I've pretty much been called it all in my life. Grammar nerd. Math nerd. Science nerd. Half-Indian but still somehow pale nerd. You should wear a monocle, nerd. Stop reading Harry Potter so much and go be social, nerd (that one was from my dad-thanks dad!). But despite this constant label of being a nerd, I had to be reprimanded for my continuous grammar mistakes on one topic in ninth grade. It took my pride in being labeled a nerd and made me reevaluate everything I had come to know. Who was I? What even is grammar? It was all because I kept referring to my antecedent with an inappropriate pronoun. I will never forget this...
P.S. I was not bullied as a child. Please do not think I was bullied as a child. These nerd labels had a grain of truth but also were made in jest :)
This week's blog is going to be a little bit different. We'll actually look at two different grammar topics, although they both fall under the same category of pronouns (pronouns could have so many blogs dedicated to it, I SO wish I had the time)! Yes! Now we get two times the grammar fun! The reason I'm splitting this into two sections is because each of the topics is fairly simple in contrast to the past topics. Also, fair warning follows: if you don't like pop music, I'm sorry but the songs are great examples.
The first grammar crime we see is abuse of relative pronouns in the song "The One That Got Away" by Katy Perry.
The offenidng lyric is "In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away." Know what the grammar mistake is? Hint: I already mentioned it's about pronouns. Second hint: the issue with this song is literally in the title.
This song falls victim to the ever growing mistake of abusing relative pronouns. The issue we see here is that the pronoun "that" is used instead of "who." We see this pesky "who" come up again and again in these grammar topics! Oddly enough, the word is actually on the side of not being used in the correct situations for this topic while it is overused in the "who" vs. "whom" debacle. Put incredibly simply, we use the pronoun "who" in these situations to refer to PEOPLE, whereas "that" refers to THINGS. There might be some debate about the strictness of the rule, but I really think this is a good one to adhere to because it retains the humanity of the person you're describing. I think that's a powerful tool of language that I would be sad to see leave. So please, for humanity's sake, use who when you are talking about a person!
Our other songs to discuss our second topic comes from Taylor Swift's song "Fifteen."
The lyrics: "Because when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, You're going to believe them."
Why is this bad? We see the use of the singular pronoun "they." Our antecedent (the original thing the pronoun replaces) is "somebody," which is singular and thus calls for a singular pronoun to follow. Given the context of the song, I would assume it is a female narrator so the somebody is a male, which would change the pronoun from "they" to "he" and also the verb from "love" to "loves." Basically, this conversation simplifies down to making sure that everything agrees with everything. The tricky ones are typically in the form of "each, every, either, etc."
BUT!
We all know language evolves. For instance, we pretty much never see "thee" or "thy" unless we're reading Shakespeare. And to me, it appears we are in the midst of a lexical shift. As much as it pains my little grammar heart, I think I have to accept the singular form "they" since it is on the rise-and for a decently good reason. People use the singular "they" to avoid gender specification and thus make the phrasing more gender inclusive. And honestly, the singular "they" does do that. Look back at the Taylor Swift song and realize that if we used proper grammar, the song would be less relatable to maybe half the population since it is specifically a male saying he loves you. And it's not just in songs, as this topic has also been making headway in the transgendered community as they functions as a pronoun for individuals who do not identify as male or female. So, we are seeing a lexical change and I am both pumped and saddened. Someone help me, please. Give me an ACT grammar section to work on.
Don't let these grammar concepts get away from you! Highlight to see the answer:
From my roof, I could see the pillars ________ made up the famous landmark. (who, that)
that; obviously, pillars are not things not people so we use that.
Yesterday, while I was running across the street trying to catch my bus, I accidentally ran into Paul Hewitt-a professor ________ gave famous physics lectures-and spilled his coffee all over him! (who, that)
who; Paul Hewitt and professor both indicate a person, so we use the pronoun who. Make note that these are very easy to see what the answer is when in this context. The real challenge is to implement it into your own writing and eventually into your speaking, as a sentence this long might cause you to forget the rule right in the middle of it!
We need to make sure that each student gathers ________ belongings before they leave for the day (his or his, his, her, they)
All are correct; you can be a traditional grammarian with the first three answers as those answer follow the singular "each" with the singular pronoun. However, "his or her" can become wordy if used throughout a long piece so it is suggested to choose one gender and be consistent. But, we also know that singular they is on the rise so any of these answers is actually appropriate.
