National Grammar Day–March forth on March 4th!
It’s here, the first national grammar day. Good grammar is an endangered species, but it’s not dead. In fact, groups like SPOGG promote the use of good grammar, identifying and drawing attention to misuse in the public eye.
In honor of National Grammar Day, I’m serving a high fiber lunch (good for colons!) and drinking a Grammartini! Join me and join SPOGG over at http://nationalgrammarday.com.
Finally, here is my grammar pet peeve for the day: the split infinitive.
(BAD: I wanted to seriously talk about my feelings with him. BETTER: I wanted to talk seriously about my feelings with him.)
It’s better to save your adverb for last, or place it before your “to” + verb phrase.
Cheryl
March 25th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Not only is the “better” sentence the most academic English form, but it also seems to have a whole different meaning than the “bad” sentence. In my grammar class, my professor is constantly harping on the way grammar has a way of distinguishing classes and different types of people. The “bad” sentence seems more of a valley girl statement, one where “seriously” is used to add emphasis. I would expect someone to say, “like” before such a sentence. But the “better” sentence speaks of the tone of the conversation the speaker wishes to have.
I wonder if such mistakes as infinitives should be corrected in the classroom when a teacher hears them. Is this more of a dialect mistake? The same professor I mentioned a bit ago also explains that educators should never simply say, “What you said is bad” but instead explain to the student that there is a more academic way to state what they said.
Danielle McGuire
March 25th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Proper English historically identified the upper crust, so I see your professor’s point. I catch myself saying, “my bad.” Of course, that’s incorrect modern slang for “I did something wrong.” I often speak worse than I write.
Thanks for weighing in, and visit again, Danielle.