The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-17
The Globes SSsmss!@ay
Correct English and Jf*fow to Use 81
BY JOSEPHINE TURcK BAKER.

mad common origin in the Pelasgic
group of languages. The Pelasgians
were an ancient prehistoric race. They
| spread over Greece and the coasts, the
! Islands of the Aegean sea and the Med
| Herranean.
Errors of Careless Speakers.
1t is the careless speaker who says. cit
Is me, 1T is her." "It is him. instead
| of, 1T is l." 1T is She, 1T is he
who is there?" The piping voice an
swered: Its me-" 1t is as incorrect TO
say 1T is me" as it is to say me is
there" me wants to come in" The
| question, who is there?" calls for tne
nominative case-''I'-in the answer: 1T
is l." meaning, 81 am there not "Me
is there
1t is the careless speaker who asks,
| Who did you see?" and ''Who are YOU
going to invite?" The speaker making
these errors would be startled to hear
his questions answered: II saw he" and
Il am going to invite She" 1t is as in
correct to say WHO did you see?" as to
say II saw he,'' for the same error is
made in each, viz, using the nomnative
case for the object of verb. Whom
| did you see?' and Whom are you going
to invite?" are the correct forms.
Errors of Careful Speakers.
1t is the careful speaker who says, st
supposed it to be he whom you meant"
and 81 understood it to be she who
called" instead of NE correct forms-''I
supposed it to be him" and II understood
it to be her. The person who aims to
speak correctly would never say ut is
him. and "It is her. He would use the
correct forms, 1T is he'' and 1T is she,''
but he becomes stranded on the infinitive
mood, ito be-" forgetting that the noun
| or pronoun followinF the infinitive mood
to be" is in the objective case, because
the subject of the ininitive mood is in
| the objective case.
| Rule-The noun or pronoun following
the verb ito be- is in the same case as
| the subject of the verb ito be-" The
| correct forms are: ST supposed it to be
| him whom you meant and 81 understood
| it to be her who caned."
| 1t is the careful speaker who says: eff
there is anyone whom you think would
| like to attend the meeting you may in
vite him. The careful speaker would
rot use "them" for chin and has no pa
| thence with the person who says: 81 think
| that every one knows their own business
| better than you tell them" But mat
relative pronoun ''whom" upsets his
| grammatical equilibrium He is very par
ticular to say whom instead of who"
! and uses it on divers occasions, in place
| and out of place.
| An uneducated person would not use
whom" in the sentence ''If there is any
! one whom you think would like" etc. He
! would use who" and he would be cor
rect, because who is the subject of the
verb would like" "Whom' is improper
| ly used, because it is not the object of the
verb 'thiHk." In the sentence "Think
| noble thoughts and you will become
NOBLE the verb think has an object in
the noun thoughts" But when the verb
''think" is used intransitively, in the
| sense of ones opinion, in ones judgment
or estimation, it never has an object.
Therefore, the correct form is: eff there
is anyone who you think Gin your opin-
ion) would like to attend the meeting you
may invite him.
| Mrs. A.-Now, while we are discussing
| this subject, wish you would correct my
English, and whenever use bad gram
mar please correct me. In that way [
will improve very much.
Mrs. B.-Your English may be very
much improved in that way, but l fear
that we shall not be able to proceed very
far with our discussion. First, you must
| not say bad grammar. Grammar teaches
| one how to speak and write correctly;
consequently it cannot be bad To speak
of good grammar Is also incorrect as
good is superfuous. Instead of saying:
Whenever I use bad grammar" you
may say Whenever L make errors or
speak incorrectly Instead of saying II
will improve very much" say ST shall i'm
prove very much,' because I shall indi-
Gates simple futurity. 1t also indicates a
condition beyond the control of the will
II will improve" means II promise to
improve" or 81 am determined to i'm
prove" Neither q promise nor deter
mination on your part will result in your
Improvement If I fail to correct you; so
81 shall improve" is proper.
Mrs. Al don't think one knows how
many errors they make until their atten-
ton is called to them.
Mrs. B.-What you should say is: II
think one doesn't know how many errors
one makes until ones attention is called
to them" Many persons object to the ex-
preston 81 don't think" claiming that
one always thinks, and some authorizes
class the expression II don't think" with
the idioms peculiar to the English Ian
guage, and an idiom, as you know, is an
expression approved Of by usage. So you
may turn your attention to those express
sions which are considered Incorrect by
all grammarians; that will occupy as much
OF your time as you can give 10 one OBJ
ject.
Mrs. Al think this is instructive, but
as I>am going in town on the 1 O'Clock
train, I shall be obliged to discontinue
our talk. You see that I remembered to
say 81 shall be obliged instead of Il
will be obliged
Mrs. B-Yes, that is right but you
should say: 81 am going to town. in
stead of 81 am going in town.
Mrs. A.-Now, am going to go; it is
twenty minutes to 1.
Mrs. B.-I am going is sufficient, and it
is twenty minutes of !, and not twenty
minutes to 1.
Copyright, 1907