http://grammarguard.org Exposing the sloppy speech of high-profile people. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:08:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If Sen. Arlen Specter is trying to come across as confident and measured about his party switch, he ought to choose his words more carefully. "I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election," he said in a ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/specter-the-defector Miss California is convinced Perez Hilton cost her the crown. "If I had any other question, I know I would have won," Carrie Prejean told Fox News. Here's the problem -- well, one of the problems. Carrie is speaking in the past perfect tense, describing an action (the pageant interview) that happened before ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/beauty-queen-v-blogger The White House's annual Easter Egg Roll appears to have filled the president with such glee he became lightheaded and experienced some grammatical confusion. "To see so many children out here having a great time just fills Michelle and myself and the entire family with a whole lot of joy," President ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/an-egg-roll-error Kendra Wilkinson's latest blog post is titled, "Me and Hank at the shooting range." It features, unsurprisingly, a close-up of Kendra and a tiny shot of her fiance, Hank Baskett. This is an example where grammar and etiquette align. Anytime you have multiple subjects and the speaker is among them, she ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/a-kendra-centric-world "Lindsay has always enjoyed a Red Bull, but she eats. Everybody needs to mind their own business and stop worrying about what Lindsay eats or doesn't eat." That's what Lindsay Lohan's rep told People, denying rumors she's on a liquid diet based on frequent Red Bulls. I, however, believe it is my ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/red-bulls-for-the-redhead All the talk of hope in this morning's interview with pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen appears to have flustered Robin Roberts. "We just try to help people stay encouraged, not to get bitter, not to just resent things, but really stay hopeful," Victoria told her. "I like to tell people to get ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/too-much-hope-not-enough-commas Maksim Chmerkovskiy should know better than to compare female partners. The Dancing With The Stars pro insists his current leading lady, Drama Queen Denise Richards, takes the competition just as seriously as his past partners. “Denise is so dedicated to this show,” Chmerkovskiy told People. “I don’t see any difference between how ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/comparing-partners Dismissing prudish advice, the first lady once again flaunted her buff arms -- this time in a soup kitchen, where she dispensed some words of wisdom. “Collect some fruits and vegetables; bring by some good healthy food,” she said. “We can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across the ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/toned-arms-sloppy-speech ABC issued a press release about the much-anticipated finale of The Bachelor. The headline reads: "DeAnna Pappas Pays a Surprise Visit to Jason That Impacts His Final Decision." First, the prepositional phrases in this sentence are problematic. She pays a "visit to Jason that impacts his decision." Why not "pays Jason a ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/abc-mind-your-ps-and-qs The ability to reassure an anxious nation depends on precise word choice. Last night, while giving his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama missed the mark. "When we learn that a major bank has serious problems," the president said, "we will hold accountable those responsible, force the ... http://grammarguard.org/blog/true-comfort