They are Grammar Nazis! Yes, they both are. But what is it to be a GN? Here are some possible definitions:
– A person who believes proper grammar and spelling should be used by everyone whenever possible.
– A person who attempts to persuade or force others to use proper grammar and spelling.
– One who uses proper grammar and spelling to subtly mock or deride those who do not.
– An exhibitor of grammatical superiority.
– Someone who corrects others’ grammar.
– The spelling police.
(www.urbandictionary.com)
Now let’s see why I claim this similarity between Doyle’s renowned detective and the most prolific music parodist of all time, Weird Al Yankovic.
Let’s start with Sherlock. Here’s a scene from the series ‘Sherlock’ in which the new Sherlock Holmes proves he is a true Grammar Nazi. As you can read in the transcript below, he enforces the correct use of «weren’t vs wasn’t», «learn vs teach», «done vs did», «no more vs any more» and «hung vs hanged». Press play and read the transcript only if you need to.
Transcript:
– Sherlock: Just tell me what happened from the beginning.
– Prisoner: We had been to a bar, nice place, and, er, I got chatting with one of the waitresses, and Karen weren’t happy with that, so…when we get back to the hotel, we end up having a bit of a ding-dong. She’s always getting at me, saying I weren’t a real man.
– Sherlock: Wasn’t a real man.
– Prisoner: What?
– Sherlock: It’s not «weren’t», it’s «wasn’t».
– Prisoner: Oh.
– Sherlock: Go on.
– Prisoner: Well…then I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly there’s a knife in my hands…and me old man was a butcher, so I know how to handle knives. He learned us how to cut up a beast.
– Sherlock: Taught.
– Prisoner: What?
– Sherlock: Taught you how to cut up a beast.
– Prisoner: Yeah, well, then I done it.
– Sherlock: Did it.
– Prisoner: Did it! Stabbed her, over and over and over, and I looked down, and she weren’t…wasn’t….moving no more. Any more! God help me, I dunno how it happened, but it was an accident, I swear. You’ve got to help me, Mr Holmes! Everyone says you’re the best. Without you…I’ll get hung for this.
– Sherlock: No, no, Mr Bewick, not at all. Hanged, yes.
Now let’s see why Weird Al Yankovic is a terrific Grammar Nazi, too. Yankovic is an American singer songwriter famous for parodying famous songs in the most hilarious ways. In 2014, he released a fabulous song titled «Word Crimes», in which he sings about typical «word crimes» that people with poor grammar, spelling and/or punctuation commit. Actually, the song is a parody of Robin Thicke’s «Blurred Lines«.
The video below has its own lyrics, but if you’d like to read the text, you can read the lyrics at AZlyrics.com
So, are you a Grammar Nazi? Well, if you’re trying to improve your English skills, trying to be a Grammar Nazi can be positive thing for you, as long as you do it mostly with your own writing/speaking or when asked by someone else. It will make you more aware of the mistakes you should avoid and how to correct them. However, make sure you don’t go too far correcting others, you don’t want to sound arrogant or pedantic! To end this post, I’d like to leave give you a link to a post published on Grammarly’s blog on whether or not correcting others is a good idea. Hope you give it a read!
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Many thanks , good job.
Cheers, Ahmed! Glad you liked it. 🙂