Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for October 17, 2020

Time to edit Rat out.

I think a piece of graffiti would be correct usage. Renato? I will consider it over my morning biscotto.

In the book biz, he’s what’s called a copy editor. And we don’t hide them in closets.

I’ve often thought that editors (all the varieties) are unsung heroes. I’ve done a bit of copy-editing at an online story site. It’s a LOT of twitchy little detail work, and though the authors mostly claim they want it done, they mostly seem to appreciate it more the less you find for them to correct…

So a slice of pizza is a pizzum?

Grammatical and word use editing was traditionally performed by the copy editors.

Modern journalism has nearly made that job extinct, cutting the copy editors out to save a buck.

The English word “graffiti” is singular or plural. If the editor were editing in Italian, then he’d have a valid point. The word “graffito” in English is rarely used outside of archaeological writings.

He’s so pedantic he should be making comments on the internet.

And smoking renders this strip PG-13…

Ironically, his unhealthy habit produces fumetti (little puffs of smoke) which in comics jargon can also mean speech balloons.

“Data” is another noun that’s plural (datum being the singular), but many people still treat it as singular.

Even for a person kept in a dark little room Rat still found a way to be a pain in the butt …. Croc Power !

Eh, I’d just call it wall painting.

Reed Jackson is the Grammar Police..

Ahh, so Pastis defaces public property in his spare time, eh.

At least you still have an editor. Many things published nowadays don’t, and it shows.

and English teachers as well.

I enjoy working the word “spaghetto” into a conversation.

Is he the one who fired guard duck and the crocs?

How many people work on a strip?

Mistakes were made!

Izzat the same place they keep the Comic Strip Censor?

And how many immediately looked this up? I did.

Criticize all you want, the poor English today really bugs me. I like to know what is correct. If I have only one Martini, is that a Martinis?

Rat is wrong! Rat is wrong!

Keep Rat in a dark little room!

All hail, Reed Jackson, mighty Editor! A.k.a. Redbeard the Pirate.

(Don’t be snide, Cartoon-Boy. Clear up your own spelling and grammar. YiaYia says to do it!)

Editors must correct your errors. You have so many, too. ….must correct…..

I am going to admit to being a dick about the singluar/ plural of criterion and criteria … but only in a work setting with people who should know better.

Why are sentient beings SO resistant to learning?

This is an example of an incorrect version of a word becoming ‘common usage’. At least this wasn’t a pun strip, since this follows the usual structure for those.

:D

We always use the word graffiti because there’s never just one.

Will there ever be a word invented(?) for the singular of “cattle”?

A smoker with a paunch and balding - he won’t be around long. Not to worry.

As someone who’s studying to be a video editor, I feel that.

Wow, had to look that up. Who knew. I mean that’s really obscure, I mean virtually everyone uses graffiti as both singular and plural.

My life is now complete.

As irksome as any mosquito/ (though less so than Sammy Alito)/ is the picker of nit/ who presumes to sit/ in judgement of Pastis’ graffito…

Rat is correct. If he had said “Check out this grafitti, Reed.” he would be wrong. Because he said this “piece of grafitti” he was referring to one item out of a larger group – perhaps all the grafitti on that particular street. Send Reed back to his dark, little room.

Similarly :→ https://bigeyedeer.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/graf.gif

I think Rat once said ‘alright’ which is ALL WRONG!

I wonder what Reed said about that.

That graffiti looks a lot like Timmy Failure.

Hey, look its Timmy Failure. Pastis’ other cartoon.

Yeah

A piece of graffiti – correct.

A graffito – correct, but pretentious.

A graffiti – wrong now, but may be standard later.

Is that Timmy failure on the wall?

It timmy