Please direct your attention to this column by Erin McKean, in which she suggests we word nerds give our loved ones the greatest gift of all this holiday season: the gift of just laying off already.
“If you routinely or absentmindedly murmur “between you and me” whenever someone says “between you and I,” or stop a conversation to say, “Wait, you were literally blown away? To where?”, why not see if you can turn off the part of your brain that rises to a grammar peeve like a fish to a lure? I’d bet it’s less than one time in ten that a minor grammatical faux pas blocks the sense of a message from getting through. By giving free passes on these little foibles throughout the holiday season, you may end up hearing more of what’s being said to you, and connecting better with the people doing the talking. This is the perfect gift for relatives and close friends–they’re sure to appreciate it.”
Read “The Present Perfect: Concoct Your Own Free Gifts for the Verbally Inclined.”
Psh. No rest for the wicked. Or something like that…
Comment by Skatha — December 12, 2011 @ 9:02 am |
I bite my tongue on a regular basis (well, it’s more that I pinch my tongue between my gums because I usually don’t bother with my dentures) when others make grammatical errors that peeve me. I’m certain there are many things I do that irritate others, and I don’t want to hear about it each and every time. So I try to do the same for others. Naturally, if I am asked, I’ll be happy to correct errors.
Comment by Michy — December 14, 2011 @ 3:44 am |