Wednesday, January 31, 2001

I was looking over this week's Citizen when I noticed something that I couldn't help responding to. The write-up in the Pet Talk ad had some of the most atrocious grammar that I have ever seen in a publication. In one fell swoop, the writer of this ad has demonstrated a lack of proper punctuation, improper subject-verb agreement, and a switch from first person to second person within the same paragraph.

I would really hate for an outsider to get their hands on this newspaper and come away with the impression that the "stupid, uneducated Southerner" stereotype prevails. However, I must admit that the wording of this ad surely points in that direction.

I realize that it's possible that the ad was written by an employee of the Fayette County Animal Shelter; however someone at The Citizen obviously needs to edit this sort of thing in order to maintain the integrity and credibility of your paper.

Thanks you for taking the time to hear my concerns.

Donna Heinlen, M.Ed.

[Editor's note: The fault lies not in the animal shelter but in ourselves only. A sloppy blending at deadline of two cutlines written for the same photo produced the atrocity you cited. We are mortified and duly chastened by your criticism.]

Back to Opinion Home Page | Back to the top of the page