The Grammar Nerd
I admit it. I have a monkey on my back, and his name is Grammar. It's become automatic, when I see a billboard, when I read a newspaper...I edit. I can't help myself. It's like I'm possessed!
Poorly written websites send me into spasms. Typos, misspelled words, poor sentence structure and incorrect usage make me shudder. I keep a red pen on my desk, always ready. There is a big, wide world of bad writing out there, and my aim is to correct it. Or maybe just my corner.
I don't know when it started. Reading constantly as a child may have something to do with it. When you are steadily exposed to words, over and over again...they become indelible in your brain. You can see them. You know what they are supposed to look like.
Sometimes I worry that I'm driving people crazy, with my compulsion. I try not to correct others when they speak. Poorly written advertising is one thing that I always point out. These companies have editors and staff whose job it is to look over copy and correct mistakes. I used to be one of them; I was a proofreader!
Believe me, I'm not always perfect. (As evidenced by this very blog!) I do aspire to be, though. One of my daydreams is to take English and grammar classes at a really good university. Sick, huh?
***
One of my other obsessions is laundry. I delight in the whole litany of washing rituals: pretreating, separating, washing, drying, fluffing and folding. There is something soul-satisfying about getting a really nasty stain out of a beloved t-shirt, or carefully laundering a dry-clean-only suit. The Hubster was banished from the laundry room soon after our marriage, once I discovered he didn't separate his darks from his lights. The horrors!
***
Now that Labor Day is upon us, I'm thinking about fall and winter clothes. I do love cords, sweaters, boots and jackets. I just don't like the cold weather that accompanies them! I will need to purchase some fall clothes in a smaller size this year, thank goodness.
***
One of my favorite Bible verses: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." --Psalm 51:10
Poorly written websites send me into spasms. Typos, misspelled words, poor sentence structure and incorrect usage make me shudder. I keep a red pen on my desk, always ready. There is a big, wide world of bad writing out there, and my aim is to correct it. Or maybe just my corner.
I don't know when it started. Reading constantly as a child may have something to do with it. When you are steadily exposed to words, over and over again...they become indelible in your brain. You can see them. You know what they are supposed to look like.
Sometimes I worry that I'm driving people crazy, with my compulsion. I try not to correct others when they speak. Poorly written advertising is one thing that I always point out. These companies have editors and staff whose job it is to look over copy and correct mistakes. I used to be one of them; I was a proofreader!
Believe me, I'm not always perfect. (As evidenced by this very blog!) I do aspire to be, though. One of my daydreams is to take English and grammar classes at a really good university. Sick, huh?
***
One of my other obsessions is laundry. I delight in the whole litany of washing rituals: pretreating, separating, washing, drying, fluffing and folding. There is something soul-satisfying about getting a really nasty stain out of a beloved t-shirt, or carefully laundering a dry-clean-only suit. The Hubster was banished from the laundry room soon after our marriage, once I discovered he didn't separate his darks from his lights. The horrors!
***
Now that Labor Day is upon us, I'm thinking about fall and winter clothes. I do love cords, sweaters, boots and jackets. I just don't like the cold weather that accompanies them! I will need to purchase some fall clothes in a smaller size this year, thank goodness.
***
One of my favorite Bible verses: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." --Psalm 51:10
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