This is So Wrong
Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty. pic.twitter.com/ute0xPc4BH
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) February 13, 2021
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This is a United States Senator. These people are supposed to know better.
It should be:
Our Constitution and our country are more important than any one person.
"Constitution" and "country" = two nouns; therefore, this takes a plural verb. This is elementary school grammar. Unforgivable! I cannot even read this without cringing every time I see it.
But wait, you might be thinking. This is a common error that anyone might make, and this kind of stuff happens all the time. It does't mean he's an idiot! Focusing on that to justify demeaning him is petty and ridiculous.
Well, there was a time I would have agreed with you on that. But I have been shown recently the error of my ways, and now I know that is Wrong. Whether it is forgivable is not that simple; the answer depends on specific parameters. If a person has an opinion you disagree with, then it is totally cool to use whatever you can against them, even petty stuff like this mistake.
Look:
1. He thinks Trump is guilty and should have been convicted.
+
2. He made a grammar mistake.
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Do we really need to say more? I think that speaks for itself. Sure, the grammar mistake would be no big deal on its own. But combined with thinking Trump is guilty? No, that changes everything. Wrong think is to be destroyed, any way we can.
Finally, something we can all agree on? I think so.
[Disclaimer: Any and all typos, spelling errors, usage mistakes, and lazy use of punctuation are the responsibility of my proofreader, who is on an extended vacation. Please reserve any observations along those lines to be forwarded upon *their return.
*Note: It is the editorial policy of this publishing entity to use they and them as singular gender-neutral pronouns when the gender of an individual is unknown or not to be identified.]
Comments
I really want to know what is up with that background on his vid
At least he's not a cat.
I feel bad for all of you who are in the terrible weather. Here in Tucson it is calm, sunny and warmish at around 60 degrees and I feel very fortunate to be here and still kicking.
This thread is intended to provide a place to make silly comments or goof off, if anyone wants to, because that's my mood today.
My little voice said to me: If you don't laugh, you might cry. And I don't feel like crying right now, and I'm here with just my dogs so I can't yell at anyone. I'm snarky and spiky and a bit salty today.
Also too, writing words good is like, you know, super impotant! (sic)
Oh sure rub it in
Nah just kidding. I don’t mind the snow or cold. I missed it for too long to complain much. Not to say that a trip to visit you doesn’t sound good.
I really appreciate this essay because I get stuck with those words and when I should use one because the other one isn’t right. Part of it I hurry to get my comment down before I forget it and part of is that I did forget it, went back and got it again and halfway through I’d forgotten it again. By that time I’m so frustrated and lose half my train of thought. It just wanders down the dirt road never to be seen again. Have you noticed I’ve stopped asking you guys if you KNEW what I’m trying to say.
Thanks!
Thank you for stopping in Snoops!
I appreciate your positive attitude. I may do a carefully planned and meticulously edited and proofed series of spontaneous random posts about words that are commonly confused or used incorrectly.
I do believe that reading and writing are fundamental skills that people generally don't appreciate anymore. I remember learning as a kid that there was a time (and still are places) when it was forbidden to certain populations to even learn these skills. Because reading and writing are very powerful magic arts.
I have loved the printed word, books in particular, and the English language for as long as I can remember. It does matter. But it is not something ever to be used as a club to hit someone over the head. IMO.
Glad you're staying safe and not freezing!
Sure thing
Least you can do is invite me down. I don’t know how to leave a bigger hint. Cheers.
My grandma was very strict with grammar and such. She would correct me up to her point and then just not answer me and make me fix it myself. Heh...she saw through me after I tricked her for awhile. I’d be naughty and have to sit in the hall. I’d say there’s nothing to do. She told me to twiddle my thumbs. I don’t know how. She’d sit with me till I got it down. Until the next time I was naughty and had to sit in the hall.
losing ones train of thought
down a dirt road is easy
trains run on tracks
mixed metaphors
fun with the spanglish lingua
question everything
Clever.
Intellectual honesty, if available, would normally keep such derailment in check.
It is also the key sign of a "Derangement Syndrome" — people flying into a rage of criticism over a minor nothing-burger, if someone they blindly hate does it. After years of watching the tedious hypocrisy of people snapping into a pavlovian rage over anything Trump — it's still jarring. It's a quality of the weak-minded— and it is rampant.
Write on, Pluto!
"Derangement syndrome" is one of my very favorite broad-brush insults designed to shut people up.
Like I said: Wrong think is to be destroyed, any way we can.
