The excellent article by Malcolm Gladwell Big and bad neatly dispells the notion that SUVs are the safer choice. In a nutshell, it's a scam.
SUVs offer the perception of increased safety due to their bulking stature, but there's far too little engineering under that sheet metal to warrant the faith. What's more, the attitudes & driving habits of SUV-owners go even further to make the vehicles far less safe.
Automakers & advertisers need to take responsibility for the deceptive notions in play and begin working to quickly change consumer perceptions about cars - these things are transit. Our 3-bedroom home cost us less (10 years ago) than most Hummer, Chevy, and/or Ford SUVs. Bigger & faster is not better.
There's little or no reason for the average commuter to own a vehicle powered by a 6 or 8-cylinder engine yet take note of just how often you see hulking 9-cup-holder-having behemoths being used for nothing more than commuting to work or the grocery store - with a single occupant!
is enough. As has been pointed out to me, and I hang my head for not realizing sooner, getting drawn into this whole debate merely gives the original comments more validation than necessary. I am hanging up my hat on this round of comments, hoping that readers simply enjoy the content of my article regardless of my misgivings.
I am terrible at spelling and grammar so I can't really argue the finer points you guys are discussing. But I do know for a fact that this is wrong:
"You should never capitalize / bold words (especially at the beginning & end); use context clues to give weight to what's critical."
Many great bloggers use this technique to draw their reader's attention.
Bloggers also use short paragraphs because they are easier to read, even though technically single sentence paragraphs are frowned upon in serious writing.
And many bloggers do use conjunctions to start sentences because many blog readers are more interested in information they can easily scan than fancy transition sentences.
I realize not all our articles are mistake free. That is why we appreciate it when people correct us. But would it be so terrible to give the advice in a friendly manner?
When you give friendly advice on how to make Wise Bread writing more accessible to readers, you are helping the entire community. But when you are just shooting off advice to show off your grammar skills, you are acting like that MIT student Matt Damon destroyed in Good Will Hunting.
Talk about making lemonade from lemons. Next time I mow my lawn, I'll pull those weeds and save them for a soup rather than give them to the garbage man. Sweet post.
As I said, and will have to keep repeating, copywriters don't follow the traditional rules of grammar. Pick up a magazine and read any advertisment. This is what I do for a living. I also happen to be very very good at it (if you'd like to ask every creative director I've ever worked for, I'll happily supply phone numbers...and photocopies of my bonus checks).
People do not talk with perfect grammar. Ads communicate the way people talk. It's the first law of copywriting...keep the writing conversational, not grammatical. My copywriting has won prestigious several awards. Yes, awards. Even though i make the "mistake" of beginning sentences with conjunctions. And I'll keep doing it (did that just annoy you then? Gee, sorry). All in all, here's my advice. If my writing bugs you so much, don't read it. If you want to save some cash, smile and live life a little bit larger on a budget, please drop by any time. If you want perfect English, don't read my blog on this site. And that's all I have to say 'bout that (that one was from Forrest, another moron who made a fortune).
As to the first complaint of using "they" as a singular third person pronoun - get over it. That is simply how people speak in American English. As Paul rightly pointed out, "they" is the only simple way around the "he/she" conundrum.
* It's usually not wrong to end sentences with a preposition...
That may be true, but the whole "don't end with preposition" rule isn't actually ENGLISH. It's Latin (English is a Germanic language, despite our Latin-derived vocabulary). Please read up on some Steven Pinker and John McWhorter if you have any other questions on these ridiculous, antiquated rules that don't actually apply to our language.
By the way, how can one use too many pronouns?
You should never capitalize / bold words (especially at the beginning & end); use context clues to give weight to what's critical.
You just made that rule up. That is simply our way of formatting - it is related to QuikScan abilities - highlighting crucial information so that someone can skim and article and take away the same message that THEY would have had THEY read the entire thing in detail.
As to how those of us with lousy "grammar" (grammar is in quotes there because I think most grammar rules are bunk, having nothing to do with the way we speak), who can't string together a sentence more than six words long, manage to land jobs at copywriters, well my friend, here's an inudstry secret: copywriting involves creating sentences that are only six words long.
How is it someone with such a poor grasp of basic grammar is able to have a career in this field?!
(this is not a rhetorical question, I am curious how you managed to land a job that required the formation of sentences greater than six words. I'd much prefer you'd composed a primer on how to land one of these positions you have a penchat for being terminated from.*)
some friendly advice:
- You need to learn how to use a colon.
