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Dave Nelsen@thegrammargeek.bsky.social |
148 followers 130 following 96 posts
Copyeditor, proofreader, deputy editorial manager at Dragonfly Editorial. Oxford comma agnostic. What you learned in ninth-grade English might be wrong. He/him.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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To each their own, but I’ll take a QR code menu over a physical menu any day of the week. Let me order my food on my phone too. The less human interaction, the better. I eat out to avoid cooking, not for the social experience.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Copilot (Microsoft’s AI office assistant) offered to rewrite an email for me. Sure, I said. Copilot added 12 words (from 78 to 90) and made it read like a message from a robot butler. I’ll stick with the original, thanks. (I’m not knocking all things AI. Just this thing.)
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Nothing too bad, but bad enough that I’m walking away for now. I asked a conscious language question, and the replies were ~50% not my cup of tea. Only a few were nasty. I’m not all that invested in Threads yet, so I deactivated for now.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Hey, I tried Threads for a week! It’s sometimes advertised as a less toxic alternative to X. Let me tell you, anyone who sells it as such is grossly underestimating Threads users.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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May this be the final nail in print newspapers’ coffin.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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The way I see it, to leverage is to apply a small or medium amount of effort and get a large return. You know, like using a lever. That’s almost never how I see it used.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Maybe you and I edit different things, but I barely see “utilize” anymore. It has been almost fully replaced with “leverage,” which appears once every ~15 words.
#AmEditing
2 replies 0 reposts 6 likes
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I need to search for the term “national association” in this document, but instead of typing the whole term into the search bar, I’m typing “national ass.”
It’s the little things.
#AmEditing
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Just came across a fairly short sentence that contains “also” and “additional” and “as well.” I think any one or two of those will get the job done. #AmEditing
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Do they hope to someday turn a profit, or would they consider keeping the paper afloat a win? What’s one thing they did NOT see coming when they got into this? Who is Sam’s favorite Dragonfly employee?
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I see. There are words and phrases that I’m not a fan of, but I’ve never had a problem with “impact” or any of its cousins. I wonder if it’s because I’m not exposed to their overuse, or maybe it’s because no one ever taught me to dislike them.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Can you identify why?
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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past experience —> experience
#AmEditing
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Words take on new meanings all the time. Some slip right past us. Others we get hung up on.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I’ll drink to that!
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Absolutely! It’s often vague. “Our new process impacted costs.” Well, which way did costs go? Did the new process raise costs or lower costs? Some people see “impact” and immediately replace it with “affect,” which, in the sentence above, doesn’t solve the problem.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I’ve never understood some people’s dislike of ”impact” as a verb. #AmEditing
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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engages in collaboration —> collaborates
#AmEditing
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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DOT does not use “the” in its press releases, so I’d leave it out.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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It’s here, it’s here! My copy of “The Conscious Style Guide” by @karenyin.bsky.social arrived today, and I can’t wait to dive in.
1 replies 1 reposts 8 likes
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Yuge news the other day!
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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If anyone could provide a ratings boost to the first ACESChat on Threads, it’s you!
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I wish they’d have it here too. Bluesky seems to be where most editors went. Are you on Instagram? If so, then you should be able to log in to Threads. Maybe that’s ACES’ logic? They figure everyone and their mother is already on Instagram, so that makes it easy?
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Agreed. I’m on Bluesky, LinkedIn, and X for work. I’m on Facebook and Instagram (and thus Threads) for personal connections. That’s enough for me.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Agreed. I really liked the chats. Maybe I’ll use my personal Threads account to spy on the first few ACESChats and then set up a professional account if I think it’s worth the effort.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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There’s a browser version of Threads.
I used to have separate personal and professional Instagram accounts, but I deleted my professional account so I could focus on Twitter and LinkedIn. Maybe I’ll set it back up. Or maybe not.
www.threads.net
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Fellow #ACES members and #EdiBuddies! ACES announced that it’s bringing back ACESChat but on Threads instead of X.
How are we feeling about this? I’m not a fan. My Threads account is attached to my personal Instagram account. Now I feel like I need a work Threads/Instagram too.
