tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post777539133748897412..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Do we need a refresher course on queries?Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-940887076096079352014-10-30T19:03:07.350-04:002014-10-30T19:03:07.350-04:00Laws, I thought I'd died and gone to Southerne...Laws, I thought I'd died and gone to Southerner heaven when Janet called Gossamer her "honeypie" - but now she's not just used "y'all" properly, but done the death-defying ALL Y'ALL. Beautifully done, and not for amateurs either!<br /><br />I begin to wonder whether milady shark growls with a drawl.<br /><br />BonnieShaljean, I loved that one - like Janet, the archives are a must at the AP. One of my favorite blogs ever.DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75419530025086546212014-10-30T06:48:35.420-04:002014-10-30T06:48:35.420-04:00I'm sort of a Grammar Nazi too (I once got tol...I'm sort of a Grammar Nazi too (I once got told off in one of those old Usenet chat groups for saying "fora" rather than "forums" when referring to more than one). <br /><br />Hey, we need Ben Schott to make us up a nice compound word to describe us... Bonnie Shaljeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13067442140631504611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-74421209745746766092014-10-30T06:45:02.210-04:002014-10-30T06:45:02.210-04:00@Sulian You've never seen my class' After ...@Sulian You've never seen my class' After Test Best Of Errors (TM). And I don't think any of us spent much time with native speakers back then.<br /><br />But yeah, 'could of' is just as befuddling to me as 'try and' (albeit for slightly different reasons).<br /><br /><br />And I think I'll add "Deppenfahrerbeäugung" to my vocabulary.Ellipsis Floodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03097098062834873232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-82765487838783807832014-10-30T06:42:03.349-04:002014-10-30T06:42:03.349-04:00Google is your friend. Whenever I can't figure...Google is your friend. Whenever I can't figure out the lay/ lie thing, I google it and magically it's there with a thorough explanation how to properly use it. Raise/ rise is another tricky one. But because I'm so careful, I've become a full fledged Grammar Nazi, constantly red penning people's facebook posts. In my head of course. Stephanie https://www.blogger.com/profile/11135131231969141136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64440684155386302602014-10-30T06:30:41.317-04:002014-10-30T06:30:41.317-04:00all y'all just crack me up. anyone not reading...all y'all just crack me up. anyone not reading the comments on this blog is missing the best part.Janet Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78867408102894298422014-10-30T04:44:47.975-04:002014-10-30T04:44:47.975-04:00Now, when you say "Not now. Not ever. Never. ...Now, when you say "Not now. Not ever. Never. EVER." do you mean, like, ever ever or is it just your personal preference?<br /><br />*(I'm such a heckler.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03736352366533619152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49090872013302583462014-10-29T20:43:14.041-04:002014-10-29T20:43:14.041-04:00Thanks for the Arrant Pedant link, DLM. Brilliant!...Thanks for the Arrant Pedant link, DLM. Brilliant! I particularly love the blog on Schottenfreude. Not Schadenfreude but Schottenfreude, in which Ben Schott expands on the German language’s compounding ability and creates words that should exist, e.g. <br /><br />Deppenfahrerbeäugung (“the urge to turn and glare at a bad driver you’ve just overtaken”).<br /><br />http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2014/03/17/book-review-schottenfreude/Bonnie Shaljeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13067442140631504611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-37905357252543308232014-10-29T20:12:03.370-04:002014-10-29T20:12:03.370-04:00This kind of stuff really makes me nervous, makes ...This kind of stuff really makes me nervous, makes me want to take up knitting or water polo. But because I hate needles, and the only bathing suit you would ever see me in is turtleneck full-length corduroy, I shall continue to write and call it 'voice'.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51681307665313588252014-10-29T19:42:42.558-04:002014-10-29T19:42:42.558-04:00The Arrant Pedant on Less/Fewer: http://www.arran...The Arrant Pedant on Less/Fewer: http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2014/10/06/new-post-on-visual-thesaurus-less-usage-problems/<br /><br />Man, I LOVE the Arrant Pedant. And the t-shirts, too. "Better living through syntax!"<br /><br />I can think of ONE soul who could maybe get away with the "You Know Who" thing: Gossamer! :)DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14847826039908307182014-10-29T18:18:36.781-04:002014-10-29T18:18:36.781-04:00@Jennifer: Re. "fewer" vs. "less&qu...@Jennifer: Re. "fewer" vs. "less"--I notice one of our grocery stores now has signs that say "About 20 items" instead of "20 items or less." :))Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87052869423969636892014-10-29T17:44:10.647-04:002014-10-29T17:44:10.647-04:00"lie" and "lay" are ones I hav..."lie" and "lay" are ones I have a big problem with. I feel like nobody ever taught me the difference (along with other such niceties as sentence mapping and "fewer" vs. "less" [though I've caught on to the latter, at least]). As a result, my dog is told to "lay down". Sign.<br /><br />(though really, she responds to just "down". She's a rules lawyer, so the less wiggle room the better.)Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-36112724396718110262014-10-29T16:29:20.505-04:002014-10-29T16:29:20.505-04:00@ Ellipsis Flood
And I always thought homonyms we...@ Ellipsis Flood<br /><br />And I always thought homonyms were a typical native speaker problem that non-natives don't have. After all, when they learn the language (i.e. those who learn it in a class room), they are shown the spelling of each word along with its pronunciation right from the start.<br /><br />The first time I came across "could of" I was completely mystified as to what it could mean (for about a second) and then (for somewhat longer): why would anyone get the idea into their heads as to spell it like that?<br /><br />Same thing with lie/lay/lied/laid. If you ever see a non-native speaker/writer get that one wrong, it's because they've spent too much time amongst ye natives. ;-)Suilanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08582037368941370388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8622470092376354402014-10-29T16:22:28.250-04:002014-10-29T16:22:28.250-04:00Finally....finally.
