How big a deal is grammar for you? No, that’s not one of the six official questions, but it’s the topic for this week. It seems that for some people, grammar is a dying art. I think that’s sad, because it shows a general lack of effort in communication, and no good can come from putting little effort in communicating with each other.
Okay, okay…I’m off the soapbox. It’s time for the questions.
Before this week’s questions, BookGal of “Books, Memes and Musings” was first to play last week. Congratulations, BookGal!
Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as “first to play,” you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!
1. How different is your speech pattern among your friends versus a stranger you’d meet on the street?
Not very different. I am what I am. If anything, my language is cleaner, but I become more loquacious from nervousness. What IS different is the contrast between my writing “voice” and my speaking voice. I write more formally than I speak.
2. How often do you get asked where you’re from based on your accent?
Almost never. I lost my accent for broadcasting nearly 40 years ago and never got it back...
3. What word or phrase said by newscasters is your biggest pet peeve?
“Now this message from our sponsers...” would be better if it was an honest, “OK, you've got 3 minutes and a half to go pee...”
4. Take the quiz: How good at grammar are you?
| You Scored an A |
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You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes. |
The It's Its There Their They're Quiz
5. How often do you look up a word in a dictionary, either online or print?
Quite often. I highly recommend the use of WordWeb, a little dictionary tool that sits on the taskbar (Windoze only, sorry) and will look up any highlighted word you choose with a single click of your mouse. Also gives synonyms! Very handy, really.
6. How many books or guides on grammar do you currently own?
A couple, I think. Strunk and White's The Elements of Style which has a good, basic grammar section. The Chicago Manual of Style. The Associated Press guide is also around here somewhere (it was last seen a millennium ago).
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