5 replies 1 reposts 5 likes
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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The day has come. AP Stylebook has officially switched from Webster’s New World to Merriam-Webster. You can now search Merriam-Webster directly from the AP Stylebook homepage. Anyone else geeking out about this? Just me?
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Anthony Perillo, Ph.D.
@anthonyperillo.bsky.social
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I told my students their papers were not a task in sounding smart but in expressing ideas & showing they engaged w & understand the material. Something can be technically accurate & fail to show understanding.
3 replies 7 reposts 32 likes
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I have them now!
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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They tell me Bluesky has DMs now, but I don’t see them. Will it be a gradual rollout? Am I not looking in the right place? Have my DM privileges already been revoked?
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I reckon I ain’t had a doughnut in years. I might just do that.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I’ve known for years that the AP Stylebook prefers “doughnut” over “donut,” but I’ve never used this knowledge in my editing work until today. Career highlight, y’all. Holding back tears over here. #AmEditing #APStyle
1 replies 0 reposts 13 likes
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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This newspaper snippet reminds me of an editor I once worked with. She was told to remove all unnecessary instances of “that.” She didn’t want to think too much about it, so she deleted every “that.” It made her life slightly easier, but it resulted in sentences like this.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Over the last few days, I voluntarily read Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” cover to cover, and now my face might be permanently stuck in WTF mode.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Why I oughta…
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Who said I’m opposed to the Oxford comma?
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I swear, if I see one more of those ridiculous Oxford comma/JFK/stripper/Beyonce memes, you’re all staying after class so we can discuss the importance of careful writing and how no one would misinterpret those sentences anyway.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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If the first five items in a bulleted list begin with “ing” verbs, what are the chances the sixth (final) item will begin with an “ing” verb? In the document I’m currently editing: 0%. I’m not complaining. That’s why they’ve asked me to edit it.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Is this supposed to be a pun? Yeah, I understand that cats meow, but is “meow” supposed to sound like another word? A better (but still bad choice) might have been “Affordable pet surgery? We’ll take it right meow.” This is why no one buys newspapers anymore! (Not really.)
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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I watched “Speed” the other night with the captions on, and they got it wrong. In a line about defusing a situation, the caption said “diffuse.” And that’s in a movie about bombs!
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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🧵(3/3) ... both for causing guilt and shame and for their potential to lead to an all-or-nothing mindset. I always tell people that if you’re on such a restrictive diet that you feel the need to ‘cheat,’ you’re on the wrong diet.”
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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🧵(2/3) ... The word ‘cheat’ is always negative. In terms of diet, it implies that you’re ‘bad’ for eating food that’s not on your diet or that the food you’re ‘cheating’ with is ‘bad.’ Morality-based labels around food and eating are problematic ...
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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🧵 (1/3) When we talk and write about the foods people choose to eat, can we do away with the terms “cheat day” and “cheat meal”? Here’s a take from Abby Langer, a nutrition advisor for “Men’s Health” magazine: “As a dietician, I don’t agree with the concept of a cheat day. ...
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James Harbeck
@sesquiotic.bsky.social
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My album of photos from #ACES2024 in San Diego is up www.flickr.com/photos/sesqu...
3 replies 6 reposts 17 likes
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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My local newspaper says police “attempted to diffuse the situation.” They *probably* meant “defuse,” which means to decrease danger or tension, like removing a fuse from a bomb. To diffuse means to spread something to a wider area, like an essential oils diffuser spreading an obnoxious fragrance.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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For three months in 2002, I worked as a financial assistant in the UW-Milwaukee Department of Enrollment Services. In that time, I contributed $48.65 to my state-sponsored retirement plan. To this day, I receive quarterly statements. My current balance: $1,083.22.
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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If I had a time machine, I’d go back to the moment someone first thought the word “including” wasn’t good enough and that adding the phrase “but not limited to” is somehow an improvement. Then I’d distract them with interpretive dance until they forget this terrible idea. #AmEditing
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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Every six years or so, I get to meet @grantbarrett.com of @waywordradio.org! #ACES2024
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Dave Nelsen
@thegrammargeek.bsky.social
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That's how AP style does it.
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