Find the flubs in these sentences that were corrected by copy editors before they made their way into The Forum.
1. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
2. The Chamber's board of directors made the decision late last week.
3. The student to computer ratio in Weset Fargo is 3:1.
4. When Palin takes the stage tonight, it will be a welcome site for Dueker.
5. Crews will fill the piles with six to nine feet of geofoam.
6. He argued the case should be dismissed because his client's Constitutional rights were violated.
7. More than 400 sixth- through twelfth-graders took their violins, violas and cellos.
8. She abruptly closed her daycare in north Fargo last month.
9. The transmission line will be between 9.5 to 11.5 miles long.
10. It will extend from the wind park to the existing Otter Tail Power Company transmission line southeast of Glyndon, Minn.
1. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
2. The chamber's board of directors made the decision late last week.
3. The student to computer ratio in Weset Fargo is 3-to-1.
AP Stylebook says: ratios Use figures and hyphens: the ratio was 2-to-1, a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio. As illustrated, the word to should be omitted when the numbers precede the word ratio.
4. When Palin takes the stage tonight, it will be a welcome sight for Dueker.
5. Crews will fill the piles with 6 to 9 feet of geofoam.
6. He argued the case should be dismissed because his client's constitutional rights were violated.
AP Stylebook says: Lowercase constitutional in all uses.
7. More than 400 sixth- through 12th-graders took their violins, violas and cellos.
8. She abruptly closed her day care in north Fargo last month.
9. The transmission line will be between 9.5 and 11.5 milies long.
10. It will extend from the wind park to the existing Otter Tail Power Co. transmission line southeast of Glyndon, Minn.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Electing to take a quiz
It's Election Day, so I hope you elect to take this short quiz to see if you can find the flubs in these sentences that were caught by copy editors before they made it into The Forum.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self worth.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Ave. S. in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move further into town.
4. "I think childcare is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self-worth.
AP Stylebook states: self- Always hyphenate: self-assured, self-government, self-defense.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Avenue South in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move farther into town.
AP Stylebook states: farther, further Farther refers to physical distance: He walked farther into the woods. Further refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the mystery.
4. "I think child care is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self worth.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Ave. S. in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move further into town.
4. "I think childcare is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other New Americans in the area.
1. There is the anxiety over money and questions of self-worth.
AP Stylebook states: self- Always hyphenate: self-assured, self-government, self-defense.
2. DuWayne Engness lives at the corner of Sheyenne Street and 40th Avenue South in West Fargo.
3. Authorities placed vehicles at strategic spots in case the animal decided to move farther into town.
AP Stylebook states: farther, further Farther refers to physical distance: He walked farther into the woods. Further refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the mystery.
4. "I think child care is part of the infrastructure of our state and our communities."
5. The 14-year-old wants to help other new Americans in the area.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
For your reading enjoyment
We have 10 more flubs for your reading enjoyment. There are mistakes in these sentences that were found before they made it into The Forum. Do you know what they are?
1. Services include a dental lab, x-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of sheetrock falling to the ground.
3. The free hotline provides immediate response to voters.
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the backburner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was seven years old.
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems farfetched.
7. Their German Sheppard cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student art work.
9. NDSU is hosting the thirteenth annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth grader "bucktooth."
1. Services include a dental lab, X-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of Sheetrock falling to the ground.
AP Stylebook: Sheetrock A trademark for a brand of gypsum wallboard.
3. The free hot line provides immediate response to voters.
AP Stylebook: hot line A direct telephone line between government leaders, especially the circuit linking the United States and Russia, for use in crisis situations. Lowercase. Webster's New World Dictionary: telephone line to a social service agency, as a suicide prevention center. two words
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the back burner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was 7 years old.
AP Stylebook: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates).
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems far-fetched.
7. Their German shepherd cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student artwork.
9. NDSU is hosting the 13th annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth-grader "bucktooth."
AP Stylebook: grade, grader Hyphenate both the noun forms (first-grader, second-grader, 10th-grader, etc.) and the adjectival forms (a fourth-grade pupil, a 12th-grade pupil).
1. Services include a dental lab, x-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of sheetrock falling to the ground.
