Respectfully, TEDCO, you goofed
The Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) is a generally smart organization, from what I can tell. They do a great deal of good work for businesses in Toronto, and are tireless in their efforts to bring more employment and more opportunity into this terrific city.
Just wanted to say that up front before I break the bad news, because - guys: someone was clearly asleep at the wheel here.
For background: TEDCO is one of the main backers of Toronto's bid to host the 2015 World Expo. This morning, the corporation ran an expensive full page ad in the Globe & Mail. It was framed as an open letter to Canada's Prime Minister and to the Premier of Ontario, entreating them to support the bid at the Provincial and Federal levels.
Here's the offending excerpt, quoted in context:
"...the bid cannot go forward without your support -- indeed it is the Government of Canada that must submit the bid to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Respectively, we call upon your governments to support the bid by submitting a Letter of Candidacy to the BIE by its November 2 deadline."
Um... "respectively"?
I had to read this twice to make sure I wasn't mistaken. "Respectively"?!
Then I thought - hang on a second, maybe they do mean "respectively" - as they're talking about two distinct levels of government.
But that still wouldn't be correct. The adverb here needs to refer to the items in a list, and means "each, in the order given" (e.g. Stephen Harper and Dalton McGuinty are the Prime Minister and Ontario Provincial Premier, respectively.)
I tried re-writing that sentence a couple of different ways in my head, but there's just no way to make it work with "respectively".
Respectfully, TEDCO, you need to hire someone who can write.
[Disclaimer: It is a matter of public record that I am a great pompous nit with nothing better to do than ineptly juggle sizeable stones inside my big glass house. I have no doubt that many out there could choose to find fault with the style and grammar of my own writing here - and with good cause. Feel free to oneup-pedant me at will.]
Just wanted to say that up front before I break the bad news, because - guys: someone was clearly asleep at the wheel here.
For background: TEDCO is one of the main backers of Toronto's bid to host the 2015 World Expo. This morning, the corporation ran an expensive full page ad in the Globe & Mail. It was framed as an open letter to Canada's Prime Minister and to the Premier of Ontario, entreating them to support the bid at the Provincial and Federal levels.
Here's the offending excerpt, quoted in context:
"...the bid cannot go forward without your support -- indeed it is the Government of Canada that must submit the bid to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Respectively, we call upon your governments to support the bid by submitting a Letter of Candidacy to the BIE by its November 2 deadline."
Um... "respectively"?
I had to read this twice to make sure I wasn't mistaken. "Respectively"?!
Then I thought - hang on a second, maybe they do mean "respectively" - as they're talking about two distinct levels of government.
But that still wouldn't be correct. The adverb here needs to refer to the items in a list, and means "each, in the order given" (e.g. Stephen Harper and Dalton McGuinty are the Prime Minister and Ontario Provincial Premier, respectively.)
I tried re-writing that sentence a couple of different ways in my head, but there's just no way to make it work with "respectively".
Respectfully, TEDCO, you need to hire someone who can write.
[Disclaimer: It is a matter of public record that I am a great pompous nit with nothing better to do than ineptly juggle sizeable stones inside my big glass house. I have no doubt that many out there could choose to find fault with the style and grammar of my own writing here - and with good cause. Feel free to oneup-pedant me at will.]
