Dr. George Arnold, a former Marshall University professor and author of Media Writer's Handbook, stopped by our copy editing class on Tuesday and spoke to us about language skills.
Dr. Arnold has a wealth of grammar knowledge and he really knows how to have fun with it. He spoke to us about how he has the tendency to annoy people by constantly correcting their grammar which is something that I can relate to. It is something that I do very often and I am sure it aggravates my friends, but I am really doing it for their own good.
He not only talked to us about correct word usage and how important it is, he also showed us examples of how people commonly misuse our language. I really thought this was fun and interesting. He showed us a picture of a large sign at the entrance to a cemetery that had cemetery spelled "cemetary". You would think that someone who is in charge of a cemetery would know how to spell the word correctly.
Dr. Arnold said that he is always on the lookout for signs with incorrect spelling and grammar use. This is something that my girlfriend Daniella and I do very often. She is a print journalism major at Morehead State University, so she has the same amount of interest in language that I do. This was just another way that I could relate to Dr. Arnold.
Overall, I thought it was a very good experience having Dr. Arnold drop by and speak to us. He made looking at grammar fun and you can really tell that he enjoys what he does.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Confessions of a Grammarholic
After reading Dr. Arnold's "Confessions of a Grammarholic", I have realized that I can really relate to him. I am the type of person that corrects my friends grammar and points out when signs have incorrect spellings or grammar problems. It is interesting to read about someone who has a similar view on that sort of thing. It makes me realize that I am not the only grammar fanatic in the world.
