Improper grammar drives me nuts. My mother taught high school English. So did my grandmother before she when on to earn her PhD in Botany and taught at the college level. I was raised getting my grammar corrected from both of them.
Now I correct everyone's grammar, from my daughter to the guys on the radio, the preacher and my friends, whether they can hear me or not. I know it drives them crazy and I apologize, my corrections are almost like an involuntary response.
The "I" and "me" personal pronoun error is the most common one I hear. Just yesterday I heard the afternoon guy on the radio say "...email Sue and I your contest entry...." If you take Sue out of the equation then you'd be saying "email I your entry" and you'd know that wasn't correct. Why does the conjunction make it so hard for people?
I knew someone in college who spoke poorly and would not heed my corrections, and would say she could say it correctly if she wanted. She was working on a degree in elementary education. She never got a job teaching. Who would hire a teacher who couldn't speak correctly?
Spelling is another matter entirely, however.
2 weeks ago
3 comments:
Wow, Anne. I never heard someone wax so poetic over grammar before. You may have missed your calling. They need some grammar teachers. I bet you'd be great at it.
I find your comment about conjunctions fascinating. In my life, I have had problems conjugating. Conjunction metaphors - I love it!
You may have found an ally in your passion for grammar in our new walking buddy!
My first husband(the bright one) used to correct, all people he came in contact with. Words and writing are his thing, so he felt inclined to correct. I was used to it and even welcomed it but others were not as welcoming. However, he never apologized, so I would say you are very kind in your correcting.
On the subject of teachers and bad grammar, we have several in our school system I PERSONALLY would love to string up by their toes and smack them upside the head with a dictionary. Then I would entertain the notion of doing the same to the school board members who thought it was a good idea to hire them.
You go, girl.
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