Using 'on'

So if Manchester United beat Sheffied Wednesday on a particular night of the week, would it be ...

Manchester United thrashed Sheffield Wednesday Wednesday night.

 

once, while working in washington, saw a: bumfuck high defeated friday harbor friday in bumfuck.

i know the sports editor there. he should be kicked in the balls.

 

And if there's a retro '80s music concert ...

John Smith said he's going to see Til Tuesday Tuesday night.

 

Fixed

 

Those kind of photo IDs drive me insane. Every AP cutline is like this, and I've had so many co-workers who refuse to take the 10 seconds (if that) to edit that junk. Pathetic.

 

My favorite non-use of "on" was many years ago, reading in a Southern California paper that the Dodgers had won a game "on a home run by Rick Monday Tuesday."

 

I've always felt that since you wouldn't write "on yesterday" or "on tomorrow," you don't write "on Thursday."

 

You avoid it if you can, but in my opinion it's better than saying Rick Monday Tuesday, or some other examples cited here.

Who, what, where, when and why (or how) -- in that order -- usually helps me avoid both in thinking about cutline or lede writing, even if I have to leave out where in a lede. Usually, you can write around using "on" if you work at it.

Mike Smith drove in three runs with a seventh-inning double Sunday to give the Podunk Dunkers a 3-2 comeback victory against the Big City Slickers in the first game of the Class 4A state championship series.

But when you absolutely can't find a better way, "on" is a good way out so you don't blow deadline looking for the perfect sentence when it just won't come. But, bumping proper names together doesn't bother seem people like it bothers me -- and AP.

 

Those would be awkward, but neither is a proper noun. But barring paper style, should you ever write "yesterday" or "tomorrow" anyway? Most places use the day regardless.

 

Do we know the same photographers? Cause' honestly I think I spent at least an hour at work each night wondering how someone starts a cut line like: Chicago Bulls Ben Gordon.

Argghhh. Its like; congrats, you are a great photographer, but could you please just right your cut lines correctly just once. Its not like it will take you a long time. You use the same format every time; sometimes the same cut line.

That my friend, is a major pet peeve.

 

Eh, they're artists. They can't be bothered. ;D

Seriously, I love working with great shooters, even the ones who can't write a cutline to save their lives. I have more of a problem with folks in the office who, given one such cutline, can't be bothered to take the basic facts and write a good sentence (or two) to make it better.

And don't get me started on a story package in which the cutlines and subheads repeat the nut graf verbatim, so you tell the reader the same thing three times.

Four if the writer of your front-page teaser has no imagination either.

 

thank you. another very underrated, undervalued slice of style.

pisses me off when we have staffers who write, "joe jones won the curling title at the tiddilywinks center on friday."

no!