Everything I've wondered, pondered, considered, deliberated, contemplated, speculated, mused over, puzzled at, and thought about. Everything But Math that is.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Capitalization Is my Best friend!

Okay, so, I have this problem I like to think of as capitalization dyslexia. I'm happily writing away, misspelling a word every three sentences, but doing fine until I come to the title, words in parenthesis, or book title. I freeze up. 

I love capitalizing words, but I know that words like 'and', 'the' and 'is' don't get the privilege except in Special Circumstances. However, when it comes to grammar, I'm bad at detected Special Circumstances. So I panic and tend to capitalize everything



I admit it, when there are two words together like Briarwood or Greenstar, I write it BriarWood and GreenStar whether it's supposed to be that way or not.

In fact, recently I read a book in which a girl capitalized everything however she pleased, saying how capitalization is arbitrary. I felt understanding well up in me when I read that.

I've attributed my problem with detecting Special Circumstances and grammar in general to how I learned to read and write: at the unpredictable pace of a three-legged galloping giraffe. It's like I learned in what situations something was supposed to be written a certain way, but not the underlying rule for that something. I tend to understand when sentences are incorrect, but not the why.

I also have that problem with pronunciation. I love words, and I read a lot, but it's like the rules of pronunciation are written  in a special language that only I don't know.

All that being said, I pride myself on my ability to combat these various issues and take grammar seriously.
otherwise I would Capitalize words for Emphasis or Importance and look like a Complete Idiot.


4 comments:

  1. You could be like e e cummings and leave EVERYTHING uncapitalized. I'd like to be that daring.

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  2. That would be really daring! Though I think I'd have to be prestigious, like some kind of great novelist or fearsome feral cat-wrangler to get a away with that.

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  3. I'd love to have myself a three-legged galloping giraffe.
    And you're still hilarious, love.

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  4. Thanks Joyce! I love your Elements of Elegance blog!

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