The devil of a problem

REGARDING the correspondence arising from the Duke of Cambridge’s use of the phrase “for Catherine and I” (Letters, May 12, 14 & 17), illogical usage can either become sanctified by the passing of time or be accepted as a matter of convention by those unconcerned with syntactical exactitude. Those who consider “We are a grandmother” to be absurd wouldn’t think of saying “How art thou?” rather than “How are you?” when addressing an individual.

For some obscure reason an incorrect form can sometimes seem grander. In Paradise Lost Satan says: “If thou beest hee...” etc., probably in order to use elevated-sounding language when addressing so exalted a person as Beezlebub. After all, though a fallen angel might get his grammatical cases muddled, Milton wouldn’t – would he? Robin Dow, Rothesay.