I have committed many errors in my life: big ones, small ones and some gone completely unnoticed, but recently I've committed an error that agitated people so much, they just couldn't let this one slip by. I used poor grammar.
I have never touted myself as a great grammarian, but come on people -- does it truly make that much of a difference in your lives if you toss in an 'ain't' here or there or end a sentence with a preposition? Indeed, it must.
Still reeling with excitement after having one of my columns published in The Arizona Republic, my morale declined when more than half of the e-mails I received in response to the column didn't praise or even bash the content, but rather lambasted me over a simple grammatical rule. The error? I wrote, "you and I" where I should have used "you and me."
One of the most amusing e-mails I received concluded with, "Of course, since your column reportedly appeared in ASU's The State Press, its editors and the Arizona Republic's editors apparently must also share your grammatical disgrace." Yeah, I'm sure we'll mope around with our heads drooped for at least a half-hour. I should note, however, that the error in question was promptly corrected by Darren Todd, my editor at The State Press, and not at the Republic.
Out of more than 750 words, that small mistake is what stood out to readers. I was just concerned about getting young people to vote, yet my words had no bearing -- I still used poor grammar. I'm not trying to make this an extended diatribe that says, "OK, I suck," but rather I've realized how pushy and pedantic people are with their grammar.
Even President Bush is cognizant of his perpetual mistakes, as he was quoted once on his concern over e-mails undergoing security screening. "I do not want my private conversations looked at by those out to embarrass," he said. Bush further promulgated his notoriety for verbal and grammatical flops while campaigning in Missouri on Friday by offering up this quote while talking about health care and doctors who are forced out of practice: "We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." Yes, that's really what he said.
So if the leader of the free world can get away with it, why can't we? We're all human, and we all make mistakes. It just happens. Many writers use guides such as the MLA Handbook to assist them. And yes, even journalists use the Associated Press Stylebook to avoid the travails that await them in Letters-to-the-Editor Land.
A BBC news story in September 2001 reported that there are even hotlines to help people with poor grammar. One such hotline exists at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton (also known as "Miss Grammars") operates the hotline and felt that some take grammar far too seriously. "When they have spent hours arguing over whether it is correct to say, 'It is I' or 'It is me,' you have to wonder if they shouldn't be exploring something else about their relationship."
Piedmont-Marton also said, "We just don't want to be the cultural handmaidens of punctuation." In many respects, I think it's safe to say that we don't want to be the cultural handmaidens of poor grammar either. So, if you too are now paranoid that every sentence you write is going to be analyzed by some retired English teacher, make use of the ASU Writing Center or give Miss Grammars a call. It'll be just between you and I.
John Ronquillo is a public administration graduate student. Reach him at johnron@asu.edu.