Thanks for playing along!
Obama gave material support to our enemy
but no one said that he was a very dangerous president who acted outside the law. The CIA has permission from the court to keep that info from us. Obama also murdered two Americans and not many people even blinked an eye. What’s that Bernie?
I don't believe in using "they/them" for one person
there should be a movement, an agreement, on an entirely new word to use instead of he/she, his/hers, him/her.
I also like lyrics that rhyme and sometimes it's hard to find a good one. Moon/June/spoon is overused and a new word could fit there. Maybe "floroon". Like "Under the June Moon I fell in love with floroon". So that's my initial suggestion for replacements for "they/them". "Floon/Floroon".
LOL! Excellent. Thank you Shah
for stopping in and sharing the love. I always enjoy and appreciate hearing your perspective.
I wish you the best of luck with your campaign to get "Floon/Floroon" adopted (but don't hold your breath). After decades of having to write and edit convoluted sentences to use he/she and him/her and his/her, I am just so done with that.
As a professional editor in my day job, I've had this convo a whole lot of times. Personally my mind is made up, but as I cannot find any grammatical errors in your comment upon which to pounce, I will have to respect your point of view.
I'm there.
I stop reading any post/article on the first mistake. I feel bad about it, but I can't stop my brain from crabbing, and it overwhelms the whole post:
"complimentary", when they meant "complementary",
"reign in" when they meant "rein in" (and who doesn't love an equestrian metaphor?)
(loads of similar homonyms…)
And don't get me started on "its/it's". I'd be SO happy to remove apostrophe privileges from any number of posters here…
[But I love you all, despite…!]
Regarding they/them, I'd agree that poesy should be taken into account: maybe "fwee/fwer" to preserve a rhyme? Or would that be "fwee/fwim"?
“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett
Well said and I totally feel ya
As mentioned above, I am thinking I might do some posts now and then on commonly misused words, just for the fun of it and perhaps raise the bar a little, or at least provide a helping hand for those who would like to know or be reminded of these things.
It's hard though, to not come across as the grammar police, which I really am not (when I'm not in my job mode, that is). In fact, for me, when I come to c99 I like to take off that hat completely and not be constrained in either my reading or my writing with too much worry about things like that. I like the casual chattiness and have learned to just read on past those kinds of common mistakes that we all make.
Mostly.
My husband and I spot grammar errors
all over the place by people who should know better. Last night it was Judy Woodruff on NPR. And she is from the generation who were actually taught grammar. What you usually see is the IS/ARE mixing.
I personally think it's a bit over reactionary to call people who call out grammar issues as "grammar police". At what point is a person allowed to say something about the erroneous use of the English language or repeated mis-spelling of words?
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
Thanks for stopping by FT, good to see you!
The is/are mistake is extremely common, and I doubt most people even notice.
As a person who writes a lot of content and also edits the work of other writers at my job, I can say without a doubt that it happens primarily because in the mind of the writer, the two things are tied together to the point that they see it as a single concept. Such as, for example, the "our Constitution and our country" phrase, which I think in this case means the concept of patriotism, which the person feel is more important... so it makes perfect sense to use the singular verb.
As an editor, this error is one of the things you have to constantly keep on your radar. It is so common and so easy to miss because many times it "sounds" right even when it's not.
The grammar police versus when is it helpful/appropriate/accepted to point out mistakes, that varies greatly by the environment, IMO.
At work, of course, we are merciless and grateful for our equally merciless colleagues, because no one wants our publications to go to press with errors in them. We all focus on the goal of getting everything right, checking every fact, marking all the trademarks, using the em dash and en dash correctly. Plus of course getting the words right, and the sentences correct, and ultimately the message or information conveyed in the best way possible to the target audiences. Writing and publishing are a lot of work when done to the best level possible. (And even then, there will be mistakes in the final product. It never fails.)
But I was schooled here at C99% way back when I first got here, that this is not that. Not even close. I saw some folks get really pissed off a few times if anyone mentioned stuff like that. "People here don't have to have degrees from J school, we are just regular people." The feeling I got was it was strongly frowned upon to tell anyone they had made an error. Every great once in a while I will PM someone to let them know if I spot a typo or mistake I think that writer would want to know about and fix. Otherwise, I almost always keep my trap shut.
But I am ok with that. This place is where I come for casual chit-chat among friends and others who care about that people are thinking and what they have to say, rather than worrying about the trappings of publishing polished content.
I am in no way against using correct grammar and raising the bar or users helping each other over some stumbling blocks.
