Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Grammar Nerds Unite!

Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson created the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL). Armed with markers, chalk, and correction fluid, they circumnavigated America, righting the glaring errors displayed in grocery stores, museums, malls, restaurants, mini-golf courses, beaches, and even a national park. Jeff and Benjamin championed the cause of clear communication, blogging about their adventures transforming horor into horror, it’s into its, and coconunut into coconut.

But at the Grand Canyon, they took one correction too far: fixing the bad grammar in a fake Native American watchtower. The government charged them with defacing federal property and summoned them to court--with a typo-ridden complaint that claimed that they had violated “criminal statues.” Now the press turned these paragons of punctuation into “grammar vigilantes,” airing errors about their errant errand.

“This pair of kooks, with their high standards and principled civil disobedience, give me hope for the future of humanity.”--Steven Pinker, professor, Harvard University, and author of The Language Instinct and The Stuff of Thought

Meet Deck and Herson and see for yourself--4:00pm, Sunday, September 5, at Magers & Quinn. Details are here.--David E

1 comment:

kaye said...

I think I would like to have a copy :) Thanks for sharing