Comments on: Calling All Grammar Snobs

By: mer

mer — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:02:46 +0000

aubrey,
an acceptable alternative to “y’all” (shudder) would be to simply switch languages. Vosotros is you all in spanish, and I believe that if I had learned before senior year of high school that a comma serves more functions than marking whenever one runs out of breath in a sentence, then the world would be a much more grammatically correct place (especially for the grammar-challenged, like me).

By: Goddess Of Hugs

Goddess Of Hugs — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:03:06 +0000

I resolve not to
cringe when people say “whenever”
where “when” will suffice.

“At” at the end of
a sentence will not cause me
to roll my eyes now.

My overuse of
like must stop. I will use
other words instead.

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:17:34 +0000

I resolve to teach my dog to lie.

By: Augusta

Augusta — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:40:13 +0000

Clearly, my resolution should be to capitalize.

By: Augusta

Augusta — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:34:23 +0000

they’re used too often
in place of my trailing thoughts
my three little friends…

By: liz

liz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:32:54 +0000

Though acceptable
prepositions at phrase end
truly horrify.

By: Aemi

Aemi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Aubrey, use y’all. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with y’all. Hehe.

Seriously though, English is lacking, and we use our little improvizations – “y’all,” “youse guys,” etc. – to improve it. Y’all just happens to be a convenient one-word version.
Then again, I love dialect – grammar snobs will hate my writing, I suspect.

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:18:50 +0000

After living in Texas I found it impossible to speak without addressing the plural you. There, they say y’all, and worse – y’all’s. To avoid this, I resorted to “you guys” and worse, “your guys’.” I vow to find an alternative.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:18:37 +0000

Re: the ending of a sentence with a preposition. I offer Winston Churchill’s opinion of the rule:

“This is the sort of errant pedantry up with which I will not put.”

By: Kenyon

Kenyon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:10:36 +0000

Words, language, grammar
I love all of them dearly
so lets make them fun

There’s no need to be
an arrogant S-O-B
about someone’s style

All people talk good
Most of these grammar rules
are just traditions

Most people can use
true syntax with no problem
for their own dialect

So let’s celebrate
the wonder of language and
let the small stuff be