Monday, October 8, 2012

"Henrich" Chevrolet is a Bully

In, at, near, by, with, of - such teenie words that do so much work, or damage, depending on who is wielding them.  I really believe that people are becoming more casual about their choices.  It feels as if some writers just toss one in randomly, knowing something is needed, but not knowing or caring what it is.  Take the misuse of the word "by":


Oh, Henrich, you bully!  How dare you throw down that motorcycle driver!

If you glanced lightly at this caption, appearing in the September 25, 2012 edition of Lockport Union-Sun & Journal (NY), you may not have noticed all the other errors.  Here's what I saw:
  • "Henrich" Chevrolet is actually Heinrich Chevrolet, but if you're not local, you wouldn't know that.
  • Niagara County Sheriff's Office (one out of two for missing the apostrophe.)
  • Why the sudden capital M on "Motorcycle"?
  • "Pick up truck" is either "pickup" or "pick-up".
  • How many times do you have to say that the truck turned in front of the motorcycle?  Wasn't "reportedly cut off by a pick up [sic] truck" enough?
Have you found any other errors in this one little caption?  Please, let me know what you think--of the caption, of the idea that writers are becoming overly casual about grammar, of the fact that a newspaper can let this sort of caption appear on the front page.

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