Showing posts with label times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label times. Show all posts

Monday 27 October 2008

Grammar policing

It's becoming more and more difficult to find someone who can compose even a simple sentence, anymore. This promotion is hosted by a popular Toronto radio station on their website:

Sky Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge is in Mississauga at 2680 Skymark Avenue. From award-winning jumbo wings to signature salads. Comfortable, elegant dining.

The second and third "sentences" are invalid. There's no action/verb. I would change them thusly:

We serve award-winning jumbo wings to signature salads. Enjoy comfortable, elegant dining.

I suppose it's not as egregious as an error appearing in the New York Times or other prestigious publications. I've seen errors in many of them. Sometimes two or three in the same paragraph. And I'm just a lay person who didn't even finish high school. I finally decided to get my GED when I was in my forties.

Sunday 10 August 2008

Mackerel! Fresh Mackerel!

One recent Friday, I was remarking to a friend that I was rushing off to buy some fresh fish at my favourite supermarket before it was picked over. Upon quick reflection, I caught myself and corrected it to "fresher" fish.

My arrival proved my point as I surveyed tag after tag indicating "Previously Frozen". We race to the supermarket in order to have the pick of "fresher" fish--previously frozen fish that isn't quite as gnarly as other fish that isn't fresh, either. It's a reflection of the times we live in, is it not? If you're over 40, you probably remember the ma and pa fish store that your mom would visit and get really fresh fish--only fresh fish. It was very recently that you could at least get fresh fish on Thursdays, the typical delivery day ahead of the traditional Friday Fresh Fish Fest. No longer.

"Fresh fish" reminds me of the birth (pun intended) of the term "safe sex" and the soon thereafter coining of "safer sex" as it became evident that we could no longer get "fresh" sex, either...especially if one were gay. Not that I am. And not that there's anything wrong with that.

Speaking of fruits...have you ever noticed that much of the fruit you buy today from peaches to melons are hard as rocks? In the never-ending quest for bigger and bigger profits, corporations, which now own just about the entire food retail market, are having produce picked before it is ripe so that wastage through spoilage is reduced. It seems we can't get much "fresh" fruit anymore, either.

On the bright side, we can now get fresh news thanks to the internet. However, since half a billion people are blogging their own brand of news, it tends to be watered down, these days, like drinks in many bars, these days...and like sports with the ever-increasing number of franchises, these days...and...