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Stephanie Rische

Blogger and Writer: Capturing Stories of God's Grace

July 9, 2013

10 Grammar Saves in 10 Years

I’m not quite sure how I blinked and 10 years passed, but last month I woke up and realized it had been a whole decade since I jumped into the world of editing and publishing. It has been a good decade, and in honor of the mile marker, I thought I’d share with you 10 of the errors I’ve stopped from going into print over the past 10 years.

{Note: I have omitted the authors and titles of these books to protect the relevant parties, but rest assured, these are all real quotes from real books.}

grammar3

  1. My daddy was a steal worker, and my granddaddy was a steal worker.
    [Sounds like a kind of shady business to me.]
  2. Gelatins 2:16 clearly states that human deeds can never save us.
    [Shockingly, the book of Gelatins made it through spell-check but not canonization.]
  3. I was blessed by marring a Christian lady and having three kids.
    [The blessing doesn’t quite sound mutual when you put it that way.]
  4. As a society, we’ve developed an erroneous belief system that is about as subtle as a rattle snack.
    [Hmm, must be a Southern delicacy, up there with fried okra.]
  5. Joshua 2: Rehab helps the Israelite spies
    [The earliest evidence of a successfully implemented 12-step program . . . ]
  6. But the Pharisees hardened their hearts toward Jesus’ wisdom. . . . They planned to deny pubicly that he was Messiah.
    [I have nothing further to say.]
  7. This relationship is called “the hookup,” referring to repeated one nightstands.
    [I’m getting a mental image of row after row of identical bedroom furniture. . . .]
  8. Does that mean God wants us to never plop down on the coach?
    [I’m not sure he addresses that particular issue, but it does sound rather uncomfortable for all parties.]
  9. “You don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blond and naked” (Revelation 3:17).
    [Apparently, God prefers brunettes.]
  10. From an endnote source: (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Boobs; 2009), 275.
    [With apologies to the lovely people who work at Multnomah.]

ten_grammar_saves “There are two typos of people in this world: those who can edit and those who can’t.” —Jarod Kintz

“Only Southerners have taken horsewhips and pistols to editors about the treatment or maltreatment of their manuscript. This—the actual pistols—was in the old days, of course, we no longer succumb to the impulse. But it is still there, within us.” —William Faulkner

17 Comments Filed Under: Start Here, Writing Tagged With: books, editing, editors, grammar, humor, Literature, proofreading, spelling, William Faulkner, Writing
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About Stephanie

I think that glimmers of grace are all around us, and I'd love to share those stories with you. I hope you'll grab a cup of coffee and join me at StephanieRische.com.

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Discussion

  1. Linda Taylor says

    July 9, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    I love this, Stephanie! Thanks. I’m going to reblog this one this week on my blog since yer speakin’ my language!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 9, 2013 at 3:56 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Linda! And so glad I found your blog!

      Reply
  2. lindaktaylor says

    July 10, 2013 at 8:26 am

    Reblogged this on Linda Taylor's Blog and commented:
    I have a guest post today from a fellow laborer in the salt mines of proofreading. Good thing she made these saves before the books went to print! Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 10, 2013 at 8:54 am

      Thanx, Linda, form won edittor two annother! 🙂

      Reply
  3. L. Marie says

    July 10, 2013 at 8:38 am

    Hilarious!!! Love this! I’m glad Rehab helped the 12 spies. 🙂

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 10, 2013 at 8:54 am

      Thanks for stopping by, L. Marie!

      Reply
  4. Nancy Mehl says

    July 10, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    The worst thing I ever saw in a “published” book was this phrase: She wrapped her long legs around his waste. Yikes! Still makes me shudder! LOL!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 10, 2013 at 3:24 pm

      Ha ha! That waste changes everything! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  5. Nancy Rische says

    July 11, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    I find that Word and email think too much for me and change words. I have to proof everything I send out. I should keep track of the funny ones.

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 12, 2013 at 7:49 am

      You’re right, Nancy…at least we won’t be replaced by computers anytime soon!

      Reply
  6. eternalencouragement says

    July 15, 2013 at 6:46 am

    WOW! Unfortunately, those are hilarious!! Thank God for editors!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 18, 2013 at 1:07 pm

      The only tough part about editing is that it’s hard to edit yourself! 🙂

      Reply
  7. lindaktaylor says

    July 19, 2013 at 6:44 am

    Hey, I just ran across this article today. Thought you’d enjoy it–famous Bible typos . . .
    http://www.bubblews.com/news/744790-the-bible-says-what

    Reply
    • Stephanie Rische says

      July 19, 2013 at 8:51 am

      This is great, Linda! Thanks for sharing. Only a couple of letters difference between camel and damsel, but a world of a difference in meaning. 🙂

      Reply
  8. TonmoyTonu says

    July 31, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    This is one awesome music article.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.
    piano lessons colorado springs

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Knife | Stephanie Rische says:
    September 24, 2013 at 8:07 am

    […] my role as an editor, I’ve been dubbed “The Knife” by a few select people. It may sound a bit harsh at first, […]

    Reply
  2. Pieceing Together a Book says:
    January 13, 2017 at 8:45 am

    […] I’ve been around books all my life, first as a reader and for the past fourteen years as an editor. In that time, I’ve had a pretty straightforward process for tackling books: more or less […]

    Reply

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