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ExcuseMeBut
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Name: ExcuseMeBut
Interests: Giving gentle nudges to the grammatically erroneous
Expertise: Orthography, subjects, verbs, objects, punctuation, preterite, participles, prepositions, and common decency
Industry: Education
Message: message me
Member Since:
5/29/2006
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| If you have joined the ranks of the "undersigned," you are entitled to log on to ExcuseMeBut and post in the name of grammatical goodness. It's supposed to make us feel less like an ass when we point out those things that jump out at us and bite us.
Again, do be sure that you are adhering to our code below. I think we have established some reasonable ground rules.
Grammarians, remember: we are not nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. We read for enjoyment, correct only when necessary.
Agreed?
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| We are a guild of xangan free-lance proofreaders. We come in peace. Our aim is not to stalk, harass, or hunt down, but to inform, enrich, and alert.
Though somewhat fastidious in matters of grammar, we, too, are human, and we, too, acknowledge the existence of the typo. We are all guilty. However, we believe that an amiable intermediary can help us find and correct our errors, and we humbly volunteer to undertake this role.
We concern ourselves not with every error in the English language, but with those glaring errors that neither serve the author's intent nor the harsh mistress that is linguistic accuracy. We recognize that language is a flexible thing to be bent to the writer's will, but when bent to the point of breaking, we believe there should be a definite purpose served. We will humbly eat our words if a purpose is demonstrated which previously we had not perceived.
The following is a list of errors which we shall seek to remedy:
- Commonly misspelled words (e.g. definitely)
- Confused homophones (e.g. your vs. you're)
- Subject-verb disagreement (e.g. we was)
- Apostrophe abuse (e.g. she run's or the three bear's)
- Problems of participles (e.g. had went)
The undersigned hereby agree to uphold this fraternity of grammatical correctness:
AnewNotebook Psycho_Delicate Corbow ReadPen memuero SaDiablo SaraJo22 girldisrupted Iluvfabi
[PSST! Become one of "the undersigned" by commenting below. We'll add a link to your page on the credo and be sure you get the password...once you are deemed worthy, of course. Plus you can add to or otherwise amend the credo when you are among "the undersigned." It doesn't get much more exciting than that, does it?]
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| Is this the type of error we want to combat? Yay or nay?
"This lets me know that "[website name]" is servicing the community in a positive way."
(Not from xanga, by the by.*)
If you're not sure where the error lies, it's related to connotations more than actual grammar. It's kind of like "lie" vs. "lay." "Serving" is an altogether harmless activity, perhaps even beneficial. "Servicing" primarily benefits "johns," and perhaps procurers and prostitutes, though generally in a more financial and less humanitarian way.
*purposeful fragment
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| "Hi ExcuseMeBut! It's been 1 days since you joined Xanga... won't you support us by going Premium?" | | |
| So what is important to us? Suggest some guidelines for what we are looking for and how we should go about our gentle corrections.
P.S. If you're interested in joining the efforts, drop a line, and we'll get you in on the action! You don't have to be an error hunter; just if you notice one here or there, you could use our innocent little suggestion site.
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