As a former newspaper editor who’s constantly muttering about AP style as I read horrible newspaper writing these days, this hits far too close to home to be entirely funny. ;-)
Even I as a writer and editor have to concur with “Greg the Grammarian” if he chooses to abide by a “stylebook” set forth by “A.P.” if “A.P.” is an abbreviation for Associated Press and “Greg” really is in essence referring to a style guide.There are many style guides that are used in writing, e.g. the Chicago Book of Styles is one major example, for writers and editors. However, each industry, if not companies and publishing houses, may have their own publishing style guides.So, if I choose to say that Stephan Pastis is alright with this comic or that everything I see in every Pearls Before Swine comic is “all right” then I am correct in using both selections since I am inferring two different concepts.
Lennon was such a great lyricist – “Revolution”: ♪ Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right) All, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all right All right, all right, all right, all right, all right ♪
From Merriam-Webster: “Although the spelling ‘alright’ is nearly as old as all right, some critics have insisted alright is all wrong. Nevertheless it has its defenders and its users, who perhaps have been influenced by analogy with altogether and already. It is less frequent than all right but remains common especially in informal writing. It is quite common in fictional dialogue and is sometimes found in more formal writing.”
Don’t worry about it, Rat (or Pastis). Write what you feel like writing, and then give Greg a red pen and let him mark up the speech balloons. Someone else will apply the corrections before we go to press.
Relying on writers to copyedit their own writing is not a wise practice.
OMG, still the same BS I had to go through at Bell Telephone Laboratories to get my Electronic Switching System Program Description printed for Central Office distribution to be ignored. And me with only 15 college credits of English. And they translated it to unreadable 1700s Old English. Thanks a lot Geoffrey Chaucer!
Again, not “grammar”. It’s spelling, and a press style sheet is not a grammar authority, it’s in the sphere of private enterprise managing their own affairs. Anyone else is free to follow its dictates, of course, which doesn’t change anything.
BE THIS GUY about 3 years ago
Or Stephan Pastis — a well educated lawyer — could just spell correctly.
Renatus Profuturus Frigeridus Premium Member about 3 years ago
This Greg seems to be a little bit pedant.
BasilBruce about 3 years ago
Everything is alright, uptight, out of sight.
DennisinSeattle Premium Member about 3 years ago
I wondered why spellcheck was objecting to “alright”. I grew up with it being OK. Also cannot as one word now gets kicked out.
baddawg1989 about 3 years ago
[Ace Ventura voice] Well, alrighty, then!
sirbadger about 3 years ago
Some parties embrace the decline of western civilization.
Imagine about 3 years ago
Either is better than alt-right.
Concretionist about 3 years ago
What’s Greg’s opinion of the oxford comma?
David McElroy about 3 years ago
As a former newspaper editor who’s constantly muttering about AP style as I read horrible newspaper writing these days, this hits far too close to home to be entirely funny. ;-)
Robin Harwood about 3 years ago
Two minutes spent reading the semi-literate drivel published on the internet shows that Western Civilization is lost.
Caldonia about 3 years ago
Pastis is more irritated than I could’ve imagined, by whatever pedantic freak it was who corrected him! It’s making me nervous!
nosirrom about 3 years ago
Ofcourse he’s not fun at parties. ;-)
Baarorso about 3 years ago
Something tells me he’s more of a GRAMMAR NAZI rather than a GRAMMARIAN ;/
ronaldspence about 3 years ago
For a second I thought Greg said “alt right” and it made me nervous…
blunebottle about 3 years ago
This guy must be one of the regular commenters on GoComics.
kevin about 3 years ago
AITE
dadoctah about 3 years ago
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a grammarian eat?
iggyman about 3 years ago
My Grandma was not much of a Grammarian!
lavender headgear about 3 years ago
Irregardless, the thing of it is, is that Pig doesn’t talk good.
gopher gofer about 3 years ago
“alright” must be alright because people use it alover the place all ready…
MathProf2 about 3 years ago
Well, anyway, not that much fun.
