What does grammar nazi mean

Even if they have English as a subject, it is not necessary for them to excel in it to beat you in a debate. But riddle me this — When you do not expect a Parisian to speak to you in Hindi or even English for that matter, why the partiality against your Tamil or Kannada cabbie? Perhaps, it would help if you made an effort to learn the local salutations and phrases when you are in a new place.

As for the accent, why does everyone have to speak in one boring, monotonous accent while speaking in English anyway? Pronunciation with an accent is NOT necessarily incorrect pronunciation. About the Author. Follow Facebook Linkedin Pinterest. Subscribe Podcast Spotify Google Stitcher. You May Also Like Weird Al's "Word Crimes" Video. They may even appeal to hardline prescriptivists who use the straw-man argument that descriptivists believe everything in language to be correct or permissible.

Which is why the hard line prescriptivists use that tactic, as others in other contexts deride anarchists! And of course,while I was aware of the anarchist possibility though not the trap you suggest there are plenty of other -archy suffixes beyond that that are used. Plus I like the fact that a Greek suffix can be applied to such a bunch of no hopers. Ever been called a Grammar Nazi? Stan Carey ruminates that […]. I find the term Grammar Nazi terribly offensive, both as a copy editor and a Jew.

Grammar police and language police , while not ideal, are far less problematic, I think. It helps that police commonly takes other modifiers, like transport and railway , to form phrases that are connotatively quite neutral. Guilty as charged.

Having won my school spelling bee in or so, I seek out run-on sentences, fragments, typos, you name it. For instance…. I was flattered. Perfectionism in the formal rules of a given register of language — including standard spelling — has its place. As an editor I live and breathe the stuff. Names are especially important to get right. Thanks for the article. Does that make me a semantic fusspot? If I were to use grammar grouch , I think it would only be affectionately, because it reminds me of Oscar the Grouch.

Goon is enjoyably insulting; I have a fond history with it because of Police Squad :. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account.

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Ben Hemmens says:. Jeremy Wheeler says:. Andrew MacLaren-Scott says:. Maybe you're a bit more sarcastic and want to egg the grammar nazis on a bit. Here are some common grammar mistakes that will them nuts:. OK, OK, intentionally irritating grammar nazis is probably not the best choice. Instead, focus on improving your writing , and take the grammar nazi's advice with a grain of salt.

The grammar nazi in your life might be a stickler, but you don't have to listen to everything they say, particularly if you're writing a tweet or texting. Remember, language is constantly evolving. What was once a grammatical error may now be acceptable. Thus, grammar nazis are often misinformed when it comes to good grammar. Your goal as a writer should be to create clear, concise, and engaging writing.

If your writing is accomplishing those three goals, then you don't need to worry about the grammar police and their opinions about correcting grammar. If you write professionally, you can't avoid occasional run-ins with the grammar police. Knowing how to deal with them will help you move forward after these confrontations. If you need an antidote to the grammar nazi in your life, check out Kurt Vonnegut's rules for writing.

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