But I am against using attacks on a minor mistake as a way to bludgeon someone for having Wrong Think.
Hi CS!
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I have written dozens of opinion pieces for newspapers over the years, so I try to be particularly careful about spelling and grammar. In fact I always spell check and have my husband read over them for other errors. So I think it is important to be aware of using the correct forms in order to make one's point. If you read an opinion piece with these kinds of errors, I think people feel less positive/supportive about your opinion.
I know the incident on here that sparked your writing this piece. I have to admit that I did think less of the write's argument with all the spelling errors in it. But I also see that the responder only focused on that and did not also include a criticism of the arguments presented.
I'm not sure who is the most guilty of "mind think" anymore because the arguments are so highly charged when it comes to Trump. I have a friend who just shut the door on me when I ventured some criticism of Biden. Her feeling was that Trump was so incredibly awful that no one had the right to be doubtful about Biden. She and many other Democrats I know personally felt the same and made that very clear. I felt less and less like I could share any of my political knowledge or POV anymore, and rather than upset any more friendships, I now keep my mouth shut. But that's wrong too. I'm not sure how to fix this anymore. When I shared the fact that Biden has quite an active history of lying about his biography and life, my sister told me she was glad she didn't research things the way I do because it allowed her to "see the big picture". Then she called me an Overthinking Cynical Political Analyst! So there! I know a lot of people have/had extremely strong emotional reactions to Donald Trump, but I also felt that no one remembered why we got him in the first place (that being the Dems abandonment of the middle class). and that he was far less damaging to this country and millions of people throughout the world than George W. Bush. So while I really disliked Trump and certainly would never have voted for him, I stayed clear of the intense hatred of him.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
OH geez, I just caught an error in my reply!!! HA HA!
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
LOL! Like I said, it never fails
Which is one very good reason to avoid pointing out mistakes that others might make. It will come back to bite you every time!
This is also why I like the relaxed attitude about it here. It is nice to just write without having to watch every little thing.
On the whole Trump thing, I think my perspective is different because I'm not a Democrat (nor a Republican). I think the Red Team versus Blue Team is quite destructive to rational discussion.
For example, it's impossible for me to say that I think Trump was the worst president in modern history (quite possibly the worst of all time, so far), without someone accusing me of being a democrat or of being on the side of democrats or being snowed by democrats. Or the media.
But what actually makes me think what I do of Trump is Donald Trump and the results of his time in office. What he himself has said in speeches and rallys, what he himself posted on twitter, the policies he enacted and supported, his support of white supremacist groups and flying the confederate flag, his fake pro-law-and-order posturing, the never-ending lies and delusions, the indifference to the pandemic and to other living beings in general, the insulting con man routines... oh I could go on. And on. Trust me.
So according to many people here, I am "deranged" because I don't like Trump one little bit. Do you know how many times I have heard that insult on here? I lost count a long time ago. To me, being on the receiving end of it, the pressure to conform to a pro-trump POV (or STFU) on here is pretty extreme.
I was opposed to Joe Biden, I am grossed out by him, I do not support democrats, and I don't think they are going to fix anything.
Looking at what Trump has done and feeling revulsion for it and for him, does not mean one has to support democrats, who are perceived to be his "opponents" in the political theater. But that is how it is treated. If you are not on Team Trump, then you must be on Team Democrats. Wrong! People forget there are millions of us who are neither.
For 4 years we have heard continuously that the president isn't important; focusing on the performer in the white house is a "distraction" and a waste of time; Trump isn't the problem, he's a symptom; he was caused by the system, so he is not accountable; and so on. Now that Biden is president, suddenly it is in vogue again to constantly shriek about what the president is doing and how he is responsible for everything. Whiplash!
What got triggered though was my sense of fairness. I just hate bullying. I got into trouble here a long time ago for defending another unpopular writer who was bullied all the time for not conforming to the popular points of view. He's no longer here, to the continuing detriment to the site in my view. I came to his defense not because I agreed with everything he said, but because the bullying pissed me off to no end. I feel that way now about what happens if anyone dares to express the wrong opinion about Trump.
I often read comments or essays about how important it is to listen to other points of view. I philosophy with which I strongly agree. So it confuses me when people here act so hostile to those who have a different view of Trump. We can do better.
Again I’m giving permission to correct my grammar
and spelling and whatever else I get wrong. I know I get things wrong a lot. Facts too.
