A few weeks ago, I cited several TV shows and movies that provided, of all things, grammar lessons. Then, I asked you to send me more examples.
As Gomer Pyle might have said, “Goll-ee!”
Cindy Carlin noted that, in an episode of “The Last Man on Earth,” the character Carol, even though she's frightened and is holding the title character at gunpoint, forbids him from ending sentences with prepositions. “Her insistence on this point of grammar,” Cindy writes, “carried to its logical absurdity, leads to a hilariously convoluted exchange.”
Elaine Kotler reports that the same grammatical issue arises in an episode of “The Big Bang Theory.” When Raj tells Sheldon, “You're the guy we're trying to get away from,” Sheldon corrects him: “For the record, the correct syntax is ‘I'm the guy from whom you're trying to get away.' ”
Mary Scott McGrory remembers an episode from “All in the Family” in which Mike, aka “Meathead,” corrects Archie Bunker's usage. “The speaker implies; the listener infers,” Mike explains.
Watching the film “Fever Pitch,” my daughter, Allison, noticed that Jimmy Fallon's character, Ben, revises his own grammar to impress his high-class girlfriend. “I like being part of something bigger than me … than I,” he says.
Mike Edwards recalls an episode of “Cheers” in which Woody, practicing a speech for a city council campaign, vows to “make change.” Frazier tells him to say “make a change” because, as a bartender, he already makes change.
Tom Knapp recalls the scene in the film “Mrs. Brown” when Queen Victoria's bodyguard, servant and companion, John Brown, rebuffs the Prince of Wales. When the prince huffs, “Do you know who you address, sir?” Brown replies, “ Whom you address.”
Meanwhile, Gay Chun reports that Stannis Baratheon from “Game of Thrones” has twice corrected people regarding the use of “less” and “fewer.”
When a lieutenant notes that having four fingers hacked off means “four less fingernails to clean,” Stannis replies, “Four fewer fingernails to clean.” And in Season 5, when a compatriot proclaims that allowing some women and children to die will mean “less enemies for all of us,” Stannis says quietly, “Fewer.”
Chun adds, “This is a bloodthirsty, ruthless man who will stop at nothing to gain the Iron Throne, including killing his own family members. Yet, he takes the time to educate others. It's really quite touching.”
Stannis sounds like my kind of guy.
Rob Kyff is a teacher in West Hartford, Conn. Send reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, to Wordguy@aol.com or to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 Third St., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
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