Gent about 3 years ago
I is goings to talk Englees the way I wants. We is not their colony anymore. What cha gonna does, grammarian?
GROG Premium Member about 3 years ago
Lock him up and throw away the key.
Orcatime about 3 years ago
He doesn’t seem to be that fun in society either!
Doug K about 3 years ago
Okay. All right already.
Adam-Stone(Soup) about 3 years ago
Even I as a writer and editor have to concur with “Greg the Grammarian” if he chooses to abide by a “stylebook” set forth by “A.P.” if “A.P.” is an abbreviation for Associated Press and “Greg” really is in essence referring to a style guide.There are many style guides that are used in writing, e.g. the Chicago Book of Styles is one major example, for writers and editors. However, each industry, if not companies and publishing houses, may have their own publishing style guides.So, if I choose to say that Stephan Pastis is alright with this comic or that everything I see in every Pearls Before Swine comic is “all right” then I am correct in using both selections since I am inferring two different concepts.
artmer about 3 years ago
Aight.
unfair.de about 3 years ago
I’m hoping for an encounter of Greg the Grammarian and the Comic Strip Censor. That could be a fun party to watch.
Ignatz Premium Member about 3 years ago
https://twitter.com/APStylebook/status/563732059412500480
bullpunky about 3 years ago
Matthew McConaughey may want to weigh in here.
MS72 about 3 years ago
I hate the AP. They think they’re so smart. Explainers. Fact Checks. Capitalizing ‘black’.
They must think we’re stupid.
Ichabod Ferguson about 3 years ago
That’s alwrong.
Zebrastripes about 3 years ago
Oy!
NeedaChuckle Premium Member about 3 years ago
The spoken language is the correct basis of a language, the written is out of date if it is so called grammatically correct.
zwilnik64 about 3 years ago
Pretty clever getting the spelling from vocalization.
ChristineMurphy about 3 years ago
I identify with Greg more every strip.
diskus Premium Member about 3 years ago
Alright!
walstib Premium Member about 3 years ago
Lennon was such a great lyricist – “Revolution”: ♪ Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right) All, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all right All right, all right, all right, all right, all right ♪
elbow macaroni about 3 years ago
Celebrating ignorance.
ksu71 about 3 years ago
If Greg the Grammarian got in a car wreck and lost his left leg and left arm and left eye, would he be all right or alright?
Mighty Phavahg about 3 years ago
The AP manual can’t spell.
Flatlander, purveyor of fine covfefe about 3 years ago
I keep a copy of Elements of Style beside my comics computer so I can pick apart all the bad grammer.
Ellis97 about 3 years ago
He’s not fun anywhere.
LOAFY about 3 years ago
The key word here is stylebook. It’s an interpretation of the rules and it’s not the only one.
phoenix about 3 years ago
Yeah, “alright” makes me grit my teeth. My dentist loves me.
jel354 about 3 years ago
…and they thought the Censor was annoying.
Ukko wilko about 3 years ago
Keep him locked in the basement.
VICTOR PROULX about 3 years ago
Alright was in Webster’s collegiate dictionary, 7th addition, 1963
Bucinka about 3 years ago
Um, we use CMoS….
Ukko wilko about 3 years ago
Actually, writers for our local news outlets are sadly in need of his services.
Michael G. about 3 years ago
From Merriam-Webster: “Although the spelling ‘alright’ is nearly as old as all right, some critics have insisted alright is all wrong. Nevertheless it has its defenders and its users, who perhaps have been influenced by analogy with altogether and already. It is less frequent than all right but remains common especially in informal writing. It is quite common in fictional dialogue and is sometimes found in more formal writing.”
anomalous4 about 3 years ago
I’m with Greg. “Alright” is an abomination. So sue me. 8-)
Lee26 Premium Member about 3 years ago
TBH, Rat isn’t that much fun at parties, either. Maybe he should be locked up, too?
lms1231 Premium Member about 3 years ago
Please, we need more Grammarian!!!
willie_mctell about 3 years ago
Greg’s right on that one.
rshive about 3 years ago
Greg is where he belongs.
