Dr. Cakey Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Against the rules...mmmm, yeah, but I thought it would be a benefit to aspiring writers, so I'm hoping the mods will leave it open. Love me? Basically, I was inspired to make this when I read a particular article in a certain newspaper (more on that a bit later), and thought it might make a nice teaching tool for the YCM community. Writing is a craft, which means you need to be able to [i]craft[/i] your words appropriately; it's at least as important, and probably more important, than the story itself. And the mechanisms of grammar, spelling, and punctuation are part of that. With that out of the way, let's dive in! I'm going to give you an excerpt from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute's campus newspaper, known as The Towers, and written [i]by its News Editor[/i]. Pick out as many errors in grammar, usage, punctuation, etc. as you can and PM them to me. Be as nit-picky as you like - mention things even [i]slightly[/i] inaccurate or that portray material from a distorted perspective. If you post your responses, other people will see 'em, and you'll be disqualified, so [b]PM them[/b]. [b]Your Excerpt:[/b] [spoiler='Tensions intensify in Syria']What began as sporadic demonstrations and small gatherings in the Middle Eastern country of Syria a little more than a year ago have now grown into one of the most violent and turbulent social uprisings in recent memory. Protestors have stormed the streets, vying for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad and an end to any semblance of the current Syrian system, citing resentment at the country's perennially increasing unemployment rate, rampant government corruption and the lack of an effective constitution. Al-Assad and the Syrian army have retaliated mercilessly, using whatever tactics necessary to re-assume control over the troubled nation. Soldiers have been ordered to fire into crowds at will using any weaponry ranging from tanks to sniper rifles, and have even went as far as confiscating flour and running water from civilians for days at a time. Assad is attempting to smother all pro-democracy protests, and claims that all protestors and those participating in demonstrations against him will be branded as terrorists. He is convinced that they have all been organized by rival nations as a power struggle. Any reform introduced to Syria will only be done under the terms of Assad himself.[/spoiler] For every item you get correct, you'll get however many points is appropriate (idk, I've never given out points before). If you catch all the errors I did, you'll earn a rep. If you find ones I didn't, then a winner is you, and bonus prize get. I'll close this eventually, depending on how many responses I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catterjune Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Obsessing over grammar and the like is a pointless excercise when YCM can't even manage building up strong characters, believable dialogue and following a three act story arc. If you don't have an interesting story to tell all the grammar and spelling in the world can't save you. [i]in my opinion[/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabHelmet Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 If YCM could write like that normally, it would be in much better shape than it is now. Also, if people actually did this contest, arguments about the Oxford comma would occur. >_> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catterjune Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Who cares about [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g]Vampire Weekend[/url]? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agro Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 [quote name='Hatcher' timestamp='1330092641' post='5837510'] Who cares about [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g]Vampire Weekend[/url]? [/quote]...beating me to the punch. [spoiler='You can quote me on this:'][img]http://b.images.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/15192057.jpg[/img][/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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