Examples of use and misuse of English language

Written by Ellen Beveridge
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 15:11

I do not profess to be an expert in grammar, but there are some mistakes that I never fail to notice, that repeatedly bother me.

I cringe when someone says, “I should have went to the game” instead of “gone to the game,” or “me and my brother” instead of “my brother and I.”

The incorrect use of lay and lie, or laying and lying, is another of my pet annoyances.

During one of his morning television shows Regis Philbin spoke of “laying down,” and one night on Bill O’Reilly’s TV show he described the scene of a hit-and-run driver by saying that the victim was “laying on the road.”

Tsk, tsk gentlemen, chickens lay eggs, but Regis, you were lying down, and Bill, the man was lying on the road.

I have yet to find this mistake in any books I’ve read, but I did notice it while watching the movie “Up in the Air” when George Clooney sends a text message that says he is “laying down.”

My second peeve is a bit more complicated. It’s about the correct or incorrect use of the superlative and the comparative. If I’m losing you on this one, let me clarify by saying that the superlative is used when referring to three or more of anything; the comparative is used when there are only two.

For example: A mother has three children; in chronological order they are daughters Emily and Lillian, and a son John. If the mother refers to her children collectively, then the superlative is used, and Emily is the oldest and John is the youngest. But, if she refers to only her daughters, then it’s the comparative. Therefore, Emily is the older daughter, and Lillian is the younger. Get it? Now perhaps you will be able to pick up on some of the following examples of these mistakes:

While watching Barbara Walters interview the President and his wife on television recently, Michelle referred to her oldest daughter.

Finding these errors in writing is the most surprising to me. I remember years ago when the writer of an article in Parade magazine referred to William as being the oldest son of Diane and Charles. Since I retired I’ve had more time to read, and it is in books that the superlative and comparative mistakes really astonish me; especially when they are made by writers I assume should know better.

When, in Pat Conroy’s latest book, “South of Broad,” I found this mistake I thought I would do my good deed for the day by pointing it out to the publisher. In my letter, written back in October, I not only quoted the mistake but included the page it was on.

As this was the first printing of the book, I thought that the publisher would appreciate my letter so the mistake could be rectified if there was a second printing. Perhaps the change has been made, or will be, but to date I’ve never received a response. So if I continue to find these mistakes I’ve given up on the idea of writing to any more publishers.

But I enjoyed Conroy’s writing so much that I decided to read more of his books. The two I read were published a decade or more ago, “Prince of Tides,” and “The Great Santini.” Yet I found that Conroy had made the same comparative and superlative mistakes in these books, too.

And there’s more. Sarah Palin, as you probably know, is the mother of two sons and three daughters. Yet, in her book, “Going Rogue,” Palin writes about “my oldest son...”

I’ll make my point one last time. In a recent biography of Paul Newman, the writer describes how there are two sons in the Newman family, Art Jr. and Paul. Yet, when Paul was serving in the armed forces, the father writes to Paul and refers to him as his “youngest son.”

I don’t know what to make of all this. These mistakes are commonly made in speech, and I accept that. But finding them in books by reputable authors and writers really surprises me.

Therefore, when an original manuscript is first submitted to the publisher, I find myself wondering, “Where are the copy editors?”

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