Word Crimes

[weird_el]

Al has said when his name is written "Weird Al" Yankovic there are quotes around the Weird Al. They are ironic quotes. However, when his name is written Weird Al there are no quotes.

[algonacchick]

Good to know. I did mention that when his last name isn't added, the quotes aren't used.

[Grom]

the a capella version of Word Crimes you didn't know you might need:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf3SuGCbeVk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didn't know Buzzfeed had an account here.

[mrmeadows]

I was listening to this song and it occurred to me that it seemed like I had run across almost all of the "Word Crimes" Al mentions, except for people using quotation marks for emphasis. Does this mean using quotes where one ought to be using italics or bold type? I've seen quotes misused before, just not necessarily to denote emphasis. Is that a thing?

[minnick27]

I think thats more of a verbal word crime. The air quotes. Although i see it all the tine in reports people send me at work. BLS is a frigging real thing, doesnt have to go in quotes!

[mellow weasel]

I was listening to this song and it occurred to me that it seemed like I had run across almost all of the "Word Crimes" Al mentions, except for people using quotation marks for emphasis. Does this mean using quotes where one ought to be using italics or bold type? I've seen quotes misused before, just not necessarily to denote emphasis. Is that a thing?

I remember once in school we had a good laugh at a sick note (not sure how that thing is called in English or even if it exists) that one of our classmate's mother wrote - "My son "Jon Doe" was absent because he was sick" - as if his name was false .

[TMBJon]

It's referring to stuff like this:

[mrmeadows]

Wow....those are pretty bad! Although I would say only a few of them seem to be doing it for emphasis. . .they are mostly just examples of general overuse of quotation marks. (Granted, the examples are egregious!)

But I guess it does happen. I also stumbled across this site, which is where many of those pics may have come from:
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TMBJon]

This is perhaps my favorite genre of Word Crime because they are all just sooo stupid. It's hard for me to understand why some of these quotation marks are used at all.

Believe it or not, I actually saw that "Restrooms" Are For Customer Use Only sign in person this weekend.
That exact sign is in the ferry station in Long Beach, CA, where you wait to board a ferry to Catalina Island!

[Grom]

I love this sort of word crime because it makes everything sound sarcastic. Beware of "dog" makes me think there's just some dude wearing a dog suit.