Serial or Cereal?
“Many newspapers, both American and
British, do not use the serial comma, which underscores the idea that the news
is meant to be read fast, in the dead-tree version or on the screen, because
it’s not news for long. It’s ephemeral. Print — or, rather, text — should be
streamlined and unencumbered. Maybe the day is coming when the newsfeed-style
three dots (ellipsis) between items, like the eternal ribbon of news circling
the building at One Times Square, will dominate.”
—Mary Norris, copy editor and author,
“Confessions of the Comma Queen,” The New Yorker, February 2015
• Editorial Comment: My heroes are my parents, Donald Trump and that guy who caught the big ling cod.
PeezPix by Ted Pease
Will and the Big Lings (which is a good name for a band)
Get TODAY'S WORD ON JOURNALISM in your email every weekday morning during WORD season. This is a free “service” sent to the 2,000,000 or so misguided subscribers around the planet. If you have recovered from whatever led you to subscribe and don’t want it anymore, send “unsubscribe” to ted.pease@gmail.com. Or if you want to afflict someone else, send me the email address and watch the fun begin. (Disclaimer: I just quote ’em, I don’t necessarily endorse ’em. But all contain at least a kernel of insight. Don’t shoot the messenger.)
Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Trinidad, California. (Be)Friend The WORD
“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard
.
.
Oh my gosh! I laughed so hard my guts hurt. I am totally going to use this for a grammar lesson.
ReplyDelete