26 June 2006

are you a meanie?

so marcia cross got married in, of all places, san gabriel, california. it's practically next door to where i live. hop across the boulevard and you're in san gabriel, part of the quintet of asian-dominated enclaves in san gabriel valley. but seriously, san gabriel? at the church of our savior episcopal parish? marcia cross never struck me as the hollywood type, anyway. and besides, wayfarer's chapel is way too overt.

on to the real topic. . .

i think you know at least one. you can't get by saying a couple of sentences without being interrupted and corrected for spewing out double negatives, using an adjective instead of a particular word's adverbial form, misusing subject-verb agreement, and other grammar woes. i have to admit, if i was the obnoxiously outspoken type, i'd be a grammar snob, too. but hey, that's the difference between grammar snobs and grammar geeks.

reading grammar snobs are great big meanies is an excellent way to brush up on grammar while providing a good amount of humor and references to pop culture to keep the material relevant and enjoyable. there are certain points when the on-with-the-war-against-the-grammar-snobs tirades become a little tiring. a lot of the times, the lessons ultimately point the reader towards using one's best judgment, which somewhat defeats the purpose of reading a book about grammar. nevertheless, it is concise without being abrupt, gives great, easy-to-digest examples, and provides sturdy armor for grammatical battle.

it's kind of ironic how, in a chapter about prefixes and suffixes, author june casagrande provides the following:

"warren buffett is overmoneyed."

then a few hours later, i see billionaire buffett on the news, telling reporters that he's giving away $37 billion, most of it going to the bill and melinda gates foundation. ah, more money to the overmoneyed. so i guess the money will continue to fund relief efforts in sub-saharan africa and improve america's educational system. i hope so. besides that, i'm waiting for my share. cash and checks accepted.

Posted by ilovesecondhandsmoke @ 9:06 PM