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Doll Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
Strange use of grammar.
Hello everyone,
I was reading a short story, Haircut, by Ring Lardner and I read strange use of grammar forms. Let me give you some examples:
1-She'd of divorced him only the wasn't no chance to get almony and she didn't have no way to take care of herself and the kids.
2-She couldn't never understand him.
3-They was a time when she would go to whoever he was workin' for and ask them to give...
4-Children cried like they wasn't never goin' to stop.
These are just some of the examples. We are taught that we can teach grammar to our students when we gradute but I am not sure now. As for my question, of course I don't mean that Lardner's English is so bad
but I just wonder whether this is a style, old English or a kind of accent (accent and writing?). 
Thanks in advance.
I was reading a short story, Haircut, by Ring Lardner and I read strange use of grammar forms. Let me give you some examples:
1-She'd of divorced him only the wasn't no chance to get almony and she didn't have no way to take care of herself and the kids.
2-She couldn't never understand him.
3-They was a time when she would go to whoever he was workin' for and ask them to give...
4-Children cried like they wasn't never goin' to stop.
These are just some of the examples. We are taught that we can teach grammar to our students when we gradute but I am not sure now. As for my question, of course I don't mean that Lardner's English is so bad
but I just wonder whether this is a style, old English or a kind of accent (accent and writing?). Thanks in advance.
Top answer
Hi, It sounds like the author is trying to reproduce the ungrammatical speech patterns of his characters, or of an uneducated person who is narrating the story. Don't let this distress you. Clive
- Hi, It sounds like the author is trying to reproduce the ungrammatical speech patterns of his characters, or of an uneducated person who is narrating the story.
- Don't let this distress you.
- Clive
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2 Answers
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Hi,
It sounds like the author is trying to reproduce the ungrammatical speech patterns of his characters, or of an uneducated person who is narrating the story.
Don't let this distress you.
It sounds like the author is trying to reproduce the ungrammatical speech patterns of his characters, or of an uneducated person who is narrating the story.
Don't let this distress you.
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Thanks for answering Clive. Ahh ahh I just hoped that a new Shakespeare is about to come! 
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