tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80124711313509841342024-03-08T06:18:11.680-08:00Rub Out Grammar Goofs!Bad television script writing is killing the English language. Why is this a problem? Children, English language learners, and grammar-deficient teenagers and adults think that what they hear on TV is right. Poor scriptwriting is teaching poor grammar. The people who populate TV hospitals and courtrooms are supposed to be intelligent and educated. Have you heard a television actor deliver a clearly ungrammatical line? Share it here!Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-88123821604774795222013-07-02T07:47:00.000-07:002013-07-02T07:47:54.065-07:00Pronoun Pain!Talking on television without a script can be challenging. We expect a professional newsperson, however, to do his or her best to correctly model simple grammar. <br />
<br />
Gretchen Carlson, of Fox News, and her guest, swimming teacher Ilise Kohleriter, were interpreting video footage of a baby, Elizabeth, who was swimming competently in a large pool. Our experienced host should have been able to smoothly grab the correct pronoun-- in this case, a word that stands for <i>one baby. </i><br />
<br />
Gretchen asked, "Is this the same kind of program where you basically throw the baby into the water... and the baby just has to fend for themselves?" <i>(What? This hurts more than fingernails on a chalkboard!) </i><br />
<br />
The guest, later in the interview, made the same faux pas when she stated, "I think every child should learn to save themselves." <br />
<br />
I'm not accusing Ms. Carlson of leading the swimming instructor astray-- Ms. Kohleriter may have been equally grammar-challenged. However, had the host said, "...and the baby just has to fend for herself," perhaps her guest might have eased into the same pattern. In any case, the television audience would have had one more opportunity to hear correct pronoun usage in a medium in which English erodes daily.<br />
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Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-22869393708297985212013-04-01T12:56:00.000-07:002013-04-01T12:56:04.229-07:00English is going to the dogs.A scripted television ad for Purina Dog Chow shows a little girl kicking a soccer ball, as her dog runs around. The child's voice says, "When I started playing soccer, I wasn't so good. So, me and Sadie started practicing."<br />
<br />
Why must the writers have the girl model poor grammar? It would be so easy to have her say, "So, Sadie and I started practicing." Oh, of course! The ad writers are probably young and grammar-impaired.<br />
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Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-54003828803648544722012-12-05T18:13:00.000-08:002012-12-05T18:13:39.038-08:00BRITS MESS UP, TOO
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American English is declining rapidly and alarmingly, but
speakers across the pond make grammatical errors, as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first child of Prince William and his wife Kate will be
born in 2013.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Speaking of the changes to succession rules to give royal
girls an equal opportunity, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said, “Whether the
baby is a boy or a girl, they will have an equal claim to the throne.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“They” is not the appropriate pronoun, unless Will and Kate
are expecting twins. “They” is not a neutral word to use when the sex of the
individual is not known. “They” is
plural. A better way for the deputy
prime minister to have stated this exciting development would have been,
“Whatever the sex of the baby, he or she will have an equal claim to the
throne.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-47856151681856823772012-07-09T17:26:00.000-07:002012-07-09T17:33:20.114-07:00Even the president of the United States must beware of grammar goofs."I believe it's time to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, folks like myself, to expire." What is wrong with this pronouncement that President Obama said today? I ask you, what is wrong with this PRONOUNcement? It is, of course, the incorrect use of the reflexive <u>pronoun</u>, "myself." <br />
<br />
Obama has fallen into the trap of thinking that using "myself" makes him sound more sophisticated and educated. Sorry, Mr. President. <i>Myself </i>is a reflexive pronoun-- Used correctly, you might find it in phrases such as "I did it myself" or "Most people like like to read novels, but I, myself, prefer history books." The word you should have used is simple, little, ordinary <i>me</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Me </i>is the perfectly honorable, sophisticated, and <u>correct</u> word to use in your sentence. "I believe it's time to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, folks like <b>me</b>, to expire." Me. Me. Please remember... <b>me.</b><br />
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</div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-72743515023449943982012-07-03T18:19:00.001-07:002012-07-03T18:22:19.105-07:00SSSSSS!<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">I don't know how I found this, but I did: A blog named No Bad Language (love it!), written by Vickie Bates. http://nobadlanguage.net/about-me/</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"> I am a fan of anyone who promotes proper grammar and clean language usage. Vickie puts forth her opinion on the tricky showing of possessiveness when the possessor has a name that ends in letter S... or worse, double S, as I do. </span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vickie writes:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://nobadlanguage.net/excessive-possessiveness/" rel="bookmark" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 26px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Permalink to Excessive Possessiveness">Excessive Possessiveness</a></h1>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: navy; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 24px;">Mills’s educational excellence is enhanced by its sylvan campus.