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TEST the GOODNESS of YOUR GRAMMAR!
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I got eight out of ten. I would have had nine, but I misread the question about the gerund. I do know what a gerund is, but I thought the question asked for which thing was NOT in the sentence and so I picked the other option. I should have been paying better attention. I'll blame it on the two-year-old.The other one I got wrong was about Hilary. Maybe I should know that about the commas, but honestly, if I'm reading a book with sentences like that, I'm going to stop reading the book. If I want to interperate, I'll take up translating, like you!
5/10 lol, I've never even heard of the terminology used!
Challenging. I got only 7/10. I agree with R.A. about lemming a book like that!
My critique group considers me their "grammarian". Missing two of the correct answers almost makes me feel like a fraud. (sigh)
7/10. If nothing else I guess I won't ever be a LITERARY author :P
I will never admit my score. Suffice it to say, I need and use a professional editor for my books... lol
I try to make sure there are no basic mistakes in my writing, but I'm not going to be obsessed with ridiculous technicalities.It reminds me of the movie, "The Man Who Wasn't There" with Billy Bob Thornton. The main protagonist, Ed, wants to help Scarlett Johansson's character by paying for her piano lessons. Dreams of her being a famous concert pianist are shattered by an expert's opinion that although she is technically good, she completely lacks feeling. And that's what I believe we need to remember with our writing - all the grammar is no good without the ability to express and transmit feelings.
8 out of 10!!! Not bad, considering English is my second language. Now I can brag about it to score more Beta reads:)
Same here, 8 out of 10 !! And English isn't my first language either.I used to consider myself almost terrible at it. I guess, i'm not that bad.
I got 9 out of 10. The one about Hilary was strange. I don't know anyone who would write a sentence that way.
I know, Anne. I think that paragraph is badly written altogether, even if grammatically correct. It threw me off as well.
I got Hillary question right, 'cause i had once long back read about the coma rule in a grammar book.
No, I got that the comma was missing. I just didn't see how it was relevant to the question.
We have to consider that it was a question put to us colloquialy. And when most of us speak, we do join sentense after sentense as after thoughts.So the point here was to pay more attention on how they have presented someone's said statement. I suppose that's why they asked us to read that question carefully.
Masha wrote: "I know, Anne. I think that paragraph is badly written altogether, even if grammatically correct. It threw me off as well."Exactly right! Language is about sharing ideas through sounds or words. If the idea becomes lost, it doesn't truly matter if it's because of poor grammar or a badly designed sentence. It's failure either way.
I got nine out of ten by the way, which is amusing. I work in a college bookstore and trade barbs with the grammar police there all the time.
Anne wrote: "I got 9 out of 10. The one about Hilary was strange. I don't know anyone who would write a sentence that way."i agree.
i don't think that's how people present it anyway.
oops, didn't do very well at all. Only 5/10, I misread one question totally !!! The others, well maybe I need to brush up on terminology ! Hilary was definitely a weird one.
Simon wrote: "I try to make sure there are no basic mistakes in my writing, but I'm not going to be obsessed with ridiculous technicalities.It reminds me of the movie, "The Man Who Wasn't There" with Billy Bob ..."
I do agree-my top 'grading point' on a book is whether or not I felt the characters. 2 is overall story, 3 is technical writing. Unless the writing is just horrible, and I can't read it long enough to find out about the characters and the plot.
Oh dear, I only got 6!Hilary put me off, I think.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :P
These things matter if you are writing a book on the English language. To be honest, only the first question really stood out to me as an irritating mistake. The others? I scored 7, more by luck than judgement, and I'd never heard of a gerund, dangling modifier,etc. These rules are not taught in England as a matter of course, they are only taught to post 16 specialist students.
Besides, who calls their kid Hilary?
As I said before, I teach English in Spain. The schools are obsessed with teaching grammar, (hands up those who know the difference between a 2nd and 3rd conditional?) and yet the kids don't understand me when I speak to them, (even though I speak slowly, carefully and have a neutral accent), let alone know how to respond.Communication is the most important thing.
6/10. That's what an editor is for, folks.
Agree - As a former French teacher, immersion is the best way to learn how to speak a language; however, writing is a 'different language' where grammar rules rule. Even with an editor and proofing, mistakes can occur, unfortunately.
It's preoccupying that McDonalds markets itself towards illiterate people. "I'm Lovin' It" is not only bad grammar, it might show the true attitude of people.Love is a stative verb, in that it implies something permanent. The verb, "to be" in "I am a man", is stative because unless I have some drastic surgery and hormone replacement, I'm stuck with my condition for quite a while.
If I say to my wife, "I love you", she's happy that it's a stative verb, that I do so on a day-to-day, permanent basis.
Aside from the fact that love is a stative verb, using the gerund form would imply something that we are doing only in this moment, not on a permanent, regular basis. So... if I'm "Lovin'" McDonalds, it would mean that normally I hate them, but just in this moment I've had a change of heart.
Maybe people only like McDonalds for brief moments.
Let's try to be nice to editors - I don't think they'd appreciate sloppy writing, just because it's supposedly their job. Sure fire killer in getting your manuscript accepted by publishers.
9/10 Grammar Guru at your service! :)P.S. the one point was lost on Hilary
I think the Hilary question is an example of the difference between good grammar and good writing. If you write in such an unclear manner, then good grammar isn't going to help you.
Simon wrote: "I think the Hilary question is an example of the difference between good grammar and good writing. If you write in such an unclear manner, then good grammar isn't going to help you."Well said. And interesting point about 'lovin'. I hadn't thought about it that way. I found the jingle annoying for other reasons. Didn't they have one that said 'We love to see you smile'? How much nicer that sounds! You'd think a company with that much money to throw around would do better...I worked for them for four years, and the grammer wasn't any better in store. But you know you're a good manager if you can get people work their hearts out for minimum wage-at least I learned something :).
That's what I thought, Simon. In several cases when they said which is more correct, my response inwardly was - neither is very well written, so what difference does it make...
Just the title of the thread scares me. Darkness, blackness, wetness, glossiness, any-ness is, at best, lazy writing.
Ken wrote: "Just the title of the thread scares me. Darkness, blackness, wetness, glossiness, any-ness is, at best, lazy writing."That was intentional!
Simon wrote: "Ken wrote: "Just the title of the thread scares me. Darkness, blackness, wetness, glossiness, any-ness is, at best, lazy writing."That was intentional!"
Now you tell me. Of course it was, Simon. Of course it was.
I've been trying to work on my book for the last hour, and ever since reading Ken's comment I find myself looking for 'ness' words.And I assumed that the thread title was intentionally silly when I first read it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22...