EthicalDative

Grammar Ahead

There once was a Second Amendment paladin in the Houston area who lay in wait one night to discharge his Ruger into the belly of a nefarious shadow on his castle’s driveway; having done which he laid his weapon down, only to discover that the presumptive intruder, now dead, was a lost Scotsman from abroad who sought directions out of the neighborhood.

This true tragic tale illustrates how the English language lays traps for its natives. The traps lie in wait for the under-schooled journalist to come trudging by. When he (or she) trips a trap the effect is paradoxical for being little noted, if at all, by him (or her) — in stark contrast to how the slug affected the Scotsman — and even less by his (or her) lack-minded readers who have trod the same terrain where the trap has lain, and who have tripped it with the same effect.

(c) 2019 JMN

Domestic terrorism includes violence by Americans who belong to anti-government militias, white supremacist groups or individuals who ascribe to similar ideologies not connected to Islamic extremism.

(Frank Figliuzzi, “I Predicted More Hate-Based Violence. El Paso Won’t Be the End of It,” NYTimes, 7-31-19)

I’ve no bone to pick with Mr. Figliuzzi’s message; only with his verb. It should be “subscribe” instead of “ascribe.”

Some may consider niceties of lexicon and syntax to be irrelevant in texts that deal with deadly matters. I choose to believe a text’s message gains force by being expressed accurately and with good form.

(c) 2019 JMN

“Our problem was what laid underneath all that: the way things really were, despite what we taught in civics class.”

(James Comey, “Mr. President, Please Take a Stand Against Racism,” NYTimes, 8-4-19)

No disrespect to Mr. Comey, but what lay underneath his verbal peccadillo was the lack of a good editor. Come on, NYTimes, you can do better than this!

(Cc) 2019 JMN