Susan Morrow - Grammar Grouch
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Hi all,
I'm going to start off my blog with a plug for a friend of mine, and she doesn't even know I'm doing this. Her name is Susan Morrow, and she's also known as the "Grammar Grouch."
Susan loves to speak up about Grammar Damage. Here's a snippet from her latest ranting, which I just received:
Greetings, O English speakers!
I like to choose a timely and interesting topic, one that
most people will understand, as well as one that satisfies my desire to
rant. Thus, this month, I am following up on a couple of previous
items. I typically receive several comments (thank you and keep 'em
comin'!) regarding each month's Grammar Grouch, so I will feature some of
them below.
1) Moron apostrophes
Oh, no, that's more on apostrophes.
Tsk!
You may remember that the only possessive that doesn't take an
apostrophe is "its." It's confusing to use its, but it's the way it's
done.
Another one has come up, though, and that is
"whose."
"Will the person whose car is locked and running in
the rain please come to the hostess stand?"
2) Access, accessories, escape....
More than one person mentioned "espresso" and its frequent
mispronunciation as "eX-presso." I believe that the
word, which is Italian, is actually from the same root as "express," but
it is pronounced as it is written, without an "X":
"ESSSSSSS PRESSSSS OOOOO."
And speaking of espresso, I am a completely devoted Starbuck's
junkie, but I can't stand the way people say "vent-ay" as if it were
Spanish. No, it's "vent-eeeeeee."
"Venti" is Italian for "twenty," the number of ounces in the cup.
Mystery solved.
3) Chunky Chucky
I had numerous comments about "chunk vs. chuck," and many
people were incredulous that to toss something is to chuck, not
chunk. Grown, intelligent, educated people--maybe the evolution of
language will eventually bring it around to "chunk."
To read more about Grammar Grouch, go to WordsAreWe.com.
Keep grouching, Susan!
Jenny
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Tuesday, November 01, 2005
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