# Here's a Concept..How about journalist learning how to put a sentence together?



## Ozarkgal (Jul 27, 2013)

*
POLICE SHOOT DEAD GRANDFATHER, 72, WHILE SEARCHING THE WRONG HOME FOR BURGLAR, BLAME ‘POOR LIGHTING’*

_Jul. 27, 2013 12:11am

_http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...e-wrong-home-for-burglar-blame-poor-lighting/


When I read this headline I thought what kind of stupid thing happened that would make a cop shoot a dead grandfather....

I really am amazed that people that write for a living cannot put a coherent sentence together or spell..no excuse these days with spell checker!  The new is full of such errors on a daily basis.


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## Diwundrin (Jul 27, 2013)

It used to bring the grammar nazi out in me too but I stopped reading newspapers years ago, still see a few howlers on internet articles though.

I'm a fan of clever headlines that can be read two ways, 'punny' ones,  so it's only the bad construction of the articles themselves that really bother me.  I still can't resist editing my posts when I spot something that was written ahead of my brain, my head is aging faster than my fingers I think,  those journos don't have that excuse though do they?


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## SifuPhil (Jul 27, 2013)

The second-from-last paragraph in that article also has a misused word - 



> Further, the man’s daughter, Angie, said she was “disturbed by  suggestions that police may have felt threatened by a man in his own  garage faced with unknown trespassers yielding flashlights.”



Should be "wielding", not "yielding".

There's just something about MANY of the headlines on that site that feels wrong ...


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## JustBonee (Jul 27, 2013)

Ozarkgal said:


> *
> POLICE SHOOT DEAD GRANDFATHER, 72, WHILE SEARCHING THE WRONG HOME FOR BURGLAR, BLAME ‘POOR LIGHTING’*.



Journalism 101 in 2013 ... :lol: ... just give it a few years and we'll think we're reading Swahili.


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## Diwundrin (Jul 27, 2013)

Can't help meself, have to get it off my chest that the one misused word that makes me want to throw things is.... decimated!  
Who the hell started that stupid fad?  I can't believe that otherwise semi respected journalists and presenters would use it as though it meant devastated.  It doesn't, it means "one in ten," or 10% casualty rate etc.  
In trying to convey the extent of a 'devastation' which would be more likely 90%, they use something that means 10%.  Clowns!

 To say a Tornado 'decimated' a town would mean that every tenth house was skittled by it. They don't get that picky do they?
How can a wrecked train be 'decimated'?  Only every tenth wagon came off the rails?  Spare me!

There, I feel much better now.


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## That Guy (Jul 27, 2013)

F u cn rd ths u kn gt a gd jb.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 27, 2013)

Doesn't seem like they even care to double check for errors at all anymore...bugs me to see that, example of the education (or lack thereof) of the American people.  Don't get me started on cops shooting the wrong people by 'accident'.


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## That Guy (Jul 27, 2013)

SeaBreeze said:


> Doesn't seem like they even care to double check for errors at all anymore...bugs me to see that, example of the education (or lack thereof) of the American people.  Don't get me started on cops shooting the wrong people by 'accident'.



Dumbing down...  Dumbing down...


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## Anne (Jul 27, 2013)

Oh dear...yet another unfortunate choice of words for a headline.....

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/strap-on-dildo-heist-9182345


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 27, 2013)

:lol:


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## SifuPhil (Jul 27, 2013)

Even the companies that are supposedly providing Internet marketing and promotion services can't always write - 

*One From The Black Hat World - Bad Riting* (another one of my blogs)



So sad ...


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## Diwundrin (Jul 27, 2013)

Anne said:


> Oh dear...yet another unfortunate choice of words for a headline.....
> 
> http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/strap-on-dildo-heist-9182345



:lofl:

Now that's a very clever play on words. Love that in headlines, but not so much in a serious article.




> F u cn rd ths u kn gt a gd jb.




Re the above after much time and research I've finally found this gem.


*The  European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English  will be the official language of the European Union rather than German,  which was the other possibility. 

As part of the negotiations,  the  British Government      conceded that English spelling had some  room for  improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that  would become  known as "Euro-English". 
In the first year, "s" will   replace the soft "c".. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants  jump  with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This  should  klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There  will be growing publik* *enthusiasm  in  the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with  "f"..  This will make words like fotograf 20%  shorter. **

In  the  3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted   to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are  possible. 

