THE POST OFFICE AT WORK -- SORTA

[stanley]

Guess I'm lucky.  I send and receive a fair amount of parcel shipments, and I have had zero issues.  Knock on wood....

S.

[360 0r Better]

43 minutes ago, stanley said:

Guess I'm lucky.  I send and receive a fair amount of parcel shipments, and I have had zero issues.  Knock on wood....

S.

There you go you just screwed it up for yourself for bragging about it.

[bigorange]

2 hours ago, Outdoor Writer said:

Other than the non-sentence I let stand as is, I doubt you'll be able to edit my editing. But I'm still waiting to see your versions....

Sorry...been busy with the kids and their toys. Here are those that jumped out at me. Using my phone, so unfortunately I can’t easily edit text color. Thanks for the fun. 
 

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any movement on your package. The response we get from the last facility where your package had been scanned, (no comma) <no comma necessary unless you like to overuse commas> is that they are experience (experiencing) <correct edit> massive delays due to the record high package volume received this year. And personal shortages do (due) <correct edit> to COVID-19. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done until your package receives its next scan. If you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date. You (no period; a comma plus lower case Y) <this was correct as originally typed. Your edit created an incomplete sentence. The comma after USPS.com is unnecessary.> can file a claim through the Mail Recovery Center at USPS.com, under the HELP tab.

[Outdoor Writer]

2 hours ago, bigorange said:

Sorry...been busy with the kids and their toys. Here are those that jumped out at me. Using my phone, so unfortunately I can’t easily edit text color. Thanks for the fun. 
 

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any movement on your package. The response we get from the last facility where your package had been scanned, (no comma) <no comma necessary unless you like to overuse commas> is that they are experience (experiencing) <correct edit> massive delays due to the record high package volume received this year. And personal shortages do (due) <correct edit> to COVID-19. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done until your package receives its next scan. If you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date. You (no period; a comma plus lower case Y) <this was correct as originally typed. Your edit created an incomplete sentence. The comma after USPS.com is unnecessary.> can file a claim through the Mail Recovery Center at USPS.com, under the HELP tab.

Nah, somehow you are all mixed up.  Maybe you needed to look at the original?? Here it is:

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any movement on your package. The response we get from the last facility where your package had been scanned, is that they are experience massive delays due to the record high package volume received this year. And personal shortages do to COVID-19. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done until your package receives its next scan. If you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date. You can file a claim through the Mail Recovery Center at USPS.com, under the HELP tab.

Sooo.......

The response we get from the last facility where your package had been scanned, (no comma) <no comma necessary unless you like to overuse commas> 

  I said NO COMMA, and then you said the same thing! Duh! 🤪

If you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date. You (no period; a comma plus lower case Y) <this was correct as originally typed. Your edit created an incomplete sentence. The comma after USPS.com is unnecessary.>

No, it wasn't correct as originally written, which was: 

(dependent clause>>)If you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date. (independent clause>>) You can file a claim through the Mail Recovery Center at USPS.com, under the HELP tab.

The first part is a DEPENDENT clause -- also called a sentence fragment -- and requires an independent clause to form a complete sentence. The second part is that independent clause, which is normally a complete stand-alone simple sentence. Writing the two properly (my edit: You (no period; a comma plus lower case Y))  results in a correct COMPLEX sentence that should read: 

If you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date, you can file a claim through the Mail Recovery Center at USPS.com, under the HELP tab. 

You can usually pick out the dependent clauses because they start with words like because, after, if, when, while, etc. In the case above, the 'if' is the tipoff. To verify, just remove all the extraneous stuff beyond the noun or pronoun and verb. You wind up with "If you do not receive" which obviously makes no sense as a stand-alone sentence. The same would be true if it was written as:

Because you do not receive...
When you do not receive...
While you do not receive...
Since you do not receive...

Lastly, no comma is needed between the two elements (<<independent clause) (dependent clause>>) if the complex sentence is written with the independent clause first as in this sentence and as in:

You can file a claim through the Mail Recovery Center at USPS.com, under the HELP tab (<<independent clause) (dependent clause>>) if you do not receive your package after thirty (30) days from its expected delivery date. 

In addition to the 'do' to 'due', I could have corrected the 2nd part, which is also a sentence fragment. 

...package volume received this year. And personal shortages do to COVID-19.

It should read: ..package volume received this year and personal shortages due to COVID-19.

Lastly, I agree that the comma is unnecessary in this part: USPS.com, under the HELP tab. 

[rcdinaz]

Our recent horror story may be worse.  My daughter's passport expired, she sent it in with her birth certificate for renewal. Well... they seem to have lost it.  Two gov orgs at their finest so no answers to be had.  You could say it might just be taking a long time but my other daughter already has hers back in hand. 

Just great to have the actual government lose your identity.  😡

[Outdoor Writer]

5 minutes ago, rcdinaz said:

Our recent horror story may be worse.  My daughter's passport expired, she sent it in with her birth certificate for renewal. Well... they seem to have lost it.  Two gov orgs at their finest so no answers to be had.  You could say it might just be taking a long time but my other daughter already has hers back in hand. 

