This morning I added several new reference links to my browser’s favorites list. When I’m writing (yes, even writing for friends via this humble blog), I look things up, including things I’m pretty sure I know. Like the title to this entry. Is “on” supposed to be capitalized? No. I thought not; now I’m sure.
I drew the line at adding a link to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, though. One, I already have a link to Merriam-Webster, and I’m used to M-W’s interface. Two, the American Heritage Dictionary caves to the stupids on gauntlet/gantlet. Thank God my hard-copy 1984 edition of the AP Style Guide’s still in good shape, because I don’t know where I’d get another.
I’m the guy, by the way, who almost canceled his subscription to The New Yorker when its editors abandoned “vendor” for “vender.”
As an English major I’ve always felt like a second-class citizen. Why? Because when people break the rules of English usage . . . nothing happens. So you don’t know the difference between “to” and “too”? You use “there” for “their”? You insert apostrophes before every terminal “s”? So what? It’s not like the roof’s going to fall in!
Nobody screws around with the rules of mathematics. You build a house with substandard math skills, boyo, and the roof? It falls in. It just isn’t fair.
Well, this little corner of the web is going to uphold the standards of English usage. As long as I can look up the rules I’ll do my best to comply with them. And thank you for indulging me in a curmudgeon moment.
Oh, I don’t know about that. The other morning I was reading a newspaper article about Ellen Degeneres “balling” on TV about her dog. A math major may well have missed the humor.
Thank you for this. I fully intend on requesting a writing sample from any future potential paramour, so strongly do I feel about this.