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"></span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">I fear this is one of those grammar strictures that’s broken so many times, it’s about to get dumped. Somewhere along the way, editors stopped doing their duty and allowed writers to hang an “s” onto possessives ending in “s,” so they work just like possessives that don’t have an “s” at the end.</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">The rule, in case anyone still wonders, is this:</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">Add <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: navy; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">’s</em></span> to possessives that don’t end with the letter “s” (except for “its”). Possessives that end with “s” simply take an apostrophe. For example:</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: navy; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lt. Valeris’ alacrity enabled Star Fleet to deduce Ambassador Nanclus’ role in the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon.</span></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">In recent decades, the <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Associated Press Stylebook</em> (a favorite of mine) allowed for the addition of <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: navy; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">’s</em></span> to possessives that end in “s” when the word is only one syllable. Therefore: </span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: navy; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mills’s educational excellence is enhanced by its sylvan campus.</span></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">Where do you stand on slipping in a second “s”? In my case, growing up with one rule means that when I encounter examples like the one above, I lose track of the point of the sentence and stop while my mind corrects the grammar. Plus, to my eyes, it looks wrong, that row of “ssssss,” like a cartoon-balloon for a snake. What do you think? Am I being too possessive of the old rules? Is the new usage more helpful? Does it make more sense?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, Vickie, I disagree. </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: inherit;"> I have a surname that ends in two esses. To flap a mere apostrophe on the end does not do it for me. When a speaker refers to the home of James Arness, it is natural and logical to say and write "James Arness's home." The venerable Strunk and White's Elements of Style promotes the adding of </span><i>apostrophe S</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: inherit;">. The only being who routinely receives merely an added apostrophe is Jesus. For some reason, "Jesus' name, Jesus' birth, Jesus' resurrection" is the way to go. I guess He gets an exemption. </span></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Listen to speakers when they talk of the possession-hood of a person who has a name ending in S or SS. Most of the time, you will hear repetition of the S sound. Dennis's tennis shoes; Janis's songs (how is this any different from Janice's songs?); Moses's walking stick. It is natural to say it, and it should be natural to show it with the addition of apostrophe S. Let's keep in step with the pros and and consistently go with apostrophe S. (Except for Jesus. He can do it any way he wants.) </span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-weight: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">
</span></div>
<br />
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</div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-90486174983577275372012-06-30T10:20:00.000-07:002012-06-30T10:20:02.693-07:00I hate<br />
<strong><i>myself !</i></strong> ...when it replaces "me," that
is. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I read two novels recently, which I enjoyed very
much. The first is <u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Crown</span></u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">, by Nancy Bilyeau. (2012) Ms. Bilyeau offers an historical novel
involving nice nuns, bad bishops, Henry VIII, and other engaging players. Instead
of endeavoring to write dialogue in sixteenth-century English, she allows her
characters to speak in a way that is sensible and just slightly formal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, like their twenty-first century
counterparts, her young men and women frequently use a reflexive pronoun when a
nominative one needed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many
erring characters who say “myself” when they mean “me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is my favorite:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black;">“Tell everything you know
about myself.”</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> <span lang="EN">Aagh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ho</span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">w do editors miss bloopers
like this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
The second book is <u>The Lantern</u>, by Deborah
H. Lawrenson. (2011) It is a captivating page-turner, well-written and nearly
grammar-goof free. The author creates a well-crafted mystery surrounding a
decaying property in the French countryside. Her descriptive writing enables
the reader to feel the sunshine, smell the lavender, sense the damp walls, and
fear the unbalanced brother. The writing is so good that I almost hate to
mention this mangled pronoun situation. Somehow, though, the editors failed to
see this: <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
"When you first meet someone and they tell you
stories about themselves, you have no reason to doubt these are true."<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Someone</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>linked with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they </i></b>and
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">themselves</i></b>?
