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Category Archives: Rants

Are you looking for a writer or a receptionist?

Monday, July 20, 2009

Note to Businesspeople: Hiring an in-house “writer/editor” who will also make bank deposits, do data entry, answer the phone, “design” your web site, make the coffee, clean the floors, book your travel, and pick up your dry cleaning will *not* result in very professional written materials or a very happy/long-term employee. Instead of hiring someone [...]

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How a missing comma can cost you a job

Friday, May 15, 2009

I used to manage a staff of writers and editors. One of my least favourite parts of the job was scanning  through the hundreds of resumes I’d receive in response to a job posting. (Really, hundreds. And that was before the economy tanked. Just imagine how many people are competing for new jobs these days.) [...]

Filed in Cautionary tales, Rants | Comments (3)

More Signs on Trial

Monday, May 4, 2009

I’ve posted before about the terrible grammar, spelling, and punctuation I’ve seen on signs. The problem does not seem to be going away.
Exhibit 1: The bizarrely specific
On the door of a fast-food joint, a sign read:
“No live animals allowed”
I’m not sure why they felt the need to specify that only “live” animals are banned. Perhaps [...]

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Plummet 4 percent? I don’t think so…

Saturday, December 27, 2008

I caught this headline on Reuter’s today:
Retailers’ holiday sales plummet 4 percent
Now, I’m sure that a 4 percent drop in sales is painful for retailers in these tough economic times. But sales can’t “plummet” 4 percent. Dip, drop, fall, slump, sure. But to plummet is “to drop sharply and abruptly” (Merriam-Webster), and 4 percent [...]

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Translink, you’ve done it again

Friday, December 26, 2008

I’ve already admonished Translink once for not living up to the excellent punctuation standards set by the signage on the New York Subway.
But I simply couldn’t let this, from the “etiquette” section on their web site, go without comment.
Seats closest to the doors are designated for persons with disability and seniors, your courtesy in offering [...]

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I know it’s the Internet, but still…

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I’ve said it before: I understand that the Internet is not a medium known for its focus on grammatical correctness. Still, you’d think a site claiming to offer job opportunities for freelance writers might try a little harder than most. That’s why this is a little distressing:

I can almost forgive the wonky capitalization and inconsistent [...]

Filed in Cautionary tales, Rants | Comments (1)

I know what it means, but what does it *say*?

Monday, August 4, 2008

For years I drove past this sign every day on the bus, and it has always driven me crazy. I understand what it is supposed to mean. Making wine at this location will save you money. But what on earth is that second line supposed to say when you read it to yourself in your [...]

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Maybe “you” should learn what quotation marks are for…

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Again, I must say that I understand Internet advertising may be an unfair place to go looking for grammatical and punctuation screw-ups. But still — I couldn’t ignore this ad:

What on earth does the person who wrote this ad think those quotation marks mean? Probably the same thing as the guy who wrote the [...]

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Why those cheap SEO articles and press releases outsourced to foreign writers aren’t working as well as you think

Friday, June 27, 2008

Today’s post is a rant about why $3 SEO articles outsourced to writers in low-income countries are not working as well as their writers claim. Yes, the articles and press releases may rank well — but are they actually driving any new eyeballs to your site?
On this page, you can learn why the answer is [...]

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And you want me to take your IQ test?

Thursday, June 26, 2008

I’ll admit that Internet advertising banners are not necessarily expected to adhere to the strictest rules of spelling and grammar.
But surely if you expect me to have any interest in your “IQ Quiz,” you should at least know when to use “a” and when to use “an”… and that’s as far as I’m going to [...]

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