Ask MetaFilter questions in the writing & language category

Have I been acting rude for most of my life?

Shouraku — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:15:34 -0800

Is it rude to refer to someone in the third person (he/she) while they are present? I recently watched a video of comedian Russell Brand on the MSNBC show Morning Joe. At time codes: 5:12 and 6:08 he gets very upset with the hosts for referring to him using a third person pronoun.

Honestly, I had no idea that this was somehow rude. I'm sure that I've done this in social settings, and currently feel pretty bad about it. I read the comments section of the Gawker site, and it seems that the level of appropriateness of third person pronouns is debatable. Really, the whole discussion left me a bit confused, and I could use some perspective.

Here is a link to the Gawker site: Russell Brand Destroys MSNBC Talk Show Host for Treating Him Like Shit
Here is a link to the video on YouTube in case the Gawker video is flaky, as it was for me: YouTube version

Questions:
1) Is it a social faux pas to refer to someone using a third person pronoun when they are present?
2) If so, for what reason? It was suggested that it's objectifying and exclusionary, is that true?

Note: The hosts were actually pretty rude in a number of other ways. They made comments about his accent and clothing, as well as started off the interview by introducing him as someone whose work they had never seen before. I'm not asking about those comments as they were obviously very inappropriate.

"The Sun Will Rise Without Thy Assistance" - Attributably?

juniperesque — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:43:36 -0800

There are a lot of places attributing the quote ""The sun will rise without thy assistance" to the Talmud. Is that true? If so, where does it say that in the Talmud? I would love to either verify or debunk this quote.

A better way to say "great authors write the same book ten times"?

deathpanels — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:22:59 -0800

What's a better way to refer to the idea that an artist tries to refine the same central idea over and over again throughout their career? For example, the notion that a novelist's tenth book is the tenth attempt at perfecting what they couldn't quite pull off in the first novel. The idea is not that these artists aren't coming up with new ideas, but just that the central concerns of their work hover around something aesthetically that takes many attempts to hone and sharpen, often shortened as "great authors write the same book ten times" or something like that. I feel like there is a shortish word (possibly in German?) to refer tot his concept but I can't remember enough to even google for it.

Resources on how to write (satirical) newspaper articles?

averageamateur — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:51:42 -0800

I've been writing satirical news articles for a website I created, and while my articles have been popular so far, I realized that I've been writing solely on my instinct of how a newspaper article would sound. What are some resources that go more in-depth on the style of newspaper articles, rather than the news gathering/reporting side of journalism?

Can you identify this sci-fi short story?

Gin and Comics — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:08:18 -0800

I'm looking for a short story. I'm not sure of much, but I know it involved ABBA and rare orchids. Can you help? What I remember:

1) The story appeared in a Year's Best Sci-Fi or similar anthology and I read it years ago. I'm thinking it has to be nearly a decade old by now.

2) The two main characters were investigating...something. I'm really fuzzy on plot details. Possibly they were PIs or police?

3) One of the main characters was obsessed with rare orchids (possibly some other variety of rare plant), and aimed to classify new species so he could name them after members of ABBA (or possibly ABBA songs. Something to do with ABBA).

I don't hold out much hope, but if any of y'all can help I'd really appreciate it.

How to cite a quotation alone?

Arachnophile — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:33:14 -0800

What is the proper way to cite a quotation alone, not in the context of a paper, without any other text around it? Googled it, but only got info on common ways to quote within a paper, MLA, APA, etc.

I'm working on a web page with a splash page that is to contain a Marie Curie quote only, by itself and nothing else, and the proper citation looks ridiculous. However, this webpage will be seen by science professionals, and I don't want to look like an idiot or be accused of plagiarism.

Here's what I think is proper (but of course may be wrong):

"I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale. We should not allow it to be believed that all scientific progress can be reduced to mechanisms, machines, gearings, even though such machinery also has its beauty."

