Thursday, January 08, 2009

Eats, shoots and leaves

I have been pulled up twice about recent posts.

Daughter grumbled about my ABC post because I used the phrase 'a moment in time'. It is one of her pet hates because a moment is, by definition, in time. I can see her point but still think that it adds emphasis to that particular moment. However if you all agree with Daughter - who does have a first class honours degree in English - then I will amend it.

The second complaint, upon which I have already acted, was from Dr Stu. I said that I was about to throw George's dinner 'round the garden'. He suggested that it should be 'around'; I agreed.

I must try harder.

20 comments:

Puss-in-Boots said...

Semantics...I hate then. Yet, it is correct grammar...bugger!

CherryPie said...

I like the phrase 'a moment in time' ;-)

Anna said...

Yes, we agree with daughter!

Anonymous said...

I love reading your posts and am not bothered about how correct they are.
Wendy (Wales)

Katney said...

At this moment in time, I am enjoying reading your blog and others immensely.

(But misplaced apostrophes make me crazy, so don't misplace any apostrophes.)

XXYXX said...

One for your daughter, I believe.

"So all my previous ABC Wednesday postings, contrived or just plain weird, have all been aimed at this one moment."

is pithier.

Adding "in time" doesn't cause collective foreheads to be slapped as people thought you might of meant "at this one moment in my mental state" or "at this one moment in mad fish fingers".

Time is fairly full of moments.

Daughters, hey! I blame the parents.

Rose said...

While Daughter may be correct, this is the sort of rhetorical error that doesn't bother me that much. I'm with Katney--misplaced apostrophes are much more annoying. Great choice for your title--this book has a prominent place on my bookshelf; a great read!

Anonymous said...

Well. there you are - at the end of the day, at the grass roots of a level playing field... at this temporal nexus at the end of the day.

Dragonstar said...

Ignore my husband - please! Taking notice just encourages him.

OK, you may have been grammatically incorrect, but you were just chatting with us, weren't you? That makes all the difference.

(PS. I agree about those apostrophes)

Anonymous said...

Funnily enough, I was reading 'Eats, shoots and leaves' while eating lunch today! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Grammer schmammer! I love how you write.

DeeJay said...

Hey what the h***l who cares?
I agree with other readers that incorrect grammar and 'apostrophe-type' punctuation is annoying and perhaps should be pointed out, but semantics and colloquialisms is what blogging is all about isn't it?

jmb said...

I'm writing this comment before I read the others so I will not be influenced. I think a moment in time is more specific than a moment. To me it could be a chunk (moment) of the continuum which is time or referring to this particular chunk (moment) in the continuum of time.

I have no trouble whatsoever with your usage but then I am just a retired pharmacist so what do I know. I do know that the modern writing style tends to be more spare but I think we are the poorer for it.

Someone in her fifties said to me recently, a librarian in fact, that you can tell when someone is older since they use sentences with clauses. Young people don't do that. I thought that a most interesting observation.

Berni said...

I like 'a moment in time' although it might be a bit hackneyed. It seems to me that it highlights that moment somewhat.

James Higham said...

I disagree with daughter on this. It was done for emphasis.

Liz Hinds said...

It's strange how a post on grammar gets so mnay responses!

THank you all for your comments.

Puss, yes, I know: I'm torn too. Sometimes I will write things for effect, knowing it's bad grammar and I want to add something in brackets to say (I do know this is wrong!)

Me too, cherrypie. i hadn't even thought about it until Daughter mentioned it.

Anna, you would!

Thank you, wendy.

I would want someone to tell me if I misplace an apostrophe because that is really annoying, katney.

Bobo, now don't start with the blame ...

Rose, it is an excellent book.

I am under instructions to ignore you, aileni!

Apostrophes seem to be a pet hate of most of us, dragonstar.

That's a bit sad, jay! Who'd have thought a grammar book would be a best-seller!

Thank you, hulla.

I think so, deejay.

Yes, I agree, jmb, vic grace and james.

Mauigirl said...

I think blogging does not require perfect grammar - you can use colloquial language. And poetic language like "moment in time."

And otherwise I am a stickler for grammar but neither of these seem too egregious!

Happy belated New Year!

Mauigirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mauigirl said...

Sorry, I accidentally posted my comment twice. Then I deleted the second one but now feel compelled to tell you why.

A little compulsive...

Anonymous said...

This sentence suffers from !!! premature punctuation