Governments will enkourage the removal of double  letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate  speling. 

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the  silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go  away.. 

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such  as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". 

During ze fifz  yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from  vords**kontaining "ou"  and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil  sensi* *bl riten  styl. 

Zer  vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil  find it ezi TU  understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali  kum tru. **

Und  efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze  forst plas. 

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza  pepl.*


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## Poppy (Jul 27, 2013)

Ozarkgal said:


> *
> POLICE SHOOT DEAD GRANDFATHER, 72, WHILE SEARCHING THE WRONG HOME FOR BURGLAR, BLAME ‘POOR LIGHTING’*
> 
> _Jul. 27, 2013 12:11am
> ...



That reminds me of .... let's eat grandma. As opposed to ...let's eat, grandma.
OR
Grammar: The difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit.


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## That Guy (Jul 27, 2013)

Excellent, Poppy!!!


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## Jillaroo (Jul 28, 2013)

Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say?  

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter  

This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this.  It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!!  They put in a correction the next day. I just couldn't help but sending this along. Too funny. 

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says   
Ya think?   Well obviously the experts would know.

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers   
Now that's taking things a bit far ! 

Panda MatingFails; Veterinarian Takes Over   
What a great bloke! 

Miners Refuse to Work after Death  
Lazy-good-for-nothing'-so-and-so's! 

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant   
See if that works any better than a fair trial!  That should free up the court system for a while

War Dims Hope for Peace   
I can see where it might have that effect! 

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile  
Ya think?! 

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures   
Who would have thought! 

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something there!  

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges   
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?  Should have tried that on Sommerton Bridge. Perhaps NSW Govt was too broke to afford the red brand! 

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge   
He probably IS the battery charge! 

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group   
Weren't they fat enough?! 

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft   
That's what he gets for eating all those beans! 

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks   
Yuummm.  Do they taste like chicken?

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half   
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!   Should halve the dole as well 

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors   
Boy, are they tall!

And the winner is....   Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead   

Did I read that right?


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## Diwundrin (Jul 28, 2013)

Yes!  Can't get enough of that stuff. :glee::glee::glee:


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## SifuPhil (Jul 28, 2013)

*Eats, Shoots and Leaves* is a classic on the dangers of poor punctuation ...


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## Diwundrin (Jul 28, 2013)

We use that with slighter ruder connotations here.  We call some blokes Wombats, because he eats roots and leaves. 
The meaning of the pun all lies in our different pronunciation of ruts.

Tch, shame on me.


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## Ozarkgal (Jul 28, 2013)

*Jillaroo:*


> Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say?


 













 Ya, know...maybe in this instance the dumbing down thing isn't so bad...it certainly is comic relief!


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## That Guy (Jul 28, 2013)

Diwundrin said:


> :lofl:
> 
> Now that's a very clever play on words. Love that in headlines, but not so much in a serious article.
> 
> ...



Brilliant!  And . . . scary...


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## Bee (Jul 28, 2013)

Oh! my goodness, I must show this topic to my son who just happens to be a free lance writer and journalist.


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## That Guy (Jul 28, 2013)

Bee said:


> Oh! my goodness, I must show this topic to my son who just happens to be a free lance writer and journalist.



Please, please, please, Bee's son . . . take your time to think about your writing.  Get it "write" and you will be The Man!


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## Bee (Jul 28, 2013)

He is a top man in my eyes TG.


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## bloomerboomer (Sep 6, 2014)

Those writing faux pas you see are the material for late night comedians.  They crack me up. POLICE SHOOT DEAD GRANDFATHER, 72. Is that not a laugher?


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## bloomerboomer (Sep 6, 2014)

Here is a question for the grammar nazi.  Is there a place for colloquial writing?  Don't tell me it is always grammatically correct.


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## Meanderer (Sep 6, 2014)

More:    http://littlecalamity.tripod.com/Text/Newspaper.html




4-H Girls Win Prizes for Fat Calves
After Detour to California Shuttle Returns to Earth
Air Head Fired
Arson Suspect is Held in Massachusetts Fire
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
Ban On Soliciting Dead in Trotwood
Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board
Big Ugly Woman Wins Beauty Pageant (Newspaper in town of Big Ugly, WV)
Blind Bishop Appointed to See
Body Search Reveals $4,000 in Crack (from the Jackson Citizen-Patriot, Michigan)
British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
British Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply
Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case


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## Falcon (Sep 6, 2014)

Well, Ya gotta admit that English is a funny language, with it's "oughs" and other words taken from the Romans, Greeks etc.

Even English English is a bit different from American English.

When I taught ESL, I pointed out that we could streamline our language, like using F instead of PH etc.


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## Meanderer (Sep 6, 2014)

Falcon said:


> Well, Ya gotta admit that English is a funny language, with it's "oughs" and other words taken from the Romans, Greeks etc.
> 
> Even English English is a bit different from American English.
> 
> When I taught ESL, I pointed out that we could streamline our language, like using F instead of PH etc.



Great idea Phalcon!!


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## Ina (Sep 6, 2014)




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## Gemini D (Sep 19, 2014)

This was the best laugh of the day for me. The media is so focused on getting 'their' news out and that's more important than reading headlines. They don't seem to care if they look foolish or not.


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## Butterfly (Sep 21, 2014)

I plead guilty to being a grammar nazi myself.  Stuff like that drives me nuts.  It's probably the fault of my tenth grade English teacher who used to practically shriek "MISPLACED MODIFIER!!" when he encountered something like that.  "From WHOM, not from WHO" was another thing he shrieked frequently.  I'm not sure they even teach this stuff any more in schools -- at least not as you could tell it from some of the written stuff I got from students who would help out part time in my last office.  

Don't let me get started on one of my pet peeves -- the near-illiteracy of many of our alleged high school graduates nowdays!


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## oakapple (Sep 21, 2014)

I think it has nothing to do with education [or lack of] I think the headline writers do it for their own amusement[especially in small town newspapers.] It does amuse us, so has a place.I also think [as another poster asked earlier in the thread] surely there is a place in literature for the 'less' grammatical, the vernacular?What is more worrying is the armed police killing a man in his own home, and an innocent old man at that!Does having an armed police force [and armed citizens too] not bother anyone much in the US?I am not 'having a go' at the US BTW just genuinely interested in how you all feel about the gun laws there?Now and then [here] an armed response unit shoots the wrong man, or the right man, who turns out not to have been armed in the first place, but generally speaking there are few shootings here, by the police or anyone else.


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## oakapple (Sep 21, 2014)

I'm not a grammar Nazi [or any kind of Nazi] so I don't get wound up by misuse of grammar, but it's true there does seem to be rather more of the bad grammar around than of 'days of yore'. It always amused us in primary school when a pupil asked 'Please Miss, can I go to the toilet?' She would say 'Well, I don't know, CAN you?' Followed by ' Yes, Tim, you MAY go to the toilet!'


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## Gemini D (Sep 21, 2014)

In the early 1980's my husband taught a night class at the local college and brought home papers to correct. We read them and were amazed how little these college students knew about writing reports. Spelling was the worse offender followed by very poor handwriting. I wonder if part of the problem is the lack of following through at home by the parents. It seems many just ask if the homework is does and if the kid says yes, that's the end of it. Very different from the way we were raised.


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## Gemini D (Sep 21, 2014)

Oakapple, many are very concerned about the gun violence going on. There are too many 'loose cannons' permitted to own guns but I have no idea on how we keep these guns from them. It seems the police in certain states have gone a bit overboard but with so many mentally disturbed people on the streets maybe it's warranted. It's certainly a mess and I wish we had more gun rules like England has.


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## oakapple (Sep 21, 2014)

Thank you Gemini D for your thoughts.Gun laws are very strict here, there are not many shooting clubs anyway, but enthusiasts have to leave the gun with the club before they leave the premises.Farmers are allowed a certain type of gun [not handguns.]Nobody else has guns or even knows how to use them. Obviously, villains [as we quaintly call the bad guys] can obtain them but that is not legal! if crimes are committed [and there are guns,] certain police 'armed response teams' are called to the scene.There are guns allowed for hunting with a licence.It's not easy to get one.


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