Grammarians unite!

Ok, I admit it, I'm a grammar girl. I have been all my life. It's one of the things that my mother and I bond over--we can have a 40 minute discussion of a particular fine point of grammatical usage--and enjoy it (I know, not many people share this enjoyment, my husband among them!).

Whew! It's good to get that out there.

It's hard sometimes being so aware of grammar when other people just cavalierly throw grammatical rules to the wind and scoff at the idea of correct speech. You start to feel just the tiniest bit of a curmudgeon, especially when people justify their odd usages with the comment that English is a living language and always changing. I know, I know, but I'm just not ready to get rid of:

--saying different from instead of different than
--saying fewer instead of less when appropriate
--using subject and object pronouns correctly (it's always between you and me!)
--saying I'm doing well instead of I'm doing good
--when someone on the phone asks for me, saying "This is she," instead of "This is her."
--only using an apostrophe in "it's" when it means "it is"

I know, I know, I'm a total grammar purist! But don't worry, I only apply it to myself, and I don't worry about how other people (except my children) say things! So, I'm (pretty) sure that I don't come across as insufferable to others (except maybe tonight?).

Which is why I so enjoy rereading Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. It's nice to know there are other crazy grammar freaks out there, too!