread our brand across the globe and we think good word of mouth is the best promotion we can possibly have.

NY Times Typo

2010-08-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

And many of rural states do not have the resources or staff to write sophisticated grant applications.

Please change to the following:

And many of rural states do not have the resources or staff to write sophisticated grant applications.

Living in the Nation's Capitol near the Capitol

2010-08-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

Where: West steps of the Capital Building in D.C. Union Station is the closest metro stop to the capital.

When living in DC where everything is politically charged, it is important to know how to spell Capitol correctly.

Textbook Terrors

2010-04-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing irks me more than when officially published materials have typos and errors. I once read a copy of Anne of Avonlea so littered with errors and typos that I had to stop reading. I couldn't even enjoy the book. One of my textbooks this semester is equally bad. Here are a few:

"The turn out to be 'matches'." The should be They
"Regarding the mechanical process of sticking the pieces together as a principle." Doesn't this leave you asking, what? what? what?
"Abut 1860, Cook and Bonnelli, who had developed a device called a photobioscope, predicted a 'complete revolution of photographic art'." About....
"And he seemd anxious to avoid any personal interference with the given data." Why is it okay to delete letters? Abut, seemd?

Truly Three Problems

2010-01-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

[Company Name]'s qualified tutors one-on-One tutoring gives them an unique opportunity to connect and truely influence a students education.

Three problems:
(1) one-on-One? Why is the second One capitalized?
(2) truely should be truly
(3) please do not forget the apostrophe in a student's education

What language(s) do you speack?

2010-01-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

List your foreign language reading, writing, or speacking skills and indicate your skill level as beginner, intermediate, or advance.

Is this a test to see how well we speak or speack English? Also, I think it should be advanced, but maybe that's unnecessary. I just wouldn't say I'm at an advance skill level. Would you?

The Stocker...dun...dun...dun...

2010-01-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am stocking you.

Stocking with a sock? Stocking with beef stock? Stocking me with food, yes please! There are so many options. But this is supposed to say I am stalking you. I choose the food.

Alma Mater

2010-01-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

The following is listed on someone's Facebook Info
Education and Work
College: Salt Lake Community Collage

Still wondering how you can misspell the word when the correct spelling is listed next to the box you are filling in.
Scarier still, Salt Lake Community Collage is linked and there are 89 other individuals who also listed Salt Lake Community CollAge as their CollEge. Don't want to dis on SLick, but these kids are not-so-Slick when it comes to SLCC.

Writing Skills

2010-01-09T09:12:00.001-08:00

The organization believes that one-on-one attention with students helps foster and launch students writing skills.

One question: Whose writing skills?

Done Right?

2009-12-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

Many of our clients choose to work with us over the site or just to give us a call but your more than welcome to come to our business.

This comes from a website whose slogan reads: "Done right the first time, on time!"
Do you trust them to do it right? I don't. Not when that sentence is smattered with errors and some overall poor syntax.

To fix the basics: Many of our clients choose to work with us over the site or just to give us a call {,} but you{'re} more than welcome to come to our business.

But maybe they should try this: Many of our clients work with us via our website or over the telephone, but you are also welcome to come to our business.

Any other suggestions? Let's compile a list and I will send them to the company.

P.S. This find is compliments of Brea.

Who's Awesome?

2009-12-03T15:44:00.001-08:00

I'm Awesome. You're Awesome. Your Mom is Awesome.
(At least they got the who's right.)

More !!!! (as if the first weren't enough)

2009-11-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

_____________ will be hosting the annual Labor Day weekend department barbecue at his apartment complex this year on Saturday, September 6th! There will be lots of food and drinks, faculty members to talk to, and a fantastic opportunity for the first and second year students to meet and mingle! The details are as follows:

Date: Sunday, September 6th.
Time: 2-7 pm
What to Bring: First year students, just bring yourselves! This barbecue is to welcome you to the department! Second year students, if you could bring chips, other snacks, desserts, and drinks of various kinds, that would be great!
Who to Bring: Partners and kids are welcome to accompany you!

Also, ________________ is looking to borrow a semi-portable gas grill!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Okay, so this is a bit old, but as I was filtering through my inbox I came across it and remembered how great it was. It definitely inspires excitement! Don't you think?!? Yay Barbecue! But notice also the dates. Funnier still is that this was written by an English MA Candidate.

Get this...

2009-11-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Exhibit A: Wondered if you get circulate this event among your students and faculty?

Exhibit B: I would like to get some sort of dialogue between colleges with honor programs, specifically, programs ran by students. I do not know if your the contact for that, but could you point me in the right direction.

E.A. really only has one problem to get. E.B. has several. Let's play a game: how many problems can you find with E.B.?

I Will Love You Tell the End of Time

2009-11-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

Someone made this lovely sign and is actually trying to sell it. Any takers? I think that if they add a colon after "I will love you" it could potentially have some meaning--thus making it salvageable. Let's try it, just for fun:
I will love you: tell the end of time.
Tell the end of time! This is an order: go ahead, tell it already.
(Unfortunately, we still don't know what you are telling the end of time...still not salvageable. Sorry, we tried. Go find some primer.)

!!!!

2009-11-03T13:13:00.001-08:00

Looks great!!!! I like how you put the horizontal line in the Discussion/Conclusion section!!! It visually breaks up what would otherwise be a busy feeling section.
I think adding the Conclusion to the Abstract block is a more solid way to introduce your research!!! Overall, I think this does an excellent job at succinctly presenting the research; and, hopefully, whetting the appetite of those in attendance to read your research!!!!

Dear _____,

This is my response to you.

Best,
Liz

I once had a student who used over 70 exclamation marks in a two page, hand written paper. All I could think was that she was constantly yelling and overly excited about everything. It was over-the-top!!!!!!

Fairies vs Ferries: A Showdown

2009-10-30T06:43:00.001-07:00

And if I could BE any of the princesses, I think I'd go with Sleeping Beauty. What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by three magical ferries?

Yes, who wouldn't want to be surrounded by three magical ferries? Does one act as a time-travel machine? Sign me up.

The Stickler in Me

2009-10-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

I admit it: I am what Lynne Truss in her book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves calls a stickler. It bothers me when people mix up words (their, they're, there/ it's , its); when people do not punctuate things correctly; when people use too many exclamation points and kill their point. I have been known to correct peoples' blogs, edit papers ruthlessly, and even to email website managers to inform them of conventional errors I've found on their sites. Now, I'm not for public humiliation (although I do think The Scarlet Letter is a great book), but on this blog I'm going to publish the errors I find while reading. This is not to be spiteful or mean; most of the errors I find are amusing--because they alter the meaning, sometimes quite drastically. Don't worry, I won't name names or cite sources, but if you recognize yourself think of this as an educational learning experience for you to improve your mechanics skills. And remember to proof read!