IPC ignoramuses

[25931]

I am insulted, the PBO subscription reminder starts " I hope that Mr Glassbrook is enjoying their (sic) gift subscription" ,to quote Churchill "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put" and to which I shall not reply.

 

[SailorBill]

I am insulted, the PBO subscription reminder starts " I hope that Mr Glassbrook is enjoying their (sic) gift subscription" ,to quote Churchill "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put" and to which I shall not reply.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Journalists and copywriters write. Everybody else types characters into a machine and hopes for the best.

 

[JayBee]

My pet irritation is that schoolmarm voice on the phone telling me that

"The number you are calling knows you are waiting"

aaargh..

 

[bignick]

I am insulted, the PBO subscription reminder starts " I hope that Mr Glassbrook is enjoying their (sic) gift subscription" ,to quote Churchill "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put" and to which I shall not reply.

hmm, split infinitives... shouldn't do that.

 

[prv]

hmm, split infinitives... shouldn't do that.

OK, I'll bite - where was the split infinitive in the OP's post?

Pete

 

[sailorman]

My pet irritation is that schoolmarm voice on the phone telling me that

"The number you are calling knows you are waiting"

aaargh..

And your call IS important to us
GET MORE FREEKIN STAFF THEN

 

[bignick]

Ooops, I didn't notice it was actually a quote, from the venerable Mr Churchill no less. I was referring to the up and put, but it was after a couple of glasses and I think I may have engaged mouth before brain. The OP's grammar was obviously sharper than mine...

 

[Burnham Bob]

split infinitives are a fashion thing - big in middle english, declining in later years then reappearing to great debate and opprobrium in the 19th century. whether they are good/bad/sloppy engish is a matter of debate. however, there is a general decline in the quality of english which results in the kind of copy ipc sent out to the OP.

the offending phrase simply sounds wrong - and in english that's about the best test I can think of. as an ex-copywriter i know that english can be bent any way you like for effect, but drinka pinta milka day actually sounds alright even though it's really gibberish.

what i find more annoying is misuse of homophones - their and there getting confused and principal and principle

we all hear people whose colloquial english is bad and we accept speech patterns and sloppy grammar, but there is no excuse for bad written english. when i was a junior copywriter my copy chief would have had conniptions if i tried to send out stuff like the ipc circular. does nobody check these things these days?

rant over.

 

[Lady Campanula]

One of the more meticulous pickers of written nit I've encountered this century is an Antipodean and, I am pleased to relate, most certainly not English.

Come to think on it, I also may not qualify, due in large part to a surfeit of failings.

Pass me a participle.....

 

[Twister_Ken]

One of the more meticulous pickers of written nit I've encountered this century is an Antipodean and, I am pleased to relate, most certainly not English.

Could it be Doug J?

 

[Lady Campanula]

P'rhaps it could - but, then, it ain't!

 

[Seajet]

Since Captain Slog, " To Boldly Go where no man has gone before " I've thought split infinitives are something we're stuck with, a natural evolution.

I must admit though that I'm astounded by how many people don't know 'there' from 'their' !

 

[RobF]

Many people don't know their 'There' from their 'Their' from their 'They're'

 

[prv]

Since Captain Slog, " To Boldly Go where no man has gone before " I've thought split infinitives are something we're stuck with, a natural evolution.

I read that as Captain Slug at first, and thought you were blaming our Dylan for perverting the language.

Whereas,

in fact,

we know that

he only

perverts

the layout

As for split infinitives, my understanding is that the only argument against them is that it's impossible to split an infinitive in Latin (cos it's a single word) and therefore one should not do it in English either. Which seems a pretty poor argument to me, and indeed there are many educated people who agree and would not regard it as a rule.

Pete

 

[Seajet]

Pete,

I am sure the answer will be found here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8

Merry Christmas,

Andy

 

[macd]

As for split infinitives, my understanding is that the only argument against them is that it's impossible to split an infinitive in Latin (cos it's a single word) and therefore one should not do it in English either. Which seems a pretty poor argument to me, and indeed there are many educated people who agree and would not regard it as a rule.

Quite so...from the time when it was fashionable (for no good reason) for academics to try to impose classical grammar on English, a language which has always been fairly relaxed about such stuff. Even Fowler was less than dogmatic about split infinitives, suggesting that never to split them (there you go!) often resulted in stilted prose.

 

[Cariadco]

Many people don't know their 'There' from their 'Their' from their 'They're'

Guilty......

 

[Twister_Ken]

Even Fowler was less than dogmatic about split infinitives, suggesting that never to split them (there you go!) often resulted in stilted prose.

Even Fowler was less than dogmatic about split infinitives, suggesting that to never split them (there you go!) often resulted in stilted prose. Surely.

 

[Stu Jackson]

what i find more annoying is misuse of homophones - their and there getting confused and principal and principle

...but there is no excuse for bad written english.

Agreed.

Try Reply #3, here, I've been saving them up for years...

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4903.0.html

Drives me nuts.

bilDge anybody???