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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Ten Grammar Tips

Back in the '50s, when I attended St. Theresa's grade school in Hellertown, I was a bad ass. One of my readers can confirm this because he and I both spent many afternoons, after school, writing out punishments for our disruptive behavior. In fact, he invented a device that combined three pencils and triplicated whatever punishment we had to write 100 times.

Very cool.

When I finally escaped the clutches of the nuns at St. Theresa's for a different Order of nuns and brothers at Becahi, I discovered I had learned absolutely no grammar. We were all given some kind of diagnostic test, and my score was a 26.

One of the sisters sadly suggested that I needed tutoring.

Unfortunately for me, my Aunt Mamie was an ex-nun, and she made it her life's ambition to drill it into me every Saturday morning. On top of that, I learned grammar when I studied French. So although I still make errors, and have no real understanding, my grammar is at least average.

Another of my readers has sent me some grammar tips, which I'm posting here. It's short and sweet.
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 27, 2012 at 8:20 AM

    Irregardless is not a word. But irregardlessly is a word.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Untouched TakeawayMarch 27, 2012 at 9:52 AM

    Can you please add "I seen" to that list?

    It's either "I saw" or "I have seen".

    As often as I hear it in the Lehigh Valley ("I seen him at WaWa"), I guess it's now a colloquialism, but it sets my teeth on edge every time I hear it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RonnieMarch 27, 2012 at 2:20 PM

    Please also add, "You've got", "We've got", and "They've got".

    It is "You have", We have", and "They have".

    ReplyDelete
  4. PippySqueekMarch 27, 2012 at 3:49 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. PippySqueekMarch 27, 2012 at 3:52 PM

    This is not exactly a grammar pet peeve, but what is with people who have to end each and every one of their sentences with "You know" or "youknow" (for those who like to run the two words together). I just want to scream at them "I don't know, that is why you are telling me!"

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 27, 2012 at 6:45 PM

    Irregardless is my # 1. # 2 is your vs. you're. # 3 is adding an S to you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 28, 2012 at 1:54 PM

    Here's an eleventh one:

    "The point is moot", not MUTE!


    VOR

    ReplyDelete

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