Saturday, September 28th ....

I'm reading a book at the moment called Weirdo and it's driving me mad. One of the characters talks in some kind of dialect, saying things like “she get it all from Alex, the boy what live next door to her. He go to the art college and whatever he do, she have to copy.” I know it's up-to-date to talk like uneducated black Americans but it's just as easy to talk properly.

In the past I've been accused of being too particular about grammar. Some people have accused me of being a Grammar Nazi, but that's just being petty. I know I sometimes shout at the TV screen when someone says 'less' when they mean 'fewer' but that shows my passion for the English language. I haven't reached the stage yet of correcting my friends' email or commenting on errors on their Facebook page, although I certainly notice them.

'Grammar Nazi' does sound a bit unkind but there are some other options: I prefer Grammar Nerd but, if I have to have some label, I choose 'Grammar Ninja'. Travelling the countryside, righting wrongs and preserving the essence of our mother-tongue.

By the way, I found a website called, 19 jokes that only Grammar Nerds would understand. Here's a sample:

How do you comfort an upset grammar nerd? Say, 'There, Their, They're'.

I've attached a number puzzle which appeared on my Facebook. Good luck!