The Sorry State of Things

[katiefoolery]

Here's a quick quiz for you all. Tell me which of the following is correct:

1. There's plenty of options...

- or -

2. There are plenty of options...

Did you guess correctly? Are you aware that you have to use "are" with plurals and "is" with singular items? If so: congratulations! You're more intelligent than the new vice principal at my work.

Yesterday afternoon, we were treated that most pointless of creations: the work meeting. After a long and busy day, we all filed in to the staff lounge and prepared to be bored within an inch of our lives. Firstly, the principal read out information that had already been handily placed on a sheet of paper that we were all quite capable of reading ourselves. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure we were all still awake.

Then came the introductory speech of the new vice principal. She told us all about her adventures in working in the main office, the headquarters, if you will, of the Education Department. Or "at the region", as we call it in the trade. There she was, working on building curriculum and creating a well-educated state, without being able to properly conjugate one of the most basic verbs in the English language.

And let's not forget the fact she didn't know when to use "its" or "it's", as evidenced by her powerpoint display.

I sat there in the dark, grinding my teeth in annoyance and watching the education and literacy standards of today's youth disappear down a well of ignorance and illiteracy. What hope do the kids have when the people in high positions reveal themselves to be lacking in basic knowledge? It's all quite incredibly depressing.

What can be done about it? Personally, I think that the case is all but hopeless. A decision made by the education department in the seventies has ensured that nobody knows proper grammar any more. You see it on TV, in magazines on signs on windows - people don't know the basic concepts of stringing together letters and words in meaningful ways. In five years' time, I am willing to bet that nobody will believe me if I tell them that you don't use an apostrophe to indicate a plural.

Language is vital. Even more so now, with the majority of communication being carried out on the internet. You are judged by the words you use and the way in which you use them and to fail to give kids the tools with which to express themselves in a meaningful manner is one of the biggest crimes being committed in our country today. Why not just lock them all in small, dark rooms for the rest of their lives? We're taking away their ability to communicate and to express themselves and that is just not cricket.

In the past few years, I have befriended several people for whom English is not their first language and they have a better grasp of grammar than the average English speaker. They're taught respect for their language and how to construct and use it properly. No-one teaches respect for English. Some lucky people learn that for themselves. I, for one, love my language. I love its stupid rules and the way it's constantly breaking all of those rules. I love its versatility and the way it likes to create new words and new ways of using old words. I respect it and it's good to me in return.

The question is: how do we stop ourselves from producing generations of people who are unable to understand the very language they use to communicate? I'm only one person and I have no idea.

Comments

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It's probably not the best example to choose, because I was thinking along the same lines as yourself. I think "plenty" is almost like a plural in itself when it doesn't have an indefinite object there. If I'd written "There's a multitude of options" or "there are a multitude of options", then the "there's" would definitely have been right. It was the only example I could remember from the vice principal's speech but it wasn't the only sin against grammar that she committed last night.

I was just mentioning that we're now seeing the results of kids being brought up by the first generation to be affected by the anti-grammar decision made by the education department. It's a mess.

And yes - text-speak doesn't exactly help anything.

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

So...which one would be correct? Or are they both correct? Would it be "There are plenty of options?" But we say things like "There is plenty of turkey; help yourself." Maybe it depends on whether the object that follows the noun is singular or plural?

And yes, I love this discussion. So grammar-geeky. And your vice principal should still be punished.

Poor kids. To phonics or not to phonics? That is just one of the many questions. Did you have to do phonics in school? I did, but the generation after me didn't.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Yes, you've hit on the right answer there - the conjugation of "to be" depends on the nature of the object that comes after "plenty of". "There's plenty of turkey" sounds correct, whereas "there's plenty of turkeys running around on the farm" doesn't.

It's great to have fellow grammar-enthusiasts with which to debate these topics!

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

It's sad that there are so few of us. Either that, or there are a lot of closet grammar enthusiasts.

There are plenty of turkeys running around here. I can't wait until spring, when we will see the little dust-mop babies dashing about.

[morbane.livejournal.com]

What about the consideration that 'plenty' can be used as a noun on its own as well as as a qualifier? (as as intentional even if clumsy!) For example, in the famous construction, 'The Land of Plenty', in which it is taken to be synonymous with abundance. That allows 'There is plenty' to be correct. :P But, as you pointed out, only if 'plenty' is clearly NOT being used as a quantitative qualifier.

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

*ponders* I think we've hit it, collectively. "Land of Plenty" refers to "plenty" as a singular concept, in which case "There is plenty" is correct, as you said. I feel pretty enlightened, actually!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Oh definitely: "There is plenty" on its own is correct, without a doubt. This, I feel, is the problem with learning grammar from the other side. I really should go out and learn some more, instead of depending on what I've learnt simply by reading. It's so frustrating to know that something doesn't work, without being able to properly explain why.

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

This is why I love fellow grammarians (Mum has threatened to change my name to Marian, simply so that she can sing "Marian the Grammarian" to the tune of "Marian the Librarian") and the Bedford Handbook (6th edition). Both are fantastic for working out how to explain things.

There are still times, however, when I just have to tell people, "Sometimes, English is just weird."