Just great to have the actual government lose your identity.  😡

Ouch. That ain't good. Now, the questions are: Did she send it via USPS? If so, did it actually arrive at the Dept. of State?? Or is this a complete unknown who done-it? 😂

[rcdinaz]

It seems to be in limbo at one of the processing centers, so no action by the Dept of State for now.  

[bigorange]

2 hours ago, Outdoor Writer said:

Nah, somehow you are all mixed up.  Maybe you needed to look at the original?? Here it is:

My fault and I apologize...I misread completely and thought you had made the edits, not highlighted the original text and added comments. Now it makes perfect sense and I agree 100% with your edits. 

[Outdoor Writer]

18 hours ago, bigorange said:

My fault and I apologize...I misread completely and thought you had made the edits, not highlighted the original text and added comments. Now it makes perfect sense and I agree 100% with your edits. 

Apology is accepted. I knew you'd come around as soon as you discovered the error of your way.  🙄

In college I majored in both biology and journalism. The latter provided my beer money, even though we could drink only 3.2% in Ohio.  Several of my dorm mates depended on me to edit their papers. I charged them $4 per double-spaced page. That was in 1960, so with inflation it would be a lot more now.  Obviously, I could become a millionaire just on this site alone. 🤣 

That said, I rarely comment about grammar and spelling in posts on the web because I don't expect folks to spend a lot of time writing prose. And I certainly don't go over my posts with a fine-tooth comb. About the only time I do make a comment is when someone questions another's post for grammar while making their own error in doing it. 

So now, in the interest of full disclosure, you and I both missed a not so obvious error in that USPS paragraph. See if you can find it. 

[Saguaro]

Outdoor Writer, how many books have you written?

[Hoss50]

On 12/24/2020 at 9:12 AM, Outdoor Writer said:

This a copy of a post from my Facebook page:

If anyone wonders why and how the USPS is in the red, wonder no more.

I sold a new Kifaru backpack for $200 to a fine buyer who lives in the Durango, Colo. area, which is about 550 miles away from Phoenix. I packed it up with all of the Priority Mail tape and stickers, then purchased & printed a Priority Mail label that cost me $19.78 to send the 3 lb. package for 3-day delivery.

My postman picked it up and put it into the tracking system at the Glendale, AZ PO on Dec. 7, where it languished until Dec. 15 before being sent to the "distribution center" in Phoenix. On Dec. 20, it finally was in transit to another "distribution center" in Albuquerque, N. Mex. It left there on Dec. 21 and arrived at the Durango PO late that night. It was finally delivered on Dec. 22 at 1:09 p.m, a full 15 days later!!! Needless to say, I could have walked it there faster.

During the time it was moving like a snail thru the system, I was in constant contact via emails with several USPS apologists. Some of what I said to them shouldn't be shown here on FB.

 

My wife sent a package to a friend on Dec 8th in Apache Junction, we live in Glendale . It still hasn't arrived, and the last tracking scan was in Kent Washington a week ago. 

[Outdoor Writer]

38 minutes ago, Saguaro said:

Outdoor Writer, how many books have you written?

Just one complete book -- HOW TO HUNT COUES DEER - but have also contributed to many others in the form of chapters and/or photos. I've never really had the appetite for books because they take a lot of time, and the rewards aren't that great for outdoor books. Heck the same goes for articles. The major magazines are still paying the same rates as they did when I started selling to them in the early 70s. Likewise goes for photos. The most I've been paid for one was $1500 for a Gander Mtn. MasterCard. This was the photo:

[Saguaro]

It would be nice if you would write another one.  You’ve been around a long time and it would be something nice to read.  I have trouble with writing, I don’t write good.  I admire those that do.  I have a lot of ideas, mostly comedy and I wish I could get them down.

[Outdoor Writer]

2 hours ago, Saguaro said:

It would be nice if you would write another one.  You’ve been around a long time and it would be something nice to read.  I have trouble with writing, I don’t write good.  I admire those that do.  I have a lot of ideas, mostly comedy and I wish I could get them down.

Too old now to reap any benefits from another book. Besides, I fully retired over a year ago. About the only thing I sell is a photo if someone contacts me, but I don't solicit business. 

The Coues book was sort of labor intensive, so to speak. I wrote it, edited it, scanned many of the photos and did the actual layout of everything including the cover and all the inside photos. A lot of folks helped with their contributions, of course.

Now....you don't need to be a good writer to do a book; you just need to hire a good editor. I know one. 😉

[Outdoor Writer]

22 hours ago, bigorange said:

My fault and I apologize...I misread completely and thought you had made the edits, not highlighted the original text and added comments. Now it makes perfect sense and I agree 100% with your edits. 

Did you see this in my last reply to you?

So now, in the interest of full disclosure, you and I both missed a not so obvious error in that USPS paragraph. See if you can find it.