You wield your knowledge of language rules with deadly accuracy, yet your stealth means people seem to rarely call you an annoying know-it-all.
Okay, so maybe you do get called that a little more often than you’d like.
You’ve still earned the “grammar ninja” merit badge.
Part of the merit badges for writers series. The badge may be posted on your site or blog. Tell us why you’ve earned (or will never earn) it in the comments.
7 Comments
If I’m a grammar ninja, I’m a double-crossing one because I have a peculiar love for the split infinitive.
This is my new favorite I-will-never-earn-badge. I have no idea what a split infinitive is yet I know grammar well enough not to make a fool of myself (just not the fancy rule names).
@anwa: The split infinitives thing is barely a rule anyway.
@SM Schmidt: I usually don’t remember what a split infinitive is– only that “to boldly go” is the most famous example. So if someone asked me to define it on the spot, I’d be like “Errrr… [thinking very hard] It has something to do with Star Trek…”
Ah yes, I’ve earned this badge. I’m doing final edits to my novel and got into an argument yesterday about restrictive clauses. Okay, it wasn’t really an argument because I was the only one talking, but you get my point. The Grammar Girl website is my porn.
I saw a t-shirt somewhere with a pretty graphic of this text:
Want.
(Hmm. As it turns out, I have nothing on-topic to add to a discussion of grammar ninjaism.)
Have fun with your awesome badge, Grammar Ninjas!
I’ve typed my fingers to the bone in hopes of being a grammar ninja. I’ve conquered split infinitives, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent relationships. However, no matter how hard I try, that and which continue to out maneuver me. Alas! I can only aspire to this badge.
OOps, that should have been:
I’ve typed my fingers to the bone in hopes of being a grammar ninja. I’ve conquered split infinitives, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent relationships. However, no matter how hard I try, that and which continue to out maneuver me. Alas! I can only aspire to this badge.