Val Dumond

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Grammar for Grownups Quiz 21

The top of the year is always a good time to make lists. Here is a list of five grammar gaffs that you could resolve to avoid during the next 11+ months.

1. Between you and I ... Doesn't work! The pronouns that follow the preposition "between" need to be "objects." In my Handy Dandy Pronoun Guide, objects would be found in Column B (me, us, you, you, her/him/it/them). Your ear may tell you it doesn't sound right, but trust me, the proper use of pronouns will give you a verbal edge. Oh, one other thing. When using two pronouns (that includes yourself), put the other person first: you and me, rather than me and you. It's polite.

2. It's alright to sneeze if you use your elbow. Watch out for that word "alright." It's in the dictionary, but noted as "not standard usage." This is strange because we recognize words such as altogether and already without question. That's because those two words have been spelled that way since Shakespeare's time. "Alright" is a recent (last century) spelling that is frowned upon as slang in formal writing. You have been warned.

3. You imply that elbows are safe; I infer that sneezing is rude. A speaker or writer implies by hinting at something. The listener or reader infers by inserting their own take on the implication. Keep them straight and earn the awe of friends.

4. It's easy to see the simple distinction, and hard to avoid sneezing. Look closely at those adverbs "easy" and "hard." Easy implies simplicity, facility, little or no effort. In contrast, simple points toward a lack of complexity. Likewise, hard has more to do with density than with difficulty (stones are hard; tests are difficult). Nit picking? Sure, but you want to be accurate, don't you? All the bright people are!

5. Only a geek would question this simple gesture. Until a few decades ago, the word "geek" referred to an odd act in a circus (like humans who appear abnormal or bite off the head of a chicken). So when computers were new, we made fun of those people who spent all their time learning how to use them. Then, anyone who took a fancy to learning became a "geek." Now, as computers experts are rare and highly paid, those who have electronic know-how are idolized with the honorable title of geek - a term of adoration. So between him and me, it's all right to infer that a geek accepts adulation from the term that would easily be implied as weird in 1920.

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