Are you a grammar guru? Do you diagram sentences just for fun? Can you hold your own in a debate about the Oxford comma? If so, there’s a book that is trending as a best-seller that you might enjoy. It is entitled, ”Rebel with a Clause—Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian,” by Ellen Jovin. In addition to writing several books, Jovin is best known internationally as a grammar and language expert.
She has also taught English at the university level and has worked as a freelance writer. Her latest book is a travelogue. That is, Jovin created a prop that she calls her ”grammar table,” which she then displayed at various public locations across the country. The purpose of the exercise was to compel those passing by to approach and ask questions about grammar.
Many people feel strongly about the Oxford comma
In the earliest pages of Jovin’s book, she describes numerous lively discussions that total strangers engaged in at her grammar table regarding the Oxford comma. If you are a grammar enthusiast, you might also know this comma as a ”serial” or ”series” comma. While the Chicago Manual rules for writing encourage its use, Associated Press rules do not.
Jovin says that she can take it or leave it, and she has gone through phases of her grammar journey both using it and not using it. Many of the folks featured in Jovin’s book adamantly stated that they believe sentence meaning can be gravely misconstrued without it. Some of the examples they provide will make you laugh out loud.
The stories compiled at the grammar table are being made into a documentary
The author’s husband traveled with her as she visited libraries, town squares and many other public locations throughout the United States. He filmed her encounters with people who had questions and comments about grammar. A documentary film is currently in its post-production stage.
You might have definite opinions about topics such as whether to use one or two spaces after a period when typing or whether less or fewer is a better grammatical choice. Is it lie or lay? Do you confuse your and you’re? Ellen Jovin and the people who gather around her grammar table often talk about such issues at length. In between the actual grammar discussions, everyone seems to be learning a little more about life as well.