3. The free hotline provides immediate response to voters.
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the backburner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was seven years old.
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems farfetched.
7. Their German Sheppard cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student art work.
9. NDSU is hosting the thirteenth annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth grader "bucktooth."
1. Services include a dental lab, X-rays and a pharmacy.
2. The blast sent a loose piece of Sheetrock falling to the ground.
AP Stylebook: Sheetrock A trademark for a brand of gypsum wallboard.
3. The free hot line provides immediate response to voters.
AP Stylebook: hot line A direct telephone line between government leaders, especially the circuit linking the United States and Russia, for use in crisis situations. Lowercase. Webster's New World Dictionary: telephone line to a social service agency, as a suicide prevention center. two words
4. "At some point, our kids got left on the back burner."
5. He started sexually abusing her when she was 7 years old.
AP Stylebook: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates).
6. That's what he's doing, even if it seems far-fetched.
7. Their German shepherd cross had a gaping gash on her back.
8. The West Fargo show highlights student artwork.
9. NDSU is hosting the 13th annual Sonia Kovalesky High School Day on Sept. 26.
10. Some older boys kept calling the fourth-grader "bucktooth."
AP Stylebook: grade, grader Hyphenate both the noun forms (first-grader, second-grader, 10th-grader, etc.) and the adjectival forms (a fourth-grade pupil, a 12th-grade pupil).
Thursday, October 23, 2008
And you thought I'd disappeared!
I apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I'm back! See if you you can find the flubs in these sentences that were found by copy editors before they appeared in The Forum.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 to 8 at the time.
2. But five-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levies.
4. It's holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next Administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about six million near Beijing.
7. She supports Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's workforce.
9. The school district will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for their high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 and 8 at the time.
2. But 5-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
AP Stylebook says: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates): The girl is 15 years old; the law is eight years old. When the context does not require years or years old, the figure is presumed to be years. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levees.
4. Its holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about 6 million near Beijing.
AP Stylebook says: millions, billions Use figures with million or billion in all except casual uses: I'd like to make a billion dollars. But: The nation has 1 million citizens. I need $7 billion.
7. She supports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's work force.
9. The School District will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for its high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in Eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 to 8 at the time.
2. But five-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levies.
4. It's holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next Administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about six million near Beijing.
7. She supports Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's workforce.
9. The school district will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for their high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
1. He is accused of molesting four girls who were between the ages of 6 and 8 at the time.
2. But 5-year-old Ellen is excited that she gets to be like her big brother.
AP Stylebook says: ages Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimates): The girl is 15 years old; the law is eight years old. When the context does not require years or years old, the figure is presumed to be years. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun.
3. The flood study will review various alternatives, including levees.
4. Its holdings include lumber yards in Fargo, Mayville, Pelican Rapids and Perham.
5. He wants to see action on alternative energy in the next administration.
6. Guan is a medium-sized city of about 6 million near Beijing.
AP Stylebook says: millions, billions Use figures with million or billion in all except casual uses: I'd like to make a billion dollars. But: The nation has 1 million citizens. I need $7 billion.
7. She supports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
8. Charlie embodies the spirit of productive aging as a contributing member to today's work force.
9. The School District will pay $44,700 a year to lease space for its high school teams.
10. Russia and some other countries in Eastern Europe grow many of the same crops as North Dakota farmers.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Plethora of flubs
This week's post offers a variety of flubs, including style mistakes, misspellings and sentences that can be streamlined. Can you figure out how we improved sentences before they made it into The Forum?
1. Detroit Lakes math teacher Lisa Larson recently paid a visit to the White House.
2. Justin Flaten knows his company has sales opportunities in Columbia.
3. The trade agreement apparently became entangled in the Presidential campaign.
4. The installations include home theatre systems with wall-size screens.
5. He started out as a management consultant doing coding in the late 1990's.
6. "We're going to put a Band-aid on it and we're going to move forward."
7. Members of the State Historical Society of North Dakota will soon say good-bye to a long-time archivist.
8. No arrests have been made, according to spokesperson Mark Jamieson.
9. The seminar is scheduled from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the North Dakota State University Memorial Union.
