Four years ago I decided I needed to host a pop-up grammar-advice stand. The plan was simple: I’d sit on the streets of New York City and help people with their questions. I ordered a folding table, drew a “Grammar Table” sign and waited for the weather to cool. On a September day I walked to a small park near my apartment building, propped up my sign, and began answering questions from passersby.
The idea was natural to me because I’m a lifelong professional grammar nerd. I’ve taught grammar and writing for years, written and edited professionally, and studied more than 25 languages for fun. Behind me, during Zoom calls, are shelves of grammar books alphabetized from Albanian to Zulu. Some may think it is a total conversation killer but trust me when I tell you that people love talking about grammar — and fighting about it, too.
That fall day, it took about 30 seconds before I got my first question and the inquiries continued from there. People wanted to oust their spouses’ errant apostrophes, cram commas into underpunctuated clauses (“Oxford comma or bust!”), raze past tense forms used as past participles (“I should have ran, ugh!”) and more.
