Prepositions aren't good to finish a sentence on.

[Deacon]

I was originally going to title this On Editorials, Google News, and dangling prepositions, or something along those lines. But noooooo...it's too long a subject to put in.

Lately I've noticed that Google News is delivering a lot of editorials as the primary links for news stories. I realize there aren't a ton of monkeys behind keyboards deciding which links should be the primary leads on stories with thousands of other related links, but I think maybe they ought to have a couple of people making sure a freakin' editorial doesn't pass for a news story, especially as many of them are written like news stories, are not in any obvious "EDITORIALS" section, and do not contain "editorials" or any such thing in their URLs, often just article392384.html. Many people are stupid and unobservant and may not keep in mind that they're reading someone's opinion on something rather than actual news and "facts" and such.

Of course, in Google's defense, most published "articles" and "news stories" these days certainly read like editorials with a token veil of neutrality to keep up appearances, you know, for the idiots.

Anyway, in one of these spectacular displays of writing prowess, an editor for the Washington Post lectures us with their opinions and makes stances without explaining why they were making those stances or had those opinions, much like an annoyed parent might say, "Because I said so." I was half through this item written by an editor for one of the most highly regarded, well-known, and widely read US national newspaper out of our nation's capital (*sigh* the answers are "The Washington Post" and "Washington DC" respectively) when I happened upon something so trivial and yet so shocking at the same time. I'll repeat it here. "Earmuffs" for children and adults who are easily offended by wallowing in the squalor of the Language Slums.

This is the right direction to head in.

Yes, it's true, and I have no further comment at this time.

[StruckingFuggle]

Oh yeah. Crusty old rules being ignored is a great big travesty, yes.

[amlthrawn]

It is not the rules that are getting crusty, it is langauge that is getting sloppy. Ever since the "final comma" became optional for those writing in "journalistic style," its been straight down hill into the bowels of grammar hell.

When you, your favorite journalist, your mom, and I write, we should always include that final comma. Show love for the comma.

[RubyJ]

[quote="amlthrawn";p="524166"]When you, your favorite journalist, your mom, and I write, we should always include that final comma. Show love for the comma.[/quote]
OH GOD, I love you so hard right now.

[Blaze]

Unfortunately, Ruby, hard lovin' is usually a place one is least likely to find good grammar in.

[Pariochial]

[quote="Deacon";p="524161"]I was originally going to title this On Editorials, Google News, and dangling prepositions, or something along those lines. But noooooo...it's too long a subject to put in.[/quote]

[quote="Deacon";p="524161"]Anyway, in one of these spectacular displays of writing prowess, an editor for the Washington Post lectures us with their opinions and makes stances without explaining why they were making those stances or had those opinions, much like an annoyed parent might say, "Because I said so." I was half through this item written by an editor for one of the most highly regarded, well-known, and widely read US national newspaper out of our nation's capital (*sigh* the answers are "The Washington Post" and "Washington DC" respectively) when I happened upon something so trivial and yet so shocking at the same time. I'll repeat it here. "Earmuffs" for children and adults who are easily offended by wallowing in the squalor of the Language Slums.

This is the right direction to head in.

[/quote]

[NorthernComfort]

Which is why I've stopped using Google News so much. It's just annoying to click on what appears to be a perfectly valid headline and then be assaulted by a horrible article that's about as objective as an angry livejournal user.

[Deacon]

Pariochial, yes, thank you for getting it. You missed how I did it in the subject line, though. And what the hell happened to my reply to aml's post? I said something along the lines of yes, I agree about the comma thing, and I was perplexed as to when unclear writing became not only acceptable, but actually the standard.

[Pariochial]

[quote="Deacon";p="524302"]Pariochial, yes, thank you for getting it. You missed how I did it in the subject line, though. And what the hell happened to my reply to aml's post? I said something along the lines of yes, I agree about the comma thing, and I was perplexed as to when unclear writing became not only acceptable, but actually the standard.[/quote]

Oh, I picked it up in the subject line. However, that felt intentional, as in subtle irony, if you will, while the other in the post itself felt like an outright mistake, bringing little emphasis to itself, so I noted it. Oh, and commas are neat, as are all grammatical symbols; I think I have a perverse love for semicolons, though; I use them far more than the average man; do you think that's odd?

[NorthernComfort]

I think, my dear sir, that you are, quite frankly, utterly, undeniably, completely, and intensely correct when you speak, at great length, on the subtle, intricate, masterful crafting of Deacon's intentional, satirical and entertaining "mistakes."

If that's grammatically correct I'll eat my shoe.

[Dr. Tower]

Dont worry. You forgot the comma before the "and" when you wrote "satirical and entertaining".

[Deacon]

I hope you've got a bottle of Tabasco on hand...

The only thing I found wrong with that sentence is the lack of a comma between "satiracal and etertaining" at the end.

Posted Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:39 pm:

Ninja'ed!

Posted Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:02 pm:

For reference, I'll include the following:

[quote="Greg Dean";p="517506"][quote="Deacon";p="517478"]...It'll be interesting to see what becomes of this, whether Europe realizes it can no longer sit back and take political pot shots all day long at the expense of the US with no fear of reprisal on their own ground, creating solidarity and perhaps a little empathy for the US, or whether this will simply increase the cacophonous, counterintuitive cries of those who would prefer squawking about how the western world deserves anything bad that every happens, chasing after the futile dream of appeasement and the retarded rainbow of reposition, to reason, dialog, and action.[/quote]

Periods, mothafucka! Do you use them?! [/quote]

[adamjaskie]

Thank you, James Joyce.

[NorthernComfort]

Krackalackumnishkjissssskummmmgrraumisuckdickforcrackborbaakrraakkkoooww!!!!!

[Deacon]

Good sir, I must demand that you explain yourself!