What I Learned (406)

While making my first news package, I learned so much that I did not know about pet adoptions and the shelters that house the homeless animals. The most interesting part of 'the making' was interviewing the director of the Humane Society of North Western Pennsylvania. The director's name is, Joe. He enlightened the group on how hard it is to select families to adopt their pets. Joe as well as the staff of the Human Society located in Millcreek, pursue families that they know can take care of an maintain an animal. He explains his concern for animals, although, he runs a 'kill shelter' that humanely euthanizes animals who can not fit in the shelter. People may find this unmoral, but he has his reasons for running such a joint. Joe explains that animals are not always in a fixable condition when arriving at the shelter, and some are at old enough ages where it would not be a significant loss for the animal to be put down. It is sad, trust me, I'm an animal lover myself, but how can you shelter animals if you do not have shelter space. Also, I'm not the one doing or watching these 'humane euthanizings' (that's not a word). Hearing the way Joe explain the way the shelter works, sounds so right, even though it is sad in some ways. Ultimately, I loved the experience and I learned so much about the shelter and the animals that inhabit it.

What I Learned This Week In Comm160

Well, basically, this week I learned that everything I write or say is completely incorrect in the grammatical world. I did an assignment on a couple of incorrect uses of grammar that have molded their way into a mainstream way of communication... Even though it isn't completely and utterly wrong. This means that people are incorrectly using a phrase or sentence structure that is gradually becoming accepted in the public. Consequently generating an epidemic of improper grammar! 

Anyways, some things that I discovered is: 

-it is not proper to end a sentence in a preposition.. such as to.

The grammar gods will frowned on you if you ask someone, "Who are you throwing the football to?"

NO! NO! NO!!!

Instead, you need to rephrase what you're saying so that 'to' is not at the end of the sentence. For example, I would say, "Are you throwing that football to someone?" ... or something like that.

Also, you're not technically allowed to use the word 'like'...

AWKWARD because that's like my favorite word. 

So... instead of using like, try to say 'as' or 'as in'.

It's an easy problem to fix. It is never too late to learn and use proper grammar!!!

Really tho?

Today, I have an assignment due that is supposed to recognize misspellings on posters or table toppers throughout Behrend's campus. Luckily, from my findings, not many people print out a publicized notice without hitting "spell check" before printing. Unfortunately, the only camera on my Iphone 4 that is working is the selfie camera so I have no photo proof... However this is what I found:


On a poster in Kochel on the bulletin board across from the computer area, reads how someone will be "preforming" on campus... Let's be honest, if I had a pen or pencil on me I would have shamed the producer of that poster.

This example is just flat out funny to me. Since Dr. Kelly does post her class slides, you will just have to believe it when I say she wrote this on one of her slides yesterday:

"Communicator's "self" changes
-over time
-THRU interactions with others
-identity based on impact of others

Excuse me, but did you really write thru instead of through?
Hmmm. It is true that some people do not address spell check before sharing with others.

Eggcorns

This week I learned what an "eggcorn" is. The author of a book called, "How Not to Write Bad" expresses how words or phrases that are commonly misused can become something completely new in the english language. Eggcorn really hit home for me because when I was little that's exactly how I referred to an acorn. I even knew a dog named Acorn and called him Egg for short... Thankfully, that's when people [my mother] knew to correct my mispronunciation! Unfortunately, not everyone that uses "eggcorn" words and phrases realize they're wrong! And, unfortunately, they are not all four year old girls calling a dog, Egg. Instead, they are old men asking their grandchildren to "ducktape" a broken bumper.

Who Knows? Or whom knows?... Who cares

So, this week in my News Writing Grammar class, we were instructed to decipher the difference between who and whom. As Professor Young is telling us to do this, I'm thinking, does anyone in the World even know the difference? But, I guess someone does because when I asked Google, a man called the "Grammar Monster"gave me the answer... Apparently when you use who it must be when you are referring to the subject of a verb. Sounds confusing. Whom, on the other hand, is NEVER used as the subject of a verb, but after a preposition! You know what a preposition is right? There is a whole slew of them (ex: by, with, to, etc.). Golly I didn't think this could have gotten any more confusing. However, I learned that if you are unsure of what to use, resort to who. Who is more commonly used and most likely the proper tense. It's hard to think before speaking, but if you're unsure of what to use [who vs. whom] you gotta use your brain! So I guess you can add one more person to your list of people that know the difference between who and whom... and then you can add yourself!! Whoever you may be...