10. They can require more right-of-way than a conventional intersection.
1. Detroit Lakes math teacher Lisa Larson recently visited the White House.
2. Justin Flaten knows his company has sales opportunities in Colombia.
1. Detroit Lakes math teacher Lisa Larson recently paid a visit to the White House.
2. Justin Flaten knows his company has sales opportunities in Columbia.
3. The trade agreement apparently became entangled in the Presidential campaign.
4. The installations include home theatre systems with wall-size screens.
5. He started out as a management consultant doing coding in the late 1990's.
6. "We're going to put a Band-aid on it and we're going to move forward."
7. Members of the State Historical Society of North Dakota will soon say good-bye to a long-time archivist.
8. No arrests have been made, according to spokesperson Mark Jamieson.
9. The seminar is scheduled from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the North Dakota State University Memorial Union.
10. They can require more right-of-way than a conventional intersection.
1. Detroit Lakes math teacher Lisa Larson recently visited the White House.
2. Justin Flaten knows his company has sales opportunities in Colombia.
3. The trade agreement apparently became entangled in the presidential campaign.
4. The installations include home theater systems with wall-size screens. I've mentioned this style rule before, but it doesn't hurt to repeat. AP Stylebook says: theater Use this spelling unless the proper name is Theatre: Shubert Theatre; or, in a local example, Fargo Theatre.
5. He started out as a management consultant doing coding in the late 1990s.
Again, I've mentioned this style rule before, but it doesn't hurt to repeat. AP Stylebook says: Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries.
6. "We're going to put a Band-Aid on it and we're going to move forward." AP Stylebook says: Band-Aid A trademark for a type of adhesive bandage.
7. The State Historical Society of North Dakota will soon say goodbye to a longtime archivist. Both are in the AP Stylebook.
8. No arrests have been made, according to spokesman Mark Jamieson. AP Stylebook says: spokesman, spokeswoman But not spokesperson. Use a representative if you do not know the sex of the individual.
9. The seminar is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the North Dakota State University Memorial Union. AP Stylebook says: noon Do not put a 12 in front of it. midnight Do not put a 12 in front of it. times Use figures except for noon and midnight.
10. They can require more right of way than a conventional intersection. Find this in the AP Stylebook.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
10 little gems
See if you can figure out who wrote these little gems that never made it into The Forum.
1. Fifteen piglets were found in the North Dakota badlands.
2. The group is putting the money towards charitable work.
3. The victim showed a blood-alcohol level of .22 percent.
4. The new business has 5 employees.
5. Inappropriately denied claims involve just one percent of all claims.
6. He isn't protecting the administration from flack.
7. The district's long-time building administrator will return part-time through August.
8. Construction costs are estimated at $9.8 to $15.3 million for segment one, $8.4 to $12.5 million for segment two and $11.5 to $14.4 million for segment three.
9. The city owns land south of 1st Avenue and to the west and east of 11th Street.
10. The West Fargo Park District is hosting a "Garden Extravaganza" from 6:30 p.m. to 8;30 p.m. tonight.
1. Fifteen piglets were found in the North Dakota Badlands.
2. The group is putting the money toward charitable work.
3. The victim showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.22 percent.
4. The new business has five employees.
5. Inappropriately denied claims involve just 1 percent of all claims.
6. He isn't protecting the administration from flak.
7. The district's longtime building administrator will return part time through August.
8. Construction costs are estimated at $9.8 million to $15.3 million for segment one, $8.4 million to $12.5 million for segment two and $11.5 million to $14.4 million for segment three.
9. The city owns land south of First Avenue and to the west and east of 11th Street.
10. The West Fargo Park District is hosting a "Garden Extravaganza" from 6:30 to 8;30 tonight.
1. Fifteen piglets were found in the North Dakota badlands.
2. The group is putting the money towards charitable work.
3. The victim showed a blood-alcohol level of .22 percent.
4. The new business has 5 employees.
5. Inappropriately denied claims involve just one percent of all claims.
6. He isn't protecting the administration from flack.
7. The district's long-time building administrator will return part-time through August.
8. Construction costs are estimated at $9.8 to $15.3 million for segment one, $8.4 to $12.5 million for segment two and $11.5 to $14.4 million for segment three.
