Writers Guild’s New Media Writing Competition Accepting Submissions

COMMENTS (3)

• Dear Collected Body of Writers,

  An event can’t be called “annual” until it happens three consecutive years.

  Thanks

  Comment by empty — Tuesday September 20, 2011 @ 4:37am PDT  Reply to this post

• Wrong, Mr. “Empty.” Webster’s definition: “occurring or happening every year or once a year.” No mention of a minimum of years required. Otherwise what would we call those flowers that grow from seeds and die after a year…you know annuals?

  In the future, when you wish to post rude comments, please have the fortitude and courtesy to use a name. (BTW…fortitude means strength of mind to encounter anger or pain with great courage i’ll give a pass on courtesy.)

  Comment by Robert — Tuesday September 20, 2011 @ 9:15am PDT  Reply to this post

• Robert,

  Not that I want to get this but…

  My name is Mike and my last name start with T (sufficient?) . My initials are MT. Say it fast three times, “MT, MT empty”, I wasn’t trying to disguise my identity, partly because I think my post is more informative than rude.

  Right, re-read your rebuttal. “Occurring every year”. When has this event occurred? It exists in theory right now. They are announcing the intention of it’s happening. Am I aloud to say that I will be cashing an annual $1 million dollar cheque in the hopes that that happens? I’d think not.

  Perhaps you’ll recall in “Goldfinger” when said evil mastermind informs 007 that ‘once is luck, twice is coincidence and three times is a pattern developing’ that is how the Elements of Style dictate the word be used. As with most words the dictionary is good for a general introduction but the true meaning of a word often requires further exploration.

  As for your flower defense, that is specious as well. The flowers that are called annuals are culled from the seeds of other annuals. They are pieces of an entity that has already proven itself to repeat each year. The event in question has not yet exhibited same to be true.

  When I was younger I used to pronounce “forte” the way it is spelled then one day someone corrected me and said it should be pronounced like the place soldiers live. I didn’t think this rude, I simply thought that the person respected me enough not to have me walking around with the verbal version of tucking my shirt into my underpants.

  Perhaps I think highly enough of a body represented people whose livelihood is the use of words to use the language properly.

  Though, as an aside, David Foster Wallace makes a compelling case that their is no right or wrong was the language can be used in ‘Consider the Lobster’ and maybe that is the source of your ire. In which case, a tip of the hat to you, sir. Otherwise you can stand on your dictionary if it makes you feel taller but I’ll continue speaking proper English.

  Mike

  Comment by empty — Thursday September 22, 2011 @ 4:39pm PDT  Reply to this post