Comments on: Hello again, fellow grammar sticklers

By: Kit, Walnut Creek, CA

Kit, Walnut Creek, CA — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:32:39 +0000

I’m 56, and I owe my English grammar skills to my years taking German. Talk about grammar rules!

Let’s get rid of the it’s and its — who cares?! — but I cannot abide “her and I.”

How will it look if the distinctions between I and me, she and her, he and him go away? Just everyone popping off with whichever one of the two they feel like at the time? Hard to imagine.

By: Craig, Horsham, PA

Craig, Horsham, PA — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:15:24 +0000

Still in the house.

“The Element’s Of Style” — why isn’t it on the site? If there are two columns that deserve to be circulated incessantly on the Internet, it’s that one and “Log Off You Losers.” The latter is in the 2002 Fortune archive. But “Element’s”? Nowhere to be found.

Smack those Fortune Webmeisters upside their heads, willya? Get that thing posted, already!

Your’s in gud grammer … an’ stuff.

By: thebingblog

thebingblog — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:22:02 +0000

I don’t know what you mean, Craig. Aren’t we online? Please elucidate, if you’re still in the house.

By: Craig, Horsham, PA

Craig, Horsham, PA — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:10:51 +0000

Hey, Bing: It was a terrific column — how about posting it online, wouldja please?

By: Stephen, New York, NY

Stephen, New York, NY — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:43:43 +0000

My grammar, spelling, and puctuation are far from perfect but I do my best and don’t mind it being corrected when I’m wrong.

I’m old enough to remember struggling with English grammar in grade school — diagraming sentences on the board in front of the class and nearly as worried about keeping the chalk from squeaking as getting the diagram right. My two years of high school Latin certainly made me wish I’d paid more attention to English grammar in grade school. Luckily my freshman English teacher considered The Elements of Style as the TRUE Bible (even in a Catholic high school), but I mostly credit my father for my appreciation of proper grammar. While growing up he drove me and my siblings crazy by correcting our English whenever we slipped up. He still does at 88. I’m sure my grammar — imperfect as it may be — is due primarily to his “due diligence.”

It’s rare that I don’t cringe when watching TV news and most scripted shows. The grammar is often appalling. (He asked Jim and I, I should have went, Her and I are going, etc.)

I’ll bet toddlers learn as much or more English from TV as they do from their parents or by formal instruction. The same may be true about immigrants. A greater emphasis on using correct English grammar on TV would be a huge shot in the arm to the language.

I read recently that teachers in the New York City school system were actually forbidden from teaching English grammar. Forbidden! Is it any wonder reading test scores are so low?

By: Matt, Tempe, AZ

Matt, Tempe, AZ — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:35:30 +0000

Along the same lines, have you seen what’s happening with the hyphen?!?

http://aztribguy.blogspot.com/2007_09_21_archive.html

By: dorothy baltimore, md

dorothy baltimore, md — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:51:56 +0000

and how about the people who insist that “a car crashES earlier this afternoon? even the newscasters can’t get it straight. no wonder kids can’t learn grammer…

By: Christine, New York, NY

Christine, New York, NY — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:39:50 +0000

Loove It !

By: thebingblog

thebingblog — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:43:32 +0000

The apostrophe is a joke, Titi. And thanks, Mr. Brick, for making me laugh.

By: Titi, Caldwell, New Jersey

Titi, Caldwell, New Jersey — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:51:06 +0000

Wait a second…was your article really entitled “The Element’s of Style”? Or was the apostrophe a typo in today’s blog?

Either way, it’s a funny mistake in a blog such as this.

By: Michael Brick, NJ

Michael Brick, NJ — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:16:31 +0000

Three cheers to both of you.