The Death List

[lollardfish]

In seventh and eighth grade, my English teacher was Mrs. Venable. She had a list of mistakes called the "Death List," and if you made any of them in your assignment you got, at best, a 59 (an F). In honor of me using effect instead of affect in a syllabus draft, I have decided to re-institute the Death List for all non-formal writing assignments for my students (things graded pass/fail. If they make the mistake, it's fail).

All of them are things that spellcheckers do not catch, and that I see CONSTANTLY in student writing. They must be things that remain valid in modern usage (i.e. First person singular and plural /future/ should be "shall" instead of "will." But that ship has sailed. Similarly, quote is a verb and quotation is a noun, but, quote is now also a noun, damnit!)

I am looking for death list submissions. Here are mine so far (will be updated as I develop them).

On the list:

Your/You're
Their/There/They're
It's/Its
Affect/Effect
Principle/Principal
Ensure/Insure
Who's/Whose
Wear/Where
Led/Lead
Lose/Loose
To/Too

Comments

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I always use the serial comma in my own writing, for the very reasons you cite, and the publishers for whom I edit and copyedit mandate it, but this is simply not a question of "correct" and "incorrect." It is a matter of style; some styles call for the serial comma, and others (U.S. newspaper style for one) do not.

[hunnythistle.livejournal.com]

Given the prevalence of the lack of serial commas in newsprint, I'm sure that you are correct that this is considered a style thing. My point is that it hinders communication, and thus is incorrect -- whether or not some "Rule" (or editor!) says so or not. The point of grammar and punctuation rules is to clarify meaning. My position is that "clarity" trumps "correct" when they clash. I also have no problem with writers who deliberately break the rules in order to make their points. To do that successfully, of course, you must know what the rules are in the first place. I have little patience with careless writers.

Usage issues are also about meaning. Using the wrong word can lead to confusion. Students need to learn the right words to communicate their ideas in the right contexts. By right words, I mean words that are grammatically correct and that also consider the connotative meaning and cultural context-- the "baggage" of words, as it were. "Crusade" is such a word whose meaning extends beyond the strict definition. Dave's responsibility is to teach them what is appropriate style in History writing, and why crusade has the baggage it has.