The Error of My Ways

Last Monday, we took a Stylebook quiz and on the quiz was one of my sentences. Obviously, it was a little embarrassing, but it really taught me to edit my work to the best of my knowledge. This is something that is very important because when you showcase your work to the world, it should be correct, or it will reflect poorly upon you.
I kept this in mind when I was writing a cover letter a few nights ago, and I think it really helped. I edited the letter several times, and had a few other people look it over because I realize that I am not the best at grammar and punctuation. While I personally edited it, I found several punctuation mistakes that I never would have noticed had I not read it several times. I would not have read it several times if my incorrectly punctuated sentence had not been on the quiz. So even though it was embarrassing, I think seeing the sentence on the quiz actually helped me, and will continue to help me in the future.
However, I think my personal problem with editing is that I only see a mistake if someone points out the possibility of a mistake. So for me, it is easier to see the mistakes on the quiz sentences because I know that they are there. Hopefully, by reading my work over several times, I'll start to notice any mistakes.

So many rules, and are they even necessary?

During my last editing class (or the one before, sometimes the lessons blur together), I learned that we cannot accept the use of the word "their" to connect singular and plural possessive pronouns. This may seem a little confusing, so to simply this rule, here's an example of an incorrect sentence:

Anybody can have their child sing in the local talent contest.

This sentence is incorrect because anybody literally means "any one person" and therefore, we can't use the plural possessive pronoun "their". The grammatically correct option would be to say either "anybody can have his child...." "anybody can have her child...." or "anybody can have his or her child...."

Yet, we can't really choose the option with just "his child" or just "her child" because that would leave out half of the population, so we correctly say "his or her child."

Still, this is a mouthful and it is understandable that someone would want to save time and write/say "their" (see I love saving time, and felt it was necessary to put a slash in my sentence instead of the word "or"). I don't think that people use the word "their" to be grammatically incorrect, but to include everyone and save time. It a way, it's like the word "funner". It's not a real word, but people use it so often, that it has the potential to turn into one. It's used frequently in the vernacular, and so is the word "their" instead of "his or her".

Nonetheless, using the long "his or her" is better than just using "his" which is how the sentence would have been structured in the past. It's good that women have progressed enough in society to be re-included in the English language, so I will gladly use "his or her" over "his,"even if it takes longer to do so.

Word of the Week

My word for this week is exacerbate. This is a word that I actually use a lot in conversation- perhaps more frequently than I actually should- but it is fun to see who gives me a confused look when it comes out of my mouth. Plus, I really like the word.

EXACERBATE

pronunciation: \ig-ˈza-sər-ˌbāt\
Part of Speech: transitive verb
Etymology: From Latin exacerbatus, past participle of exacerbare, from ex- + acerbus harsh

1.	to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.); aggravate.

2.	to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate; exasperate.

Colleen's sentence: After my foot was broken while playing soccer, Ashley accidentally stepped on it which exacerbated the pain.

I saw this word today in an article on CNN.com about the failing stock market. I thought they used the word particularly well because I can imagine that many people's fears are exacerbated with the Dow dropping 300 points. .

Again, I chose it because it is such a great word and one that I use all the time.

Daily Illini Corrections for Monday, Sept. 8

At the University of Illinois, we have an outstanding newspaper that is produced soley by the students on campus. No matter how good it is, the paper can always be improved upon, and those of us who work there are constantly trying to make it a better publication.

Today's paper looked as if it needed a lot of editing work. For instance, in the front page story about Student Trustee Paul Schmitt resigning from his position, the lede began with the date of his resignation. The date was over one week old, so obviously this story could have been run then. If they were going to hold off on the story, than the author should not have put this information right away in the lede. Furthermore, the lede would have been much more powerful had it started off with the announcement of the resignation of Schmitt as Trustee, not the date of the resignation, which isn't the most important information.

Another story in the Sports section was misleading. In the lede, the author writes, "nobody told 1966 Illinois alumna Lois Diller there was an age limit for the 2008 Alumni Weekend round-robin tennis tournament." This implies that there is an age limit for the tournament that Diller was not made aware of. However, the author was merely trying to express the fact that at age 63, Diller was not too old to play in the tournament because she is a very active person. Nowhere else in the story does the author talk about the age restriction, so it becomes clear that he wanted a creative opening for the story. While I understand this idea, I think it is important to make sure that your audience is not mislead, as I was. I even thought this story was about age discrimination for a while!

Word of the Week

Grapple

Pronunciation: grāp'əl or grap-uhl
Part of Speech: Verb
Etymology:Middle English grapel, from Old French grapil, diminutive of grape, hook

1) to seize or hold with or as if with a hooked instrument
2) to seize and struggle with one another
3)A struggle for superiority or dominance

Colleen's Sentence: The two girls grappled with each other, each vying for the bouquet at their friend's wedding.

I recently saw this word in a New York Times article about the upcoming presidential candidates, Obama and McCain. I chose this word because I thought the author did a perfect job using it, and I wanted to share it with other people. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/us/politics/05campaign.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Reading is Especially Fabulous

Everyone has heard that in order to be a good writer, one must first read, read, read. This is something that I truly believe in and as a result, I am a voracious reader. Anyone who loves words should not underestimate the importance of constant reading because it enables you to expand your vocabulary and ultimately, become a better writer. That's why I couldn't agree with my editing class book more. They publishers advocate frequent reading and say that it will help you not only learn how grammar functions in your everyday life, but how to become a better writer. So get out there and read, people! Besides, it's not like reading is work- it's so much fun!