I hated removing the caricature [ gesundheit ] of Cary Grant with his hands in his pocket and with an airplane hovering somewhat menacingly in the background. Anyone who's seen the classic thriller from 1959 will instantly recognize the scenario. If not, then you shouldn't be reading Golden Pond. My friend, Marty, can be excused because he told me from jump street that he doesn't watch tv or movies. Kinda weird compulsion but I have accepted his indiscretions.
Kinda like Hoots who doesn't give a, well, hoot about sports. Kinda weird, too, but who am I to judge. Eh?
It's kinda weird of me to point out that in the above paragraph, "who am I to judge" is proper grammar. Not as some would declare that it should read "whom am I."
I went to Truck U., a story which is well chronicled by yours truly in many a prior foray, and I had many grammar courses, enunciation classes, etc. Most of the time it's a curse to listen to people butcher the English language.
Examples:
I am gonna lay down.
Should be lie down.
I like this sal-mon.
Should be samon.
I seen him, yeah.
Should be I saw him, yeah.
He should have went to Al-Anon.
Should be gone to Al-Anon. ( You hear this misuse of this verb a lot!!!!!!!!!!! )
There are more examples, of course. But these are just a few of them. I'm not pronouncing my superiority and really I don't give a shit, but it's just that I was schooled to know the difference.
And I remember conjugating verbs. It gets tricky with "lie." Unless they've changed it in the last 40 years, it should be lie, lay, lain.
Now how many people in this world have used the word "lain," when referring to lying down.
"Where's v.c.?" Bill uttered.
"I have lain down, Bill, thank you very much," v.c. retorted.
My point is: if you are somewhat intelligent, you shouldn't say: "I should have went...."
I was talking to my sister the other night on the telephone, and I couldn't help but notice her use of "double negatives."
Like I mentioned earlier, I could care less. I did tell her. Only because she hangs out with people who would consider this affront to grammar as a serious flaw on her behalf.
Example:
I couldn't hardly wait to get there!
In my line of work [ food business ] nobody gives a darn if you speak correctly or not. Because all you hear is:
"How long on the guests' order?"
"You ain't coming in cos your second cousin's in jail?"
"It's so darn hot in here."
"It's so darn cold in here."
"I can't hardly take this job. [ and shove it ]
Not sure, exactly, how I got into this foray. But it's been an interesting exercise.
In summary, to each his own. Marty=no tv and movies; hoots=Iran and no sports; and yers truly=noticing perpetrators of double negatives and watching movies and tv.
Grammar 101, v.c.
P.S. I was somewhat offered a job today and have an interview in the a.m. Things are looking up?
P.S.S. Thanks to Marty for supplying tonite's nutcracker sweet, er, suite.
2 comments:
Good luck with your interview. Don't tell whoever is conducting it, but make a note: We are paid more for what we put up with than what we actually do.
And "Who am I..." is gramatically correct. The verb ("am") is transitive so the predicate must be nominative, not subjective.
Sports? I'm checking out dog fighting...
Maybe it's a cultural thang -- er, thing.
I forgot. I don't use that word. Sorry.
Funny reply, hootster. And btw, my foray should have went, er, gone: hoots=Iraq and no sports.
Dog fighting=a cultural thing as espoused by Stephon Marbury. An ex-Ga. Tech player now in the NBA. Who has its own problems with a referee who wagered on games, including the ones he officiated. He is also getting ready to "tell all." Seems there could be as many as 20 involved. Ouch!
Speaking of "thing," John Lennon once said you should never use the word "just" in a song, or maybe it was a Truck U. prof who was grading my foray into the infantile.
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