Oy! The Things I Hear on TV!

I must admit I have been a news junkie for the past several years. And during the past few weeks, my addiction has continued — until the last few days, when I decided I just couldn’t take it anymore. And it wasn’t just because of the bad grammar! However, in the past several weeks, there have been an unusually large number of guests (doctors and others) on cable news. I don’t expect everyone to have perfect grammar. But it does make me sad when doctors and other highly educated people make grammar faux pas. Here are some things I have heard recently.

• The most frequent error I have heard is the fewer/less conundrum: saying less when fewer is correct. “less people, less cases, less tests…” and on and on.
• I saw photo’s as a plural somewhere — must have been on a news chyron (I just learned how to spell chyron – the words at the bottom of the news screen).
• I heard between used with I: between him and I. I hear that a lot, as I am sure you do and it makes me crazy!Argh!!!!!!!
• I heard a doctor start a sentence with “Me and . . ..”
• I heard a Los Angeles physician make two mistakes in one short interview that frankly appalled me, but that’s me:  1) less patients rather than fewer 2) have came to the emergency room (that is the one that really got me.)
• Another medical person: “If I could have sang . . .”
• Secretary of State Pompeo made a common mistake: We have arranged it where they don’t have to worry about getting home (no): We have arranged it so that they don’t have to worry about getting home (yes). 

I know that there is a very serious pandemic, and the grammar we hear on the news is the least of our problems. But this is a grammar blog, and I know I am not the only one driven crazy by these mistakes made over and over again. After all, isn’t it as easy to speak correctly as to speak incorrectly??

Speaking of songs — which we weren’t, but I was listening to oldies and cringed when I heard this one. You have to be pretty old to remember this song, and the error isn’t really a big one (in fact, I don’t even think it’s “wrong,” but it sounds really wrong to me):

1963, Bobby Rydell in the song “Forget Him”: He can’t give you love which isn’t there. (How about He can’t give you love that isn’t there?)

On the other hand, kudos to Tim Hardin, the songwriter who wrote “If I Were A Carpenter,” correctly using the subjunctive mood.

---

So…what are you doing while you shelter at home? Taking up a new hobby? Learning a new language? Taking online classes? Writing? Playing an instrument? Coloring? Watching a lot of Netflix? Shopping online? Sleeping? Baking? Cooking? Gardening? Talking to family members on Zoom or FaceTime? Playing computer games? Walking? Reading? Meditating? Working? Eating? Nothing? Please let me know for next week’s blog post. Don’t post a comment, please. Send me a short e-mail at bigwords101@yahoo.com — subject line “pandemic.”