To make this sentence even more sinful, it is known to the reader that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">someone</i> in question is a male. There is
no justification not to write:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
"When you first meet <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">someone</i></b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i></b>
tells you stories about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">himself</i></b>, you have no reason to doubt
these are true."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Right?<o:p></o:p></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-83386561636877196002012-06-20T17:27:00.001-07:002012-06-20T17:27:50.919-07:00Adverb AdviceI just heard two bad commercials, back to back:<br />
<br />
"New Quaker Yogurt Granola Bars-- treat yourself good!"<br />
<br />
"Get home safe." (Smirnoff Premium Malt Mixed Drinks)<br />
<br />
These are positive sentiments, poorly expressed. If young people don't hear the language spoken <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">well</span>, they won't learn it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">correctly</span>.<br />
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</div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-30879147294165352832011-12-28T16:56:00.000-08:002011-12-28T17:46:10.263-08:00Who's losing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-asfYbKnt4mI/Tvu5Vx76JLI/AAAAAAAAB_c/5CD01NYlSd0/s1600/001_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-asfYbKnt4mI/Tvu5Vx76JLI/AAAAAAAAB_c/5CD01NYlSd0/s320/001_2.jpg" width="249" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">It is abhorrent that television reality shows and these sleazy, cheesy gossip rags glorify teen parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even worse, this one models bad grammar to the young people who devour this junk.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">“Who’s losing their baby.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, we know that it’s a mom; that means that “she” and “her” are going to be the appropriate pronouns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is more than one mom losing a baby?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No—because the sentence begins “Who IS.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The phrase or sentence should read, “who’s losing <u>her</u> baby” <em><strong>or</strong></em> “Who’s losing <u>her</u> baby?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The readers of this periodical are probably young, and possibly not well-educated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They likely choose trashy lit over textbooks. </span>At least the editors could do us a favor and provide them with a grammatically legitimate headline.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-46909177102315029212011-11-23T17:59:00.000-08:002011-11-24T04:39:33.041-08:00TV Commercials with Bad Grammar – four heard in one day!Television commercials are created by advertizing firms. Presumably, the writers are grammar-adept. The following examples show that they are not. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Borden Milk:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Here’s to kids that follow their hearts.”<o:p></o:p></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kids are people, not objects!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">who</b> follow their hearts.”</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p>Comfy Control Harness:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Dogs are now begging to go for a walk, because now there’s the amazing mesh Comfy Control Harness that puts a smile on their face.”<o:p></o:p></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For many reasons, this is a badly written sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most irksome to me is the number-disagreement between the dogs and the body part mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do all these dogs share one face?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…a smile on their <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">faces.</b>”</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i></b>T-Mobile:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Everyone’s going to want this in their stocking.”<o:p></o:p></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is another sentence exhibiting a numerical mismatch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Everyone” is singular; “their” is plural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To fix this, one might change it to “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Everyone’s going to want this in his or her stocking.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>It might be better, though, to remove “everyone,” and change the subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example:” <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Your kids are </b>going to want this in their stocking.”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>But, oops!<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>This requires another correction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do all the kids share the same stocking? I hope not!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">“Your kids are going to want this in their<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> stockings.”</b><o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Motorola Droid phone:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This droid is too powerful to fall in the wrong hands.”<o:p></o:p></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If this vigorous phone is hopping about on someone’s palms, and it then falls over, the sentence makes sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I doubt that this is the intended meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">“This droid is too powerful to fall <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">into</b> the wrong hands.”<o:p></o:p></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-33899713658246341502011-10-17T18:06:00.000-07:002011-11-08T11:34:01.648-08:00There is no reason for "their."<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">“Now for the first time, hear secrets from the first Madoff family member to break their silence,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>says the ABC announcer in a promo for “20/20.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shown are interview shots that clearly depict Madoff daughter-in-law, Stephanie Madoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A female.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why use the clumsy and ungrammatical <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">their</i> instead of <em>her</em>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no excuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-49168130018045599702011-08-27T17:12:00.000-07:002011-08-27T17:15:45.945-07:00Another Stinking AdA Pampers diaper commercial shows cute babies in various play activities. The voice says, "Every baby plays by his own rules..." (so far, so good...) "...and they need a diaper that lets them do it."<br />
