Obviously, thanks to the title of this blog post, I have a few confessions to make. No, these are not the explosive and controversial types, so please lower your expectations my friend. If those are what you're looking for, then please, for your own benefit and mine, STOP READING.
Oh, you're still here? Well I guess I better start yapping. Here goes...
CONFESSION #1
This realization came about after seeing this website... and after reading this reply to that website.
I'm not very good with grammar. I mean I'm good, if what we mean by good is just knowing and having internalized the basic rules, e.g. tenses, subject-verb agreement, proper use of pronouns, etc. But... and this is kind of embarrassing, especially since I just recently spilled my guts about an impending career shift this January... I just think it's impossible (for me, at least) to be familiar with, let alone absorb all 10,000 of them grammar rules. Am I right or am I right?
However, to write something like that ad and upload it for everyone to see is just downright pretentious. I am totally with Zafra on this one, it's okay if you want to show the world how snooty you are... just make sure you are also perfect.
So, and it goes without saying, I am not perfect. I must admit though that there are some common grammatical, pronunciation, and diction errors that still manage to irk me quite a bit, such as... (ahem... bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan... mabubukulan)
"With regards to" - Ditch the s in regards and just say, "With regard to".
The common misuse or lack of apostrophes, like interchanging the words "you're" and "your", "they're" and "their", etc.:
1. "Your a douche!"
2. "Their coming!"
The mispronunciation of the words:
1. Due - Djoo ("Your past djoo bill" or the double whammy, "You're past djoo bill", please make your life easier by just saying "doo")
2. Menu - Me-nu (people, repeat after me: me-nyoo)
3. Verbatim - Verbahtim (read: ver-bay-tim)
There are many, many more, but of course I am unable to remember them all.
What was I saying about snootiness and perfection? Never mind. Let's just move on to...
CONFESSSION #2
"I like 'art films'."
Oh, god... I cringe every time I hear anyone say "art film".
As they say, every human being is innately creative, and art is a product of human creativity. What's more, art is relative to the person creating it and the person appreciating it. Yes, totally. What's art to me may be a piece of crap to you. On the contrary, what's art to you may be (insert politically correct remark with a somewhat negative connotation here) to me.
In the same argument, then what defines an "art film"?
I say just stop calling them "art films", and call them simply, "films". Isn't film another form of art anyway? So, saying "art films" is exactly like saying "art paintings", or "art music", or "art literature". It's so redundundundant.
Anyway, hearing this just makes me assume that the person talking has never seen an "art film" (CRINGE!) in his lifetime. Next thing I know, the next twilight movie will be called an ART FILM.
Know what, go ahead say it... Twilight is art... as I said, art is relative anyway. Just don't say ART FILMS. Goddammet.
***Just my two cents. Peace. Happy Holidays!
I suddenly remember Mr. Viar and
ReplyDeletehis Watch Your Business English.
I once spoke to a very wise man(a.k.a. an English teacher) about grammatical nuances and he said, "The English language is not static, what was de riguer a few years ago could be incorrect now, it's all about the situational context." Which basically means, write however you want to I., as long as someone understands you. :)
ReplyDeleteRuss - Exactly! My gosh... Lagot ako kay Mr. Viar! Hehe... There's this book I use now as my proper english grammar bible, it's called The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White (writer of Charlotte's Web). Actually, it's more for writing, but it's very good.
ReplyDeleteE - Yes, yes I agree with your professor 150% =) I even write in taglish sometimes, especially for the mainstream stuff. In what I do, how you write something really depends on who your readers/listeners are.