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?
2. How often do you get asked where you’re from based on your accent?
3. What word or phrase said by newscasters is your biggest pet peeve?
4. Take the quiz: How good at grammar are you?
5. How often do you look up a word in a dictionary, either online or print?
6. How many books or guides on grammar do you currently own?
If you have a Reader’s Choice question you’d like to see asked (and answered), send me an email! I’d love to be able to include it in a future edition of the Saturday Six.
MY ANSWERS:
Coming eventually.
Welcome to Patrick’s Place, home of the Saturday Six and the Sunday Seven. Patrick is a television producer, writer, Mac lover, and Christian, though not necessarily in that order. He has a natural dislike of double standards and poor grammar.
Order Linda Hansen’s book, Yes We Did: The Southern Argument for Progressive Change at
Posting mine here if you don’t mind, sir:
1.I’ve been told I don’t have much of an accent. I learned to listen to myself in the 80s with I worked in a local Christian radio station, and now I just hope I’m coherent to whomever I speak.
2. As in #1 - I don’t get asked often because most folks can’t hear the twinge of southern drawl that I’m not really using. Unless there’s a “y’all” in there, then it’s probably pretty obvious.
3. President Bush’s “NEW-cule-ar”. Other than that, my biggest beef right now is “As seen here first” - it doesn’t matter if the story is newsworthy or not, just that we aired it first.
4.Scored 10/10 - IT’S THEIR fault
5. Not that often - context is my biggest help.
6. There’s got to be one somewhere in the house with a wife who’s a former english teacher. But for any grammar points, that’s where I’d go online rather than looking for that one book.
1) Virtually identical.
2) Never. But then again, I’m not very widely travelled.
3) It’s more the commercial media than the news media that use this one, but it’s the use of the word grow in place of the words raise, or increase, or expand. example: “We’re trying to grow our business.” Makes me crazy.
4) Got an ‘A’. 10 out of 10. I smrt.
5) Almost every day.
6) Not a single one.
I’m up, at the link above. Good ??s this week!
I have my Saturday Six at: http://missnexus.com/node/700
Hey Teens,
Whip out your browser and shove it into my website… I posted.
http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay/entries/2007/09/08/patricks-saturday-six/2370
Have a great weekend. Love this assignment.
1. How different is your speech pattern among your friends versus a stranger you’d meet on the street?
Very little if at all.
2. How often do you get asked where you’re from based on your accent?
Never.
3. What word or phrase said by newscasters is your biggest pet peeve?
‘accurate weather forecast’ with accurate pronounced ‘a curr ut’ instead of ‘a cyur ut’
4. Take the quiz: How good at grammar are you?
I got them all right.
5. How often do you look up a word in a dictionary, either online or print?
Once in awhile.
6. How many books or guides on grammar do you currently own?
1
Wow … it’s an honor to be first. I wonder if it’s a repeat. Anyway, I’m up.
I’ve got mine up. Happy reading!
Mine is up.
How come your site doesn’t retain our info in the “Leave a Reply” windows from one session to the next?
How come your site doesn’t retain our info in the “Leave a Reply” windows from one session to the next?
Excellent question. I have no idea why it doesn’t. This is a basic Wordpress blog, and I think some Wordpress blogs do that, but it’s possible that it’s only the paid ones that do? If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.
Mine are up, fun quiz