When people want to sell you something is it wrong to think they should speak well and with good basic grammar? I've heard the wheeze about how grammar evolves and perhaps we have to just suck it in when people speak of "me and my buddy" or to be tolerant of young bloggers who have never learned the difference between their, there and they're. But when someone wants me to part with my money, shouldn't the company make sure that their sales persons use good grammar in general?I had a follow up call from one of the Medicare Part B etc, companies where the person said, "To whom do I have the privilege of speaking to?" It started out sounding so proper and respectful and then she had to add that final "to". I had another follow up call just a few minutes ago where the representative said something like, "I'm from XYZ Company. Recently you had went to one of our introductory meetings." I put him out of his misery by saying I had already signed up with another company. But, had I not, I would be thinking back to that meeting where the presenter called me "honey" and be sure there is no way I wanted to sign up with them.
Somehow, I think people should have more respect for themselves and present themselves well if they want to sell something.
When I was in school, we spent a lot of time on grammar. We took sentences apart and made sure everything was on the right line with diagrams. I still get frustrated when my own kids mix up I and Me! I don't think teachers even know the difference so how can they teach kids.
ReplyDeleteI remember diagramming sentences too. Somehow, though, I missed the lessons on who and whom and still have difficulty from time to time. I usually find that people for whom English is a second language often know the rules better than I do. Probably my grammar came in part from my elementary school teacher mom.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved words, as did my Mum and Dad, and funnily, when I read anything, the mistakes are what I notice first. And as for phone calls, I guess some of the people at the other end don't realise what they have said. Hope this is grammatically correct!!! Cheers from Jean.
ReplyDeleteJean, if you even have a Kiwi accent it doesn't come through in your writing, it's always quite proper!
ReplyDelete