By Gary Martin
As a cartoonist, I need to think both about words and pictures, though I confess, I’m not much of a grammarian. So I wasn’t surprised to witness this UWS exchange recently. And was somewhat pleased to learn, as husbands go, I’m not alone.
Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more than three decades. His Sunday illustrations for West Side Rag chronicle life in the neighborhood, New York City, and the Universe.
Watch for Gary’s illustrations on Sundays in the Rag and see them all here. For a broader range of Gary’s work, including animations and other motion graphics, please visit www.martoons.com
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Ellen Jovin, the Grammar Table is a lot of fun
https://youtu.be/ZOiNQ-YGP_k?si=qbHgAH0ag2kGg6Ch
OMG when I read the first frame, I immediately thought “fewer arguments.” Hilarious, once again!
Guffaw!!!!
Also ‘weren’t’ not ‘wasn’t.’
Not sure this is correct. Subjunctive case applies to impossible or highly doubtful hypothetical situations. In this case, the character clearly is pedantic. Of course, I don’t mean to be pedantic.
#subjunctive
OMG, this made me laugh out loud today! Thank you for giving me something to smile about on a Sunday.
So funny.
I have fewer hope in humanity. Less so now than ever.
Lol!
Very funny. And I’m sure that’s me in the picture…
It weren’t.
This had me laughing out loud! So true and so funny!
GrammarcopsRus. I can relate!
The comic made me laugh out loud, but the comments are even more hilarious. You’re all definitely “my people.” 🤣
Lol! You are great as usual Gary. This happens to be one of my particular bugaboos.
Signed,
Official UWS grammar officer.
I’ve heard this incorrectly three times today – in the elevator, in a play, and from a commentator on MSNBC. So thank you!
The expression of the man in the background in the second frame is priceless!!
Sharon: Sundays alone deserve a smile but Gary’s cartoons adds more icing on the cake.
Sorry should be ‘add’ not ‘adds’ since we’re being grammarians! I’m using my phone and it won’t let me edit!
For the record, it is “if I weren’t so pedantic,” not “if I wasn’t”‘ it is the subjunctive.
Cranky Old School Grammarian agrees. Subjunctive forever!
Fewer arguments if I weren’t. Is the subjunctive, chopped liver?
Grammar lessons AND a weekly dose of humor. MARTOONERVILLE is full-service!
English is a Germanic language. It irks me when self-styled grammarians try to impose Latin-based rules on the English language. For example, a preposition is the wrong word to end the sentence with.
As Churchill is reputed to have said, “this is a situation up with which I shall not put.”
Even Latin had an exception to the preposition rule. Go with me in Latin is VADE MECUM. It is not VADE CUM ME. Similarly, “with you” in Latin is TECUM, not CUM TE.
Can you end a sentence with five prepositions in a row? The five-year-old child of a linguist found a way to do that. The child asked her father to read her one of the stories from a book in the library downstairs. She insisted, however, that he not bring up one particular book. The linguist, all tired out from a hard day at work, made a mistake and brought the book that his daughter did not want. When she saw it, she asked him “What did you bring the book that I didn’t want to be read to out of up for?“
Count them; that’s five prepositions in a row!
One of my pet peeves! Love your cartoons and humor, Gary!
suggestion for next cartoon – best practices for loading a dishwasher 🙂
There’s another grammatical error: it should read “if I weren’t “.
🤣🤣
Love this cartoon and the comment stream. Thank you Gary and Nancy! I have finally given up shouting at the radio “It’s Me not I!!!”. It still gravels me, but that battle is lost. Now I just mumble rant ” Fewer, fewer, fewer”. Consulted the little book, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style for a simple explanation. Good old E.B., my hero. It reads: Less should not be misused for fewer. Less refers to quantity, fewer to number. “His troubles are less than mine” means “His troubles are not so great as mine.” “His troubles are fewer than mine” means “His troubles are not so numerous as mine.” Cheers to fewer troubles! (Unless a dearth of troubles would mean less fodder for Gary’s art)
My brother once dated a woman who asked him if he thought she was pedantic. He replied, “Using the word pedantic is pedantic!” 🙂
Wait, wait! The absolute worst is when presumably educated/intelligent people use “I” instead of “me” . For example, “This article was meant for you and I”. Aargh!