Grammatical Hijinks: Dirk Driver and the Dark and Stormy Night

"Bullets and Bad Comma: a Tale of Grammar Noir"
Of Cabbages & Kings (April 6, 2009)


(from Of Cabbages & Kings, used w/o permission)

"The phone rang— I made an em-dash for it. A man was on the line. He said he had colon problems. I told him I was an editor, not a proctologist. He said that was swell, and he'd be right over.

"He showed up at the office with a preposition for me. I said, is that a pen in your pocket, or are you happy to see me? He opened his coat to reveal his piece. A powerful little number but bulky. I asked him to put it slowly on the table so we could get down to work.

"He hesitated, asking me for a quote first. I gave him two, telling him he'd need both for later...."

You get the idea.

This post is for people who know the workings of the English language well enough to know what parts of speech are called: and recognize the painfully fun plays on words.