I wonder if it has to do with writing about something that is ongoing, but also happened in the past and that’s usually where I make mistakes on is/are. Even might look like a simple decision, but not when I’m thinking of the past tense of what’s happening. I can come up with many excuses lol..but just correct me. I went looking for a comment on a topic that recently came up again and saw that morning’s became a problem in November. Things must have caught up then.
Thanks again Snoopydawg
It's good to know that you are one of those writers who appreciates that sort of thing.
I will keep that in mind for sure.
I like how some sites handle it
Just write the offending word and its correction. Rewrite the offending sentence and just don’t make a big deal out of it.
Yeah that’s poorly written. Even I saw it. Heh...Count your blessings. You see it wrong right away and correct it. I see it, and spend too much time on trying to fix it in my mind. Just wastes a lot of time cuz I never know if I get it right.
lol..
This is funny... here is an email I just got from a company that
I have ordered products from in the past. They are a great little artisan soap (and such) company. I order a fantastic cutting board oil/wax and a lovely goat's milk soap from them. On their website you can even "meet" the specific adorable small herd of goats they keep and whose milk is in your soap. I have highlighted the errors in the email, including an example of the very one we are talking about.
Y'all is a contraction of "you all" and the apostrophe represents the missing letters. I have no idea why they put it where they did. It's like they know it has one somewhere, so they just took a guess.
Our power and internet are two different things, so it should be ... "our power and internet have been out..."
This is my life! Help me, I cannot stop seeing this sort of thing everywhere I look.
However, I still love the products made by this great little company and these errors in their email will not change my view of them. They are small farmers and soap makers, not writers or editors. It's all good.
I'm a registered Independent since 2016.
Hillary pushed me over the edge
I think we have Trump because of the Democrats. He managed to tap into the fact that the Dems have failed the middle class (among many other groups) and he ran with that in 2016. The mistake Trump made this time around was not digging in again with that message. He ran on stuff and nonsense this time..... and still managed to get MORE votes than in 2016. Go figure.
And I still vote for W as the very worst President we've ever had.
(Now I will check this reply for errors!)
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
I changed to Independent in 1998
It was Bill Clinton who drove me over the edge, along with his odious wife. Gore was a bore, but I still voted for him. After that, I quit politics until Obama came along and suckered me back in, briefly. But not so much that I became a democrat.
I was gaga over Bernie in the beginning, although still not enough to register as a democrat. But once the Clintons and their minions destroyed Bernie and spit in the eye of his supporters, and encouraged the media to prop up Trump as the republican nominee, the outcome was a done deal. They rolled out a red carpet for Trump.
I completely agree 1000% that the Dem party in general, and the Clintons in particular, are the reason we got Trump. I blame them directly. Absolutely and let me count the ways. Ok, no, I don't have time for that, I have to be on a staff meeting on Zoom in 30 minutes.
None of that however, makes Trump any better. He's still a completely incompetent asshole and, I sincerely believe, mentally ill in that that he is not able to function as a normal human with empathy or reasonable decision-making abilities. He is dangerously unstable and has done nothing but harm to this country and the world on multiple levels.
Whatever the reason, he did get elected president, and as such he's responsible for what happened under his "watch" as they say. It does not make sense to me to absolve him for everything just because the Clintons and Dems helped him win.
Gotta run... staff meeting looming. Blah. No time to proof so... fingers crossed.
Don't worry, CS
The Dems are working hard to get us another Trump-like person next time around!
Thanks for the conversation!
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
Thanks to you as well FT
Really good conversation for me. I was thinking last night about this circle game. It occurred to me that it is also true that Trump is the reason we got stuck with Biden. Around we go. But seriously, Joe Biden was a total has-been and I do not believe he would have won the election if Trump had been even just a little bit better. He was, in my opinion, on track to win a second term right up until the last few months of 2020, when the pandemic and his tragically inept response to it drove much of the population into a pervasive sense of impending doom and fear that having a drunken monkey at the wheel might not be such a great idea after all. Biden -- although to me just sickening, in a skin-crawl way -- somehow seemed to many people like a better chance to get some kind of competency, at least, back in charge.
Trump was right to see the pandemic as his Waterloo. But his decision to try to hand-wave it away was fatal. He handed the presidency to Biden just as Clinton had handed it to him... and 'round and 'round we go.
I do hope the republicans can at least do a little better next time than Trump 2: The Revenge of the Swamp Creature.
Cheers and Be Well my friend.
So now you gave me an earworm...
"...and go round and round and round in the circle game..."
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin