A University of Oxford Writing and Style Guide has decided that writers should, "as a general rule," avoid using the Oxford comma. Will you miss the good old fashioned serial comma? Here's an explanation from the style guide: "As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write `a, b and c' not `a, b, and c'. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used - especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by `and' [for example]: They had a choice between croissants, bacon and eggs, and muesli."
A University of Oxford Writing and Style Guide has decided that writers should, "as a general rule," avoid using the Oxford comma. Will you miss the good old fashioned serial comma?
Here's an explanation from the style guide: "As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write `a, b and c' not `a, b, and c'. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used - especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by `and' [for example]: They had a choice between croissants, bacon and eggs, and muesli."
Seriously, I give up.
Cheque guarantee cards, those symbols of a simpler time when the written word was mightier than the Pin number, have checked out. They have been bounced into the after-life because not enough people used them in this life. The cheque guarantee card had been unwell for some time and the writing was, not on the back of a cheque, but on the wall. The date of its departure, Thursday 30 June, will be particularly felt by students who once relied on the old faithful to buy pizzas from less-than-impressed delivery drivers or portions of fries from nonplussed guardians of McDonald's.
Cheque guarantee cards, those symbols of a simpler time when the written word was mightier than the Pin number, have checked out. They have been bounced into the after-life because not enough people used them in this life.
The cheque guarantee card had been unwell for some time and the writing was, not on the back of a cheque, but on the wall.
The date of its departure, Thursday 30 June, will be particularly felt by students who once relied on the old faithful to buy pizzas from less-than-impressed delivery drivers or portions of fries from nonplussed guardians of McDonald's.
News Corporation has sold its ailing social networking site MySpace to online advertising firm Specific Media. News Corp paid $580m (£361m) for MySpace in 2005, but users and advertisers left the site for rival social sites like Facebook and Twitter. The sale terms were not disclosed, but there were unconfirmed reports that price paid was as low as $35m. Specific Media said: "We look forward to combining our platforms to drive the next generation of digital innovation."
News Corporation has sold its ailing social networking site MySpace to online advertising firm Specific Media.
News Corp paid $580m (£361m) for MySpace in 2005, but users and advertisers left the site for rival social sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The sale terms were not disclosed, but there were unconfirmed reports that price paid was as low as $35m.
Specific Media said: "We look forward to combining our platforms to drive the next generation of digital innovation."
It has long been a painful rite of passage for German schoolchildren - learning "die Schreibschrift", a fiddly form of joined-up handwriting all pupils are expected to have mastered by the time they leave primary school.But now, many German teachers have had enough, insisting it is a waste of time to force children to learn a cursive script when they have already learned to print letters at kindergarten. Furthermore, they say, the joined-up handwriting is often illegible.The national primary schoolteachers' union has started a campaign to abolish compulsory teaching of Schreibschrift. "It's completely unnecessary, a deadweight tradition," according to the union's deputy chairman, Ulrich Hecker.
It has long been a painful rite of passage for German schoolchildren - learning "die Schreibschrift", a fiddly form of joined-up handwriting all pupils are expected to have mastered by the time they leave primary school.
But now, many German teachers have had enough, insisting it is a waste of time to force children to learn a cursive script when they have already learned to print letters at kindergarten. Furthermore, they say, the joined-up handwriting is often illegible.
The national primary schoolteachers' union has started a campaign to abolish compulsory teaching of Schreibschrift. "It's completely unnecessary, a deadweight tradition," according to the union's deputy chairman, Ulrich Hecker.
Seems like an admission of incompetence on the part of the teachers, no? Since they are unable to teach the kids how to write longhand, they now say that longhand is not required.
On the other hand, I don't write anything any more. I scribbled down two numbers yesterday, but even that is unusual.
Cursive or otherwise
Even I struggle to read it, let alone anyone else. keep to the Fen Causeway