9. The city owns land south of 1st Avenue and to the west and east of 11th Street.
10. The West Fargo Park District is hosting a "Garden Extravaganza" from 6:30 p.m. to 8;30 p.m. tonight.
1. Fifteen piglets were found in the North Dakota Badlands.
2. The group is putting the money toward charitable work.
3. The victim showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.22 percent.
4. The new business has five employees.
5. Inappropriately denied claims involve just 1 percent of all claims.
6. He isn't protecting the administration from flak.
7. The district's longtime building administrator will return part time through August.
8. Construction costs are estimated at $9.8 million to $15.3 million for segment one, $8.4 million to $12.5 million for segment two and $11.5 million to $14.4 million for segment three.
9. The city owns land south of First Avenue and to the west and east of 11th Street.
10. The West Fargo Park District is hosting a "Garden Extravaganza" from 6:30 to 8;30 tonight.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
10 examples to test your style
Various odds and ends are included in this week's post. See if you can find the flubs that were caught before they made it into The Forum.
1. Lightening either symbolizes inspiration or hints that God is ticked off.
2. His first wish was a stage, a big screen TV and a home theatre.
3. Emotions are rising nationally as leaders debate the question about whether biofuels such as ethanol are driving up food prices.
4. Passersby are urged to drop a poker chip down a board covered with pegs.
5. Her four-year-old son twirled his new blue Elmo backpack.
6. "There's no reason to think that someone looking at a place couldn't consider Glyndon as they consider places in South Fargo.
7. Hennen kicks off his new station with some help from presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain.
8. The new south side fire station opens in about two years.
9. The cafe serves homemade soups, fresh salads and sandwiches to compliment Vintner's Cellar wine selections.
10. Camp staff members follow preventative measures to avoid accidents.
1. Lightning either symbolizes inspiration or hints that God is ticked off.
2. His first wish was a stage, a big-screen TV and a home theater.
3. Emotions are rising nationally as leaders debate whether biofuels such as ethanol are driving up food prices.
The original sentence was too wordy.
4. Passers-by are urged to drop a poker chip down a board covered with pegs.
5. Her 4-year-old son twirled his new blue Elmo backpack.
6. "There's no reason to think that someone looking at a place couldn't consider Glyndon as they consider places in south Fargo.
7. Hennen kicks off his new station with some help from presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
8. The new southside fire station opens in about two years.
9. The cafe serves homemade soups, fresh salads and sandwiches to complement Vintner's Cellar wine selections.
10. Camp staff members follow preventive measures to avoid accidents.
1. Lightening either symbolizes inspiration or hints that God is ticked off.
2. His first wish was a stage, a big screen TV and a home theatre.
3. Emotions are rising nationally as leaders debate the question about whether biofuels such as ethanol are driving up food prices.
4. Passersby are urged to drop a poker chip down a board covered with pegs.
5. Her four-year-old son twirled his new blue Elmo backpack.
6. "There's no reason to think that someone looking at a place couldn't consider Glyndon as they consider places in South Fargo.
7. Hennen kicks off his new station with some help from presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain.
8. The new south side fire station opens in about two years.
9. The cafe serves homemade soups, fresh salads and sandwiches to compliment Vintner's Cellar wine selections.
10. Camp staff members follow preventative measures to avoid accidents.
1. Lightning either symbolizes inspiration or hints that God is ticked off.
2. His first wish was a stage, a big-screen TV and a home theater.
3. Emotions are rising nationally as leaders debate whether biofuels such as ethanol are driving up food prices.
The original sentence was too wordy.
4. Passers-by are urged to drop a poker chip down a board covered with pegs.
5. Her 4-year-old son twirled his new blue Elmo backpack.
6. "There's no reason to think that someone looking at a place couldn't consider Glyndon as they consider places in south Fargo.
7. Hennen kicks off his new station with some help from presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
8. The new southside fire station opens in about two years.
9. The cafe serves homemade soups, fresh salads and sandwiches to complement Vintner's Cellar wine selections.
10. Camp staff members follow preventive measures to avoid accidents.
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