Ouch! Why did the writer start out well, using correct noun/pronoun agreement (the singular baby + his), but then blow it by throwing plural pronouns in there? (<u>they</u> and <u>them</u>, but still referring to the singular "baby"). How do ad writers get away with this?<br />
<br />
I railed against the mixed-pronoun iPad ad. It disappeared, and was replaced by one that doesn't offend the grammar-sensitive. I hope this painful Pampers ad is recalled, as well.Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-81969692286519073342011-05-21T17:45:00.000-07:002011-05-23T18:43:46.398-07:00When educated people sound dumb…<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Stephanie Abrams is a meteorologist on The Weather Channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, she speaks like a grammar-challenged teenager:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Me and Jen were both posting on Twitter and Facebook how that relates to the past year…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(May 18, 2011)<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Jeopardy contestants are smart, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beverly Jones, a contestant on Jeopardy, is a lawyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She made this verbal faux-pas on the show that aired May 18, 2011:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Me and my husband Alex cut our wedding cake with my father’s dress sword…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The character Carlos, on <u>Desperate Housewives</u>, said, <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Me and the girls were talking about my mother’s death.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(May 2011)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carlos is a businessman of some sort, so a reasonably intelligent and educated man, we assume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dumbos here are the writers who allow him to speak this way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All of these people, real and fictional, should know better than to use “me” as the subject of a sentence or phrase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By their poor examples, they are teaching kids that this is OK. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s NOT OK!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me am exasperated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-67097209697664036722011-05-14T11:40:00.000-07:002011-05-14T14:15:32.270-07:00Smart Pad, Dumb Ad<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">First, visualize an iPad with family photos on the screen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then you see what looks like a sound system control board on the smart device.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next is an ultrasound image of a fetus, followed by regional sales graphs, cells dividing, and an alphabet picture book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">The following mess is the text of this television commercial for iPad 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">If you ask a parent, they might call it intuitive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">If you ask a musician, they might call it inspiring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">To a doctor, it’s groundbreaking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">To a CEO, it’s powerful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">To a teacher, it’s the future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">If you ask a child, she might call it magic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">If you asked us, we’d say, “It’s just getting started.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">If you ask me, I'd say the advertising agency has a serious writing and editing deficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A professional writer was hired to craft this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why the inconsistent pronoun use?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They</i> is plural, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writer needs to choose either <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i> for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">parent.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">musician</i> a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he </i>or a<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> she? </i>Pick one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ad author finally gets it right at the end, selecting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she </i>for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">child</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Not wishing to declare the sex of the unknown person, the timid writer could opt to use the construction of the middle sentences throughout the piece…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">(To a doctor, it’s groundbreaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To a CEO, it’s powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To a teacher, it’s the future.)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and avoid making any gender choices at all. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">As it is written, the script is faulty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The commercial is defective; smart people might be turned off to the product, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-49122115370825185732011-04-12T07:49:00.000-07:002011-04-12T07:54:34.449-07:00A grammar fumble on Kirstie's tumble!