Grandma Lois has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember. She also wrote a children’s book, Tom the Mouse, a story that has been passed on through the generations of her family. She is grandmother to six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. She loves traveling with all of them.
Let’s talk about the word “like.” I’m sure you’ve like noticed the number of times a young person like uses the word as a verbal placeholder, often like several times in one sentence. It’s annoying, but we’ve come to accept it. We old folks even find ourselves doing it. Regarding legitimate uses of the word “like,” because I’m old school, I use “like” to compare things, but not to give examples. “A cucumber is like a zucchini in shape” shows comparison. When giving examples, some people would say “She grew several vegetables, like cucumbers.” I would say “She grew several vegetables, such as cucumbers.” To me, using “like” in this case suggests that the vegetables she grew are similar to cucumbers, when the person actually means that cucumbers are among the vegetables she grew. Because of current usage, I’ve come to accept using “like” in this case, but I still believe “such as” is more accurate.
People may be proud of themselves when they use the word “whom” instead of “who.” Many believe that if it comes in the middle of a sentence, it will be “whom.” This isn’t always the case. If the word is a subject instead of an object, no matter the location in the sentence, “who” is used. An example is: “She is the one who carries the flag.” In this case, “who” is the subject. “Whom” is the object when saying “The person whom I met carries the flag.”
Recently, I’ve noticed that television actors will begin a sentence with “yeah, no,” which makes no sense. When I first mentioned this to my daughter Michelle, she wasn’t aware of the trend, but after I told her about it, she began to notice. Now, while watching television, Michelle and I have fun counting the number of times people begin sentences with “yeah, no,” and the count is really up there. You may not remember hearing this expression, but now that I’ve told you, be ready for it and you’ll be surprised how often it’s used. Another sentence starter is “I mean,” which should indicate that an explanation of what you just said is forthcoming. If you haven’t yet said anything, what are you clarifying? When I watch America’s Got Talent, I’m always surprised when Heidi Klum doesn’t begin a sentence with “I mean.”
For some reason that I can’t understand, the word “good” has become verboten. Instead, people substitute the word “well.” When asked “How are you,” the response will probably be “I’m well, thank you,” which is a fine answer if the person is inquiring about your health. However, if the person is asking about your general well-being, the answer should be “I’m good, thank you,” which for generations was the response given. I have no idea why the word “good” grew out of favor. Some people have really gone overboard using “well” instead of “good.” Following are examples of instances when “well” was used erroneously when the word should have been “good.” During the CBS show Sunday Moring, an interviewer asked “So it’s very well to say . . .” In a scene from a period movie, while looking at a pair of shoes in a shop window, Maggie Smith said to a young lady, “I think those blue shoes would look very well on you.” Later, in speaking about a young man, she said, “He is very well to look at – very well indeed.” You’d think that the writer was forbidden to use the word “good.”
I believe it’s time to invent a new word for grown offspring. I think “children” should refer only to individuals under 18 years old. When I fill out forms in the doctor’s office, in the section about emergency contact, where it says “Relationship to patient,” one option is “child.” I always say to myself “Wait a minute – Michelle’s not a child.”
I’d like to talk about redundancy – using two words that mean the same. Some examples are “tiny little candle,” “final conclusion,” and “merge together.” “Tiny” and “little” mean the same, as is the case with “final” and “conclusion” and “merge” and “together.” Then there are times when an unnecessary word is added. One that really bothers me, which we see everywhere, is “for free.” Why not just “free”? “Buy two mustache combs and get a nose-hair trimmer for free.” I believe you get the nose-hair trimmer free. When I researched this, I found “for free” to be slang, but, of course, acceptable.
Sometimes, rather than sound highfalutin, I’ll deliberately use poor grammar. Linking verbs – is, was – are followed by nominative rather than objective nouns. Therefore, it’s correct. to say “It is I,” but I just may decide to be a maverick and say “It’s me.” There are other times when I deliberately break the rules. For example, I often use the word “ain’t,” knowing full well that it’s wrong, but deciding it fits the mood.
One of the most widely made grammatical errors is the incorrect usage of the word “lay” when what is meant is “lie.” You can lay something down, but you yourself lie down. After much cajoling from me, my family members have adopted the habit of using “lie” when appropriate, and they and I are definitely in the minority when we tell our dog to “lie down.” I’m on a quest to get people, medical personnel particularly, to learn to say “lie” instead of lay. The reason for the emphasis on the medical profession is that one thing they say often to patients is “lay down.” It should be “lie down.” I’m always so pleased when a nurse tells me to lie down that I feel like applauding. In a medical show I was watching, a doctor asked a patient to lay down. Not surprising. Later, this same doctor asked the same patient to lie down. One out of two – pretty good. Later she said to the patient “I’m going to lie you down.” (Head slap). Oh well, can’t win them all. The doctor was “placing” (“laying”) the patient down. I’ll admit that grammar can be tricky — the fact that the past tense of “lie” is “lay” doesn’t help matters. When people finally learn to say lie,” invariably, they’ll think that the past tense is “lied.” Just remember: today I lie down – yesterday I lay down; today I lay something down – yesterday I laid something down. If a poll were taken, I think it would be found that most people use “lay” incorrectly when they should say “lie.” I’m optimistic enough to believe that references will not call the former “acceptable.”
I always believed, and still do, that “between” is used when talking about two things and “among” is used for more. “Choose between apples and oranges,” and “Choose among apples, oranges, and pears.” If you Google it, though, you’ll be told that “between” can be used when discussing more than two items. The example given was “This is between you, me, and the bedpost,” a colloquialism, for heaven’s sake! The same holds true for “better” and “best.” When I went to school, “better” was used for two and “best” for three or more. When I Googled it, I found “using ‘best’ for two is common and understood.” So that’s the criteria now. We are living in an era of what I call “lax language,” which I attribute to laziness – as long as it’s understood, the hell with rules of grammar. Nevertheless, I’m adamant about some rules that I believe shouldn’t be bent. I was reading that double negatives are now acceptable because of the Rolling Stones song, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction. Really? We’re going to base our grammatical rules on a bunch of aging rock musicians?
I found a hopeful sign in all this prevalent bad grammar. Usually when a misuse is labeled “acceptable,” there’s the caveat that it doesn’t hold true for formal writing. It’s good to know that we purists can still find reading materials that are grammatically correct.
Obviously, I’m frustrated by the lax language prevalent today with obvious incorrect grammar being “acceptable,” but I won’t shed no tears. No, I’ll just go lay down.
THE END
If you missed Part 1, CLICK HERE.
