Episode 127: Grammar worth fighting for. Walking with a hanging preposition.

I could have a hey day with the the grammatical flubs of on-air announcers. That is not the point of this blog. The point is to illuminate the problems that scriptwriters have with basic grammar. I have a problem with commercials and feature scripts where hanging prepositions and incorrect pronouns are used.

I wrote during the beginning of the month regarding a Disney movie that has grammar worth fighting for, when I highlighted the phrase "Some people are worth melting for" from the movie "Frozen." Another hanging preposition can be found in the trailer for "Walking with Dinosaurs" when the announcer states that this is the story about 'a friendship worth fighting for.'

Some friendships require a journey to forge.

Sometimes you have to fight for a friendship to last.

Sometimes you have to fight for better grammar.

Episode 126: You Need Better Grammar More than Me, Jell-O. "Bad Day" equals Poor Grammar

I was watching television after a long day of cooking yesterday and I saw the new classic Jell-O commercial titled "Bad Day." The commercial features a dad saying how much he likes Jell-O and has the son placing himself into his father's shoes. The son says, at the end of the commercial, "Here. You need this more than me." I know kids don't have the best grammar. I work on grammar and word choice with my daughter on a regular basis. This kid is reading a script! What are these scriptwriters thinking?

Here. You need this more than I do.

Episode 125: Grammar on Demand: Buick lacrosse Intelli-link

This is a new classic commercial with two young kids riding to a school dance in the backseat of a Dad's Buick LaCrosse. The classic songs played, as a warning to the date, included "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites. They say that that using the new stereo systems allows you to have "all your music is ready to listen to."

Preposition. End of sentence. Repeat.

"All of your music at your command."

"All your music, as close as your voice."

Episode 124: St. Jude's. Who would you turn to?

I think that the work that St. Jude's Hospital does is critically important. I find the grammar they use just as important while attempting to tell their story. Note that I did not say "get their message out."

They have a "Fighting Cancer Commercial" that is running right now.  The are looking for for you to turn to them this Thanksgiving and this Christmas to give the gift of Hope and the Gift of Life.

Where would you turn if your child needed help?

What would it mean to you if someone sponsored your child?

Please RT and Repost.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Episode 123: Theravent - for the grammar in commercials that you've dreamt about.

Theravent advertises that its advanced  nightly snore therapy provides "the quiet night sleep that you have dreamt about."

Theravent - provides the sleep of your dreams

Theravent - provides the quiet sleep that has been alluding you.

Theravent - the ultimate snore stopper.

I can come up with so many sentences that do not end with a preposition that I think I will have to stop at this.

I dream that eventually someone will hire me to proofread these scripts or that the bad grammar will disappear.

Episode 122: Grammar to Cheep About

eSurance has an ad that is worth discussing. They have two problems with their grammar in their "Cheep Insurance"  that I am hearing:

"They were built on-line and built to save people money since the beginning. That's what they always have done. Not something they just "Cheep" about." Really? Yet another example of ending a sentence with a preposition.

Talk is Cheap. Grammar is Priceless.

Episode 121: Rolo - Rough Grammar for Such a Smooth Treat

"Get your smooth on."It is such a simple tagline. It is grammatically incorrect. This ad plays off the slag of "get your groove on." Am I getting my smooth on a boat? Am I getting my smooth on a plane? Get your grammar on.  Turn on your grammar check.

"Roll over the rough parts of your day with Rolo" would be my tagline.

"Rolo the rough parts of your day."

Episode 120: Get the grammar you have wished for (from and advertiser)

Mercedes pulls out another example of ending a sentence with a preposition with their "Lanterns" commercial when they say: "Get the Mercedes Benz you have wished for." This could have been as simple as "Get the Mercedes Benz of your wishes" and had some husband or wife muttering "Wish I may, Wish I might, the first star I see tonight....." and then they could go to a red carpet event where everybody is arriving in the new Mercedes Benz."

How about: "Get the Mercedes Benz of your dreams" with someone reading a book where instead of visions of sugar plums danced in their heads it is visions of sedans danced in their heads.

It is so simple to hear when a sentence ends a preposition with.

Episode 119: No Matter which list you are on - This Grammar is Naughty, Not Nice

I started this blog during the Spring of 2013. I am now rolling into the Christmas Season and I am being gifted with more examples of poor grammar, just in time for Christmas blogs.

Mercedes Benz Has their Naughty or Nice Commercal. One side of Santa's Factory has a truckload of white cars heading out the doors, and the other side has a truckload of red cars. I would have made it more stark and had the red cars be black. Remember people sometimes received coal in their stocking. Color choices aside, they conclude the commercial for the "Mercedes Benz Winter Event is back" saying that they "have the perfect vehicle that is just right for you, no matter which list you are on."

They have the perfect vehicle for you whether you have been naughty or nice. Ending a sentence a preposition with is just poor grammar.

