Just Write Right Volume I (Sprinkled with Humour) by A. Hari Prakash - HTML preview

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Use of words in proper positions and use of commas in relevant places make sentences look sensible.

Savour some more funny syntax-errors.

How about a summer camp on consumer rights for children?

It should have been

How about a summer camp for children, on consumer rights?

Or

How about a summer camp, on consumer rights, for children?

Rare Indian ant-eater found in garden killed by villagers.

Was garden killed by villagers?

An advertisement appearing in a newspaper:

Wanted a chair by a lady with carved legs.

Carved legs, chair’s or lady’s?

Some more of syntax errors. Find out for yourself, the hilarity of the sentences.

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Just important

Each letter of the alphabet is a steadfast loyal soldier in a great army of words, sentences, paragraphs, and stories. One letter falls, and the entire language falters.

- Vera Nazarian

You can see the crocodile basking in the sun on the mud bank eight- feet long.

A monument was erected by the villagers in memory of the constable who was killed by some criminals as a token of their affection.

These poems were written by a young author who died a few years ago for his own amusement.

He advertised for a nurse to look after his baby not older than 30 years.

The government has decided to build a swimming pool exclusively for children 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.

Come on readers! Send us similar syntax-errors for the proposed compilation.

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Just taste this

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruits are sweet. - Aristotle

ABBREVIATION ERRORS

Abbreviations, as we all know, help us in avoiding repetition of generally long words or a combination of words.

From the point of acceptance, there are three types of abbreviations.

One, the universally-accepted abbreviations:

We have, for example, etc for etcetera, P.S. for post scriptum (ie., footnote), kg for kilogram or kilograms, U.N.O. (or UNO) for United Nations Organisation, and so on.

Two, regionally-accepted abbreviations:

These abbreviations are specific to a particular geographical area. For example, AITUC (All India Trade Union Congress) is, probably, limited to India. Similarly, some associations, say, in the US, may be represented by abbreviations known only in that country.

Three, abbreviations of convenience:

These abbreviations just serve the limited purposes of helping the author / speaker and the reader / listener of a particular article / speech. Once the purpose is served, it may not be used again. If at all used again, the situation or the context may be similar. For example, a person known as, say, George Mathew, may be referred to as GM throughout the speech or an article. In such a case, unless specified, GM means George Mathews throughout the article / speech. Again sometime later, if the discussion is about the same George Mathews, only those who are familiar with GM (as George Mathews) may use the abbreviation again.

Just don’t give up

There is nothing impossible. The word itself says, “I m possible.”

- Audrey Hepburn

From the point of word formation, we have different types of abbreviations.

Generally, abbreviations are formed by using the initial letters of words. For example, we have PTO for Please Turn Over. There is the NA for Not Available or Not Applicable and so on.

Certain abbreviations are formed by grouping more than one letter from the words. For example, we have M. Phil for Master of Philosophy.

Some abbreviations are for single words like Mr. for Mister, Ma’am for Madam, etc.

Certain abbreviations are actually non-English but are accepted as English, AM is ante meridiem (before noon). Ante meridiem is a Latin word.

If an abbreviation can be read as a word, it is known as Acronym.

We have UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) as one example.

From the point of combinations, we have alpha-numerical abbreviations like B2B (business to business), H2O for water and so on.

We also have irregular abbreviations. For example, MBBS stands for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. Here, letters in the abbreviations are not in the same order as in the expanded version.

The list of types of abbreviations goes on. Readers, put on your thinking cap. Send us your lists for future compilations.

Just remember

If prose is flesh, grammar is its backbone.

- Author unknown