<h2 class="exc_hdln"><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/12/dancing-with-the-stars-week-four-performance-kirstie-alley/?ncid=AOLDSN00280000000027" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Another ‘Dancing’ Mishap for Kirstie</span></a></h2><div class="mainimg"><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/12/dancing-with-the-stars-week-four-performance-kirstie-alley/?ncid=AOLDSN00280000000027" target="_blank"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/12/dancing-with-the-stars-week-four-performance-kirstie-alley/?ncid=AOLDSN00280000000027" target="_blank"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/12/dancing-with-the-stars-week-four-performance-kirstie-alley/?ncid=AOLDSN00280000000027" target="_blank"><div class="img"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Kirstie and Maks" height="120" src="http://buzzleak.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/b653e__1-dancing-160az04112011.jpg" width="160" /></span></div></a></div><div class="credit">ABC</div><div class="main"><div class="exc_m"><div class="exc_promo"><span style="color: blue;">After last week’s tumble, her and Maks were hoping for an error-free dance, but things didn’t go as planned.</span></div><div class="exc_promo"></div><div class="exc_promo"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oh, dear! -- We have a dance mishap for Kirstie, and a pronoun mishap for the writer. A fellow grammar crusader caught this gaffe on her AOL home page this morning. Others must have notified AOL, because the article has been rewritten. The replacement may or may not have been written by the original scripter, so I won't place blame on anyone. But I'll bet that the reporter is in the under-age-35 category. Many in this group seem to have never learned that "her," "him," and "me" are not subject pronouns. Ouch!</span></div></div></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-8362500074489461042011-03-17T07:16:00.000-07:002011-03-18T05:48:59.133-07:00May I order some "American English?"<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">This complaint is not about a poorly written television script, but I couldn’t resist a departure from that topic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A short segment on the local news last evening told of a North Carolina restaurant owner who had posted a sign forbidding service to those who do not speak English.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The shameless boldness of the proprietor is stunning enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His obtuseness is made worse by his display of ignorance of foreign languages and his own so-called “American English.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The sign attempts to tell customers, in six languages, that they are not welcome if they don’t speak English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of the languages, Russian and Irish Gaelic, I don’t know enough about to critique the restaurant owner’s rendering of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, here are the attempts to inform speakers of French, German, Spanish, and “American,” with his helpful parenthetic explanations: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">N parler fran</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ç</span>ais, pas de service.</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(French)</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kein Deutsch sprechen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kein service.</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(German)</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No hablar espa</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ñ</span>ol. Sin servicio.</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Spanish)</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Wrong, wrong, wrong!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the printed texts utilize the cedilla and the tilde (Also, the Russian text appears in Cyrillic characters.) leads me to assume that the sign maker used an online translator—Not a reliable translation method.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But here is the best:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No speak English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No Service</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(American English)</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The restaurant owner has now removed the sign, after much criticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says that he posted it in frustration after a group of Spanish-speaking patrons had difficulty ordering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t expect the guy to have a translator on staff, but at least he could get a better command of his own language!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/03/16/speak-english-service-sign-removed-north-carolina-restaurant/">http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/03/16/speak-english-service-sign-removed-north-carolina-restaurant/</a></div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-78214916304678079382011-03-14T17:46:00.000-07:002012-07-02T06:19:53.201-07:00Me, Myself, and I<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Thanks to all of you who sent me comments about my first post in this space. It is clear that we are assaulted by enough grammar gaffes to keep us fighting the battle against them for a long time to come.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Some errors we love to hate are:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 150%;">“Me and her both like the same guy.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 150%;"> “…between you and I…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 150%;"> “To sign up, please talk to Bob or myself.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Me, myself, and I… Each of these first person pronouns deserves a good look. Just for fun, I’d like to focus first on the slyest one: “myself.” Sly, because some people think it sounds right, and somehow better than “I” or “me.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Here are some excruciatingly wrong uses of the reflexive pronoun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> I have already cited Al Roker’s barbaric boo-boo:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Yeah, it’s annoying—Just like myself.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Commented another Weather Channel expert,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “That would give meteorologists grey hair—including myself.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">A news anchor on CNBC announced that Alan Greenspan had had</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">“an exclusive interview yesterday with myself…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">(Now that would be tricky!