IPC ignoramuses

Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas & New Year!

Suggest the following is regarded as correct:

"If the baby won't take the milk , boil it!"

Some noted Scholar whose name I cannot remember said it was correct?\

Best Wishes for the festive season!
 
Lady Campanula said:
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..... ;)
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As opposed to, " a surfeit of lampreys..?;)"
 
and while we're at it........the grocer's apostrophe is getting more and more prevalent.....

potato's 45p........tomato's 85p..... is amazing how often the pulral is formed with an apostrophe s...even in print these days
 
Whilst I agree that communication would be easier if everyone were to write (and speak)gramatically correct English, I am prepared to ignore the variations when I benefit from the information given on, for example, this forum. What I object to is the misuse of the language by professionals, particularly, when they are asking me for money.
 
25931 said:
...What I object to is the misuse of the language by professionals, particularly, when they are asking me for money.
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If you're referring to the PBO subscriptions department I doubt that the text in question was written by a professional person, assuming the traditional meaning of the word. I believe it is much more likely to have been written by an employee of a commercial organisation.

So far as the accuracy of text is concerned there are some professionals that need to write well, for example in a competent barrister's opinion or a good building surveyor's report. Others may use lesser quality writing, where text is of secondary importance. One instance would be my accountant's correspondence - I employ him for the accuracy of his financial advice which is largely given in figures rather than words.
 
Coaster said:
If you're referring to the PBO subscriptions department I doubt that the text in question was written by a professional person, assuming the traditional meaning of the word. I believe it is much more likely to have been written by an employee of a commercial organisation.

So far as the accuracy of text is concerned there are some professionals that need to write well, for example in a competent barrister's opinion or a good building surveyor's report. Others may use lesser quality writing, where text is of secondary importance. One instance would be my accountant's correspondence - I employ him for the accuracy of his financial advice which is largely given in figures rather than words.
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In this context I use the word professional to mean the opposite of amature, in other words someone who is paid to do the job in question. The example of an accountant is a non sequitur.
 
Burnham Bob said:
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.
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I have a few spare capital letters if you are interested?!!
 
chrisclin said:
No-one has mentioned my bete noir - paople saying loose when they mean lose
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Oh dear, you have been struck by the curse of the pedant, making two spelling mistakes, missing out an accent and not saying what you meant to say.

"Paople" is presumably a typo for people, bête is feminine so it is noire, not noir. People very rarely say loose when they mean lose; the error tends to happen when they write the words down.
 
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