Wednesday (March 4) was national Grammar Day. I am embarrassed that I missed it. Grammar and editing skills have played an important role in my life.
Special nod here to my former professor at Colorado State University (CSU), James Garvey, Ph.D., who taught me the history and structure of the English language. That included understanding grammar, of course.
In honor of the day, the Grammar Girl website shared the following infographic. It records the results of a survey of editors at Macmillan Publishers to identify the most common grammar mistakes that authors make.
As a reader, I like the casual voice and the rainbow colors.
From a technical communication perspective, I would add “misplaced modifiers” to the list. As a senior writer and editor at several high tech companies over the years, I saw modifier errors most often from very experienced writers. I used to tell them it was “an educated person’s error.”
Also, I stand with my colleague Liz Fraley (Single-Sourcing Solutions) in support of the em dash. More on all that in another blog.
For now, enjoy and remember to proofread!
Happy Friday!
DK Consulting of Colorado 