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English Majors Strike Again

April 20, 2010 | 3 Comments

There was a flurry of mail from English teachers about a grammatical error in a rhubarb commercial on April 17, including this from Jane J. in Berkeley: "It's good that the students in the sketch about springtime and school aren't listening to the English teacher because the grammar of his lesson is incorrect: The verb in "He is feeling lousy" is a linking verb (as are "seem," "feel," "appear," "become" and all forms of "to be")and must be followed by an adjective, in this case "lousy," which is NOT an adverb. Sip some more of that gin." And Christine K. of Traverse City, MI, added: "Often people will say, 'I feel badly,' thinking they are being correct; however, 'bad' is the correct choice when 'feel' is used as a 'state of being.' " The point is well-taken. Others, however, who objected to the mispronunciation of "epitome" and "suave" just didn't get the joke.

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