Scorer behavior

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by johnny d

Next time you are writing a report at work, a cover letter for a new job, or anything else that requires a degree of professionalism, go ahead and start sentences with coordinating conjunctions and see how it works out for you. Doing so is a grammatical trick that should be used judiciously and is really only effective in narratives and story telling.

The web is informal, we are not writing dissertations. However, even informal writing requires punctuation and capitalization.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I doubt I could find one person that matters that actually cares anything about a preposition at the beginning of a sentence. There would be very few jobs that depend on rigid academic grammar that would be worth having. Most intelligent hiring managers care about how well you might actually do the job, not some archaic grammar rule.

NFHS editor? Those that write the "User's Manual" for products that are made in China?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

NFHS editors? Those that who write the "User's Manual" for products that are made in China?

FIFY.

Just to join in on what seems to be an amazing morning of off topic posts and pointless bickering.

And, I am not making any claim that my grammar and spelling is worthy of even a passing grade in a JH English class.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I am not making any claim that my grammar and spelling is worthy of even a passing grade in a JH English class.

It's still better than many of us.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Since we're nitpicking, we can tell the age of posters on the Forum by how many spaces they place after a period at the end of a sentence. Old timers like me, who learned to type on a typewriter (look it up younguns, or watch for one on Antiques Roadshow) were taught to hit the space bar twice after the period at the end of a sentence. Forum members who grew up during the digital age, and learned to "type" on a keyboard, are taught to only hit the space bar once after the period at the end of a sentence, which is now considered the accepted practice.

This depends on which writing style you're using. Chicago uses one space, for example. Others use two. I had a crappy time editing my Chicago Style papers for this reason.

[RookieDude]

Originally Posted by AremRed

Someone once told me never to end a sentence with a preposition.

Reminds me of a story...

There once was a guy who asked his mechanic, "where is my car at?"

The mechanic replied, "Sir, you do not end sentences with a preposition."

The inquiring guy said, "Ok... where is my car at, A$$hole?"

[SWMOzebra]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Since we're nitpicking, we can tell the age of posters on the Forum by how many spaces they place after a period at the end of a sentence. Old timers like me, who learned to type on a typewriter (look it up younguns, or watch for one on Antiques Roadshow) were taught to hit the space bar twice after the period at the end of a sentence. Forum members who grew up during the digital age, and learned to "type" on a keyboard, are taught to only hit the space bar once after the period at the end of a sentence, which is now considered the accepted practice.

Dang it, Billy! Thanks for placing me squarely in the "old timers" category!

[jeremy341a]

Originally Posted by SWMOzebra

Dang it, Billy! Thanks for placing me squarely in the "old timers" category!

Put me in that category. I am 35 but I learned on a typewriter and I still double space after a period.

[rockyroad]

Try being married to a HS English teacher. And having her correct me all the time for starting sentences with conjunctions. But I just shrug and keep on. Or ending sentences with a preposition. For that matter, forgetting to capitalize often gets me in trouble. Nor does that faze me. Yet I struggle on.

Did I get all the conjunctions?

[Rooster]

When I'm consoling those who make grammar mistakes, I often give them a hug and say "There, their, they're."

Originally Posted by rockyroad

Try being married to a HS English teacher. And having her correct me all the time for starting sentences with conjunctions. But I just shrug and keep on. Or ending sentences with a preposition. For that matter, forgetting to capitalize often gets me in trouble. Nor does that faze me. Yet I struggle on.

Did I get all the conjunctions?

Fragment...

Originally Posted by johnny d

While not strictly forbidden, it is considered acceptable only in informal written communication.

"While not strictly forbidden" is a passive transition. Tighten this up.

Originally Posted by johnny d

Perhaps we are not that formal. It is still ironic to point out another's lack of grammar using sentence structure that isn't widely accepted.

One should avoid the passive voice as much as possible.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Since we're nitpicking, we can tell the age of posters on the Forum by how many spaces they place after a period at the end of a sentence. Old timers like me, who learned to type on a typewriter (look it up younguns, or watch for one on Antiques Roadshow) were taught to hit the space bar twice after the period at the end of a sentence. Forum members who grew up during the digital age, and learned to "type" on a keyboard, are taught to only hit the space bar once after the period at the end of a sentence, which is now considered the accepted practice.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but vBulletin removes the superfluous space. Go ahead, edit your post and see how many spaces there are from the period to the first letter of the next sentence.

And (yes, I did this on purpose) johnny d, feel free to continue being a jerk. The guy's posts are virtually unreadable and, yet, here you are defending him by trying to make some obscure point with me. I'd actually like to hear what the guy has to say, but I'm not going to bother trying to translate his text-speak into English. And I'm being nice by assuming it's just text speak, because the alternative...

(Why is it when I text someone I still manage to find the shift key and the punctuation?)

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by Rich

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but vBulletin removes the superfluous space. Go ahead, edit your post and see how many spaces there are from the period to the first letter of the next sentence.

And (yes, I did this on purpose) johnny d, feel free to continue being a jerk. The guy's posts are virtually unreadable and, yet, here you are defending him by trying to make some obscure point with me. I'd actually like to hear what the guy has to say, but I'm not going to bother trying to translate his text-speak into English. And I'm being nice by assuming it's just text speak, because the alternative...

(Why is it when I text someone I still manage to find the shift key and the punctuation?)

Thanks for granting me permission to continue being a jerk. I am quite sure I would have done so regardless.

If you want to consider facts, I have one that you failed to notice even though it is not obscure. I did not ever defend anyone's poor grammar. I will be nice and assume that you weren't thinking clearly at the time you made that statement because the alternative........

[rockyroad]

Looks like the asshats are coming out of the stands early this season.

[APG]

OP's question answered...check

Bonus grammar lesson...check

Think we're done here.

Originally Posted by johnny d

Thanks for granting me permission to continue being a jerk. I am quite sure I would have done so regardless.

If you want to consider facts, I have one that you failed to notice even though it is not obscure. I did not ever defend anyone's poor grammar. I will be nice and assume that you weren't thinking clearly at the time you made that statement because the alternative........

Added by Rich:

Not quite, APG.

Deflecting my choice to ask him to write something readable by ripping apart my (considerably better) grammar is, in effect, defending him.

Now you can lock the thread. Sheesh.