Grammar Nerd gets a little press!
‘Grammar Nerd’ to share wisdom at Bethel Park Library
post-gazette.COM
It’s not easy being a grammar nerd.
“At dinner, my eyes go right to the apostrophe or another error on the menu. My husband will say, ‘Oh, no, not a bad apostrophe,’ ” Sydnee Bagovich said.
Ms. Bagovich, who calls herself The Grammar Nerd, will share “13 Quick Fixes for Everyday Grammar Blunders” in a free presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, in Bethel Park Public Library.
“It is not an English lesson, as we will not be conjugating verbs or diagramming sentences,” said Ms. Bagovich, of Crafton. “My style is not textbook — it is conversational.”
The workshop will be a review of common, everyday grammar blunders made across industries, educational levels and functions, with attendees given tools to help eliminate them from their grammar arsenals.
Her presentation will begin with the apostrophe and end with a more difficult undertaking — plural possessives.
In between, topics of discussion will include the proper use of words that sound the same, such as “too,” “two” and “to,” when to use “I” or “me” and “bad” or “badly.”
Another topic for discussion will be the Oxford comma — the comma that appears before “and” or another conjunction in a series of items. Usage rules vary on whether the comma should be used. The Grammar Nerd’s advice?
“Do whatever you want, but be consistent,” she said.
Ms. Bagovich said she has always loved grammar. “It was all about rules. I just got it,” she said of her elementary school lessons.
As a teenager, two boyfriends sent her letters with “sp” beside words that they weren’t sure how to spell.
“I don’t know if it was something I just projected,” she said.
She works as a print buyer with Valassis media and marketing services company in North Fayette and also is a professional proofreader.
The foundation of her presentation was laid 10 years ago when she began compiling examples of bad grammar in writing and speech.
In her talk, she will share examples, such as: “Just so your aware” and “Your welcome.”
” ‘Your’ stands for possession, and ‘you’re’ is ‘you are.’ If you can substitute ‘you are,’ it should be ‘you’re,’ ” she said.
Another head turner appeared in a business email: “Please bare with me.” “I thought, ‘I don’t think that’s what you want,’ ” she said.
Ms. Bagovich would like to become a speaker for professional organizations.
For now, she simply enjoys seeing someone’s face light up “when they get it,” she said.
“We are all nerds at something but can’t be at everything, so we need each other, and should help each other,” she said. “That is why I do this.”
Ms. Bagovich’s talk is open to the public, but registration is required. To register: 412-835-2207. For more information about The Grammer Nerd: www.thegrammarnerd.com or facebook.com/thegrammarnerd.
