As a longtime researcher and copyeditor for National Geographic, I’m someone who still enjoys thumbing through the tissue pages of Webster’s print dictionaries, and now here I am blogging, about grammar and punctuation and word usage. I wonder, do readers of blogs even care about commas, subject/verb agreement, and the difference between if and whether? Conversely, do those self-described grammar sticklers who write to complain about something they read in the printed pages of National Geographic ever venture onto the Web? (I suspect that one of my regular correspondents does not, because when I respond to him I need to dig out letterhead stationery from the far reaches of my desk drawer.)
As you may be able to tell from my bio, I haven't entered a formal grammar class in decades. I barely know what's being taught in schools these days. So I want to hear from you: How do you learn about grammar? Do you even care about punctuation and spelling? How do you determine what's correct? Are there rules you learned in school that you'd like to throw away? Do you wonder about rules you might never have learned?
I long ago discarded the rule about not starting sentences with and or but. I happily split infinitives (to boldly go) and end sentences with prepositions (What’s it made of?). At the moment I'm about to give in and use while for whereas, and since for because. On the other hand I'm standing firm on the distinction between which and that, and insist on adding also in not only . . . but also constructions.
Language morphs. Words evolve or become extinct. Grammar rules become forgotten or rewritten. I’m for a reasonable approach. A little change is good, but let’s not abandon all control. The most important thing is effective communication and clearly conveyed information.
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Comments
Jul 31, 2007 8PM #
It's reassuring to see that a magazine that's so well known for its photography also takes such care with the English language. Keep up the good work!
Jul 31, 2007 8PM #
While language is great maps are also essential to NG. You write: "The most important thing is effective communication and clearly conveyed information."
But reading the current New Orleans article I saw the images (they can't be called maps...). It's sad when even NG can't draw a proper map. There is a whole series of images, including a fold out, that illustrate this article- and not one has a north arrow.
Maybe NG needs map proofreaders or proper cartographers for proper map style and grammar checks?
Jul 31, 2007 8PM #
I just read this month's copy of national geographic, and i have to admit that i was slightly disapointed. Being a major harry potter fan, i noticed a mistake in the mandrake section of Harry Potter's Garden. the mistake is that while you said that the mandrake "helps Harry's teacher reverse a turn-to-stone spell". there are two things wrong with this. the first is that it is not harry's teacher, it is his school's nurse. secondly, it does not "reverse a turn-to-stone spell". it "returns those who have been petrified to their original state" (this is a quote taken from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). i have never found a mistake in National Geographic before, but seriously, if you read about two pages of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, or even watched the movie, this could have been corrected. Thank you for reading my comment,
Jessica
Jul 31, 2007 8PM #
American English differs from British English. Journalistic rules differ from technical writing rules. Technical writing rules differ with the industry (IT, medical, scientific).
Keep it simple, keep it clean, know when to boldly go where no grammarian has gone before, and know your audience.
Do I care about grammar and syntax? Yes. Within reason. It's all about communicating effectively. Your last paragraph says it all.
Sue (still learning)
Jul 31, 2007 8PM #
I believe the comma is not well placed in this sentence:
"I’m someone who still enjoys thumbing through the tissue pages of Webster’s print dictionaries, and now here I am blogging, about grammar and punctuation and word usage."
I believe the sentence should read, ". . .and now here I am, blogging about . . ."
A comma is not correct after "blogging," There is no reason to separate "blogging about. . ."
I also believe the following sentence would be better constructed WITH a comma after "At the moment," as in, "At the moment, I am about to. . ."
At the moment I'm about to give in and use while for whereas, and since for because. On the other hand I'm standing firm on the distinction between which and that, and insist on adding also in not only . . . but also constructions.
Thanks,
Dan
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