I received an email from the Editorial Director of a major Australian newspaper inviting me to end our relationship. “Cancel your subscription” it urged, although not literally nor intentionally.
But it did begin classically as “Dear John”.
And it went on to say “As one of our many loyal subscribers, Im pleased to inform you of two key senior editorial appointments.”
Apart from the Im when I’m was meant—bad enough—the Editorial Director must never have read that “a participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject” (The Elements of Style, Strunk and White). Why must? Because, as Strunk and White point out “Sentences violating this rule are often ludicrous.”
For instance, “Being in a dilapidated condition, I was able to buy the house very cheap.”
This particular newspaper is in a dilapidated condition.
It continues to cut costs and, sooner or later, will cut its throat.
Of course, it won’t surprise me if there are grammatical errors or even a topy or two in this, my first post. That’s okay, unlike The Sydney Morning Herald I do not have a glorious tradition to uphold.
John Bevins Blog 