Hello again, friends (you are my friends you have no choice in the matter). I’m back again and I’m going to write a blog, so here goes.

Recently, with a research project coming up, I’ve been trying to think of something to research (as you do). While doing this I’ve noticed a lot of people on Facebook/Twitter etc. correcting the spelling and grammar of others. I’m not sure why they do this, maybe I’ll research it, but I think its strange so I’m going to right about it now.

I don’t really see what the point of correcting other people is, clearly there not trying to upset anyone, so why would anyone get upset?

You all know the people I’m talking about, they usually begin there comment with a cocky little ‘*’. This is when you know a correction is coming up. The poor innocent person who made the error is in for it, the grammar nazi has found them and theirs no excape.
‘*you’re’
‘what?’
‘You mean you’re, not your, idiot.’
Is usually somewhere along the lines of what goes on. Its a very strange thing to get you’re self worked up about, its a harmless error, and clearly you know what the other person is on about if you can correct them.

Maybe the people doing this have literally had the worst day ever and need to take out there frustrations, but do they have to do it like that? Belittling people is pretty mean, and doesn’t exactly show you off in a good lite. Yes, maybe if the person making an error put there instead of their on there CV they might not get a job, but equally if you put on your CV, ‘correcting grammar of the imbecilic and uneducated’ under the hobbies section, you probably won’t get the job either.

Literally my favourite thing, though, is when these grammar nazis ‘correct’ something thats already correct. This happens literally all the time with literally. It does actually mean the thing I just used it to mean, but these angry people love ‘correcting’ this usage with phrases such as ‘do you even know what literally means’. Yes I do, do you not understand exaggeration? I’m not saying I like using literally like this, I think their are better ways of saying the same thing, but who cares?

So, the next time you see a sign that says ’10 items or less’ instead of boiling over in outrage thinking that it should say fewer, why not just think, oh yeah, I know what that means, not a problem. And the next time someone makes a grammar or spelling error on Facebook, Twitter, or even a blog, try not to get worked up about it and rip their throat out.

Thanks for reading again, hope you had a great time.

Hi all! How are you doing?

I recently posted a few links on the page which I found rather interesting, and thought you might too. Whether you read them or not is a different story entirely, but if you did, I hope you enjoyed them. If not, maybe you will want to read this and see where takes your keen linguistic mind!
I have decided to write about the well-known expression; “A picture is worth a thousand words” or “A picture speaks 1000 words”.

The idea stemmed from a link I saw on Facebook, which displayed 30 of the most powerful images ever taken. (The link is a few posts down in a comment box under my previous link). The title of the link ‘A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words’ immediately got me thinking; hmmm, what exactly does this mean and where did this saying come from? Now you’re thinking it too. I can tell.

It doesn’t literally mean a picture sprouts lips and speaks to you. Although that would be cool, (yet slightly terrifying), we do not attend Hogwarts. We attend the University of Brighton, which is far better. So, I’m going to have to look at this from a less magical perspective. Yes, I’m crying too.
I think that the saying refers the concept that a complex idea, emotion or thought process can stem from looking at a single, still image. It also outlines what I believe is one of the main goals of visualization, which is; the ability/possibility to absorb large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. Simply, an image can tell a story just as effectively as a large chunk of descriptive text.

I decided to look into the origin of the saying, all be it, very briefly.
As far as I could see, one of the earliest known references to the expression is from a 1911 newspaper article where the editor Arthur Brisbane, speaks about journalism and publicity, and says “Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words.”
I also read that the modern use of the phrase stems from a different article dating back to December 8th, 1921 (10 years later). It was from an issue advertising trade journal Printers’ Ink, in which a man called Fred R. Barnard (an advertising manager) wrote; “One Look is Worth A Thousand Words” to promote the use of images in advertisements on the sides of streetcars.
A later ad by Barnard appeared on the March 10th, 1927 in an issue with the phrase “One Picture worth Ten Thousand Words,” which he mistakenly credited as being a Chinese proverb so people would take it more seriously. How cheeky! As a result, the expression is also sometimes mistakenly attributed to Confucius who was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher. A link below shows a collection of his well-known quotes:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/confucius.html
Many things had been thought to be ‘worth ten thousand words’ well before pictures got in on the act:
“One timely deed is worth ten thousand words” – The Works of Mr. James Thomson, 1802.
“That tear, good girl, is worth, ten thousand words” – The Trust: A Comedy, in Five Acts, 1808.
“One fact well understood by observation, and well guided development, is worth a thousand times more than a thousand words” – The American Journal of Education, 1858.

Over time we’ve come to accept that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, (almost like a cultural truth), purely because of a photos ability to convey so much meaning with so little.
In the age of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram and where cameras are found on mobile devices, photos are shared more frequently than ever. Does this mean that an images powerful ability to convey so much feeling, information and complexity gets taken for granted? Something for you to think about. Maybe someone would like to write a following blog on that? Hint, hint.

There are some images that you will never forget. A lot of the time they will be personal to you and maybe only you will ever understand their true values and stories.
Is it because the image holds precious memories? Reminds you of a happy time? Maybe it takes you to a bad place that you would rather forget, but can’t? Or maybe you just simply, like it?
I find that I never really appreciate an image until days, weeks, months or even years later. When the image is captured, it’s in the moment. Days, weeks, months or years later your life could be very different.
You should never underestimate the power of an image, as it could become something that you never want to forget in the future.
So, next time you are about to delete a photo or throw away an old drawing. Stop! Yes, that abruptly. Look at the image again and take yourself back to the time it was taken. Do you really want to throw something away that holds such significance into a piece of your past?

Deep stuff right!

I hope you have all learned a little something from this blog, even if it’s ‘I never want to read Emma’s posts again’. Thankyou for reading this far though and sorry it was so long!

xxx