Join the word police!

[soxfan[$]]

Just ran across this on the Atlantic Monthly site:

Do you have what it takes to be a Word Police Officer?

Ailsa
who took three tries to join the anti-redundancy squad

[theworm[$]]

Who would have thought that I would ace the exam?

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

I'm a member too! don't you think that in your opinion the test was really, really, really cool, at least to you?

[theworm[$]]

Personally, I think that, for me, the test was kind of ambiguous in a sort of really cool way.

[theeye]

Well, it looks like we're all of us mutual members in common of the Squad Squad.

[quasar]

Hello fellow officers.

[lynnzop[$]]

One try.

[magenta321]

Who'da thunk it?

[Redlass]

I like the citation:

GRAMMAR CITATION
Word Police - Atlantic Unbound - www.theatlantic.com
REGION: Northeast | Midwest | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest | Southern California | Alaska/Hawaii | Abroad | Other

LOCATION: Moving vehicle | Moving van | Stationary vehicle | Train/subway station | Work station | Stationery | Local/national media | Advertising | Job interview | First date | Other

METER: Tetrameter | Pentameter | Hexameter | Other

SUBJECT:

OFFICER:

DIVISION:


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Excessive political correctness

Insufficient political correctness

Intemperance while wrong

"The thing/problem/reason is, is"

Jargon outside specialized context

"Feel badly"

Disorderly conduct of a series

"Very/so/extremely unique"

"Between you and I"

Misplaced apostrophe

Missing apostrophe

"Alot"

"Alright"

Uncompleted "as far as"

"Bring"/"take" in wrong direction

"Compare to/with" abuse

"Everyday"/"every day" abuse

"Fewer"/"less" abuse

"For free"

"Hone in"

"Impact" misused as verb

"Liason"

"On behalf of myself"

"Perspective juror"

"A savings"

"Thanks to" in no-thanks context

"Times fewer/smaller/less"

"Cannot help but"

Dangler

"Grille" designating restaurant

Disturbing peace with italics/caps

"Both/same"

"Free gift"

"Reason/because"

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SENTENCING GUIDELINES: Please give whatever fine you consider appropriate to the charity of your choice. DO NOT SEND CASH TO US. We Word Police exist to enrich the language, not ourselves. To appeal: use correct English.

[rmthunter]

Hello, fellow ossifers.

Bob

[sleeper54]

..
My grammar must be dead...


...tom...

[murasaki]

I wonder why I didn't see this before. Perfect test for an English teacher. I should give it to my cadets.

--naomi