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Amusing verses that shine a light on mostly medical and grammatical topics

​When proofreading with an eye to perfection, there really is no substitute for good research. While one is always guided by the client's stated preferences regarding style, there is also a baseline understanding that serves as the foundation against which required differences are compared.

I will be offering some home-grown verses here that may be helpful for keeping certain basics in mind while adapting to the guidelines of a specific project, whether under the umbrella of CMOS, AP, APA, MLA, or other guidance.

They are not intended to be comprehensive regarding any particular issue. Rather, the purpose is to draw attention to identifiable aspects that are worth noting and make them memorable.

I think of these verses tongue in cheek as "Grammar Grist." Others that you find here will be more along the lines of "Medical Musings"; some might even qualify as a combination of the two.

It'll be fun. So, let's do it. Share the cheer everywhere.


© 2022 - 2026 Medillumina 
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(A proofreader's note regarding “disinterested” and “uninterested”)

Disinterested ones selectively chosen,
Impartial for the job,
May likewise uninterested be,
Incurious as a knob.

"The disinterested little tenor 
Left every tune adrift,
The youthful audience, uninterested--
Not even slightly miffed."

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(A proofreader's note regarding “forego” and “forgo”)

A thing that precedes may be said to “forego”
As long as the “e” is kept;
Renouncing the “e” means going without,
So sad that “forgo” will have wept.

The clue is the prefix with meaning before,
As “fore” tells the tale of its time.
The clearly “foregone” has already occurred,
No matter the vibe or the clime.

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(A proofreader's note on “team” and “teem,” including reference to the liquid-related meanings of the latter)

So teemed with honors the stellar team
That tenured teachers cheered,
All eyes agleam with wondrous sheen,
Reflecting prospects shared.

Emotions felt by some were more,
To swollen flow sustain;
They teemed from pools of limpid mood,
Supplying their own champagne.

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(A proofreader's note regarding “breach” and “breech”)

To every wall a soul would “breach,”
A man must break from rut;
For every birth that dares to “breech,”
A baby lands with butt.

A “breach” relates to breaking through,
A broken rule or hole;
The violation thus involved
Could bear a hefty toll.

Position though defines a “breech,”
Including bottom pants;
The britches at your rearward end
Are breeches placed by hands.