Episode 118: Dragon Software needs a grammar check for their commercial

There is a new product being advertised that would make assembling this blog, or any other publication that needs typing, a whole lot easier. The product is Nuance's "Dragon" software. Speak to type. What a concept.

 "It's a fantastic tool that anybody can use and everyone can benefit from."

I hope that it has grammar check so that you are not ending sentences with prepositions.

Episode 117: United Healthcare - shopping around (for better grammar)

The ad has a businessman discussing how his customers have the opportunity to shop the competition. He says "My customers can shop around." Could he have said "My customers like to look at all their options." Which version sounds better than the other? I like options. Am I shopping around town or around the Internet? Maybe he listened to too much Captain and Tennille while he was younger.

Episode 116: More Bad Grammar than We Knoweth what to Do With

I understand that during their "Castle" advertisement that "Flo" and "Jamie are attempting to speak their lines using Ye Olde King's English. The problem is that the voice-over at the end of the commercial says "More savings than we knoweth what to do with."

It may be more interesting to say "More discounts than knights at the round table."

How about "We can shield you from unforeseen accidents and expenses." This would play nicely on the sword and shield theme of the commercial. I think that their "RV Bundling" commercial for the way that it visualizes all the items that a consumer may want to insure.

Ending a sentence with a preposition forsakeths the proper rules of grammar.

I wonder if I will have found ten grammatically incorrect Progressive commercial beforeth the endeth of the year?

Episode 115: A range of Progressive-ly bad grammar to choose from. Name Your Preposition. (7th example)

Progressive is such an easy target for me. Almost anytime there is a Progressive commercial on television my ears perk up to hear the next sentence that ends a preposition with. It is that painful for me.

Sunday, November 10th, during the football games I found an 'ending a sentence with a preposition" double-header.

The first example I highlighted  during Episode 113: The Castle and  "More savings than we knoweth what to do with."

Today's example of ending a sentence with a preposition is the "Superhouse" commercial where the actress is discussing the Name Your Price Tool offered by Progressive with her 'husband.' She says  "I guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a a range of options to choose from." The "Name Your Price Tool" does not appear to work for choosing proper grammar. Would it be so bad to say "You tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options from which to choose?" How about "You tell them how much you want to spend and it gives you a range of coverage options."

"The Name You Price Tool" allows you to tell them how much you want to pay for insurance and they tell you what plans they can offer you.

If you want to see how many times that there have been examples of bad grammar during Progressive commercials, check out these previous examples:

"A smarter way to shop around."
"How's that atom splitting thing going?"
"We crunch the numbers so you don't have to."
"Progressive gives you lots of choices to choose from."
and the infamous "Them are here"

Episode 114: Families who are connected with to the belief that freedom was worth fighting for. Veterans Day.

Bank of America has a great spot running on Veterans' Day titled  "Hughes Family." The commercial tells the story of one family fighting for us, and for our Freedom, through generations of military service.  I think that this commercial is one of the better commercials that promotes family values and the honor of serving in the military. I think that is is worthy of watching every Memorial Day and every Veterans' Day.

The commercial states, in one long run-on sentence that "Before Captain Caroline Hughes... before William Hughes... before Colonel John Hughes Jr... before Captain John Anderson Hughes...before Corporal Robert Hughes joined the Spanish American War, there were families who were connected with to the belief that freedom was worth fighting for." I wish that they had not ended the sentence with a preposition.

The advertisement could be better if they had stated the story in reverse: "Families similar to the Hughes Family, where Captain Caroline Hughes.... have long been connected with the belief that Freedom is worth risking their lives in the service of their country, our country."

Watch the video. Ignore the grammar. Reflect on the sacrifices that this family and similar families have made for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave."

Visit the Bank of America site that promises to make donations to non-profits that support service members and veterans for "each photo, message, or video you share." 

Visit the Wounded Warrior Site.

Visit the Independence Fund for the Track Chair Donation site.

Visit the  Battle Saint Bracelet site for those people who are still serving our country.

Always Remember.

Episode 113: They are Them (Part 2) Progressive-ly worse grammar

The line that caught my attention for being so attrocious grammatically was the "Them are Here" line right at the end of the commercial. It plays as an "Abott and Costello" routine regarding the use of  "Them," "They," and "you."

The befuddled woman first says "They are them?" The real sentence, fragment or otherwise, should have been "Those (rates) are theirs?"

A second question the befuddled actress asks makes my head spin a little more: "Are you them?" So, you are you. They are they. Them are them? Yours are yours and those are theirs.  Just reflecting on these phrases sends shivers through my body.

I went to the Merriam Webster site to look up the definition of them. THEY state "used as the subject of a verb chiefly in nonstandard speech for humorous effect."

Is them fighting words? Humerous or annoying? You decide.

If you want more examples of "Progressive Gammar" check out yesterday's post here.

You can also return to this blog tomorrow for more Flo-isms. We haveth more improper grammar from Progressive than we knowth whateth to doith withith.

