by Guest Blogger, Bryan Durio (aka Dr. Proof)
Attention! You have been magically transported back to English class with Dr. Proof, the Grammar Hawk of the DJ industry.
This is Part One of a four-part series that will give you the know-how to correct all of those verbal and written faux pas you’ve been unknowingly making.
Check your website and marketing materials copy carefully against what you see here, ’cause you may find some wordariffic errors that must be corrected!
Dr. Proof’s Grammar Goof #1: “setup” or “set up”?
This one is easy if you think about what you’re saying.
“Setup” is a noun. That DJ has a clean, neat setup.
“Set up” is a verb. I set up my gear and then changed clothes.
Dr. Proof’s Grammar Goof #2: “than” or “then”?
I see a whole lot of this mistake also.
“Than” is used when you’re comparing things. I think higher bit rates sound better than lower bit rates.
“Then” is used as a time reference. I played background jazz, then switched to high-energy standards.
People tend to write then instead of than because they tend to pronounce them the same way, but they do mean two entirely different things.
Dr. Proof’s Grammar Goof #3: “could” or “couldn’t” care less?
I see this one all the time in a lot of places: “I could care less.”
Now think about it. You’re saying that you do care to some degree and there’s room for you to care even less. If you could care less, then why don’t you?
What you mean is that you could not care less, right? Then you need to use its contraction: “I couldn’t care less.”
One that bothers me: DJ’s used as a plural. Apostrophes are misused often.
The apostrophe before an S shows ownership or belonging to. i.e. “The DJ’s speaker blew.”
An S without an apostrophe makes the word plural. i.e. “There were several DJs at the show.”