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KingCharlemagne

(7,908 posts)
Wed May 10, 2017, 09:02 AM May 2017

Grammar Nazi: Two grammar mistakes in one sentence of Trump's

letter to Comey:

“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau,”


"you informing me" -- the gerund "informing" is a noun and should take the possessive adjective "your" (not "you&quot .

"to effectively lead" -- classic split infinitive. Not a grammar error per se, but a major stylistic weakness. Would read better to say "not able to lead the Bureau effectively."

The days of William Safire, George Will and William Buckley Jr. are long gone for Republicans.

Have fun, my fellow grammarians and band of brothers!
9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Grammar Nazi: Two grammar mistakes in one sentence of Trump's (Original Post) KingCharlemagne May 2017 OP
Thank you! Shanti Mama May 2017 #1
Grammar mistake or grammatical mistake? dalton99a May 2017 #2
That construction has a technical name. Jim Lane May 2017 #4
Trump only hires the best people (who apply). L. Coyote May 2017 #3
Trumps writes well in that letter lunatica May 2017 #5
ONLY two? someone else must have written it. niyad May 2017 #6
I would rather swear at him in Japanese yuiyoshida May 2017 #7
Thank you for your paying due attention to this. nt FigTree May 2017 #8
Message deleted by DU the Administrators DavidDvorkin May 2017 #9
 

Jim Lane

(11,175 posts)
4. That construction has a technical name.
Wed May 10, 2017, 01:12 PM
May 2017

In English, it can be grammatically proper to ram a bunch of nouns together in a phrase.

In the Romance languages, by contrast, the phrase would have to be the equivalent of "grammatical mistake" or "mistake of the grammar". In English, however, "grammar mistake" is proper. In fact, I can thank you for your Internet message board grammar post, using a string of five nouns with no prepositions.

There's even a name for this type of string, although alas I've forgotten it.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
5. Trumps writes well in that letter
Wed May 10, 2017, 01:15 PM
May 2017

But, then I doubt he wrote it. Too many full sentences and a varied vocabulary and not enough adverbs and adjectives. Plus I see periods.

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