I know I've been really ranty-ravey about grammar and punctuation errors lately. But it really bugs me. I recognize that the fact that something bugs me does not mean that the world is going to instantly straighten up and get moving on fixing it. I'm not sure why that's true because it would be REALLY cool if the world acted that way.
I try to be understanding, considering the source of subtle grammar errors and punctuation faux pas. But when the source is a teacher of LANGUAGE ARTS, my normal saintly impatience is really tested.
Did they change the name of the course from English to the more generic Language Arts because they didn't want to commit to which language it was they were supposedly teaching?
In the sheet describing my son's end-of-year project, was the following:
The purpose of this project is for you to demonstrate your ability to express your thoughts, feelings, and opinions about a particular musical artist and a sample of their work.
I'm not even going to comment on the extra comma, the necessity of which I thought had been eradicated in some sea change of grammar teaching since I was in school. You know what it is. We've been here before. BUT FROM THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER???
And lest you think that I am being way too persnickety about one teeny, tiny error, this was also part of the instructions:
If you are forbidden to go to your artists web site you need to pick a different artist or group.
There are two sort-of crescent-shaped thingies that I think need to be included in this sentence.
Please tell me. Be brutally honest. Do I need to just get over it? Is it too much to expect that a Language Arts teacher would set a stellar example of grammar and punctuation to THEIR students...sorry, couldn't resist! Oh...and click on the image above or here...because there really IS an interactive Punctuation Pyramid.
Di
You don't do the penultimate comma in a series?! I always do, and I cite this (most likely apocryphal) book dedication:
To my parents, Ayn Rand and God
Posted by: Karen | May 27, 2008 at 07:25 PM
I think you probably know what I am going to say to your question. Most decidedly, you should NOT just get over it. For pete's sake, it's not too mucxh to expect that the folks who teaxch 'Language Arts' have a pretty good idea of when to use 'crescent shaped' punctuation marks.
Posted by: chris | May 27, 2008 at 11:19 PM
No. You are 100% in the right. EVERYONE should know better, in the same way that everyone should know to take up only one parking spot. But AT LEAST someone who TEACHES YOUNG MINDS should know what they're talking about.
I am with you.
Posted by: raych | May 27, 2008 at 11:47 PM
While I generally agree with your grammar rants (your term, not mine), I must defend the use of the "serial comma" before the word "and" in a list. It is one of those things that can be written either way, and I happen to be one who prefers to put a comma before the word "and". It is like the spelling of judgment/judgement. Personal preference.
Here is the ultimate authority:
Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition (University of Chicago Press, 2003), paragraph 6.19
When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series, a comma ... should appear before the conjunction. Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage....
"She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president."
"I want no ifs, ands, or buts."
"The meal consisted of soup, salad, and macaroni and cheese."
Posted by: JoAnn | May 28, 2008 at 12:08 AM
JoAnn...I used to believe in the serial comma until it was ripped from usage sometime around when I was in high school or college. I may have not gotten the job at my college's writing center because of my insistence on the use of the serial comma. So, I completely overhauled my writing to comply.
My beef is simply that we can't make up our minds once and for all and adhere to whichever rule is determined to be the rule.
I love Karen's comment with the apocryphal book quote. And a friend of mine with whom I was debating this point (does my neighborhood sound like a fun place or what???) said there was a lawsuit where an heir claimed 50% of an inheritance rather than 33% due to the lack of the delimiting comma before the "and."
Posted by: Di | May 28, 2008 at 06:46 AM
I can be a bit of a grammar-bitch myself, but my personal pet peeve is the continual misuse of the word "loose." Which, contrary to many indications otherwise, DOES NOT mean that you can't find something. THAT is spelled "lose." I see this all the time, in ads, in letters, in websites...it is maddening.
Posted by: leigh | May 28, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Maddening does not begin to describe it. I recently did some work reviewing scholarship applications and found the lose/loose issue rampant not only in the applicants' work, but in the letters of recommendation from teachers!!!
Posted by: Di | May 28, 2008 at 10:54 AM
You recall from when you were down here that we have had certain “misunderstandings” with Taylor’s Cheerleading Coach (who is also a Teacher at Taylor's Middle School.) Well, after that evening where you were witness to the instance wherein that Adult (Cheering Coach) threatened to call the Police on my child if she were not picked within 5 minutes, I sent another insistent request via e-mail that I meet with her to have a conference. This is the response that I received:
“Ms. Merrill,
Cheerleading is now over and I would perfer if you just called Mr. McCurdy at 555-7808 to deal with this.
Mrs. Rodriguez”
Thank God she is a Math teacher and not a “Language Arts” one!
BTW – Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Vicky | May 29, 2008 at 11:28 PM
People should read this.
Posted by: Seanna | October 28, 2008 at 06:13 PM