Randy

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Par For The Course

Arts & Culture > Poetry & Prose > Assault on Grammar
 

Assault on Grammar

I'm not a very good speller or writer (I taught science, not English), but I do know bad grammar when I hear it. And I hear it all the time.

Where I live, I'm used to "he don't", "we was", "ain't", etc. That's part of hoosierism (yes, that word was highlighted in yellow). It still hurts the ears, but I have to accept it. I eventually had to let it go when I was teaching--corrections were hopeless.

But when almost all TV sport announcers say "real" rather than "really" (as in "He hit the ball real hard."), I cringe every time. Weathermen: "It's going to be real cold tonight." Ouch. Substituting the word "very" should tell you if you've misused "real". It drives me crazy.

Another grammatical mistake that bugs me (but doesn't bother me nearly as much) is the use of the plural verb with "none", as in "None of the pears are ripe". That should be "is ripe": Not one (which "none" is a contraction) of the pears is ripe. That's an easy mistake and difficult to correctly say.

One more: split infinitives. "To boldly go where no man..."(Star Trek), or "You are to not watch TV now". The word "to" should follow "boldly" and "not". Reread the last sentence in the last paragraph. Did you notice I split the infinitive? It just sounds funny to write "correctly to say". I frequently make that mistake, so I'm not trying to act that all superior. I'm simply venting in this post.

posted on Nov 20, 2008 7:12 AM ()

Comments:

excape is the one that gets to me.
comment by elderjane on Dec 4, 2008 10:31 AM ()
thanks your so kind!
comment by carrryon on Nov 26, 2008 10:12 AM ()
So thats why I don't write many posts.. I just rather copy ones, because my Grammar is very bad or real bad. English is a very hard language to me. Its my second language... LOL
comment by carrryon on Nov 25, 2008 4:52 PM ()
Poor grammar really grinds my gears as well. However, at my last job I was a marketing copywriter, and my condescending manager (who, incidentally, had the WORST writing EVER!!!) criticized me one day for splitting the infinitive. (Guilty as charged -- but it just sounded much better than the alternative.) I swear I wanted to hit him. Instead I went to Wikipedia, and printed out the definition, highlighting the line: "However, most experts on language now agree that the split infinitive is sometimes appropriate." I brought it to my review, but never gave it to him.
comment by mellowdee on Nov 22, 2008 6:25 PM ()
English was my best subject in school. Someone close to me says "he don't" or "she don't" and I cringe, I also can't stand when someone axes me a question rather than asks me a question
comment by shesaidwhat on Nov 22, 2008 4:25 AM ()
Oh, don't get me started on this subject. I hear a lot of horrible grammar from folks around here too. However, I'm not their teacher so I just ignore it unless it's so bad I can't understand what the he** they are trying to say. One minor comment about your post: How about "to say correctly."
comment by catdancer on Nov 21, 2008 11:07 PM ()
I think I do more split infinitives than I catch, though they don't bother me.

Our daughter is using theirselves these days. "Stop that."
comment by stiva on Nov 21, 2008 9:45 AM ()
I had to check out "split infinities" found this from "Grammer Girl"
https://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/split-infinitives.aspx
comment by anacoana on Nov 21, 2008 5:48 AM ()
I think you're not the only one who notices the poor grammar on the air and in general. It's funny to hear the sports heroes, who are graduated from these prestigious universities... using terrifying grammar! It is a little scary!
comment by sunlight on Nov 20, 2008 5:24 PM ()
I'm guilty.
comment by anniel on Nov 20, 2008 2:12 PM ()
How well I agree, teaching JUCO Algebra and Calculus does nothing for my spelling and grammer!!!!!
comment by oldfatguy on Nov 20, 2008 2:11 PM ()
It is dismaying to see news people talking illiterately and even worse to hear the stuff that has come out of our president's mouth these last 8 years. Is is naive to be hopeful now that a former editor of the Harvard Law Review has the job? As a kid growing up, the voices on radio were my guides, their diction was to be emulated. I learned to talk "Radio American". Tempus fugit.
comment by tealstar on Nov 20, 2008 9:10 AM ()
Ah, another purist! I agree with you, buddy. I remember the first time a law graduate interviewed with me and talked LIKE a Valley girl... she didn't get the job.
comment by looserobes on Nov 20, 2008 8:13 AM ()
I feel the same Randall. To me the assault on grammar feels bad. I do correct my kids when they dont use dutch in a good way. For english I must apologize here cause its not my native language. I also bother a lot about the use of txt/msn-language in real life in testpapers and so.
comment by itsjustme on Nov 20, 2008 7:40 AM ()
something my son and his friends use all the time that irks me is "gots" in place of "has" or "have"
comment by ducky on Nov 20, 2008 7:28 AM ()

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