Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

I see "marquee" used to identify a car maker waaay to often to blame it on a simple keyboard strike mistake.

To take this thread one step further, grammar has taken a real nose dive as well. Everyone and their brother seems to want to end sentences with prepositions, especially those in advertising....
"Come on down to Ricky Buck's Used Car Lot. We have hundreds of cars to choose from."

German cars are rust buckets. When I was a kid I used to fall for the crap in Road and Track too and thought BMW's and Saabs were something fantastic. As I got older I realized those magazines are full of non-sense. Today they are stupider than ever. Some people don't learn anything and still fall for that crap.

As regards punctuation titling a book on the subject with poor usage is like starting a book on humor with a lousy joke.

West, Winston Churchill may or may not have said this about sentences ending In a proposition;
"This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put."

Tim, I will agree German cars used to be rust buckets but oh what fun they were to drive while they still had floors!

More likely Yoda that would have said.

In a former life I edited technical writing. I just have one wish. I wish auto enthusiasts would stop modifying the word "unique", as in "this car is very unique". Drives me nuts every time I hear it.
There, I feel better now....

In my line of work (IT Systems Engineer) I receive a lot of email. Some folks write very nicely composed business appropriate email; others write email as if they are texting.

Every once in a while I have a hard time understanding what the an email is regarding, it is so poorly composed. Grammar and punctuation are invaluable for communicating well.

This is an actual email that I received; copied and pasted without modification:

"My printer is tripping..

It is printing blank pages. I just recently change the cartilage."

CG

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In a former life I edited technical writing. I just have one wish. I wish auto enthusiasts would stop modifying the word "unique", as in "this car is very unique". Drives me nuts every time I hear it.
There, I feel better now....

Amen. No modification of a superlative.

Also the difference between "uninterested" and "disinterested."

I've instilled in my children the importance of spelling these three words correctly;

there
their
they're

Good English one step at a time.

Punctuation too.....

"Let's eat Grandma"

or

"Let's eat, Grandma!"

Three other things that drive me nuts:

1) "irregardless" instead of the correct "regardless"

2) "between you and I" instead of the correct "between you and me"

3) I feel "badly" (improper adverb) instead of I feel "bad" (proper use of adjective)


I feel better already!