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It just ain’t good English
I get very tired of seeing this particular grammatical error, from an ABC story: “After receiving a friendly reception at the church, more than 100 demonstrators chanted ‘Down with Bush’ from behind barricades a block away from the D-Day Museum, where Bush attended a fund-raiser.”
This says, of course, that the demonstrators received a friendly reception at the church before going on to chant anti-Bush slogans, rather than that Bush received a friendly reception at the church before going on to be chanted at.
Editors! Do your jobs!
End rant.
Permanent link to this article: https://edwardwillett.com/2004/01/it-just-aint-good-english/
1 comment
Edward,
Asking editors to “Do your job!” won’t get much action in many publications’ offices. They’ve gotten rid of the editors. Many pubs now demand what we used to call “camera ready” manuscripts. Even if there IS an editor on premises, he or she may not be any more aware of grammar rules than the writers.
Hal Swift
Long-time broadcaster, never retired,
but often quit, and sometimes fired.
hal_swift@yahoo.com