Category Archives: Film Grammar

How To Be Right Every Time When Talking About Yourself AND Someone Else (“I” vs. “Me”)

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

Last night on “Chicago P.D.” Hailey was talking to Kim and said that she didn’t want anyone to find out “about Adam and I”. Gee whiz, writers (and others on set), it’s so totally simple! Just take the other person … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 13 – The Man from U.N.C.L.E. “The Bridge of Lions Affair, Part II”

Posted on April 13, 2018 by

The title of Act II:  “Thrush Flaps It’s Wings” Okay, ordinarily an apostrophe would be fine here. That is, if you said “Thrush’s wings”, or “Kuryakin’s wings”. But “it’s” means “it is”, or more rarely “it has”, and obviously “Thrush … Continue reading →

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Internet Grammar # 1 – Jocelyn Gecker, Associated Press

Posted on November 29, 2016 by

I just read an article about the Millennium Tower which was posted yesterday. Here you go. Leaning San Francisco Tower Seen Sinking From Space by Jocelyn Gecker, Associated Press San Francisco, Novembeer 28, 2016 “The satellite data shows the Millennium … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 12 – Marvel, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 4, Episode 4

Posted on October 20, 2016 by

Daisy (Chloe Bennet) to Coulson (Clark Gregg): “Thank you for saving Simmons and I back there.” Okay, the rule is very clear and very simple: a subject is a subject and an object is an object. And the test for … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 11 – The Americans, Season 4, Episode 7, “Travel Agents”

Posted on April 28, 2016 by

Philip and Elizabeth’s son Henry Jennings (Keidrich Sellati) is visiting Matthew Beeman (Danny Flaherty), who is drinking beer. Henry asks, “Can I have one?” Matthew is doubtful, and Henry says, “It’s not like I’ve never drank beer before.” Come on, … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 10 – Atlantis Found, The History Channel

Posted on October 23, 2015 by

Narrator: “Using the echo-sounding data, the team have been able to create a hugely detailed 3D map.” No, the word “team” is singular. Like “group”, or “club”, or “collection”, or “cult”. So the script he was reading should have read, … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 9 – Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From Paris with Love

Posted on June 11, 2015 by

If you’re going to complain about bad grammar (and I am), you should certainly laud good grammar when you find it, and the programs and movies under the heading “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, on first Hallmark Channel and now Hallmark Movies … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 8 – Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Season 2, Episode 20 – “Scars”

Posted on May 26, 2015 by

Skye to Coulson: “Let Lincoln and I go first.” Would ANYONE say, “Let I go first?” So this goes beyond trying to make characters sound like people. But hey, if the writers hated the correct “Let Lincoln and me go … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 7 AND Dumb Caption # 16 – a Weight Watchers commercial

Posted on February 12, 2015 by

In this commercial, shown fairly recently but now replaced, an actress says, “If you wake up hungry, if you show up at the office and there’s doughnuts and you weren’t expecting them….” “there IS doughnuts?” I don’t think so! And … Continue reading →

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Film Grammar # 6 – Surviving Exodus, Animal Planet 12-4-2014

Posted on December 5, 2014 by

Dave Salmoni said, “I’ve probably swam with every kind of shark you can think of.” Two mistakes here: the wrong verb tense (should be “I’ve probably SWUM…”) and ending the sentence with a preposition. Now, I recently got a comment … Continue reading →

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