My Word Nazi Soapbox

Yeah, I'm on it again. Okay, I don't claim to be perfect in the spelling and grammar arena, but I do try. One could probably get out their (not they're or there) red pen on this post and put it to good use. Sometimes I just have to vent. Although I have long since learned to overlook (in fact have come to expect) misspellings, shortened versions of words and horrible grammar on Facebook (since, to quote my friend, that's where grammar and manners go to die), there are still some that have the fingernails on the chalkboard effect on me. Today it's people not putting an s on the end of words that are plural. With some exceptions (women, men, mice, etc.), almost every word that is pluralized has an s added at the end. The following are some of the ones I see most often. You should add an s to these words if you're (not your) talking about more than one: post, text, test, artist, bicyclist, hypnotist. These are just a few. Also, it's "She ASKS too many questions" not "She ask too many questions." Just because some folks don't pronounce that s on the end doesn't mean it shouldn't be there. I feel pretty sure this post will elicit nods of approval from my fellow word Nazis and little or no reaction from the rest other than maybe a few "She just needs to get over it"  or "Who really cares?" uttered to themselves. However, if I bring it to the attention of maybe one person who does actually care and says, "Oh! I didn't know that!", I will have accomplished something. I could go on and talk about how people seem to have a propensity for throwing apostrophes into random words ending with an s and leaving them out when they're (not their or there) warranted (i.e. "The dog's and cats are the mans best friend's." - EEEK!!), but I'll save that one for another day.

The corners of our minds

I've often wondered what makes certain memories from long ago so vivid and that other events from the same time period totally elude me.  I have few specific memories of my early childhood, but one that has always stuck out is my much older brother leaving the house and my mother telling him, "Be careful!" and when I tried to mimic her phrase to him, I couldn't say the word careful...I realized the r just wasn't right, and I recall repeating it several times in an attempt to get it right, without success. From that you would think I would recall when I was finally able to master the r sound, but such is not the case.

I guess what prompted these thoughts, in one of my Facebook posts, the subject was brought up of the church I attended as a child and I thought of a few isolated but vivid memories from that particular time and place. I have two clear memories of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. One was before I could read and was just learning to sound out words. There was a scripture on the wall in my Sunday school class. I believe it said, "If we deny him, He also will deny us. 2 Timothy 2:12," and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to pronounce d-e-n-y! It defied everything I knew about phonics (which of course was not a lot, not to mention I didn't know that word existed at the time)!  The other memory was practicing for a children's choir program or some such, and the lady in charge stopped us in the middle of the song and wanted to know who was singing harmony. I thought I was in trouble! That's when I discovered I could sing harmony. I didn't realize what it was, it was just what I was hearing and it seemed to fit. Don't know how old I was. The only other thing I remember about that church (guess that would be three things then) is that between Sunday school and Sunday worship service, the preacher and deacons would stand on the front stoop and smoke cigarettes. Of course that was "the old days" and smoking was more acceptable then.

If you're expecting me to have had some revelation on this topic and share with you the reason for this phenomenon, I have to disappoint you. I still don't know why I remember some things and not others. Maybe I'll do some research.