Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Grammar Vent

Small vent.
Bad grammar rubs me the wrong way.

Two commercials on TV and the bad grammar therein:

EXAMPLE #1:
"When your car needs repaired, bring it in!"
Correction:  
"When your car needs repairs..."  or   "When your car needs to be repaired..."
I hate this recent addition to our already poor grammar. It seems that everyone uses this particular grammatical error.


EXAMPLE #2:  
(Let me set the scene... husband and wife in bedroom.  Husband in bed, apparently unable to sleep.  Wife gives husband "all natural, non-habit forming" sleeping pill.  Husband yawns, places head on pillow and is out like a light...Wife says the following:)
"[Brand X Sleeping pill] works!  (wife looks at snoring husband)  Maybe a little too good."

WHAT!  How did this get past editors?  Really?  This is STILL an issue?

Correction:  
"Maybe a little too well."  (I know it is a fragmented sentence as well, but let's focus on the obvious.)

For those of you who know me well, you know that there is one particular grammatical error that will upset me instantly. A friend and I were in the car at an intersection attempting to turn left across the oncoming lane of traffic.  There was an opening that would have been perfect for us to cross this aforementioned lane.

He says, "Dang.  I should have went."    (enter sound of fingernails on a chalkboard)
I giggle.
He says, "What?"
I say, "You should have gone."
He says, "Yeah, I should have went."
(The adult in me says that I should just let it go.  The perturbed student of Ms. Reed's English class in Junior High says I can't let this go.  What is a person to do?)
I say, "No, pal.  It is 'I should have gone'.  Not 'I should have went'."
He says, "Whatever".

Or the ever-favorite Tooele expression:
"What did you did this weekend?"

I am sure that I have my fair share of bad grammar (Ken would say "funnier" and "funniest" are a problem for me), but there are just some obvious ones that should be removed from the English conversation.

Now I'm gunna go to bed.  Okay, okay... I am going to go to bed.

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