Breaking Muphrys Law

Breaking Muphrys Law Breaking Muphry’s Law Breaking Muphry’s Law By Mark Nichol A recent newspaper blog post about a typographical error on Mitt Romney’s iPhone â€Å"With Mitt† app it refers to â€Å"A Better Amercia† inevitably succumbed to Muphry’s law, which states that any criticism of a writing or editing error will itself contain such an error. After commenting on the mistake, the blogger referred to the microblogging site Tumblr, writing, â€Å"And there’s already a Tumblr [page] for this with people goofing on the slip-up†¦.or what that be a Tumbeler?† That final phrase (which also reveals that the blogger obviously didn’t read my post about ellipses), should read, â€Å"or would that be a Tumbeler?† (If you want to ruin a joke that features a deliberate typographical error, there’s nothing better than immediately preceding it with an accidental typo.) The adage the blogger’s boo-boo upholds is also known, with variations, as McKean’s law, after lexicographer Erin McKean; Skitt’s law, named for an alt.usage.english contributor; and Hartman’s Law of Prescriptivist Retaliation, the grandiloquent nomenclature of technical writer and fiction writer and editor Jed Hartman. A blogger with the handle Zeno called it the Iron Law of Nitpicking, a better label, perhaps, as it does not credit a particular person, but Muphry’s law (which only indirectly refers to a specific source) is of course the most appropriate moniker. An Australian editor named John Bangsund explicated the law as follows in 1992: (a) If you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written; (b) If an author thanks you in a book for your editing or proofreading, there will be mistakes in the book; (c) The stronger the sentiment expressed in (a) and (b), the greater the fault; (d) Any book devoted to editing or style will be internally inconsistent. The oldest known statement along these lines, however, is one from early twentieth-century writer Ambrose Bierce (best known for his caustically misanthropic Devil’s Dictionary), who in 1909 wrote in a writing handbook, â€Å"Writers all, both great and small, are habitual sinners against the light; and their accuser is cheerfully aware that his own work will supply (as in making this book it has supplied) many ‘awful examples.’† The moral of the story one I disregard by writing this post, which according to Muphry’s law should be rewarded by divine retribution in the form of commenters pointing out some error I’ve introduced is, â€Å"Writers in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid11 Writing Exercises to Inspire You and Strengthen Your WritingHow to Style Titles of Print and Online Publications

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Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com By Mark Nichol If you read the comments on this site, you know that DailyWritingTips.com is a collaborative enterprise: I post, and visitors correct me. But, seriously, visitors’ comments are a valuable part of the experience, and you are encouraged to weigh in with your experiences, opinions, and insights. My posts are based on my experience as a professional writer and editor and my research into grammar, usage, style, and other editorial issues. I also have an extensive background, and I’ve edited for several prominent publishers and other organizations, but such distinctions are not necessarily ironclad proofs of skill, and they don’t mean that I’m always right (or that I’ve explained something well). That is why we welcome visitors comments, and much of the information they provide is well written and well reasoned, and contributes significantly to a collaborative effort to enrich site visitors’ knowledge about writing. I respond as time permits, though I also welcome it when visitors respond to each others’ comments. In addition, several of my posts have resulted from visitors’ suggestions or questions. (I reply also to visitors who send notes directly to info@dailywritingtips.com, but I prefer that they share their thoughts with others in the comments section.) DailyWritingTips.com is a great online resource for people who care about written language to congregate and learn from each other. The most prolific commenters folks like ApK, Cecily, Deborah H, JK Brennan, Kathryn, Peter, Precise Edit, Rebecca, Roberta B., Sharon, Shirley, Stephen Thorn, and thebluebird11 as well as others, enable us all to develop our skills. Please add your name to the roster by sharing your thoughts with the rest of the DailyWritingTips.com community. (Note that email subscribers, in order to visit the site and leave their comments, must click on the title of the post they receive via email.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†Drama vs. Melodrama

Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com

Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com By Mark Nichol If you read the comments on this site, you know that DailyWritingTips.com is a collaborative enterprise: I post, and visitors correct me. But, seriously, visitors’ comments are a valuable part of the experience, and you are encouraged to weigh in with your experiences, opinions, and insights. My posts are based on my experience as a professional writer and editor and my research into grammar, usage, style, and other editorial issues. I also have an extensive background, and I’ve edited for several prominent publishers and other organizations, but such distinctions are not necessarily ironclad proofs of skill, and they don’t mean that I’m always right (or that I’ve explained something well). That is why we welcome visitors comments, and much of the information they provide is well written and well reasoned, and contributes significantly to a collaborative effort to enrich site visitors’ knowledge about writing. I respond as time permits, though I also welcome it when visitors respond to each others’ comments. In addition, several of my posts have resulted from visitors’ suggestions or questions. (I reply also to visitors who send notes directly to info@dailywritingtips.com, but I prefer that they share their thoughts with others in the comments section.) DailyWritingTips.com is a great online resource for people who care about written language to congregate and learn from each other. The most prolific commenters folks like ApK, Cecily, Deborah H, JK Brennan, Kathryn, Peter, Precise Edit, Rebecca, Roberta B., Sharon, Shirley, Stephen Thorn, and thebluebird11 as well as others, enable us all to develop our skills. Please add your name to the roster by sharing your thoughts with the rest of the DailyWritingTips.com community. (Note that email subscribers, in order to visit the site and leave their comments, must click on the title of the post they receive via email.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†Drama vs. Melodrama

Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com

Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com Contribute Comments to DailyWritingTips.com By Mark Nichol If you read the comments on this site, you know that DailyWritingTips.com is a collaborative enterprise: I post, and visitors correct me. But, seriously, visitors’ comments are a valuable part of the experience, and you are encouraged to weigh in with your experiences, opinions, and insights. My posts are based on my experience as a professional writer and editor and my research into grammar, usage, style, and other editorial issues. I also have an extensive background, and I’ve edited for several prominent publishers and other organizations, but such distinctions are not necessarily ironclad proofs of skill, and they don’t mean that I’m always right (or that I’ve explained something well). That is why we welcome visitors comments, and much of the information they provide is well written and well reasoned, and contributes significantly to a collaborative effort to enrich site visitors’ knowledge about writing. I respond as time permits, though I also welcome it when visitors respond to each others’ comments. In addition, several of my posts have resulted from visitors’ suggestions or questions. (I reply also to visitors who send notes directly to info@dailywritingtips.com, but I prefer that they share their thoughts with others in the comments section.) DailyWritingTips.com is a great online resource for people who care about written language to congregate and learn from each other. The most prolific commenters folks like ApK, Cecily, Deborah H, JK Brennan, Kathryn, Peter, Precise Edit, Rebecca, Roberta B., Sharon, Shirley, Stephen Thorn, and thebluebird11 as well as others, enable us all to develop our skills. Please add your name to the roster by sharing your thoughts with the rest of the DailyWritingTips.com community. (Note that email subscribers, in order to visit the site and leave their comments, must click on the title of the post they receive via email.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†Drama vs. Melodrama