Although these grammar topics were super short and simple, they are incredibly important! The first I think focuses on humanity and the second is a language change, and in a way, also focuses on humanity. So go forth, my friends. Use this grammar to spread humanity and stuff because your language knowledge can make this planet a cooler place to live.
P.S. I was not bullied as a child. Please do not think I was bullied as a child. These nerd labels had a grain of truth but also were made in jest :)
This week's blog is going to be a little bit different. We'll actually look at two different grammar topics, although they both fall under the same category of pronouns (pronouns could have so many blogs dedicated to it, I SO wish I had the time)! Yes! Now we get two times the grammar fun! The reason I'm splitting this into two sections is because each of the topics is fairly simple in contrast to the past topics. Also, fair warning follows: if you don't like pop music, I'm sorry but the songs are great examples.
The first grammar crime we see is abuse of relative pronouns in the song "The One That Got Away" by Katy Perry.
The offenidng lyric is "In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away." Know what the grammar mistake is? Hint: I already mentioned it's about pronouns. Second hint: the issue with this song is literally in the title.
This song falls victim to the ever growing mistake of abusing relative pronouns. The issue we see here is that the pronoun "that" is used instead of "who." We see this pesky "who" come up again and again in these grammar topics! Oddly enough, the word is actually on the side of not being used in the correct situations for this topic while it is overused in the "who" vs. "whom" debacle. Put incredibly simply, we use the pronoun "who" in these situations to refer to PEOPLE, whereas "that" refers to THINGS. There might be some debate about the strictness of the rule, but I really think this is a good one to adhere to because it retains the humanity of the person you're describing. I think that's a powerful tool of language that I would be sad to see leave. So please, for humanity's sake, use who when you are talking about a person!
Our other songs to discuss our second topic comes from Taylor Swift's song "Fifteen."
The lyrics: "Because when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, You're going to believe them."
Why is this bad? We see the use of the singular pronoun "they." Our antecedent (the original thing the pronoun replaces) is "somebody," which is singular and thus calls for a singular pronoun to follow. Given the context of the song, I would assume it is a female narrator so the somebody is a male, which would change the pronoun from "they" to "he" and also the verb from "love" to "loves." Basically, this conversation simplifies down to making sure that everything agrees with everything. The tricky ones are typically in the form of "each, every, either, etc."
BUT!
We all know language evolves. For instance, we pretty much never see "thee" or "thy" unless we're reading Shakespeare. And to me, it appears we are in the midst of a lexical shift. As much as it pains my little grammar heart, I think I have to accept the singular form "they" since it is on the rise-and for a decently good reason. People use the singular "they" to avoid gender specification and thus make the phrasing more gender inclusive. And honestly, the singular "they" does do that. Look back at the Taylor Swift song and realize that if we used proper grammar, the song would be less relatable to maybe half the population since it is specifically a male saying he loves you. And it's not just in songs, as this topic has also been making headway in the transgendered community as they functions as a pronoun for individuals who do not identify as male or female. So, we are seeing a lexical change and I am both pumped and saddened. Someone help me, please. Give me an ACT grammar section to work on.
Don't let these grammar concepts get away from you! Highlight to see the answer:
From my roof, I could see the pillars ________ made up the famous landmark. (who, that)
that; obviously, pillars are not things not people so we use that.
Yesterday, while I was running across the street trying to catch my bus, I accidentally ran into Paul Hewitt-a professor ________ gave famous physics lectures-and spilled his coffee all over him! (who, that)
who; Paul Hewitt and professor both indicate a person, so we use the pronoun who. Make note that these are very easy to see what the answer is when in this context. The real challenge is to implement it into your own writing and eventually into your speaking, as a sentence this long might cause you to forget the rule right in the middle of it!
We need to make sure that each student gathers ________ belongings before they leave for the day (his or his, his, her, they)
All are correct; you can be a traditional grammarian with the first three answers as those answer follow the singular "each" with the singular pronoun. However, "his or her" can become wordy if used throughout a long piece so it is suggested to choose one gender and be consistent. But, we also know that singular they is on the rise so any of these answers is actually appropriate.
Although these grammar topics were super short and simple, they are incredibly important! The first I think focuses on humanity and the second is a language change, and in a way, also focuses on humanity. So go forth, my friends. Use this grammar to spread humanity and stuff because your language knowledge can make this planet a cooler place to live.
Maybe someone should make up a new word as opposed to recycling a word that was still being used? Using 'they' in that sense is already confusing as it is in its less popular state, even if you already know someone uses it that way.
ReplyDeleteAlso: in my English classes the response "Language is evolving, and I'm a pioneer" didn't give me any more points.