This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

RE: [GWL]: grammar police report

Here is an botanical addition to the grammar police report:
Common plant names shouldn't be capitalized, unless the name includes a 
proper noun.  Wilson's magnolia for Magnolia wilsonii, but not Evergreen 
Huckleberry for Vaccinium ovatum.  We recently had this discussion at an 
editorial board meeting for the Washington Park Arboretum bulletin.  An 
author had capitalized Dutch Elm Disease, and I took exception to it 
(except for the Dutch part, of course).  I said if we started 
capitalizing common names (of plants or diseases) we would start looking 
like a Dave Barry column.  "Did you see the Slime Flux?"  "I have some 
Sooty Mold on my shrub."  "Annuals, such as the Poached Egg Flower, will 
reseed."

Marty Wingate

Karen York wrote:
> Hullo,
> I have only recently joined GWL and was interested to see the grammar 
> police
> report. I am a botanical editor and writer -- my first book, just 
> published
> by Prentice Hall, is called The Holistic Garden: Creating Spaces for 
> Health
> and Healing. Tom Ogren had some very kind words about it on GWL not long 
> ago
> (many thanks, Tom). Might I add that it's available in the U.S. through
> http://www.gardenscapetools.com in the Books section.
> 
> Anyway, here are two of my pet grammatical peeves (admittedly, two of 
> many.
> I am after all someone who rather likes wandering through taxonomical
> thickets!): 
> 
> First is the inappropriate and often incorrect use of "of" Ð
> € The worst offender is "off of" as in "She took the cushion off of the
> couch." Ouch, I say.
> € It is also attached willy-nilly to "outside" when just "outside" will 
> do,
> as in "The suburbs extend for miles outside of the city." Ignored is the
> actual meaning of "outside of", i.e., "besides" or "except," as in 
> "Outside
> of some pines and oaks, few trees survived the fire."
> Ditto "inside" though perhaps less frequently.
> 
> Second: why do we easily say (and write) "A history of the universe" but
> declare something "AN historic occasion"????  The "h" is sounded exactly 
> the
> same in both cases, it seems to me (unlike "herb" which some people
> pronounce with a silent "h").
> 
> Karen 
> 
> 
> 

============================================================
NO MORE PAYROLL HEADACHES FOR SMALL BUSINESS WITH PAYCYCLE!
Instant calculations, pre-filled tax forms, email
reminders, To Dos. Click to get your FREE How To Avoid
Payroll Pitfalls guide.
http://click.topica.com/caaafumbUrGSSbVSZwBf/Paycycle
============================================================

Pass the word to garden writers, editors publishers, horticultural businesses about our list.

==^================================================================
This email was sent to: topica.com@spamfodder.com

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrGSS.bVSZwB
Or send an email to: Gardenwriters-unsubscribe@topica.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index