Taking Off the Gloves: Journalists Are Among the Worst Poor-Grammar Offenders Because of Reach

We’re out to sell books at this site AND make the world a better place, of course, by pointing out some simple fixes to the way people speak that will improve their chances for success. We've had a one-post strategy for this blog since it began, but we now have to admit it's a flop.

Despite some modest successes, the sales department of our little enterprise should be fired – but that would involve firing ourselves, and then there’d be none.

So we’re going to call attention to incredibly bad grammar usage when we find it, especially among those whose writing spreads across the Internet and therefore the entire planet. Perhaps calling out offenders when we come across their poor examples will seep into the universe’s collective consciousness – and sell some books!

Knowing When To Use 'Him'

Here’s today’s find – written by an anonymous Associated Press scribe in Honolulu and posted by CNBC today:

“He suggested that significant reductions in CO2 emissions will be obtained as a result of a new law backed by he and Gov. Linda Lingle that requires Hawaii utilities to cut emissions and energy usage by 2030.”

By he? How is it that a gainfully employed Associated Press journalist can write that? The proper construction obviously is “by him.” The word “by” is a preposition and therefore requires an object pronoun (him), not a subjective pronoun (he).

It’s possible the offending journalist simply couldn’t be bothered with such trivia while in school, a condition we suggest in Killing English that is widespread in students for the past generation or two. But for a story to go out on the AP wire, it presumably is read by at least one other person – traditionally called an “editor.”

So there was more than one grammar-challenged journalist responsible for today’s example. Our advice: Get thee to a bookstore here in Honolulu and scrounge around for a copy of Me and Him Are Killing English. Or simply order one here.