Grammar Grrrl Hits the Big O

I taught another new class yesterday — a grammar review and a how-to on writing business e-mail — and the results from the pilot were amazing, surpassing April’s technical writing class. My evaluation score? On a 10-point scale, my class rated me a 9.86. Even got a standing ovation from them. I have to admit, I was on fire. I was funny, I was in the zone, I had them eating out of the palm of my hand — and on one hour of sleep, no less.

I hate to bare my geeky side to the world, but grammar turns me on. My grammar porn excites me. I subscribe to two word-a-day blasts. I eagerly await the arrival of my weekly grammar newsgroup bulletin. My red pen and well-worn AP Stylebook are always within reach, ready to play. A heated discussion on a misused quotation mark, and I can go all night, deeper and longer than you ever dreamed was punctuationally possible. I’m getting flushed just thinking about it.

So, to be in front of a group of people, talking about the comma … the difference between “that,” “which, and “who” … trimming the fat from a sentence … well, I became a bit of an exhibitionist. I flirted. I teased. I spilled deep, dark grammar secrets (yes, sometimes I do edit the wannabeau’s e-mails when I reply). And I nailed it. It was a lot of work developing the course — I’m a copywriter, not a trainer — but damn, it was fun. I even slipped in R.E.M. and Elvis references.

Off to smoke a ciggie and enjoy the afterglow of a great grammar session …

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