NWI Times just can get it right...

[Jack Burton]

NWI Times just can't get it right...

Poorly written article about teen thug caught with firearms here:

East Chicago boy, 16, allegedly had 3 unregistered handguns : East Chicago Community News

Here's my letter to the executive editor....

This story is so full of fail...



There are NO registered or unregistered guns in Indiana.There is no such thing as a "firearm owner's permit" in Indiana. Nowonder the guns were not registered and the suspect didn't have a permit.



Would you hire and employ sports writers who write about thenew Cubs quarterback who can't shoot free throws very well? Doesn't bode wellfor regaining that lost trust the public has developed in the news media.



Please be professional and at least insist that yourreporters have a basic knowledge of something before they attempt to writeabout it. Taking dictation from the police is not an excuse. What happened tothe philosophy of if your mother tells you she loves you, get another source.



I will be happy to volunteer my time to even give a two-hourseminar for the Times reporters to ensure that they can get this kind of stuffright in the future. At the end they’ll have a good, working knowledge of bothIndiana and Illinois laws concerning firearms.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

A caller reported three juveniles, one holding a weapon, and patrol officers approached a group matching the description walking near 148th Street and Grasselli Avenue.

See what happens when you OC?

 

[Jack Burton]

Got this response back from the exeuctive editor...

Thank you for your email. I have sharedit with staff. Bill Nangle, The Times

 

[IN_Sheepdog]

Gotta love the NWI times... especially their totally professional and unbiased accurate political reporting... Go back and look at their articles about the Lugar - Mourdock coverage... Just another example of total ineptitude...

I think it is time to drop this subscription.. waste of time and money...

 

[.45 Dave]

My guns are unregistered, too

Of course I'm over 16 and don't go carrying my gun in my hand around town.
Still, Jack, you're right. Idiot writer probably even has a college degree in Journalism--he should demand a refund from the university!

 

[griffin]

Poorly written article about teen thug caught with firearms here

No kidding. Just look at this poor use of grammar:

None of the weapons was reported as stolen, police said.

Clearly the sentence should read, "None of the weapons were reported as stolen, police said."

The object of the preposition is plural, so a plural verb should have been used.

I delivered that newspaper for three years when I was 13 - 15 years old.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I delivered that newspaper for three years when I was 13 - 15 years old.

So it's all your fault! Thanks a lot!

 

[Jack Burton]

Both my kids carried it back in the late 80s thru the early 2000s. For their services the Times gave each of them a $4,000 college scholarship. That came in very handy.

 

[Robin Hood]

Actually, the subject of the sentence, None, is singular, and there is no grammatical problem with that sentence.

 

[jazzy1993]

I carried (the paper) for three years. It helped pay for my books the first two years of college. Too bad for The Times, they need to get this stuff right before the report it.

 

[griffin]

Actually, the subject of the sentence, None, is singular, and there is no grammatical problem with that sentence.

Rule: With words that indicate portions–some, all, none, percent, fraction, part, majority, remainder, and so forth –look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.

Examples:
None of the pie was eaten.
None of the children were hungry.

“None Were” vs. “None Was” - Grammar & Punctuation | The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

Also...

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, The notion that "none" is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century.

In short, the word "none" has no bearing on the verb used.

 

[JimmyR]

No kidding. Just look at this poor use of grammar:


Clearly the sentence should read, "None of the weapons were reported as stolen, police said."

The object of the preposition is plural, so a plural verb should have been used.
QUOTE]

Actually, If I remember my English classes right, the word "None" is the subject of the sentence, which can be used as singular or plural depending on the contect of the sentence, not the object of the prepositonal phrase. I did some looking up, and found this .edu site concerning the matter, and based on my reading, I believe the writer may have actually gotten that one right, using "None" to mean "Not one," making it a singular subject. I guess this is why they always called it Language ARTS- applying the rules can be kinda tricky.

Still clearly slanted to refer to the guns as unregistered in a state that doesn't register any firearms.

 

[griffin]

the word "None" is the subject of the sentence, which can be used as singular or plural depending on the contect of the sentence, not the object of the prepositonal phrase.

"None" can be used with a singular or a plural prepositional object. That's why you go to the object of the preposition to determine the verb to use.

That's why you say, as in my example, "None of the children were hungry." You don't say "None of the children was hungry," just like you don't say "None of the weapons was stolen." Proper English is "None of the weapons were stolen."

I even gave you the cites from Merriam Webster and The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation and you are still arguing it.

 

[dhnorris]

Griffen is right.

 

[griffin]

Griffin is right.

That's right. C'mon this isn't rocket surgery.

 

[baldmax]

This thread went from criticizing the NWI Times to bickering over the use of grammar. Did you stop to think this story was written for thugs by thugs about thugs?

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

And I thought we engineers were geeks!
We've got nothing over people arguing about correct grammar usage.

 

[IN_Sheepdog]

WOW... talk about a thread jack...
I never did known how edumacated I could get discussin the rules of English Gramma wit my INGO folks!!!!

 

[Frontier]

Got this response back from the exeuctive editor...

Thank you for your email. I have sharedit with staff. Bill Nangle, The Times

Nice, I was about to suggest you write to them. They need to know they can't get away with this stuff.

 

[Faine]

uh oh

Well, that does it.... Anyone have the address to the weapon registration office so I can get all my guns legalized? Hopefully they don't confiscate them because I've not been legal and all.