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">What has happened to little “me”? It seems that some people have the mistaken notion that using “myself” sounds more sophisticated or scholarly. Possibly, avoiding the use of “me” deflects the focus away from a self-conscious speaker. But it’s wrong. For the sentences above, “including <u>me</u>,” “like <u>me</u>,” “by sending <u>me,</u>” and “with <u>me</u>” are correct and sound perfectly right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Here’s one more ear-punisher from a scripted drama:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">“You are genetically predisposed to compete against other women for the attention of strong men like myself.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Using “myself” this way not only sounds silly, it is grammatically wrong. All of these speakers and writers surely learned in school that “myself” is a reflexive pronoun. Its purpose is to refer to the subject of the phrase, as in “I did it myself” or “I feel sorry for myself.” Sometimes the subject needs to be put into the spotlight—“I myself don’t like these macaroons.” The word “myself” could be omitted and the sentence would still make sense. The added reflexive pronoun highlights the fact that the speaker doesn’t like the cookies. (“I myself don’t like these macaroons, because I hate coconut. But my wife loves them.”) Notice that “myself” is not replacing “I” or “me.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Let’s discourage the use of the word “myself” where it doesn’t belong. The English language is complicated enough as it is.</span></div>
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Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8012471131350984134.post-85889455336801102112011-03-10T06:10:00.000-08:002011-03-10T07:32:17.322-08:00The English Language-- Death by Writing?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Television writers—the people who create the dialogue spoken by actors-- are murdering the English language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not talking about people who blather away on reality shows or chitchat with each other on news programs, although there are some killer grammar gaffes that come from them. Anyone who vocalizes on camera is liable to torture the tongue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When people must think fast and talk at the same time, they make mistakes. </span>Just this morning, The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams said, </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“…up in the Northeast, right where me and Al are…” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">This unscripted, unrehearsed utterance is painful enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She and Al Roker (who recently said, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yeah, it’s annoying—Just like myself.”) are people, who in their line of work, ad lib on air. It’s not easy to remember language rules and to use them all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it would be wise for these professionals to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i> correct grammar and to practice using it consistently, so that such atrocities do not issue forth at work. Ms. Abrams, especially, would benefit from some grammar lessons, as she seems to have been napping during English class. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">speaking</i> proper English and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">writing</i> proper English are two different efforts. Those who have grammar lapses in speaking aloud may sometimes be forgiven. </span>Instead, I refer to those who actually think about what their characters are going to say and put it in writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It is in scripted television—dramas and situation comedies, for example—that bad English should not be spoken by good characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The evil offenders are television writers who craft the faulty sentences that actors then must deliver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Do actors ever say, “This grammar is terrible! My character wouldn’t say that!”?)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s look at some examples of just one type of crime: reflexive pronoun abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are bits of dialogue from scripted television programs:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Do I seem like the kind of person who can’t laugh at themselves?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">female character on an ABC Family program </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>“No one is pinching themselves more than I am.” </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>female character on a CBS drama</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why is this a problem?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children, English language learners, and grammar-deficient teenagers and adults think that what they hear on TV is right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We copy what we hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor scriptwriting is teaching poor grammar.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The writers could have penned,</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Do I seem like the kind of person who can’t laugh at herself?”</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;">“No one is pinching herself more than I am.” </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;">In both cases, it was clear that the speaker was in need of a feminine pronoun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What were those writers thinking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;">I hear mauled grammar on television every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of it just happens, but much of it is written and passed off as “screenwriting.” It misleads and mis-educates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be prevented.<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">I invite you to share the phrases that give you pain</span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Please quote exactly, and cite the type of show on which you heard it and the character who said it. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Violence and sex on TV are objectionable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So is bad grammar!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s killing our English language.</div>Nancy Romnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05697487419384014510noreply@blogger.com0