Grammar Punk Blog

 I don’t usually comment on the comments I receive from this blog, and maybe I should. Or not. I haven’t decided. But I had to comment on one I recently received because it struck a nerve—just probably not the one the writer might have intended. The comment was not mean-spirited—at least I didn’t take it that way, but it made me think. I don’t even remember the exact quote and will admit to deleting it in a semi-snit, and shouldn’t have, the basics of it were that if a dictionary was required to get through the first couple sentences of a particular entry it might be off-putting to some readers—especially if said reader was in a hurry.

Hm. Where do I begin?

Okay, number one, I like big words, little words, complicated and even arcane words. If you’ve been reading this blog with any regularity at all you’ve probably tumbled to the fact that I do not attempt nor will I even consider muffling my verbosity. And have you missed my more than one entry on dictionaries!?

Number two: If you’re in a hurry! C’mon! Why is everyone so rushed? Why must all forms of communication feel as if they must be abbreviated, truncated, and guillotined so they can fit on the wee little screens that also make phone calls, allow you to do your taxes, arrange to have your dog groomed, watch the latest movies, sitcom, or television drama, and yes, read blogs. Texting is making us stupid! Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.

I will end this diatribe by saying that I truly hope I have inspired (irked, driven, pushed) you to your dictionaries to look up a word or six that I’ve used in this blog. If we stop learning we stop living. Or is that just me?

In short, this blog is meant to explore, illuminate, and even celebrate this amazing language, the teaching thereof, and the many, many ways it affects our lives. So, even shorter, I won’t be curbing my enthusiasm for words. Neither should you.

I hope you keep reading!