Betty was ecstatic, and the l...Finally....finally.<br /><br />Betty was ecstatic, and the little gaggle actually giggled.<br /><br />"Felix Buttonweazer works just fine."<br /><br />Not glowing mind you, but adequate.<br /><br />One of our friends at the Hookielau a go-go called me on this.<br /> Just desserts? Not so much...but it's a start. Now for the main course? <br />Fondly Felix.french sojournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262858704848580714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-37320723184444154002014-10-29T15:45:11.961-04:002014-10-29T15:45:11.961-04:00Okay you got me there, DK. Well played. ;)Okay you got me there, DK. Well played. ;)Ardenwolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14053900506482830292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25950789528979407512014-10-29T15:04:20.685-04:002014-10-29T15:04:20.685-04:00Oof. I should learn not to read this blog before 5...Oof. I should learn not to read this blog before 5am. Even with a cup of coffee in me, I had a heart attack over the ellipsis issue. Twenty minutes of searching later, I'm not convinced I used them correctly. Out they come. I hate making grammar mistakes!<br /><br />As I recall, we had an ellipsis contest back at the dawn of time. Why didn't I learn my lesson then?Amy Schaeferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263719891092841767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55718074290633735362014-10-29T14:24:47.125-04:002014-10-29T14:24:47.125-04:00Carolynn: Sounds like another writing contest. Act...Carolynn: Sounds like another writing contest. Actually, let's not. Those words... eek, I can only imagine! :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-46449482679202584512014-10-29T14:06:45.028-04:002014-10-29T14:06:45.028-04:00Wait, chickens laying on the counter, erotica and ...Wait, chickens laying on the counter, erotica and Voldemort? Only here my friends, only here.<br /><br />Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17019810481571236822014-10-29T13:35:29.830-04:002014-10-29T13:35:29.830-04:00Somehow I can't get "Lay that pistol down...Somehow I can't get "Lay that pistol down, babe," out of my head now. (It's lyrics, for those who don't know, not something anyone ever said to me.)Elissa Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10727748060605823895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-33882038804881771692014-10-29T12:34:57.273-04:002014-10-29T12:34:57.273-04:00Of course "You Know Who." How else would...Of course "You Know Who." How else would Voldemort submit his memoir?DKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16718686831211419521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56724218219792479602014-10-29T12:28:02.075-04:002014-10-29T12:28:02.075-04:00Wow. You know who? Seriously? Wow.Wow. You know who? Seriously? Wow.Ardenwolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14053900506482830292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55195903975189820322014-10-29T11:47:13.080-04:002014-10-29T11:47:13.080-04:00Wow I should of known your the one… the one and on...Wow I should of known your the one… the one and only… shark who can snarl underwater. Ignore anybody who says thats weird, their just jealous, its plane to sea. Bonnie Shaljeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13067442140631504611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56989423931199887412014-10-29T11:30:07.641-04:002014-10-29T11:30:07.641-04:00I'm peeved by "try and", too, but I ...I'm peeved by "try and", too, but I see it used by so many otherwise erudite authors that I think it must have become an accepted usage. Sigh.Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790958029798438793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-11825441071575865962014-10-29T09:29:36.194-04:002014-10-29T09:29:36.194-04:00I'm not worried about #6, but I still have pro...I'm not worried about #6, but I still have problems with 'who and whom' so I try to avoid the whom completely. <br /><br />Now, #5 I used recently and I'm beginning to wonder if I didn't use it correctly. Hmm. . .not sure.LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65101496946927699472014-10-29T09:15:43.035-04:002014-10-29T09:15:43.035-04:00Sidebar: I was, and have no shame in admitting it...Sidebar: I was, and have no shame in admitting it, messing around with the word lying, laying, in my little flash fiction story and I was so worried about misusing it, I took it out. That sentence became, "You're in the bottom of the shower."<br /><br />Anyway, SO much to be aware of, and now I'm paranoid about my WIP which is in other hands at the moment.<br /><br />InkStainedWench - I SNORT laughed at your question!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87903548269155323142014-10-29T09:05:32.915-04:002014-10-29T09:05:32.915-04:00Is laying on the counter okay in erotica?Is laying on the counter okay in erotica?Just mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08195935427292106634noreply@blogger.com