Monday, November 17, 2008

No Comment Department

www.baltimoreexaminer.com >> Michael Olesker: "Examiner Columnist | 11/14/08 9:59 PM Some people collect sports memorabilia, or rare coins, or sea shells from the beach at Ocean City. Wilson Watson collects sentences.

He taught local community college students for 35 years and has now slipped gently into retirement. But his students’ sentences trail behind him like ship’s anchors, evidence of the sinking of American writing skills.

Or, as one of Watson’s scholars wrote so succinctly: “Some people use bad language and is not even aware of the fact.”

Or, another: “It’s good I’m doing something with my self; Therefore, I can do better in the foochure.”"

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

In some ways, "foochure brochure" is a more elegant description of a certain literary genre than is "sci-fi."

In other ways, not.

Joan Reeves said...

Oh, that guy would have a field day on a website I recently visited. One poster who apparently thinks of him/herself as a published author who "writes fiction and none fiction..." and was in the "throws of a..."

mybillcrider said...

I love that "none fiction" bit.

Cap'n Bob said...

"Foochure"? That should be "fwoochure."

Word Verification: lingibi. I think that means having an alibi for bad lingo.

Anonymous said...

Would I LEAP OVER THE WALL by Monica Baldwin be an example of "none fiction?"

Anonymous said...

Ah, the joys of hire education!

Benjie said...

How is it that the "No Comment Department" garners so many comments? (skewz me bein' off topic)

verification: mitypo (still related to the language blooper topic?)

Anonymous said...

Page not found. Boohoo. But those few examples are so much more authentic than those lists that circulate periodically. You know, the Pullet surprise kind of thing. I'm sure someone made those up.