英语语法：11 Grammar Manners

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is how to correct other people's grammar.

Dr. David asked about how he can correct other people's grammar without losing friends or sounding like a snob 1. A couple of people, whom I won't name, asked how to deal with bad grammar in the workplace, for example, what to do when their boss butchers the English language. To me, these seem more like manners questions than grammar questions, so I have invited the host of Modern Manners Guy Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Polite Life to step in and provide an answer. Here's Mr. Manners:

Thanks, Grammar Girl!  It can be a delicate issue deciding when to correct someone’s grammar, so let’s start with a few basic principles.

If the person whom you wish to correct is your child, student, or employee, you should, of course, feel comfortable (if not obligated) to correct his or her grammar, providing you do it in a polite and constructive 2 manner. If the child, student, or employee is an adult, and it is outside of a classroom setting, you should also do so in private. In any other case, you must ask yourself if the person you wish to correct would actually like to be corrected. If the answer is “no,” then you should keep it to yourself. One exception to this is if you are putting together a work product, and there is a grammatical 3 error that would make you or your company look bad.  In this case, you should just suggest the edit 4 and your reasoning behind the correction and refrain 5 from delivering a grammar lesson.

If you do wish to correct the grammar of someone whom you truly believe would welcome and appreciate the correction, then start by asking them if it is OK to offer a suggestion. You might say something like, “This is kind of a delicate issue, but I was wondering if it would be all right if I were to offer you a grammatical suggestion—you know I’m kind of a grammar nerd.”  This gives the person the opportunity to welcome your suggestion and not feel bad (as you have pointed 6 out your unusual interest in grammar). And of course, be certain that you understand the specific grammatical rules and how to apply them before making a correction.

But again, if you are not sure the person would welcome the correction, then it is better to keep the issue to yourself.

A more subtle 7 approach can be just using correct grammar yourself—not in a pedantic 8 way but just as a good example. And of course you can always point them to the great new podcast you have discovered: Grammar Girl. Who knows? They might even end up a little more polite as well.

Thank you for listening to Modern Manners Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Polite Life. And thank you Grammar Girl.

Thank you, Mr. Manners! He gives such great advice; I know that I can always rely on him for a good solution when I have an etiquette 9 problem. If you enjoyed his answer, you can subscribe 10 to his show at iTunes by searching for “Modern Manners,” and you can also find his webpage at quickanddirtytips.com.

That's all.

Ralph M. from Coronado, California, is the winner in this week's book giveaway. He left a comment on the Grammar Girl blog, which entered him into the giveaway, and now he wins the final copy of Robbin Knapp's German English Words: A Popular Dictionary of German Words Used in English. Congratulations, Ralph, and please check your e-mail for instructions.

Also, I have a quick favor to ask. When I first started this podcast, people said that nobody would care about grammar, and even after it became popular, people asked me if I was sure listeners didn't think they were subscribing 11 to Glamor 12 Girl. Well, a website called digg.com just started a podcast directory 13 where you can “digg,” or vote, for podcasts that you enjoy. Right now, 12 out of the top 15 podcasts in their directory are technology podcasts, and I would love to have Grammar Girl rank in the top 15 to show people that grammar really does matter! So if you want to help, the website to go to if you want to vote is digg.com (that's d-i-g-g with two g's), and I'll also put a link in the Grammar Girl blog at QuickAndDirtyTips.com so you can go directly to the Grammar Girl page at digg.com.

Thank you for listening. Please send questions and comments to... or use the voice-mail line at 206-338-GIRL (4475). And if you enjoyed Mr. Manners, don't forget to subscribe to his show