Oh, Kotaku...

Are there more villains lurking within the walls of Arkham Asylum that we've been told about?

This of course tells up absolutely nothing[.]

Source: http://kotaku.com/5315412/imdb-lists-more-characters-for-arkham-asylum

How cliche can you get?

Here's another its/it's debacle:

While the source material and it's use in a game still doesn't sit well with me, the setting is rich, deep and, if you trust this video, being fully explored.

Also, the compound subject here is plural (source material and its use), requiring a plural verb.

Later, the article finishes with this sentence;

Now about those Doggy-Style enemy creatures.

While it is apparent that the author is trying to mimic speech patterns, this is not punctuated correctly. The correct punctuation for such a thought trailing off is the ellipsis.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5311428/dantes-inferno-lust-level-could-have-been-packed-with-sex

It's Alive!!!!!

It's been a while since I've posted, so I've got a bit of catching up to do. Here come some Internet errors, rapid-fire!

The rest of us, who were paying close attention, sort of half smiled and though "oh, neat" to ourselves before going back to work.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5310106/you-guys-123456-789-is-a-once-in-a-lifetime-oh-you-missed-it

I'm not alone anymore!

It has long been a premise of mine that the Internet (and modern technology in general) has led to a decline in language. Think about l33t-speak and txt usage. It's a far cry from the standard language used just a few decades ago. This article from Least I Could Do supports this argument, as well as the decline of communication in general.

From the article:
I’ve talked before about the demise of written language, largely due to the internet. With symbols, shorthand and ‘leet speak’ so common online, I can only shudder in horror at the thought of how future generations will write to each other.

http://forums.leasticoulddo.com/index.php?showtopic=29882

Who's giving orders around here?

Kotaku's Mike Fahey wrote an article about the upcoming NERF sequel for Wii. His article finishes with the following quote:

Looks for NERF 2 to hit store shelves this fall.

As a language teacher, I understand some of the difficulties students have with using command forms. In English, it's relatively simple. Omit the subject, but the verb still has to match the omitted subject. The only subject to take an -s ending in English is the 3rd person singular (he/she), which also is one of the only subjects that cannot be used with command forms!

Source: http://kotaku.com/5310004/ea-re+nerfs-the-wii

What time is it? Time to check your tenses!

This story got reported on a few websites. Apparently a college professor researched online communities by playing an aggressive character in City of Heroes. Kotaku reported it thusly:

Sticking strictly within the game's rules, Myers nevertheless quickly set about making himself unpopular by...doing what the game advertising itself as allowing people to do: create a superhero and battle other superheroes.

I don't think the game ever "advertising" itself, but "advertised."

Source: http://kotaku.com/5308780/college-professor-trolls-for-science-finds-people-hate-him

Don't leave me hanging!!

From roosterteeth.com:

You probably want to find out more about my radical new technique. Don't worry, I'm planning on writing my thesis about.

You always hear grammar nerds saying how you shouldn't end a sentence with a prepostion. This isn't exactly one of those cases. Rather, the problem here is ending the sentence with a preposition because they left out the object of the preposition. I think it's safe to assume that he's writing his thesis about the "radical new technique" referenced in the previous sentence, but it could just as easily be something completely different.

Source: http://roosterteeth.com/viewEntry.php?id=1378