# Writers, Editors, Nit-Pickers, Lend Me Your Beefs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 27, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115 "2006-03-27T17:39:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/61 "2006-03-29T18:52:54Z")
But 9 times out of 10, there’s no such subtle distinction being made – the person is just failing to think through if there’s a more direct way to say something. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/62 "2006-03-29T18:57:01Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Female posters to this forum, e.g. **,** twickster… > > The poster who started this thread, i.e. **,** twickster > > Commas belong on both sides of the “e.g.” or “i.e.”. [This is a matter of style.](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/timg/e1.htm) Obviously you learned one way, while I learned another. **winterhawk11** : The example you gave reminded me of the all-too-common “free _reign_” error. Since so few people depend on horses for transportation nowadays, the concept of “free rein” is alien to many folks. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/63 "2006-03-29T19:52:36Z")
“His name was called Bob.” So, what was his name? > [@winterhawk11](#): > > **That that is is that that is not is not is it it is** “That that is, is. That that is not, is not.” “Is it?” “It is.” (Is that right? The last bit doesn’t make much sense. Doesn’t it? It doesn’t.) ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/64 "2006-03-30T03:03:44Z")
You know, Twix, Gaudere’s Law being what it is, you could probably pick up some good examples in this thread. E.g., **Reality Chuck** ’s sentence > [@RealityChuck](#): > > For instance, the powers the President has claimed to assumed due to the war in Iraq are not permanent – eventually, when certain conditions are met, he expects to give them up. contains an error that\*\* Reality Chuck\*\* could have no doubt caught himself if he’d been proofreading carefully. Took me three passes to identify the verb problem that was bothering me. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/65 "2006-03-30T03:09:40Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > “That that is, is. That that is not, is not.” “Is it?” “It is.” (Is that right? The last bit doesn’t make much sense. Doesn’t it? It doesn’t.) Yep, that’s right! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/66 "2006-03-30T03:48:26Z")
One thing that really annoys me is the use of “pour over a book” when “pore over a book” is meant. I see this very frequently in newspapers. Maybe this is too technical, but _nobody_ ever seems to get scientific names right: italicized, with the genus capitalized and the species not. _Colibri thalassinus_ NOT: \*colibri thalassinus Colibri Thalassinus\* Colibri thalassinus ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/67 "2006-03-30T05:04:49Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Alright vs All Right God, yes. I see “alright” at least a hundred times a day and I just want to throttle the person who wrote it. The worst part is that I’m not the only editor on this project, and I can’t convince the others to change their ways. This means either the spelling changes back and forth during the course of the game, or I have to bite the bullet and leave it as one word. For another test, try capitalization on titles vs. nouns. “This is my master’s sword.” “This is Master’s sword.” How about this? I had a discussion with my boss today about puctuation in quotes when the quote doesn’t contain the punctuation that the sentence does. Person A: He’s a vampire! Person B: Did you just say “He’s a vampire”? OR Person B: Did you just say “He’s a vampire?” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115/68 "2006-03-30T11:30:38Z")
> [@BraheSilver](#): > > How about this? I had a discussion with my boss today about puctuation in quotes when the quote doesn’t contain the punctuation that the sentence does. > > Person A: He’s a vampire! > > Person B: Did you just say “He’s a vampire”? OR > Person B: Did you just say “He’s a vampire?” Too easy – outside the quotes. (Exclamation points and question marks are the only ones that are placed according to whether they’re part of the quoted material or not.) For those who are following the story behind this: the guy did on the shady side of so-so on this; but he’s got killer managing editor skills. I think we may hire him, and just keep him the hell away from content. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writers-editors-nit-pickers-lend-me-your-beefs/350115.md?page=3)