Wednesday, May 5

Whom Are Me To Talk?

I know, I know, posts about grammar are ho hum. Still.



People, you gotta stop trying to sound smart by using 'whom'. Most of the time, 'whom' gets used improperly. I only say this because I've noticed its incorrect use more often in the past month or so, on various sites that I visit. So, please, just stick with the 'who'. At least when it's incorrect, it's not as noticable. Okay, people? As for which people, you know whom you are.



Also, since I'm here, please be careful with the 'blank and I'. I know teachers drilled it into our heads in elementary school, but, alas, it went to the opposite extreme, and now 'blank and I' is too often used incorrectly. "The pizza was eaten by John and I" is incorrect, for instance. It should be "John and me". Yet, I see this very thing happening all the time. (I am so La De Da)

Here's a simple test to know if you are using it correctly: When you are writing a sentence where you wonder whether it should be 'blank and I' or 'blank and me', separate the names, and read the sentence with each as an individual entity.

The pizza was eaten by John. (that's okay)

The pizza was eaten by I. (that's not okay)

Anytime you're in doubt, just try that test, and you should see which is correct.



I just had to get that off my chest.



Carry on.



12 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Jeez, relax big guy. I was just surfing and stumbled onto this ridiculous blog. Is blogging a test of our English language skills or simply an venue to exchange opinions and ideas? If the criteria to blog is a Masters in Education, then how many people do you think would bother. Remember-- people who live in glass houses should not throw stones! Tolerance is a wonderful thing young man. You should try it sometime.

Rob MacD said...

2 hours and 8 minutes before the first 'how dare you be so uppity about language' reply appeared.
I'm disappointed.

dave s said...

i ahgree wit lizbeth. its not important that peole bea able top write correctly in order to get there mesagge across.

Jean said...

To Whom it may concern: :-) Being one of the bloggers who obviously offend you with my misuse of the word "whom" I don't think you're uppity at all. A little anal, perhaps, but not uppity. I haven't reduced my English to "yuz guz" yet, so there is hope for me. We all have our cross to bear and if intolerance to the misuse of the Queen's English is yours, go for it. Anyway, I will forgive you anything since you let me know how Deadwood really ended Sunday night!

Nils Ling said...

Personally, I think there are not enough guides to good grammar and I think people who decry proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are lazy heathens. We'll all make mistakes, and there is certainly some latitude for personal style. But bad grammar is a hindrance to communication, and apathy towards it is the hallmark of the intellectually indolent.
So friggin' there.

Elizabeth said...

Nils, surely this is your idea of humour. If it isn't, then I don't like you anymore. :-(

Nils Ling said...

Elizabeth, as much as it would break my heart to have you not like me - and oddly enough, I'm being sincere when I say that - I do feel strongly about good grammar. I don't think a person needs to have his or her Masters in Education to jump into blogging, and I agree wholeheartedly that it ought to be a venue to exchange opinions and ideas. I simply think that the Rules of Grammar are not terribly complex, can be learned by anyone with a flicker of interest in learning them, and add clarity to the exchange of those opinions and ideas. Conversely, a disdain for good grammar is a disdain for your readers. And if you show disdain for me - why should I continue to read what you have to say?
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.1.html gives anyone the online version of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. Not only is it a concise, interesting and informative read, it is exhaustive in that it presents every important grammatical rule. It can be read through in an hour. That's how easy it is to add good grammar to your skillset.
Not important? I beg to differ. With the exception of books purposely written in patois or dialect to achieve an authentic "voice", very few notable works of English have ever been published that did not have, at their core, correct grammar. It is the basis of clear communication.
People who sneer at grammar fall into the same subset as people who think it's just fine to spell "you" as "U". It's just bone lazy.
Again, there is room for personal style in this world. But - so sorry - good grammar IS important. And if that means you don't like me any more ... well, I'm going to delude myself that it's your loss.

Jean said...

"I think people who decry proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are lazy heathens."
Easy Nils...never thought of myself as a heathen.
Webster's definition of a heathen is "an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible." It doesn't say anything about the misuse of the English language. Like you said, we all make mistakes, but Jeez, calling us heathens...

Nils Ling said...

Ah, Jean ... to a writer, "The Elements of Style" and the OED ARE the Bible ...
In any event, I'm not calling for slavish devotion (unlike those who worship other Bibles) ... just an acknowledgment that there is a basic underlying structure and rules that need to be followed or clear communication is impossible. I often break grammatical rules - witness my overuse of elipses (...) but by and large, I stick to the path.
It's like being on the highway: sure, I'll forgive you a few miles over the speed limit and the occasional "Island stop" (coming to a stop sign and *almost* stopping) ... but don't travel in the oncoming lane and run red lights.

Rob MacD said...

To all my devoted readers, I apologise for even bringing the topic up.
I've learned my lesson. I will endeavour to avoid topics of religion, politics and grammar.

Nils Ling said...

Sorry. Lesson learned here, too.

Jean said...

Ahhh...don't change anything on our account. My mother said an extra 4 "Hail Marys" at Mass this morning for me, so all is right with the world. Actually, Nils...that is an awesome website you mentioned above.