Episode 112: Cook it Safe(ly) - Say it Correct(ly)

I am a home cook who enjoys proper grammar. There is an interesting USDA commercial that airs from time to time where two teams of cooks are attempting to cook a boxed chicken breast and make sure that it is cooked to the proper internal temperature. They are attempting to cook the chicken safely.

I have problems with the grammatically incorrect statement. I have problems them not explaining why it is important for the cooks to cook it properly. They also need to explain the importance of washing your hands and your utensils after coming into contact with raw meat.

The word that describes how you do something is the adverb. In this instance the adverb needs to end with "-ly."

Episode 111: Nissan: The Best Choice to Get Your Stuff Around (while using Poor Grammar.)

Nissan has a new car and a new advertising campaign. I previously wrote a column regarding 'further, better, easier." The most recent commercial has the line: "The best choice to get your stuff around." What if I want to get my stuff "squared" away. Whoops. That would be another example of ending a sentence with a preposition.

I also really don't like it when advertisers say that we need to get our "stuff" from point "A" to point "B." I have groceries. I have a child and her friends. I have my cats. I have "stuff" that I need to get to recycling.  I normally don't advertise when I am moving "stuff" in my car.

The Best Option to Get Your Precious Cargo Going Where It Needs To Be.

Episode 110: What Kind of Financial Consultant are You Looking For (One who has good grammar in their commercials.)

Charles Schwab has yet another commercial where a sentence, and in this instance two sentences, ends in a preposition. The beginning of the "Financial Consultant" spot has the financial consultant saying that he does not like being "sold to."

I was a real estate salesperson for 13 years. I never sold someone a house. I helped them purchase a home. I helped market a home. I helped negotiate the sale of a home. I sold my skills as a marketer and a negotiator.

The two lines in question could have been:

When I invested with a broker I wanted to be advised how to balance my trades. I did not like being pushed into an investment. I wanted to be guided to a successful  financial destination.

What attributes do you want in a financial consultant?

What kind of investment advice do you want to receive?

This is evidently a new tagline: "What kind of broker are you looking for?" I wrote a previous column on this same tagline. You can find that brief article using the link in the previous sentence.

I am looking for more examples of poor grammar in advertising.

Episode 109: Nissan Easy Choice Advertisement Could Have Used Better Grammar.

"Nissan Easy Choice Sales Event" tells you that you can chose to go further, connect better, and get in easier. Three modifiers just left hanging. I understand that they are saying that you can get better gas mileage, better handling, maintenance, details, and do it now with less down payment or easier credit options. With whom am I connecting through the driving of a particular car? Aren't they treading on the Ford Sales Line "Go Further?"

They could say it so many different ways. They can play off the failed "Obamacare Promise by saying "If you like your mileage you can keep your mileage." How about "You Can Keep Your Car Company if You Like Your Car Company?"  They can also say "We can get you more bang for your buck when you buy a new Nissan and better gas mileage when you drive a new Nissan."

Episode 108: Some Movies are Worth Waiting For (Even with Bad Grammar in the Trailer)

"Frozen" is the new Disney Movie that will be screening this Thanksgiving. I have found previous grammatical goof-ups with Disney's "Lab Rats" introduction sequence. I am sure that I could go on and on regarding script errors if I wanted to do so. The trailer for "Frozen" has a scene where the Snowman says to the heroine "Some people are worth melting for."

The sentiment is romantic. They could have Modern English's song "I Melt With You" playing in the background. They could have an atrocious pun "You are worth the weight." How about "Some people are worth a liquid diet?" How about "Some people are worth a crash diet?"

It is important that dialog geared towards youth be grammatically correct. Please don't end sentences a preposition with.

Episode 107: Transforming Grammar Through a Blog (Not "The Cloud.")

IBM has a new commercial where a woman is spotlighted talking about how she is "transforming business through the cloud." She finished the thought by saying "That's what I am working on."

My job is to make your job easier through cloud computing.
Unleashing your business through the clouds.
Transforming your business through the cloud. Bringing light to your business.

Work on having sentences and thoughts that do not end in a preposition.

Episode 106: Checking grammar would be easier if you didn't have to.

A local tire company, Belle Tire, as part of a television ad, created a screen shot saying "We shop the competition so you don't have to." I understand what they are attempting to say. They are saying we shop the competition so:

• You get the best deal
• You can make you first and last stop with us
• You can get rolling again.

They check the prices of their competitors so you can enjoy buying tires for you car, truck, or van. It is time to check their advertising so that you can enjoy proper grammar while watching television.

Episode 105: Another Example of Bad Grammar in Advertising to Choose from.

Belle Tire is a a local tire company that advertises that it has "so many tires to choose from." I heard this advertisement on the radio this past Spring. I wasn't sure if I heard the commercial correctly. This weekend I saw it on television and happened to have my close captioning working.

Belle Tire: Your Home for Tire Selection.

I doubt that they will change the commercial to "so many tires from which to choose."

Remember to change your clocks today.