I’m driven to shouting over this decline

WITH apologies for dragging out this subject but in addition to Father McNicholls, I couldn’t agree more with Janet McCulloch and Keith Jarrett regarding English.

I had a wonderful English teacher at Whitby at an excellent secondary modern school (sorry Janet, I don’t agree that grammar schools are a necessity, despite many of them being superb!)

However, the special teacher I remember with much affection crosses my mind every time I am confronted by the way standards in English have dropped so very much, when I’m afraid I am driven to shouting at the TV, stupidly.

I so agree with Keith and think it’s appalling how “Oh my god” and similar phrases are used almost as swear words which really makes me cringe.

I also wonder why so many obviously intelligent young people aren’t advised not to stick the word “like” into their conversation all over the place, and just recently, instead of describing something on television or radio as “little” or “small” the description by people who should know better is “little small” or “small little”.

On a personal note I failed the 11-plus because of being somewhat hopeless at maths, a subject I hated, but that worked well because aged 14 I was allowed to go to typing and shorthand classes at night school where, strangely enough, the typing teacher recommended me for a job with a firm of accountants in which her husband was a partner, and where I couldn’t have been happier for ten years, eventually becoming a full-fledged shorthand typist.

In closing, I was amazed a few minutes ago to hear, on TV, an extremely well-educated barrister who has recently become quite famous, refer to “sister-in-laws”, instead, of course, “sisters-in-law”.

A slip of the tongue, perhaps? I wonder!