My Beloved and I tend to be Grammar Nazis. When our children were young, there was a black and silver bell in the middle of the kitchen table. If one of us (adults included) used “Uh” or “Um” or “You know” or “like” as conversational fillers, these infractions earned a ring of the bell. On occasion, the repeated dinging made coherent conversation difficult, but this was a helpful exercise and we learned from it. (Truthfully, we’ve talked about re-instituting the bell because it’s so easy to become lazy in our speech!)
In recent weeks, Weird Al Yankovic’s Word Crimes video has made the rounds on social media. An amusing video, Word Crimes tackles common errors / blunders / unacceptable shortcuts found in written English. It’s a clever presentation.
Before I go further, please allow a word in my defense. While I readily admit to being a Grammar Nazi, I’m not heartless or cruel (most of the time). When I catch a grammar or spelling faux pas, I usually keep it to myself … unless my Beloved is there and we can share a laugh (discreetly). But I hasten to add, I’ve found errors I myself have committed – and failed to catch in proofreading. Those errors are by far more painful to me than any amusement I receive from the errors of others. Just sayin’. Continue reading “Like, Ring the Bell”