A Bible Misquote

Maybe I’m being a pedant here, but; well, I’m a pedant. Here’s the comic. Last panel:

In the original it’s “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Another common goof is the golden rule. We say it backwards. Look up “golden rule” in the search box.

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I recommend avoiding pronouns because a pronoun’s need for an antecedent can lead to ambiguity when the closest noun isn’t the antecedent.

Ambiguity is bad, but it’s the basis for this punchline.

Get the point?

Here’s the picture:

“The Nib” is a politics- and current events-based site.

Remember: Use “fewer” when you’re counting, and “less” when you’re measuring.

The problem is that pronouns need another word to give them meaning, and that word (the antecedent) can be hard to discern. Here’s an example. What does “it” refer to?

One of Tesla’s biggest critics is funding a Super Bowl ad against it

from The Washington Post

The rule is that pronouns should refer to the closest noun. The ad is against the Super Bowl???

If you have to think to figure out what a sentence means, the sentence is written poorly.

“These” and “those” are plural, “that” is singular. Second panel.

She should have said “that kind” or “those kinds.” I remember that lesson from grade school. Harrumpf.