Usage Matters. Santorum and Adjectives vs. Disconnected Ponderous Nouns. (In 55 words.)
“DESCRIBE yourself in one word.”
“Courage.”
Ahem.
But I think an ADJECTIVE was called for: “courageous,” “brave,” “inarticulate,” “idiotic.”
ADJECTIVES DESCRIBE, APPLY qualities to persons, things, circumstances.
Disconnected ponderous NOUNS sound grave (“Satan”), but, when spouted in alarmist gulps, don’t make sense; it’s not clear, in other words, how they APPLY to anything real, present.
The above is my somehat ponderous rant for Friday flash 55. Tell it to the G-Man.
Perhaps I am an overly sensitive grammarian–my own poor usage leads me to think I am not–but I also feel like I have more license to use words sloppily–I am not running for President. We won’t say anything about humility here.
Have a wonderful weekend and, if you have a mo, please please please check out: my comic novel,NOSE DIVE, book of poetry, GOING ON SOMEWHERE, or children’s counting book 1 MISSISSIPPI.
Explore posts in the same categories: news, UncategorizedTags: Friday Flash 55, manicddaily, Republican self-descriptions, Rick Santorum's self=description, use of adjectives
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
ManicDDaily 
February 24, 2012 at 9:47 am
I love your grammarian take and photo dressing. Santorum does not have much to recommend him. If the field hadn’t already been so diminished he never would’ve risen to the top. Under the window dressing, he’s just another man who wants to dictate women’s health from Washington.
Always a pleasure, visiting your blog.
February 24, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Thanks so much.
February 24, 2012 at 9:49 am
hehe…they are all nuts…they have def given us some nice sound bites
February 24, 2012 at 11:48 am
I’m a grammarian when it suits me to be one…
Very Lazy Speaker I am!
You My Friend can be as sensitive as you like, it’s your rant!
Loved your 55
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End
February 24, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Good lord, I’m so tired of politicians that want to judge everyone and their mother, but have absolutely no sense of correct grammar.
These great deciders should have paid more attention to their high school English teachers.
February 24, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Not easy to always be grammatical on the hoof. Surely Santorum can’t be as bad as George W. was?
February 24, 2012 at 4:31 pm
You’re right. I don’t think I’ve made my point here–it’s not a matter of grammar so much as of applying abstract concepts to the facts at hand. That was what I meant was lacking.
I’m very sympathetic to grammatical issues, which I myself suffer from often enough.
February 24, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Maybe he’s afraid of the adjectives that might apply? Hypocritical, prejudiced, angry??? If the repubs were picking nouns to describe themselves, there’s one they all could use–One PerCent. Love the attitude, K.
February 24, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Ha.
February 24, 2012 at 6:33 pm
Hahahha – this is great! What ever did you do for those 8 torturous years George junior was in office?
February 24, 2012 at 6:39 pm
“satan”.. laughing so hard! Love this 55!
55 Flash Fiction Friday: I’m Late
February 25, 2012 at 6:14 am
Reading this, I was completely sold on it and could see little wrong with it at all, but then I had read your correction beforehand, so that may have made the difference. It is strange the way we (i!) can sometimes accept an incorrect part of speech and yet feel quite angry on another occasion. I suppose it ll depends on the context and the reason for the switch.To me this was a post to enjoy for the reasons you mention in the correction.