Grammar Matters

Here's a little reminder that grammar matters:

"Moose charges at cyclists protecting her calves", announced an online headline we saw this week.

This headline raises very questionable questions that occupied more of our time than we'd like to admit. Was the moose protecting her calves, or was the cyclist protecting the moose calves? If we were Editor, we would probably re-write this headline as "Moose, protecting her calves, charges at cyclists".

That's presuming, of course, that the calves in question are the offspring of the moose. If the calves in question are the kind that are part of the cyclist's leg, that opens up a whole other can of worms.

Clearly, nobody would read this headline and actually be confused by it. But it gave us a good chuckle. And it serves a convenient reminder that grammar is rather important, and it shouldn't be overlooked.