The world still needs a Word Cop
Monday, January 5th, 2009As we move into a New Year, I keep hoping I can lay down the mantel of The Word Cop. Then I see a title such as this one:
“How to Standout in a Shrinking Economy - Publish or Perish!”
Now, you can be a “standout” or you can “stand out”. Verbicide, the act of creating a verb by plugging in any convenient noun, continues unabated. The Word Cop sighs sadly.
To make this one worse, the writer is talking about publishing! Wouldn’t it help the credibility of a so-called writer’s works to be grammatically correct? Call me crazy, but I can’t help but think quality writing is even better when it includes the high quality application of the English language.
I lift that heavy mantel back onto my shoulders and resume my trudge into the New Year…..
Hope yours was a Happy New Year celebration at the very least.