08 October 2010

Office Observations

So the IT director just came into our office and asked how to spell "finagle" while also managing to mispronounce it. Jordan helped him out, but Laura just asked, "Doesn't he know how to use the internet?"

I have found on multiple occasions that Grammar Girl is very helpful with her quick and dirty tips. Of course, I already know the rules that she is teaching, but sometimes I like to look them up just to reassure myself, because I live in a world that is plagued by incorrect grammar, and we all know that if the majority of people are doing it, then it must be right. Today I looked up the difference between bad and badly. The way I've always remembered it is that badly is an adverb (obviously, because it has an -ly), and adverbs, as their names denote, modify verbs. Therefore, in what way am I feeling? I feel badly. But bad is an adjective that defines a noun, in this case, I. So if we want to know how I feel, we would have to make it an adjective. But I find that her transitive and intransitive section is even more enlightening. Read and enjoy.

2 comments:

  1. Oh, I published this post too soon. One of the concept editors just got a phone call from one of her authors. He told her, "I picked up Sarah Palin's book, but I couldn't finish it because of what you taught me. There were too many run-on sentences!"
    James told the editor, "That's probably the best compliment you've ever received."

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  2. I liked my visit to Grammar Girl. Hadn't heard of her before. Dad xoxo

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