Good grammar meets "Good Manners..."
One of my favorite parts of my week is talking to David Yontz, managing editor at Creators Syndicate, who copyedits my column. I call him "SuperDave" and a "grammar ninja," because he knows his craft so well. And he's funny and fun, which is reflected in his grammar podcast, which (in case you're sensitive) includes profanity and -- horrors! -- occasionally some talk about sports (though in the service of points about grammar).
I love listening to these podcasts -- I always learn something and there's always a lot of interesting stuff. This week, especially, I enjoyed, because it's...mostly about me and my book! And also about a little Twitter fight I had with a presumptuously rude grammar nanny -- who, by the way, was right in what he corrected me in. (I knew he was, but going around correcting strangers' grammar on Twitter is akin to going up to a stranger in the grocery store and telling her, "Excuse me, lady, but that dress really isn't working with those shoes.")
Dave explains what I got wrong and a trick to figure out how to do it correctly. And it's funny and fun and about meee! So give a listen.
And follow me on Twitter at @amyalkon and Dave at @davidyontz. Get all of his podcasts here -- at Stop!... Grammar Time. And here's a link to my podcasts, Nerd Your Way To A Better Life! (with the best brains in science).
> going around correcting strangers' grammar on Twitter is akin to going up to a stranger in the grocery store and telling her, "Excuse me, lady, but that dress really isn't working with those shoes."
Actually, I'd say it's more like going around a beach and telling people that they really should be wearing tails and a tie.
The social norms of twitter, for better or worse, do not emphasize grammar. People let their hair down. ...and they let their "their" and their "they're" down too.
TJIC at June 7, 2014 7:20 AM
I do like to get things right. And I don't make the "they're"/their and it's/its mistakes.
PS There's a helpful footnote from Dave in my book, "Good Manners For Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck", detailing the most common grammar mistakes people make in email.
Amy Alkon at June 7, 2014 7:46 AM
Here's a Pin on the subject:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/402368547930979371/
Amy Alkon at June 7, 2014 7:46 AM
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/402368547930979371/
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Well said.
Leaving aside those with a genuine excuse, such as people with dyslexia, WHY do we act as though it's somehow rude not to put the words of high-school dropouts - or people who are just as lazy and willfully illiterate as dropouts - on the same level as the words of those who had the drive and discipline to get a Ph.D. on whatever the subject happens to be?
While there are certainly rude WAYS to correct another's grammar - even when we're talking about a teacher and a young pupil - it's getting to the point where parents are demanding that teachers stop correcting their kids at all, because of "self-esteem." (Whatever happened to the idea of self-RESPECT - such as pupils doing their best and resolving to do even better, with the teacher's help?)
And, as I mentioned before, even best friends can misunderstand each other when one of them steps away from their mutual dialect - or any other reason - so why AGGRAVATE that possibility just because you're feeling lazy? Especially when you're not with friends, but at work?
lenona at June 10, 2014 7:35 AM
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