Dis-play name about 3 years ago
Are they serving pizza in that basement?
The Brooklyn Accent about 3 years ago
Don’t worry about it, Rat (or Pastis). Write what you feel like writing, and then give Greg a red pen and let him mark up the speech balloons. Someone else will apply the corrections before we go to press.
Relying on writers to copyedit their own writing is not a wise practice.
tripwire45 about 3 years ago
Yep, Steph was “corrected” by someone alright. Or is that “all right?”
Spence12 Premium Member about 3 years ago
It also signals the end of civilization if you read “stop the strip” as “shtop the shtrip”. That one’s been bugging me.
FredWaiss about 3 years ago
He may not be fun at parties, but at least he’s a part of the funnies.
mfrasca about 3 years ago
Do they have Ignatius J. Reilly locked up down there?
stamps about 3 years ago
What’s amazing is that he can hear how the words are spelled.
zeexenon about 3 years ago
OMG, still the same BS I had to go through at Bell Telephone Laboratories to get my Electronic Switching System Program Description printed for Central Office distribution to be ignored. And me with only 15 college credits of English. And they translated it to unreadable 1700s Old English. Thanks a lot Geoffrey Chaucer!
withaG43 about 3 years ago
I’m all right with alright, but the one that really annoys me is “a whole nother” To me it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard!
DCBakerEsq about 3 years ago
Alrighty then.
WaltWenger Premium Member about 3 years ago
Hey, you kids! Get out of my hovel!
Pgalden1 Premium Member about 3 years ago
Love this comic strip
dpatrickryan Premium Member about 3 years ago
I gotta agree with Greg on this one: that particular abuse of the language sends me into a tizzy.
Neil59 about 3 years ago
I like Greg’s attitude! He is right.
JPuzzleWhiz about 3 years ago
Try telling that to these guys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afam2nIae4o
logantheguy about 3 years ago
Is it weird how the crocs haven’t been in the strip for almost a month?
oakie817 about 3 years ago
well, he has a point
TïmEmm about 3 years ago
THE A.P. Stylebook.
AndrewSihler about 3 years ago
Again, not “grammar”. It’s spelling, and a press style sheet is not a grammar authority, it’s in the sphere of private enterprise managing their own affairs. Anyone else is free to follow its dictates, of course, which doesn’t change anything.
WilliamDoerfler about 3 years ago
Every dictionary recognizes alright. Am I more funner?
Otis Rufus Driftwood about 3 years ago
I’m not great about bad grammar myself, even if I’m not up to this guy’s level. I think this dude makes Rat look like the late Bob Ross.
PuppyPapa about 3 years ago
Never forsake the Oxford Comma.
knight1192a about 3 years ago
Shove it Greg.
EileenPatriciaBruce about 3 years ago
I actually have an AP Style book somewhere from college days.
Publius10608218 about 3 years ago
I can never be sure which style I’m supposed to use for my different classes. Especially when they tack on numbers.
Daeder about 3 years ago
Greg the grammarian would also point out that he’s asocial not antisocial.
Sailor46 USN 65-95 about 3 years ago
Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach; those who can’t teach, police grammar on the Internet
Sisyphos about 3 years ago
Well, now, laddies, that’s all right!
Feeling proud to be a veteran member of the Grammar Police, all right?
jbruins84341 about 3 years ago
For more on this, see the Pearls strip from July 19, 2013.
Themanofoor54 about 3 years ago
I’m a grammar nerd and i dont dwell in a hole lol
andrew.scharnhorst about 3 years ago
Greg is correct. I have a copy of that book.
a nerdy trans girl over 2 years ago
its ok greg, im not fun at parties either.
Squirrel Chaser almost 2 years ago
“It’s Alright” by Echo and the the Bunnymen. Great song.