Well, I finally arrived in Maryland after some weather delays, and Jim and I joined forces, and went out for some late dinner. The menu had THREE instances of quotation marks. Go figure. Needless to say, we did not order anything that was "great" "popular" or a "favorite".
Those quotation marks aren't necessarily unnecessary, if they are what others have said about the dishes to which they refer.
ReplyDeleteWho exactly would say a thing like "Employee's All-Time Favorite" (somehow including the improperly-placed apostrophe in there)? That seems like a pretty strange thing to say to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lily on at least two of those. But keep 'em coming--gives me smiles every day!
ReplyDeleteI must admit, quotation marks can get really annoying. BUT, I think this blog should have been titled: "Grammar Guru Gone Wild!" Ha-ha! It would seem more fitting & flexible... That-a-way, you could scavenge the entire world for typos & grammatical flaws that are not limited to quotation marks...oh wait a minute, there are no flaws in speech because lanquage is an individual expression that typically contains verbal transmissions...unless you are performing telepathy......BUT, when it is put on paper (as in literature) or when it is electronically viewable, it opens the gates for analytical critics that look at proper/correct grammar as an ultimate sophistication of the so-called intellectual. That is sooooo simple minded & wrong. No wonder I defy the laws of holy grammar, among other things...
ReplyDeleteOn the other side of things: Most people are not very educated and are ignorant to the society that surrounds them...and they say, "Ignorance is bliss!"
In actuality, most people assume that there is a certain path, fundamental, or law...for everything. Not only is that very wrong..., it is soooooo limited to free thinkers, individual thought patterns, creativity, etc.
Back to the point of this post & on a more relevant note: Some people simply use quotations as a form of caption, to get or cause attention, etc....and not to the effect that abides by the laws of proper grammar. So hence forward fellow "Grammar Guru Gone Wild" and quit paying so much attention to the quotation marks that surround your existence. Just kidding, that would defeat the purpose of this blog ;)
Well..., do you also have a problem with the use of apostrophes that are often used on both sides of random keywords in titles, etc.? For example: 'Neolithic Incompetence' Exposed! Is that okay?
Ha-ha! Nice blog...you gotta love the motives......
Too bad though, that you didn't order Dolmades. It's really popular in Greece (and tasty), but then again I wouldn't say that it's really "popular in Greece", and certainly not the "Most Popular in Greece". The "Most Popular Appetizer in Greece" is out of the question too. So, you had a point there (i "think"):). But the fact remains that you missed it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that was just my greek "touch" to this wonderful blog. Thanks for all the semantical errors and keep up the good work!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteChaotic Infinity: Try reading the FAQ. This blog isn't about grammar – at all. It’s not to enforce a “correct” style of puncutation, and it’s not even to make fun of the people who misuse quotation marks. It’s just to see how these signs can be misinterpreted for funny results. Nothing political about it. :^)
ReplyDeleteAhh! You're eating at Plato's! One of my favorite diners (and not only because of the "intersting" menu "items").
ReplyDeleteTry the French Terp.
Lily: It's been covered before. If you quote someone and don't say who you're quoting, it's wrong (and plagiarism)
ReplyDeleteMinh Nyguyen: If you look at the 'comment fields' on a variety of posts from this blog (including this one)...you might think otherwise......about the first couple sentences of your comment. Thanks for the FAQ link; I checked it out......
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I realize(d) it was a bunch of people having fun (for the most part); I just wanted to make a point about how many people (obviously) perceive proper grammar as a standard law of literature - with the no flexibility in style or creativity outside of those preset limits...and how some people take it way too seriously.
Absolutely...this is just for fun...and I think this is an excellent blog that creates a different style of diversions......
chaotic: I understand your point (in fact, I think I express some of those things more clearly in my FAQ and some of the interviews) but I also believe there are some points at which "free thinking and creativity" are impeded by not following language conventions, because the result is confusing.
ReplyDeleteBethany: When I speak about free thinking & creativity, I'm mainly implying about how fundamentalism inhibits such - maybe not so much as in grammar, but with similiar situations in life. I guess I tied the basic laws of grammar into a parallel philosophy with daily living. Trust me, I understand exactly what you mean about how things can get confusing if a person has poor grammar...plus, I favor proper grammar. I've designed and operated a few (commercial) websites over the last couple years, and I had to abide by the conventional style of literature when doing business - or else, nobody will take you seriously.
ReplyDeleteThen again, maybe I just wanted to type a few things into your awesome blog -- you can thank Google's "Blogs of Note" for that one. ;)
If it's "needless to say" that you didn't order anything great, popular, or a favorite, why did you say it?
ReplyDeleteOur cafeteria serves pancakes "greek style".
ReplyDelete