At the risk of being a word snob, I'm just going to put this out there: Words sometimes drive me a little nutty. To be more specific, bad writing drives me insane. The problem, you see, is that words are my vice. I love them. But when used incorrectly, words for me are like Kryptonite. (And yes, some days I do think I'm a superhero.) I think if you piled up enough of my editing pet peeves into one document, it just might kill me. I'm not saying my writing is perfect by any means. Heck, if I was to publish something of my own, I'd hire an editor too. When we write, we are simply too close to the words. Everyone needs an editor. (Note to self: Get Jenny to read this blog.)
But words are powerful, right? I can remember being filled with wonder from an early age, probably 10 or so, about the meaning and correct spelling of words. I fell in love with words like Episcopalian and defenestrate. Not that they go together. I mean, I'm not suggesting we start throwing Protestants out the window by any means. Some words just have an inherent beauty. Plethora. Conundrum. Ephemeral. Portmanteau. Serendipity. (Serendipity was the title of my sixth-grade literature book. Why do I remember these things?) I had a colleague once tell me that it wasn't too late for me to enter the Miss South Carolina Pageant. Despite my advanced age, he said, I could win it by simply spelling the word triskaidekaphobia.
Now I'm making my living fixing up other people's words, dressing them up so they are fit for public viewing. However, some things just drive me crazy. I find myself clamping my lips shut sometimes when friends write things that are just so very wrong. Irregardless? Come on, people. That's not even a word.
Yes, I admit it. Hi, my name is Sharon. I am a grammar snob. And I'm saving the world one grammatical mistake at a time.
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