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Section: manners, behavior
 
 

Dear Ann Landers,
Have Americans forgotten there is such a thing as verb tense? I am shocked when I hear people say "woulda came," "coulda went," "shoulda did," "woulda took," "had went," "hadn't came" and so on. Don't they realize "woulda" and "coulda" are slang versions of "would've" and "could've" -- which are contractions for "would have" and "could have"? I heard a narrator say, "I seen," in a political commercial and a TV reporter say, "We haven't spoke." An attorney in a television show said, "The evidence do not," and a TV anchorwoman said, "Had threw it" and "between you and I." I was a secretary for almost 50 years and am thankful that, with only a high school education, my English is impeccable. You will do a lot of folks a big favor if you print this letter and bring it to their attention. -- E.E., Wood Ridge, N.J.

Dear E.E.,
Thanks for taking the time and trouble to write. I shoulda thunk to tell them off myself.



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A Note from Margo:
Hi! It's Margo here. I'd love to know what you think of the letters -- and the answers!

Also, any additional thoughts you might have. Thanks!

Reader Comment
And then there's also "ebonics" which really screwed up so many uneducated people who never used the American/English language correctly in the first place. This country is doomed to increasingly stupidity and is only getting worse.

Reader Comment
And then there's also "ebonics" which really screwed up so many uneducated people who never used the American/English language correctly in the first place. This country is doomed to increasing stupidity and is only getting worse.

Reader Comment
I whole heartedly agree with the reader comment. Yes, this country is allowing increased stupidity to prevail because of the liberal excuses given for the use of whatever 'language' people-uneducated or slightly educated people want to use. Stupidity is increasing daily with these fools.

Mr J.'s Comment
Ironic someone from NEW JESERY is so bent out of shape about abuses of the English language. 🙄

Reader Comment
I take offense to the commenter who said it was because of Liberals. My English is also impeccable. and i feel like it is the un-educated conservatives that talk like that. i don't like to bring politics into this but everyone i know that talks like the afore mentioned are redneck, backwoods, and bigots from the south. and i would say most are conservative based on "oh no they gonna take my guns away"

TJV ALSO IN NJ (NO THE sopranos are not 's Comment
Bee's knees, twenty three skeedoo.. far out... wacka doo..... its so rad.... thats so gay..... yeah .. sure .. its generational this butchering of the english language. seems its every generation .

VR518 in NJ's Comment
To Mr. J , why do you find it ironic that some from New Jersey is angry about the use of bad grammar? Do they speak perfect English where you come from? I doubt it.

Chaos's Comment
I think it does not matter if you undersrood what they are saying

Reader Comment
I truly wish this was my biggest problem!

Chris's Comment
And i find it extremely RUDE to say "country" folk (which i proudly am) speak and write so ignorantly. Theres also CLASS which you none.

Reader Comment
Languages are like living things, they change with the times.
 
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Our Reader to Reader Question of the Week:


Dear Readers,
, whatever they needed I provided. What really hurt my son and I the most was the obituary - we were not mentioned at all. Our friends (mine and hers) were appalled. I was embarrassed and upset for not just me, but for my son-who loved her also. I never been so upset. Her x-husband put his wife and kids and their grandchildren in the obituary, who my girlfriend barely knew. They live an hour away from us. I know its silly to be mad over a little section of the newspaper, but it still hurts. Will time let this devastating loss of her and this article ever go away? I am so angry at this whole situation, its not like we can go and rewrite an obituary notice.

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"Keep in mind that the true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good."
-Ann Landers