- You use far too many pronouns.
- Do not switch from second to first to third to second person.
- You should never capitalize / bold words (especially at the beginning & end); use context clues to give weight to what's critical.
* It's usually not wrong to end sentences with a preposition... http://www.grammartips.homestead.com/prepositions1.html
- It usually IS wrong to begin a sentence with a conjunction (a mistake you make in every other paragraph).
You're so nice, guest (and brave too, for giving out your real name). I admit, grammatically I could learn a thing or two, but I write for ease of understanding and use common langauge. I end and begin sentences with prepositions. I break all kinds of rules. As a copywriter by trade, I'm allowed to. This is not an English contest, it's a way of getting across information. I think it read better my way than...
"One has a good idea of whom he or she is, what he or she does and what position he or she plays within said company."
By the way, Word thought the grammar on my first sentence was just fine, so take it up with Bill Gates. But as I say...did you like the message, or the delivery?
"One has a good idea of what they do, who they are and what position they play in the company." How did you get from singular "One has" to plural "what they do"?
I have not been eligible to become a credit union until just recently (by virtue of my county of residence). The savings rate, though minimal, are higher at the S&L than the credit union near me but still worth looking into.
For some reason I wanted to give my kids the brick and mortar approach, show them how to talk to bankers, how to hand over money, receive a deposit confirmation, etc. But now I am wondering if a virtual (or mom-bank) approach would be better and just as good preparation for the future.
I like the approach of encouraging savers and making it convenient (which was my problem). Oddly, this bank is a small one (tag line: small enough to care), which is trying to cultivate relationships with kids through school programs. And now that you mention it, there was a bank at one of my elementary schools (went to 3 because of busing).
Hey, you are offending a lot of casual readers by mis-spelling the name of the greatest man who walked this earth - Gandhi (it is not Ghandi)
We have a guy at the office for who many of these point will be applicable. Pity about South Africa's draconian labour laws...
#21 Your boss puts you on a "performance improvement schedule."
#22 Your boss makes a huge mistake and pins it on you.
#23 Your boss's boss asks you to check your boss's work. (not sure exactly why they pulled that one on me, but it got me fired.)
method 2 work beautiful on my car .
The excellent article by Malcolm Gladwell Big and bad neatly dispells the notion that SUVs are the safer choice. In a nutshell, it's a scam.
SUVs offer the perception of increased safety due to their bulking stature, but there's far too little engineering under that sheet metal to warrant the faith. What's more, the attitudes & driving habits of SUV-owners go even further to make the vehicles far less safe.
Automakers & advertisers need to take responsibility for the deceptive notions in play and begin working to quickly change consumer perceptions about cars - these things are transit. Our 3-bedroom home cost us less (10 years ago) than most Hummer, Chevy, and/or Ford SUVs. Bigger & faster is not better.
There's little or no reason for the average commuter to own a vehicle powered by a 6 or 8-cylinder engine yet take note of just how often you see hulking 9-cup-holder-having behemoths being used for nothing more than commuting to work or the grocery store - with a single occupant!
Wait: how do you fold a lighter six times?
Is there another way you can do that without matches?I saw my teacher fold it up and open it and it was $100 and with no matches!
me and my bro al ways play those machines and one stands on the side of the machine and the other one stands at the controles we win almost every time
is enough. As has been pointed out to me, and I hang my head for not realizing sooner, getting drawn into this whole debate merely gives the original comments more validation than necessary. I am hanging up my hat on this round of comments, hoping that readers simply enjoy the content of my article regardless of my misgivings.
with a shotgun in Good Will Hunting 2 - Hunting Season. From Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back.
I am terrible at spelling and grammar so I can't really argue the finer points you guys are discussing. But I do know for a fact that this is wrong:
"You should never capitalize / bold words (especially at the beginning & end); use context clues to give weight to what's critical."
Many great bloggers use this technique to draw their reader's attention.
Bloggers also use short paragraphs because they are easier to read, even though technically single sentence paragraphs are frowned upon in serious writing.
And many bloggers do use conjunctions to start sentences because many blog readers are more interested in information they can easily scan than fancy transition sentences.
I realize not all our articles are mistake free. That is why we appreciate it when people correct us. But would it be so terrible to give the advice in a friendly manner?