~Marie Curie as quoted in Madame Curie : A Biography (1937) by Eve Curie Labouisse, as translated by Vincent Sheean, p. 341

But can I do something simpler and still be correct? Like:

~Marie Curie (1867 – 1934)

or, should I use her birth name as her first name:

~Maria Curie (1867 – 1934)

?

Also, what is the standard mark to put before the author? ~, or -, or nothing?

I hope it's not a stupid question, and if it wasn't to be seen by academics I wouldn't even worry about it. But you know how academics are. :)

"When my ship comes in"?

Mechitar — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:08:57 -0800

The 1983 Billy Joel song "Uptown Girl" has the line "But maybe someday when my ship comes in / she'll understand what kind of guy I am / and then I'll win." It just occurred to me that, though I'm in my thirties, I don't think I've ever heard the expression "when my ship comes in" used by anyone but Billy Joel. Has this ever been a commonly-used expression? If so, does anyone still use it? And what the heck does it even mean? I mean, I can tell what it figuratively means, from the context. But what is the connection between a ship arriving and someone becoming successful?

"I Love You" or "Love You"?

sarahgrace — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:24:27 -0800

I'm getting a tattoo in memorial for my grandmother who passed away. It will be in her handwriting but I need help deciding how to phrase it. Photo and details inside. The handwriting samples I have found are in cards to me. She always signed the cards with a "We Love You" because they were from her and my step-grandfather (who I don't particularly care for). The sample I would like to use looks like this.

The decision I am trying to make is between getting "I Love You" or "Love You". As you can see, I have the sample I need for "Love You". I do not have a sample with an "I" in it. My family isn't really "tattoo friendly" so the idea of calling them up asking for handwriting samples is a little daunting. I also would prefer that the sample be written to me if that makes any sense. I could probably find a capital "I" in a handwritten recipe somewhere or her address book but I'm not sure if I even want the "I" in it.

Basically I'm just wanting to see what the hive mind thinks in regards to aesthetics. Either phrasing would have the same meaning to me.

Name that SF short story

Wretch729 — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:11:52 -0800

Wracking my brain trying to think of a short sci-fi story I read recently, I think in an anthology from within the last couple years. The story was about the relationship arc between a man convinced that technocratic solutions could be found to eliminate the messiness of politics and a woman who was more skeptical. Early in the story the female protagonist rescues a relative of the man's from a near-drowning in California when a computer failure causes his smart-surfboard to fail or something like that. The bulk of the story is set in Washington DC where the woman leads a lobbying effort against broad introduction of further ubiquitous computer controlled systems. Whether or not a computer-controlled traffic system is immune from exploitation was a major feature of the plot. What was it called?!

Non-counting Words For Numbers

Ookseer — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:18:34 -0800

In English we have grouping units like dozen (12), gross (144), score (20) and a few others. Though no one uses them for counting (eg: 18, 19, score, 21…). What are similar words in other languages? If there's a cultural or historic reason that particular number has a special word, all the better.

Good Boy Gone Bad ... And Viral

thinkpiece — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:45:52 -0800

Can you talk me through all the processes and channels that would be in play and how they would integrate and feed each other, in what order, to send bad behavior across all social media? I've got a storyline going for this project, and need the savvy crew of Metafilter to help me realify it.

A character who is supposedly upstanding and a role model is filmed and photographed misbehaving very very badly in a bar, with a soundtrack. Multiple people use their phones to shoot video, take pics, and then tweet, post his behavior, etc. Within hours, his bad behavior goes viral, of course and is of great interest to his fiance (who wasn't there) and his employers. In addition, he already has a media presence, so all of his "legit" footage gets "spliced" into his bad behavior footage. Basically, he gets completely ridiculed, subject of memes, etc and shown to be a clown and is undone by social media.

