Two people who share my disdain for the sorry state of grammar and usage in the English language happened to e-mail me on the same day, both inadvertently inspiring me to write.
Leigh (author of Flipper and Me and a fellow blogger on Mom2Mom) is dumbfounded that the confusion of homonyms and similar words has become practically accepted. We commiserated on the use of "loose" (rhymes with "goose") for "lose" (rhymes with "chews"). I was recently doing some work that required me to read college entrance letters from high school seniors and I found that the loose/lose confusion was rampant. It bothers me that the confusion exists in the first place. But what bothers me more is that these kids didn't feel it necessary to have their letters proofed before sending them to people they should be trying to impress!!!
Amy sent me an article from The Amateur Gourmet concerning dress codes in restaurant. I think she thought I would be inspired to weigh in on this matter, but what I ended up noticing was the poor usage in this phrase in one of the comments: "if you'd like to be apart of what they are trying to convey, be apart of it." It should be "a part" instead of "apart."
This got me thinking about the people who use "alot" or, worse still, "allot" in their writing when they mean to convey "many." First of all, when I was growing up, I was taught that "a lot" was OK for the spoken word, but in writing, one should explore other words to convey the same meaning. Obviously, this was a rule that went the way of the serial comma, and I can handle that. But if you are going to use "a lot" in your writing, please bother to spell it correctly.
Maybe my concerns about the status of grammar and usage of English put me in the same category as the commenters in The Amateur Gourmet's Anti Dress-Code Violation article who insist that men wear suits and women wear dresses to certain restaurants. Maybe I am headed toward becoming part of the new older generation, steadfastly embracing the "old days" when good writing skills were required and people cared enough to proof their work before sharing it. Maybe I need to lighten up...
What do you think?
Di







Today is my birthday. I'm not coy about my age...I'm 46. I'm pretty proud of it. Wouldn't trade it to be 23 again. Stevie Nicks is 60 today!!!
Despite huge acclaim for the pink hair picture, I'm switching to a picture that looks like me on pretty much any given day in the summer. I'll be on the lookout for something a little more glamorous or spectacular or goofy in the photo department.


If you think for a moment that I am kidding, click
***ANNOUNCEMENT*** Earlier that day, I witnessed a spectacular golf feat when my friend and "golf partner for life," Stef, scored an Eagle on the first hole by putting the ball in the hole from 80 yards out. I was so excited for her and utterly impressed by seeing such a rare event.



Recent Comments