Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "grammar"

I'd like to think I'm a pretty intelligent, somewhat open-minded person. But to be honest, I didn't really realize how much I took for granted before I went to Europe.
Among other things, I didn't fully understand or appreciate the complexities of the English language. Or maybe I just forgot about them. After all, I have been speaking English since I learned how to talk.
Being in predominantly non-English speaking countries forced me to concentrate on the basics and allowed me to forget how much some of the idiosyncrasies that find their way into everyday speech and writing bug me. Now that I'm back in the States, I'm painfully aware of how much certain things drive me up the wall.
My biggest pet peeve in both speech and writing is the use of needless or repetitive redundancies. (Yes, I did that on purpose).
Here are just a few examples:
ATM machine. I mean, come on. Really? Last I heard, the acronym stands for Automated Teller Machine. So why must people constantly refer to automated teller machine machines?
Left to go. This is common sports jargon, so tell me if any of this sounds familiar. There are five laps left to go in the race. He scored the winning goal with less than five minutes left to go in the fourth quarter. Give me a break. There are either five laps left or five laps to go. Right?
End result. As defined in Webster's II New College Dictionary a result is the consequence or outcome of an action, and to result in something is to end in a given way. So I can understand the use of the terms "immediate result," "short term result" or "long term result." But "end result"? No way.
What are some of your pet peeves? Think about it and let me know.
Until next time, "That's life..."

To quote the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan, "Well, here we go again..." I am about to write something that might make a few people mad. Just remember that your reaction is a matter of choice; I am simply voicing my opinion and exercising my First Amendment rights.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I will now get to the point.
Some people can't sing. Some people can't dance. Some people can't act. And then there are the people who can't write. In fact, there are tons of people who couldn't write their way out of a paper bag if their life depended on it.
The problem is that they are under the incredibly misguided impression that they can.
The truth is that with the advent of self-publishing anyone can become a published author. All you need is an idea, some time and money. Apparently talent and creativity are optional.
Sadly the result is an overcrowded market where mediocrity is acceptable.
By now you are probably fuming, and if you have bothered to read this much, you are probably wondering what gives me the right to say all of this and why I'm saying it with so much certainty.
Simply put, I speak from experience. I (barely) make a living as a freelance proofreader and editor, so I spend a lot of time reviewing manuscripts. Occasionally the copy is fairly clean when I get it. There may be a few mistakes and the language has to be tightened up a little bit. But the plot and characters are well-developed; the story makes sense. It is a pleasure to read these manuscripts, and I know the authors will be successful.
Most of the copy I get is a mess. Grammatical and spelling errors are the rule, not the exception. In some cases there isn't a sentence that doesn't need to be revised. The plots are muddled, the characters aren't believable... I could go on, but I won't.
Some of you may think I've been too harsh, and perhaps I have. Perhaps I just take too much for granted, or perhaps I expect too much.
By the time I wrote my memoir, I'd spent years honing my writing skills as a journalist at daily and weekly newspapers in three states. From the beginning, my editors set ridiculously high standards and expected me to meet them.
I held myself to the same standards when I wrote "Truth." That's not to say my first draft was perfect; it certainly wasn't. Neither was the second or the third. So I took my editor's advice and finally crafted what turned out to be an award-winning book.
Yes, anyone can write a book. But only a few can do it well.
Until next time, "That's life..."