Can you help me describe this situation? How it would roll out, via the various channels. What comes first, how does Instagram fit in, FB, tweeting, gifs, memes, the music, etc etc. Also, like I know "splice" isn't the right word, but how does that work, um, splicing digital video? And the music? Do you "overlay" it? I mean, obviously I'm casting around here for a For Dummies version of how this would all work to inspire millions of You Tube hits within hours, from phones.

Ugh, does that makes sense? Bonus points if I can work in autotune, as that plays well with my themes.

Mead Baffles Man, Kids At Stake

baseballpajamas — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:06:04 -0800

My kids' elementary school uses this Margaret Mead quotation on a banner in their Independence Day float, and every year it bugs the heck out out of me: "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." Without any context, I struggle to understand the tone of these two sentences. Is this a heartwarming celebration of individuality? Or is this some kind of snarky put-down of same? If it's the latter, what kind of misbegotten school am I sending my kids to?

The Parallel Bars in The Castle

slowlikemolasses — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:38:20 -0800

Why are there parallel bars in *The Castle*? Is it a translation particular to the Willa and Edwin Muir translation? If not, why are there parallel bars in a school? http://books.google.com/books?id=g3b0-ixTxa4C&q=parallel+bars#v=snippet&q=parallel%20bars&f=false

Trying to find a poet

DisreputableDog — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:01:12 -0800

I remember a little about this poem I read in a poetry class in college. Mainly the line "the bones of my wrists, supple and exemplary" but Google isn't helping. Also that in this or a similar poem, the poet (I think it was a woman) describes how two hyenas were mating and couldn't stop even when a lioness was stalking them. Also a line about how she met two coyotes or wolves who smiled at her with their sharp teeth. Help? If I could know who this poet is and especially some collection where I could read her poetry, I'd be really greatful! Thank you.

"Jane Austen with zombies," how does that (legally) work?

From Bklyn — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:47:59 -0800

There have been a couple books out in the last few years that have been 're-imaginings' of 'classic works' of literature. The one that comes first to mind is "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" or "Grave Expectations." Are these 'new' works of fiction entirely, or are they edited versions of the source text? If the latter, how do they exist within copyright law? How 'open' are public domain works like 19th century literature, where the source text is 'free'?

200 things a novelist can do in 5 minutes or less

Calicatt — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:44:33 -0800

[Novelists Filter] Name a few quick things (under 5 minutes) I can do to become a better writer. Heyo! I'm an aspirting novelist, or rather a novelist aspiring to be a published. I spend most of my time when I'm not at work writing or reading, but it occurred to me that there are often little 5-10 minute breaks at work where I could be doing *something* to help advance the cause.

Most of my co-workers use the time to check their email or sports stats or the weather or whatever, but I've been trying to brainstorm ways I could use this time productively. I need at least 7-10 minutes to really *get into* writing a scene or something, so straight up drafting is not the sort of thing I can do. I'm at a public desk (librarian) so I can't do anything crazy physical or that's obviously NOT WORKING or is loud or otherwise inappropriate for a public space.

Here are some things I've thought of so far, to give you an idea what I mean:
-describe someone around me (get character description chops up)
-post a writing/lit related post on fb/twitter/g+ etc (boost followers...more followers=more readers when book launches...hopefully)
-read review of new books coming out (see if any could be comp'd with mine, steal plot ideas, etc)
-read writing-related blog posts (revision ides, moral support, etc)
-email self one paragraph from novel that I know needs work, edit on the fly
-do quick character sketch to get to know my imaginary friends better
-check PW for contest/publish opportunities for short stories (so as to gain readership for book, and prove to pubs that other ppl think my writing is good)
-mentally reconstruct the plot of a book I liked...later go home and see what I missed (get better at plotting? maybe?)
-etc

I am arbitrarily trying to reach 200, so I'll always have something I can be doing.

