I’ll take Grammar Geek. I’ll take Grammar Mistress. Heck, I’ll even accept Grammar Dominatrix if you’re feeling saucy. I’ll be the Sheriff of Grammartown, flashing my badge as a card-carrying member of the Grammar Police. But please, can we possibly stop comparing people who prefer that you choose the correct form of “there”, “their”, or “they’re” with genocidal maniacs who tried to wipe an entire race of people, along with several other groups, off the face of the Earth?
Conflating the desire to help other people communicate clearly by advising them on how to improve their clarity by using correct English with the hideous, world-changing crimes of Hitler and his ilk has got to be the worst – and sadly, most common – application of Godwin’s law on the internet. Offer one grammar suggestion in the course of an internet conversation and suddenly highly intelligent people, who were just moments before bemoaning the dumbing down of society, are ready to compare you to the perpetrators of some of the most heinous war crimes in recent history.
Needless to say (but I’m going to say it anyway), equating the desire to see good grammar with genocidal mania is a bit of a false equivalency. In fact, as an English teacher, I would venture so far as to …show more content…
In particular, point out those instances where people switch codes in order to make themselves more understandable, like when an adult simplifies his or her vocabulary and grammar to communicate clearly with a child or an individual who doesn’t speak much English. Try also to find examples of inappropriate code-switching and discuss with your child the importance of using the right code at the right time. A good example (and a fun one, too) is the conversion of the teens into monsters in Scooby Doo. When the monsters try to blend in with other teenagers, they use inappropriate slang. In other words, they use the wrong “code” for their
Conflating the desire to help other people communicate clearly by advising them on how to improve their clarity by using correct English with the hideous, world-changing crimes of Hitler and his ilk has got to be the worst – and sadly, most common – application of Godwin’s law on the internet. Offer one grammar suggestion in the course of an internet conversation and suddenly highly intelligent people, who were just moments before bemoaning the dumbing down of society, are ready to compare you to the perpetrators of some of the most heinous war crimes in recent history.
Needless to say (but I’m going to say it anyway), equating the desire to see good grammar with genocidal mania is a bit of a false equivalency. In fact, as an English teacher, I would venture so far as to …show more content…
In particular, point out those instances where people switch codes in order to make themselves more understandable, like when an adult simplifies his or her vocabulary and grammar to communicate clearly with a child or an individual who doesn’t speak much English. Try also to find examples of inappropriate code-switching and discuss with your child the importance of using the right code at the right time. A good example (and a fun one, too) is the conversion of the teens into monsters in Scooby Doo. When the monsters try to blend in with other teenagers, they use inappropriate slang. In other words, they use the wrong “code” for their