Grammar - amongst other things.

Today I was thinking of grumbling about a bookshop and poor grammar. Then I thought, perhaps not. I had almost made my mind up not to do it when lo and behold somebody sent me a snarky little email containing just two words. An email that fed right into my ramble. So I decided to go ahead. I wouldn't name the emailer, even if I could. I can't even tell you if the person was male or female as they did not have the manners to sign their name. All the email said was "stereotype much". Not even a question mark. So I have no idea if they were calling me a stereotype, commenting that I was stereotyping, asking if I was either of these or simply had no idea of the proper use of the word. The only clear thing from the email was "how rude".

If calling me a stereotype. Yes, guilty as charged. If indicating that I was unjustly stereotyping people. Well, if it's true is it unjust?? And if complaining that I was being bigoted about construction workers and people with Irish ancestry - exactly what part of "I work in construction and my mother was Irish" wasn't clear from my post?? Or were they complaining that I was stereotyping the witch in the Wizard of Oz?? If that's the option then all I can think is WTF?? You're being rude to me about an seventy-year-old movie??

Now the grammar. I can't even decry the misuse of "much" as an American habit because it's becoming common here. But "much" as an adverb does not conform to "stereotype" as used. If it was supposed to indicate frequency then "often" should have been the adverb, "do you stereotype often??" If the objective was the depth of the stereotype "that way" (or "like that") was required. As in "do you always stereotype people that way??" But not the word "much". "Much" indicates something greater than another thing. As in "it was much further than he thought". And while I agree I'm great I would hesitate to claim that I'm greater than anybody else.

Which leads me to my bookshop grumble. There is a bookshop in Charing Cross Road called "Any Amount of Books". Any Amount. I want to find the person responsible for that and feed him or her the Oxford English Dictionary (the complete version) page-by-page. Yes it makes a nicely alliterative name but for God's sake. A bookshop owner should know better. Any Quantity of Books - please. Just as it's less pie but fewer grapes. Doesn't anybody teach good grammar any more??

No - no cheese thank you. I'm vegan. And Bless you E for doing the P&P update for me. I owe you. *g* Right I can hear a glass or three of uisghe beatha calling my name so I'm off to get stereotypically Irish construction worker plastered. And so I wish those of you for whom this is a year's end, Happy New Year and may your God(s) go with you

Ze

All My Children

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