All I care about is that they can understand me, and I can understand them. Was it Thomas Jefferson who said it was a poor mind indeed that could only think of one way to spell a word. I think that was in response to the use of "inalienable" instead of "unalienable" in some paper he authored. I can write well, but it takes an immense effort. If we all took that effort, there would be far fewer e-mails on this list.
Ciao, Graywolf http://pages.prodigy.net/graywolfphoto ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Owens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 6:21 PM Subject: Re: Obnoxious Sonofabitch Copyeditor > My favorite is "preventative" Where in hell did this word come from. I > always thought the proper word was "preventive". > > Bill > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mike Johnston" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 5:51 PM > Subject: OT: Obnoxious Sonofabitch Copyeditor > > > > Also, I'm so sorry about this, but I'm about to ramp up into schoolmaster > > mode. I do this every now and then, and I *know* it's obnoxious. I'm fully > > aware that *most* of you are smarter and better educated than I am and > just > > as capable and accomplished in your own fields as I am in mine. But the > > thing is, see, I'm an editor, and in my field we work with words, and, > well, > > certain things that may be invisible to you are like fingernails on a > > blackboard to me. > > > > So here goes, I'm lettin' this rip. Please ignore me at will. > > > > LESS is an amount or volume word. FEWER is a number word. > > > > You can have less water in a bucket, less brains in your head, and you > could > > care less. But you have FEWER elements in a lens, ten items or FEWER in > the > > Express Lane at the supermarket, FEWER than 50 ways to leave your lover. > > > > Similarly, OVER is a position word. A bridge can be over a brook, a joke > can > > go right over your head, but it hasn't been OVER a hundred years since the > > Tessar was invented; it's been MORE THAN a hundred years since then. > > > > Nodoby ever get these things right (even network news anchors used "over" > > incorrectly), but it drives me crazy anyway. > > > > You may return to your regular programming...sorry again. (Most of the > time, > > I'm really getting pretty good at holding my tongue.) > > > > --Mike > > > >
