« Sex is for Fags | Main | Punk Rock Librarian »
April 11, 2006
My New Favorite Blog: Literally
I'm not-- it may or may not suprise you to know-- a grammer fascist. I am neurotic and self-punishing, maybe, but I'm forgiving when it comes to other people. I'm not like that bitch who wrote that stupid Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The one bad grammer tic that I find really peevish is misusing "literally" so that it means its opposite-- "figuratively" or "metaphorically." Actually, I don't think I think anything of it when someone uses it conversationally-- in telling a story, say. Like I said, I give people more leeway with the things that come directly out of their mouths on the ground that one just has to take for granted that 99.98% of anything that anyone says, self included, at any given time is likely to be just unbearably stupid. The chances for anything coherent coming out at all are amazing. People are literally just making stuff up as they are talking. But it really, really bothers me when I see the misuse in print. In that case, we can infer that time has elapsed since the author made stuff up and the offending phrase is reaching the reader's eyes and mind. There is less excuse, especially if editors and publishers were involved. I remember Alex getting really worked up over a specific example of this-- I can't remember what it was exactly-- that he found in a book he'd just bought in Kepler's. We were sitting outside at sundown and I was wearing my green skirt from Prague, I remember for some reason, that was the Spring Onion Slayer was abroad. Tess and Brett were browsing inside. Alex and I were outside, smoking and egging each other on to get really bitchy and pissed off about absurd grammer.
All this is the long of saying, I really, really love this weblog.
Posted by hissycat at April 11, 2006 03:02 PM
Comments
I'm very impressed with (and jealous of) the animations.
Posted by: Karin at April 11, 2006 06:00 PM
It might be worthwhile for you to check out the spelling of the word "grammer" that is the crux of this post. Wow, you really shot yourself in the face with that one.
Posted by: The Corrections at April 11, 2006 06:53 PM
Goddamn, I'm funny.
Posted by: hissycat at April 11, 2006 06:59 PM
Faster, Hissycat! Kill! Kill!
Posted by: Ben at April 12, 2006 04:42 PM
P.S.
FACE!
Posted by: Ben at April 12, 2006 04:47 PM
Thanks for the kind words and the link!
Posted by: Patrick Fitzgerald at April 13, 2006 08:39 PM
Hey. I just thought I'd let you know... David Cross has an excellent bit about this exact phenomenon on his double-cd "Shut up, you fucking baby". Anyway, it's literally my favorite comedy cd of all-time, and I heartily recommend it.
Posted by: Merge Divide at September 2, 2006 06:48 PM
He is a fool that forgets himself... Gerrard
Posted by: Gerrard at November 24, 2006 02:49 PM
A tree is known by its fruit... Edward
Posted by: Edward at November 30, 2006 01:08 AM
A tree is known by its fruit... Edward
Posted by: Edward at November 30, 2006 01:09 AM
Misuse of the word "literally" is a huge pet peeve of mine. My other grammatical pet peeve ... the use of the non-word "irregardless."
Great blog. Check out my other one at www.writefromthebeginning.blogspot.com
Posted by: Shanna at February 22, 2007 04:23 PM
Hi there
Wow, I've found the same to be true too! How did you find that?
See you soon! Girly Girl
see how I make free money with paid online surveys
Posted by: wilmahawaii at February 25, 2007 10:36 AM