When you give friendly advice on how to make Wise Bread writing more accessible to readers, you are helping the entire community. But when you are just shooting off advice to show off your grammar skills, you are acting like that MIT student Matt Damon destroyed in Good Will Hunting.
I love saying "I told you so", but not in this case.
This via The Consumerist
http://jalopnik.com/cars/the-end-of-the-world-is-nigh/407-for-premium-in...
If you were a betting person, you could fill your tank with your winnings.
I might add that anyone who really feels like they know English grammar might want to take a gander at this web site.
http://www.gpuss.co.uk/english_usage/start_sentence_conjunction.htm
Just this week replaced Zeitgeist with "Hot Trends"
Talk about making lemonade from lemons. Next time I mow my lawn, I'll pull those weeds and save them for a soup rather than give them to the garbage man. Sweet post.
As I said, and will have to keep repeating, copywriters don't follow the traditional rules of grammar. Pick up a magazine and read any advertisment. This is what I do for a living. I also happen to be very very good at it (if you'd like to ask every creative director I've ever worked for, I'll happily supply phone numbers...and photocopies of my bonus checks).
As to the first complaint of using "they" as a singular third person pronoun - get over it. That is simply how people speak in American English. As Paul rightly pointed out, "they" is the only simple way around the "he/she" conundrum.
* It's usually not wrong to end sentences with a preposition...
That may be true, but the whole "don't end with preposition" rule isn't actually ENGLISH. It's Latin (English is a Germanic language, despite our Latin-derived vocabulary). Please read up on some Steven Pinker and John McWhorter if you have any other questions on these ridiculous, antiquated rules that don't actually apply to our language.
By the way, how can one use too many pronouns?
You should never capitalize / bold words (especially at the beginning & end); use context clues to give weight to what's critical.
You just made that rule up. That is simply our way of formatting - it is related to QuikScan abilities - highlighting crucial information so that someone can skim and article and take away the same message that THEY would have had THEY read the entire thing in detail.
As to how those of us with lousy "grammar" (grammar is in quotes there because I think most grammar rules are bunk, having nothing to do with the way we speak), who can't string together a sentence more than six words long, manage to land jobs at copywriters, well my friend, here's an inudstry secret: copywriting involves creating sentences that are only six words long.
"copywriter by trade"
How is it someone with such a poor grasp of basic grammar is able to have a career in this field?!
(this is not a rhetorical question, I am curious how you managed to land a job that required the formation of sentences greater than six words. I'd much prefer you'd composed a primer on how to land one of these positions you have a penchat for being terminated from.*)
some friendly advice:
- You need to learn how to use a colon.
- You use far too many pronouns.
- Do not switch from second to first to third to second person.
- You should never capitalize / bold words (especially at the beginning & end); use context clues to give weight to what's critical.
* It's usually not wrong to end sentences with a preposition...
http://www.grammartips.homestead.com/prepositions1.html
- It usually IS wrong to begin a sentence with a conjunction (a mistake you make in every other paragraph).
Thank you, I'm sorry, I love you!
You're so nice, guest (and brave too, for giving out your real name). I admit, grammatically I could learn a thing or two, but I write for ease of understanding and use common langauge. I end and begin sentences with prepositions. I break all kinds of rules. As a copywriter by trade, I'm allowed to. This is not an English contest, it's a way of getting across information. I think it read better my way than...
"One has a good idea of whom he or she is, what he or she does and what position he or she plays within said company."
By the way, Word thought the grammar on my first sentence was just fine, so take it up with Bill Gates. But as I say...did you like the message, or the delivery?
"One has a good idea of what they do, who they are and what position they play in the company." How did you get from singular "One has" to plural "what they do"?
I have not been eligible to become a credit union until just recently (by virtue of my county of residence). The savings rate, though minimal, are higher at the S&L than the credit union near me but still worth looking into.
For some reason I wanted to give my kids the brick and mortar approach, show them how to talk to bankers, how to hand over money, receive a deposit confirmation, etc. But now I am wondering if a virtual (or mom-bank) approach would be better and just as good preparation for the future.
I like the approach of encouraging savers and making it convenient (which was my problem). Oddly, this bank is a small one (tag line: small enough to care), which is trying to cultivate relationships with kids through school programs. And now that you mention it, there was a bank at one of my elementary schools (went to 3 because of busing).
That is soooo wrong on so many levels. I thought for a split second that I was seeing Paris with her top off. Then I felt all icky... :P