By Mick Holien

Now I am certainly not an English major and certainly don’t proclaim that I usually communicate with the finest utilization of the King’s English.

And it might surprise you to discover that in high school I took four years of Latin and two years of Greek but trust me not exactly because I wanted to – You see they were required.

But recognizing poor grammar in others – especially for example media types even stretching to the national level especially during interviews – has a tendency to drive me bonkers.

 I guess since retirement I have noticed it more on the cable television stations.

And while there certainly is a degree of spontaneity required to both ask questions under pressure and even more so to answer an inquiry, just a little advance thought sure would help.

But in most cases poor English prevails and it causes this poor scribe to wonder whether there is such a thing as an air check to prompt better performance.

I fondly remember my first one. I’d been on the radio for about three weeks spinning “Today’s Country” and the afternoon jock who also was the program director and I guess purveyor of all things good radio told me to tape my next hour and we’d listen to it together and he’d critique me.

Well long story short I didn’t know how to tape my program which contained four breaks on the quarter hour for me to talk for about 15 seconds as I remember.

He showed me how to put it on reel-to-reel and then waited outside the control room door panting I visualize.

The short version of the critique – and believe me it was short – was he suggested I find another line of work.

I quickly pointed out that the station had lured me, that I ran the bowling center across the street, and maybe he should find someone for the rest of the shift.

Pointing out that I had overreacted – which I am prone to do – we remained friends and I continued to spin some country tunes and call some football and basketball games.

He even remained in the business until the station was sold about a year later and I’ve often thought I’d like to replay that conversation with him.

See there’s one of those English things right there. Some people would have said replay with him AGAIN.

Redundant and a waste of air time and paper.

So might however have been this diatribe.Just sayin’

Word of the day..glean pronounced the same, spelled differently do you know both meanings

 

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