African American going through recruitment at Alabama?

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

Also, Titchou...it's "through" not "thru." Or is it only OK for you to truncate words in your posts?

Please see Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, page 1226, second column, 4th from bottom:

thru var of THROUGH

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Please see Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, page 1226, second column, 4th from bottom:

thru var of THROUGH

So what's your excuse for the dangling modifier? LOL

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

So what's your excuse for the dangling modifier? LOL

And from Random House:

Constructions that may technically be classified as dangling participles have, however, long been a feature of standard literary English and are today commonplace in speech and edited writing: Looking to the west, a deep river valley can be seen in the distance.

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by Titchou

And from Random House:

Constructions that may technically be classified as dangling participles have, however, long been a feature of standard literary English and are today commonplace in speech and edited writing: Looking to the west, a deep river valley can be seen in the distance.

If you're going to use a quote from Random House to defend your dangling participle you might want to use the entire quote. You conveniently left out the following:

Most usage guides warn against the dangling participle and usually suggest revising any sentence that has one.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

If you're going to use a quote from Random House to defend your dangling participle you might want to use the entire quote. You conveniently left out the following:

Most usage guides warn against the dangling participle and usually suggest revising any sentence that has one.

Which means you can use it but they prefer you didn't.....the "usually" giving one the "out."

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Which means you can use it but they prefer you didn't.....the "usually" giving one the "out."

No - it means that the majority of the guides suggest it be revised but some do not. Some simply say it is incorrect. If you chose to use it you run the risk of being seen as someone who uses substandard English.

The first rule of holes - when you find yourself in one, stop digging.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Please see Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, page 1226, second column, 4th from bottom:

thru var of THROUGH

A dictionary is not a style manual or a grammar text. You will find the word "ain't" in there, but that doesn't mean using it is correct. If something is commonplace it can still be wrong. Artistic license means writers of literature will often play fast and loose with strict grammatical rules; I tell my students authors can do that because they have poetic license, while my college freshmen have only learners' permits.

In my experience, it is better to acknowledge having made a mistake (even Homer nods) and move on rather than getting into dueling grammatical/spelling mistakes.