Grammar lessons

We often find ourselves correcting our elementary school grandchildren’s use of the English language. Among the incorrect phrases they are often heard to say is “me and my friend played a game.” Our corrections motivate them to practice rolling their eyes.

We were a bit surprised to hear President Obama say the following last week (emphasis mine):

“To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.”

The use of “my” or “me” in this sentence is actually rather complicated. A non-finite verb form that can function as a noun is called a gerund. The gerund is the form that names the action of the verb (for instance, “acting” is the action of "to act"). So in the sentence quoted here, “acting” is functioning as a noun, which would suggest that “my” would be the better choice. Another choice is to rework the sentence a bit, and say

“To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the action I took when Congress failed to act, I have one answer: Pass a bill.”

But here is a somewhat less flattering thought. The phrase "me acting where Congress has failed" might seem as though the Congress does not object so much to what Mr. Obama did but rather simply does not like Mr. Obama personally. Is it possible that the President is a stickler for grammar and said precisely what he was trying to say?

I sit here listening to an endless stream of bad news from my home town of St. Louis. I am not sure I was ever in Florissant but I just took a look at Google Maps and it is only about 15 miles from where I lived as a girl. The pain of the family and community is very sad indeed.

For some years after our daughter Simmie was born 12 weeks prematurely, I found myself amazed at every full-term healthy baby born among our friends. Of course everyone knows that a healthy baby is a miracle, but fortunately most of us do not have to experience this feeling in such a stark way. That same sort of feeling has come over me quite a few times during the past 2½ years as I have seen a number of friends receive cancer diagnoses. But the latest is especially poignant: one of Barry’s students, a radiation oncology resident at Mt. Sinai, is now undergoing cancer treatment.

One of the really nice things that comes from being part of a traditional Jewish community is the way that people pitch in to help families in need. Not surprisingly, the primary activity revolves around food. Whether it is providing meals for families sitting shiva (the week of mourning) for a loved one or for families welcoming a new baby, there never seems to be a lack of volunteers. For some years I coordinated this activity for our synagogue in Riverdale. These days there are web sites that help to organize the meals and communicate the recipient family’s preferences and allergies, much easier than all those phone calls I used to make! What I never realized until now is that this is also done outside the traditional Jewish community. A couple of the other residents set up a page on Care Calendar, and we were honored to have an opportunity to prepare a dinner for the resident and her father, who has come to take care of her during treatment, and look forward to doing this again.

We are planning to head up to Sharon tomorrow morning. Let’s hope the weather cooperates, and the snow ends this evening with plenty of time to clear the roads.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love,

Rebecca