Thursday, April 06, 2006

Mid-day pedantry

I try not to be that pedantic English prof around whom you have to watch your relative pronouns and such. You know. The guy at the post office today, making conversation, said, "I guess I have to watch what I say around you" and I cringed inside, as I always do. I really try not to be that way.

But sometimes it's hard.

I'm taking a fabulous yoga-on-the-ball class once a week. I love it. It's fun and the exercise is good and I love deep relaxation. But sometimes I get confused, as when the instructor says, "now put the ball around your feet."

Umm, what?

Or, today: "Now make sure that your body weight is equally carrying both legs."

See, this kind of thing distracts me and I have to think about what she means instead of just going with it. That's when I want to turn into that pedantic English professor and note that it's important to distinguish between subject and object.

(And yes, I was blogging in my head during deep relaxation, and yes, that does tend to defeat the purpose.)

2 comments:

L said...

Oh Libby, you had me really laughing out loud here (I spelled it out for emphasis :-)

I know what you mean, especially because I spent years correcting my husband's English in public (we were used to it, and he really learned quite quickly and is a great speaker nowadays) and apologizing to people about it...

Anyway, your instructor's sentences are just so obviously "mixed up" (not so say wrong) that I guess the problem is not really with you and your inner English prof. I think that way of talking would make anyone who knows proper grammar crazy, believe me! (I'm hoping it's not just English professors who know their grammar, perhaps I am being too hopeful here)

Anonymous said...

I say let your Inner Prof out! I'm taking an exercise class where they keep playing that annoying song "R-O-W-D-I-E that's the way we spell rowdy." I tried not to be abnormally obnoxious, but THAT'S JUST NOT HOW YOU SPELL rowdy! Now we all know :) That has to be a positive thing, right?