Teetop
08-16-2009, 10:12 AM
Readers unload their grammar pet peeves (http://www.mcall.com/news/all-bill-white-grammar-pet-peeves.6988947aug15,0,4230084.column?track=rss)
I promised last time to share some pet peeves about how people speak and write.
Readers dumped a lot of these on me in response to my Grammar Police column about ''graduated college'' and the misuse of ''myself.''
Before I get to the pet peeves, I'll note that I reluctantly accepted the role of grammar expert -- which I never claim to be -- in connection with a sports terminology dispute between a husband and wife. The fact that the husband is a friend of mine played no part in my ruling.
He asked, ''Now Mr. Grammar, what is the proper way of calling for time out in a game on many different occasions? Is it: 'He has now requested four time outs during the game?'; or 'He has now requested four times out during the game?' My wife and I have a running battle over that. She claims it's times out. She is overwhelmingly correct most of the time, but I am not conceding at this point.''
I ruled that ''time outs'' is correct. It's a two-word phrase that essentially functions as one word. As one Internet grammar site explained, there is no independent ''time'' in this situation. It's a time out. So to make it a plural, you put the ''s'' at the end.
....
Linda it doesn't bother me that you help us out with our writing skills, or lack there of. I was in a chat room for years and a Canadian lady drilled into my head, the difference of "there", "their" and "they're". And I am a better person for her correcting me. I hated English in high school!
It's a good article.
I promised last time to share some pet peeves about how people speak and write.
Readers dumped a lot of these on me in response to my Grammar Police column about ''graduated college'' and the misuse of ''myself.''
Before I get to the pet peeves, I'll note that I reluctantly accepted the role of grammar expert -- which I never claim to be -- in connection with a sports terminology dispute between a husband and wife. The fact that the husband is a friend of mine played no part in my ruling.
He asked, ''Now Mr. Grammar, what is the proper way of calling for time out in a game on many different occasions? Is it: 'He has now requested four time outs during the game?'; or 'He has now requested four times out during the game?' My wife and I have a running battle over that. She claims it's times out. She is overwhelmingly correct most of the time, but I am not conceding at this point.''
I ruled that ''time outs'' is correct. It's a two-word phrase that essentially functions as one word. As one Internet grammar site explained, there is no independent ''time'' in this situation. It's a time out. So to make it a plural, you put the ''s'' at the end.
....
Linda it doesn't bother me that you help us out with our writing skills, or lack there of. I was in a chat room for years and a Canadian lady drilled into my head, the difference of "there", "their" and "they're". And I am a better person for her correcting me. I hated English in high school!
It's a good article.