Readers: In our previous segment, we listed some common grammatical mistakes. Even if the Horribly Wrong team limited itself to just the most outrageous, did you really think they’d fit in one segment? Here are more:
1. Each defendant is entitled to legal council.
Nope. A lawyer might speak before a city council, but your lawyer is your legal counsel.
2. The class action suit was filed by attorney generals from a dozen states.
Not “attorney generals.” “Attorneys general” is awkward but correct, unless the attorneys, who might not be lawyers at all, are generals (they get to wear the stars).
3. The local historic society threw a party to commemorate the historical event.
“Historical” refers to the study of history. “Historic” means something that has historic importance.
4. Dorothy saw the Wicked Witch as she peddled by.
It’s “pedal.” Peddling is selling things.
5. Quentin Tarantino co-executive-produced the movie.
From what lab did someone cobble together phrases to create a grammatical Frankenstein’s monster? You can’t just shove parts of speech together and hope they stick. And, as we have shown in previous segments, you can’t arbitrarily make a noun a verb, and vice versa. You can’t just keep adding modifiers until your sentence becomes so heavy it falls off the table and gets eaten by your dog. It’s cowardly writing. Be brave! “Quentin Tarantino was an executive producer of the movie.”
6. A couple lawyers just sat down.
“A couple of lawyers.”
7. You may get sick if you eat too much.
“May” means you have permission. What you want to say is that you might get sick or could get sick.
8. He was the best running back ever, even compared to today’s players.
Wrong. You compare to one person. You compare with many persons.
9. Banks love to loan money, but I could never get a loan.
Loan is a noun. Lend is a verb. And it’s “never could.” So: “Banks love to lend money, but I never could get a loan.”
Watch this on video! https://youtu.be/EpaisXp1J0s
Next time: Its not that hard. It really isnt.
Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong," features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police:” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we properly can credit you. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com