DISQUS

Martha · 1 year ago

Your English professor aunt is impressed with your grammar expertise--and your cleverness. (When I write "clever" in the margins of essays, sometimes even the students who are clever don't know that I'm praising them . . . . The truly clever ones do.)

Jessica · 1 year ago

I definitely have the adequate amount of clever to know when to accept a nice compliment. :)

anthony · 1 year ago

as someone who has little 'clever' and FAR too many grammatical errors in my past (so much so, I used to confuse my "grammar" and my "grandma" - to hilarious results!) I consider myself both told-off, and thoroughly confused: I don't drink coffee in the morning either - does my cup of tea count? And should that have a serial comma in it too? or is it ok to have it just with milk?

or don't I count as one of those "related" folks?

Martha · 1 year ago

Anthony--your Aunt Martha here. I think Jessica out-clevers us all (and she's good at accepting a compliment!), though I am clever enough to tell you not to swallow that comma in your tea. I'm a relative, and I have to confess to drinking only decaffeinated soda in the a.m. Obviously most untrustworthy . . . .

Martha · 1 year ago

I just have to add that yesterday I was arranging for a reception at my university, and the head of Catering Services was typing up the ingredients for her Signature Salad. She wanted my reassurance that she was using the serial comma correctly, noting that her co-workers complained that she used too many commas. It did occur to me that cooking is a discipline in which serial commas might be essential, though I can't offhand think of an example.