arguably; using "at" at the end of a sentence.

I hate that word. I hear it used by so-called experts on soq\mething, anything, really. I always thought arguably meant, able to be argued. As in, we had an argument. Arguably, we had an argument.
Is this the new buzzword for televison and radio "experts?" It just doesn't make sense.

Also, I have a pet peeve about the word "at." As in, "Where you at?" I always want to answer, "I'm just in front of the 'at." Don't end a sentence with "at." And, of course, there is a problem with the above example: "Where you at?" (Shudder). "Where are you?"

I wish they would teach how to diagram sentences. You know, subject, verb, predicate.
One of the things I cringe the most at is: "Me and him went to the movies."
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The way to remember not to say this is: Say the other person's name first.
Or the pronoun, "He." "He and I went to the movies." Or "John and I went to the movies."
Think of it this way: "John went to the movies. I went to the movies." So," John and I went to the movies."
And, while I'm on my soapbox, I hear on television/radio, etc. "He gave it to she and I." HUH?
There is nothing wrong with the word, "Me." Think, "He gave it to her. And he gave it to me." Therefore, "He gave it to her and me."

Do this, and I will quit dogging your footsteps, trying to correct your English.

Threw, through, thorough

Threw: A verb. He threw the ball to the pitcher.
Through: The ball was thrown through the window.
Thorough: Adverb. The police did a thorough search of the scene.

Accept, Except, Staph, Staff

Accept is a verb. I accept the gift.
Except is a "qualifier." All the gifts I accepted were lovely, except for the one from my mother.

Staph is short for Staphylococcus, an infection usually acquired in hospitals.
Staff refers to employees. My staff has contracted a staph infection.

Advice, Advise

Take my advice when I advise you....

Advice is a noun.....let me give you a word of advice....
Advise is a verb.....I advise you to do better.

English as a Second Language???

I've been jolted lately by some posts on professional sites. These are from "Writers" who post in "Email text mode" which would definitely put me off if I were an employer looking for an editor, writer, etc.
I mean, come on, now. "If u see this, know me as professional writer." This gets tossed into the round file immediately.
And, if you're an author plugging your book via Yahoo groups, please watch your grammar and punctuation. I recently saw a promo for someone's book, titled The Bennett's. Notice the apostrophe. I want to yell,"The Beckett's What?" It should be The Bennetts. Period. No apostrophe. Puh-leeze.
Just because you got published somewhere, and some editor cleaned up your grammar and punctuation, I wouldn't want to read your novel. It might be a rip-roaring, bona fide thriller/mystery/erotica piece ever written, I won't fork over my .99 cents.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm just sayin'......

Editing

Try and Make Me......

I hope somebody can answer this question --- it has been bothering me off and on for quite a while.

The question is: Why do people say/write the following: "Try and make me."

Now, it's my thinking that the person is really saying, "If you try, you will make me..." do something, etc.

So, Try And? Or Try to make me?

I'm just sayin'.....

Editing

Hanging It Up.........

It was a tough decision, but I had to do it because of my health. I can no longer take on any editing jobs.
Nothing caused me to make this decision, other than I realized editing manuscripts is one of the most stressful jobs around, and my poor lupus body won't take much more stress without sending me into a huge flare.
So, now that I'm out of the editing business, I feel like I can unload on a few issues I've encountered over the years.....
Some authors think I hung the moon, and are profusely grateful, sending me gushing emails and even putting me in the acknowledgement sections of their books. They have taken my critiques in the spirit in which they were intended, that of taking an ordinary manuscript and making it shine. These authors agree with my "slash and burn" editing, where I eliminate redundancies, unnecessary "stage directions" (i.e. "he got up from his chair, crossed the room, turned the doorknob and exited the room.") Sheesh. That may be what the author envisions, but it's so much simpler to state, "he left the room." Or just not mention his departure at all, unless it's integral to the plot.
Other authors --- well, let's just say they don't take criticism well. I changed one author's line from "He asked loudly?!" to "he asked." No apostrophe. No exclamation mark. I realize when we were in elementary school, the exclamation mark heralded something momentous, exciting, or dangerous. "It was the missing man!" But for today's adults, it is more effective to be sublte, letting the reader feel the astonishment instead of being ordered to feel a certain way...."It was the missing man." And, looking back on the phrase, " He asked loudly" I'm reminded of a fellow in a writing group years ago, who stated emphatically that the first thing he would do to a manuscript is go through and remove all the "ly" words: Quickly, Silently, Hastily, Mournfully.... you get the idea.
And that reminds me of another boo-boo many writers make, completely unaware they are doing it...."He sauntered rapidly." You can't do both. You can either saunter, or you can walk rapidly.
Well, that's all I have for today. More later, I'm sure. I have reams of manuscripts I could quote from. Maybe that will help somebody out there who wants to become a published author, but who knows his writing needs some help. Now, that's a writer!