Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 29 Nov-3 Dec (1806-1810)
akronnick:
OMG, we're still arguing about Faye's Grammar!?!?!?! :-o :? :roll:
There are three 'rules' she's breaking in that sentence, I'll list them:
1: Always list "I" or "me" last in a pair or list. "Sven and me" rather than "Me and Sven"
2: Choose "I" or "Me" in a list or pair as if it were not in a list or pair. "I was a speedboat" rather than "Me was a speedboat;" therefore "Sven and I was a speedboat" rather than "Sven and me was a speedboat"
3: Conjugate the verb acting on a list or pair as if it were plural, i. e. substitute the collective pronoun and then conjugate. "We were a speedboat" rather than "We was a speedboat;" therefore "Sven and I were a speedboat" rather than "Sven and I was a speedboat"
**BUT**
You'll notice that above I put " 'rules' " in scare quotes. The reason I did this, and what prescriptivist teachers forget, is that they are not rules, but merely recommendations.
Grammar is not physics, nor is it mathematics.
There is no such thing as "correct" grammar.
There is standard grammar, formal grammar, or recommended grammar, but it is important to remember that these standards are entirely arbitrary.
The only thing that makes one form more correct than another is that someone somewhere wrote it down in a book that that was "the rule."
In Physics, E=mc2 because E=mc2. Einstein didn't decide that, he derived it, and it's the same whether you're in England, Wales, New England or New South Wales. That's not what happens with grammar. "The rule" in grammar is made up, and it may be different depending on where you live and what standard you use.
This is why we've been going 'round and 'round about this. There is no right answer, just different standards.
Skelepunk:
Me is the object of a preposition. Or to put it simply, the subject of a verb. I would be the person performing the verb.
"I went to the store."
"That person stabbed John and me."
Won't lie, I like grammar, and this is more interesting than my English essay.
Dr. ROFLPWN:
--- Quote from: akronnick on 30 Nov 2010, 18:54 ---OMG, we're still arguing about Faye's Grammar!?!?!?! :-o :? :roll:
There are three 'rules' she's breaking in that sentence, I'll list them:
1: Always list "I" or "me" last in a pair or list. "Sven and me" rather than "Me and Sven"
2: Choose "I" or "Me" in a list or pair as if it were not in a list or pair. "I was a speedboat" rather than "Me was a speedboat;" therefore "Sven and I was a speedboat" rather than "Sven and me was a speedboat"
3: Conjugate the verb acting on a list or pair as if it were plural, i. e. substitute the collective pronoun and then conjugate. "We were a speedboat" rather than "We was a speedboat;" therefore "Sven and I were a speedboat" rather than "Sven and I was a speedboat"
**BUT**
You'll notice that above I put " 'rules' " in scare quotes. The reason I did this, and what prescriptivist teachers forget, is that they are not rules, but merely recommendations.
Grammar is not physics, nor is it mathematics.
There is no such thing as "correct" grammar.
There is standard grammar, formal grammar, or recommended grammar, but it is important to remember that these standards are entirely arbitrary.
The only thing that makes one form more correct than another is that someone somewhere wrote it down in a book that that was "the rule."
In Physics, E=mc2 because E=mc2. Einstein didn't decide that, he derived it, and it's the same whether you're in England, Wales, New England or New South Wales. That's not what happens with grammar. "The rule" in grammar is made up, and it may be different depending on where you live and what standard you use.
This is why we've been going 'round and 'round about this. There is no right answer, just different standards.
--- End quote ---
I'll amend this: linguistically, there is, indeed, no right answer except within the confines of your dialect. In Standard American English's rules, Faye is wrong. Faye, however, does not necessarily use Standard American English. Likely, she uses a variant of Southern American English, where the rules are completely different and her wording is totally correct.
leahneedsanap:
Wasting my first post on grammar??? For shame.
But, in the sentence, Faye was using "Me and Sven" to refer to the relationship itself, as a singular thing, (Faye and Sven: THE EVENT) not to the two people in it. If she had said Faven was like a speedboat, the verb would have been properly conjugated, and she is using "me and Sven" much in the same way. Of course, she turns around and does the opposite in the next sentence. What can I say, they don't teach us real English in the South.
And now, I will jump into the "grammar is rules, not laws" boat and sail into Niagara Falls.
Oh, and also, this whole strip was kind of adorable. The best way to defeat an awkward situation is still to stare it in the face and savor it until it becomes totally hilarious.
Shadic:
How about if one's grammar is able to be heavily debated, it really doesn't matter if it's correct or not. :psyduck:
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