Language Gaffes in the Media

Trebek/Obama/Borger/Montagne

QUESTION: What do Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, President Obama, and journalists Gloria Borger and Renée Montagne have in common?

ANSWER: They all need to learn the difference between who and whom.

  • Alex Trebek commenting on a previous Jeopardy winner: “She didn’t know who she’d be facing.”

Correction: She didn’t know whom she’d be facing.

  • President Obama in his announcement about refugees: “The US is increasing the number of refugees who we welcome within our borders.”

Correction: The US is increasing the number of refugees whom we welcome within our borders.

  • Gloria Borger (CNN) speaking about Justice Scalia’s replacement on the Supreme Court: “I do think who the President nominates matters.”

Correction: I do think whom the President nominates matters.

  • Renée Montagne (NPR) asks, “Who do you hear people blaming for the accidental bombing of the Afghani hospital?”

Correction: Whom do you hear people blaming for the accidental bombing of the Afghani             hospital?

GRAMMAR RULE: Who is nominative and is used for subjects and predicate nominatives.

Whom is objective and is used for direct and indirect objects and for objects

of phrases.

See: The Cooper Hill Stylebook § 6.

Obama/Cruz/Rowe

QUESTION: What do Senator Ted Cruz, President Obama, and Republican strategist Carl Rowe    have in common?

ANSWER: Grammar problems. Their subjects don’t agree with their verbs.

GRAMMAR RULE: Singular subjects must take singular verbs See Stylebook §1.

• Senator Ted Cruz campaigning in Iowa: “Do you want to know how much each of you terrify Washington?”

Correction: “Do you want to know how much each of you terrifies Washington?”

(The  word each is singular.)

• President Obama: “So far the data shows” that the crime level has essentially not risen.

Correction: “So far the data show” that the crime level has essentially not risen.

(The  word data is singular.)

• Republican strategist Carl Rowe referring to Donald Trump’s attacks against Ben Carson and Marco Rubio: “Neither one of these attacks are particularly effective.”

Correction:  “Neither one of these attacks is particularly effective.”

(Neither one is singular.)

Journalists Confused about Between and Among

Grammar rule: between refers to 2, among refers to more than 2.

• Steve Inskeep (NPR) referred to the “shared interest between Iraq, Iran, and Russia.”

Correction: among Iran, Iraq, and Russia

  • Tom Gjelten (NPR) spoke about 3 immigrant boys who “between them” shared basic American traits.

Correction: among them

  • Bill Hemmer (Fox) commenting on Republican presidential candidates: “Between Bush, and Kassich, and Christie, there’s a lot of pressure.”

Correction: among Bush, and Kassich, and Christie….

  • Lauren Frayer (NPR) reporting on the trial of Spain’s Princess Cristina: “They had to clear a path between all the TV cameras.”

Correction: among all the TV cameras