In the preamble, they acknowledged that their work was flawed, declaring that they were striving for a Union that was more perfect - not actually perfect. Of course, the people granting themselves rights in the Constitution excluded an awful lot of Americans. The preamble to the Constitution begins “We the people,” emphasizing unity. The same ideal appears in America’s self-definition ( melting pot) and motto ( E Pluribus Unum - “Out of many, one“). Lately I’ve been wondering if this usage mirrors an ideal embedded in the fundamental fabric of the country - in its very name, which declares that individual entities ( States) are United. To American ears, “the cast are” just sounds wrong. Americans are more likely to employ a singular verb ( The cast is writing) than pair a collective noun with a plural verb. This convention is followed more often in the Britain than in the US.
#Grammarian pro windows how to#
(Do I know how to have a good time or what?)Īn obscure grammar rule holds that collective nouns ( jury, class, committee, etc.) are singular when everyone in the group is united in performing the same action ( The drama class meets every Wednesday) and plural when the group is divided or acting individually ( The cast are writing “Best Actor” acceptance speeches). Lacking traditional outlets, this year I’m dedicating my holiday to grammar. Barbecues aren’t an option in my dense, cement-covered portion of New York City, and I generally go to sleep around the time Macy’s sets off its first firework. Today Americans celebrate Independence Day. well, I don’t know what they mean! Frankly, I find this sign a little scary.Īre those quotation marks equivalent to a wink and a nod signalling that “officially there’s NO PARKING but you can park here anyway”? Or is the writer attempting to emphasize NO? And where does HAZARD fit in? Is there NO PARKING HAZARD?īecause your guesses are as good as mine, I hope you’ll share them with me in the comments. I know the product has SEED in it, with Detox is the goal. The world needs as many servings as possible, STAT. If the chefs indeed have a solution for intolerance, I hope they share the recipe. I won’t even speculate about the meaning of dishrealated. It isn’t.įirst up is this sign, which I spotted in a restaurant window: No doubt they thought their meaning was obvious. With this episode in mind, I sympathize with these sign writers. Not a few wrote true or false after every question. This truth I learned the hard way during my first year of teaching, when I directed students to “answer true or false” on a pop quiz. What’s clear in a writer’s head is not necessarily clear in readers’ minds. Whether you’re spending time with machine families or humans (costumers, miners, pizza people), I hope you enjoyed this post. The print is small, so I’ll retype the caption here: “Machines could help ease a caregiving crisis in Italy, where many prefer to live with their aging relatives.” I wonder which aging relatives the machines prefer to live with: eight-track tape players? The Italian equivalent of Radio Shack computers? A 1910 Alfa Romeo? Not to get too English-teachery, but pronouns do need antecedents, and many is no exception. (Chat GPT, this may be of interest to you!) Here’s a caption from a recent New York Times article: I don’t want to neglect nonhuman readers. (If any costumers are reading this, please get in touch.) What does a miner mine in a supermarket? Or Is the store participating in the construction (actually, constrction, as the sign spells it) of miners? I don’t want a job here, but I would like one of those metal hats with a lamp attached. Maybe you’d like a job in this grocery store: Do they count as costumers? Both groups, I imagine, would appreciate the opportunity to have their very own restroom, though it might be a bit crowded around Halloween. I have met a lot of people wearing costumes.
I’ve never met any Costumers, if that word refers to professionals who sew outfits that turn you into someone or something else. Looking for work? Perhaps one of the jobs mentioned in these signs is for you.
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