Another

shivohum — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:25:14 -0800

I feel like I've forgotten a word. Is there a verb that means "to introduce an impure portion into" or else "decrease the purity of" -- but which is not "corrupt" or "alloy"? If for example a stream of wastewater were to be joined into a freshwater river, that would be Xing the river. If an artist were to introduce crass commercial considerations into otherwise heartfelt art, that would be Xing the art. It could be that this word does not exist.

A fun way to present language lessons to the birthday girl

timpanogos — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:31:58 -0800

I bought my girlfriend language lessons for her birthday. What is a fun way that I can "give" them to her on the actual day. They are lessons with a private tutor in our home over a span of time... the language is Portuguese. I'm trying to come up with a clever way to present them to her on her birthday without being cheesy. I speak a little Portuguese but any help a MeFite could give me would be very helpful with the actual "clues" if that is an idea. I don't know. She has workbooks, Pimsleur CDs and a dictionary already. Thanks folks!

Apostrophe Usage, Part 748...

Jehan — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:11:44 -0800

In athletics, do events named "boys 100m" or "girls javelin" have an apostrophe? That is, should they rightly be "boys' 100m" and "girls' javelin"? It seems that the standard usage for grownup events is "men's" and "women's", but I'm unsure. Opinions?

Trying to remember the name of a book

ishrinkmajeans — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:26:46 -0800

I've forgotten the title and the author of a japanese book and I'm trying to remember what it was called. I remember the book was by a Japanese author, written in Japanese, with a title that was not easily translated into english. It was a fictional novel about a University of Tokyo graduate in the 70s (maybe?) who rents an apartment and talks about the people he meets around town and thinks and writes about the culture of Japan. Sort of a slice of life novel about what people are like. It's not Mishima or Abe, and the bookstore owner didn't know either. I just can't remember and it is very frustrating. Does anyone remember the name of this book? It may not exist and I just dreamed it.

Website for murder methods?

LauraJ — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:23:51 -0800

I remember years ago hearing about a book which explained different methods of murder and poisoning. It listed methods of killing people, and methods of maiming or poisoning people, along with symptoms. It was aimed, of course, at authors who write murder mysteries. Does anyone know if this book still exists, or if there is a website with a similar purpose? I have a particularly nasty character who I'd like to see die a slow death caused by poison!

Learning Mandarin in Japan and Korea

slowlikemolasses — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:37:55 -0800

Would you happen to know about how Mandarin is learned in Japan and Korea? How are the tones visually represented? Is learning to read Roman script a prerequisite to learn Mandarin? How was Mandarin studied before it was Romanized?

It's permanent, so it better be accurate!

assasinatdbeauty — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:11:20 -0800

I'm looking to get a tattoo I've wanted for years - "this too shall pass", but specifically in Ancient Greek. It's very important to me that it's Ancient, not modern. Where/how would I go about finding an accurate translation? How can I verify that it *is* in fact ancient? Many thanks in advance!

Wise and witty words about balding.

piato — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:07:54 -0800

I don't have as much hair as I used to, and I understand this is not uncommon! It seems like the sort of thing Updike would have written about, or some other self-reflective male writer of a certain age, and I'd like to be able to read (and ideally quote) something well-written or epigrammatic for when the subject comes up. I'm ideally concerned with my current stage (past plausible deniability, but not straight-up tonsured as yet), but anything that doesn't apply yet is welcome too... after all, it's only a matter of time!

Pro Tip: Do a word search on 'that' and remove 95% of them

pretentious illiterate — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:59:15 -0800

I gave my aunt a draft manuscript of my novel to read and in addition to catching typos and asking about character motivation, she wrote the above. I'm now halfway through the manuscript and I have removed THREE HUNDRED extraneous 'that's. Maybe 'that' is just my quirk (see what I did there?) but I wonder if you have similar tips. I'm not looking for grammar rules or broad writing suggests like 'use active voice,' just quick, concrete shortcuts to tighten up flabby writing. Another example, depressingly necessary in academia, is to replace every instance of "the way in which" with "how." Thoughts?