History Main / GrammarNazi

* Happens in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'' when, of all people, JohnAdams raises an objection to the Declaration of Independence, claiming that ThomasJefferson used the word 'inalienable' when he should have used "unalienable." Jefferson refused to change it, and Adams withdrew his objection, saying he'd speak to the printer later about it. Funny thing is? [[http://www.ushistory.org/DECLARATION/unalienable.htm He did.]]

* The "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_English_Society Queen's English Society]]" is a self-appointed organization in the UK that attempts to guard against what they see as a decline in English usage and education by setting up national standards. Despite their Grammar Nazi pretensions, serious linguists and editors tend to regard them with mockery, such as the blog Language Log [[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4002 gleefully pointing out]] that the QES's own official statements are riddled with grammatical errors.

But of course, some people -- GodwinsLaw or not -- bear the title with pride. [[SuperOCD They seek order within the literary confines of the Internet]]. [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans S'not such a bad cause, aye]]? Especially when DarthWiki/{{Illiteracy Communist}}s are utterly mangling the English language. After all, nobody really wants RougeAnglesOfSatin or HowDoIUsedTense messing up their reading material. A good rule of thumb to distinguish between "good" and "bad" ones is: the former will usually overlook [[SelfDemonstratingArticle ovbious tyops]].

Just to make things worse, Grammar Nazis sometimes even [[http://www.learnersdictionary.com/blog.php?action=ViewBlogArticle&ba_id=62 see errors where there aren't any.]]

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[[caption-width-right:300:Whom do we hail?!]]

For example, the French faction believe one is never to split infinitives because Latin and many other European languages cannot. [[PrepositionsAreNotToEndSentencesWith Ending a sentence with a preposition]] is also something they will not tolerate, even if it invariably leads to awkward or confusing renderings.

More moderate Grammar Nazis, ironically, strive to treat English like the Germanic language it is.

Be careful when and how you accuse someone of being a Grammar Nazi, because doing so is, by definition, an automatic invocation of GodwinsLaw. Being a Grammar Nazi can occasionally be a good thing, especially when DarthWiki/{{Illiteracy Communist}}s are utterly mangling the English language. And when you do so, don't misspell "Grammar" (like the trope image did). This isn't ''{{Series/Frasier}}''. (Or ''{{Greek}}''.)

Often, people will be accused of being Grammar Nazis by someone who simply cannot grasp simple second-grade English concepts, such as confusing "you're" for "your". Even worse, a Grammar Nazi will jump all over people who use grammar that is technically incorrect but that [[RealityIsUnrealistic seems correct because]] ''[[RealityIsUnrealistic everyone]]'' [[RealityIsUnrealistic (except for the Grammar Nazis, of course) uses it]], such as "It is me" instead of "It is I."

But of course, some people -- GodwinsLaw or not -- bear the title with pride. [[SuperOCD They seek order within the literary confines of the Internet]]. [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans S'not such a bad cause, aye]]? A good rule of thumb to distinguish between "good" and "bad" ones is: the former will usually overlook [[SelfDemonstratingArticle ovbious tyops]].

Also, you might want to use the term "Grammar Police" around [[YouKeepUsingThatWord those more easily offended]], but that street runs both ways. In many cases the person being criticised is fairly justified in attacking the Grammar Nazi right back; we all make mistakes and there are plenty of [[UsefulNotes/{{Dyslexia}} dyslexics and dyspraxics]] on the Internet - not to mention all the people who aren't quite as keen on your pedantic crusade, nor with your fixation on "Ten Items Or Less" signs. Furthermore, this can fall into an AdHominem dismissal of the person rather than the point they're making; a valid argument doesn't automatically cease to become invalid simply because of an apostrophe in the wrong place.

Compare YouMakeMeSic.

* In the BatmanColdOpen of an episode of ''{{Series/Sherlock}}'', a prospective client describes the events leading to his wife's murder, but is repeatedly interrupted by Holmes to correct his grammar.
-->'''Prisoner''': I'll be hung for this!
-->'''Sherlock''': [[FalseReassurance No.]]
-->''prisoner looks relieved''

->'''Perrier [=LaPadite=]:''' I swear I do not know where Mademoiselle Dreyfus was at!
->'''Col. Hans Landa:''' Did you just [[PrepositionsAreNotToEndSentencesWith end a sentence with a preposition]]?
->'''Perrier [=LaPadite=]:''' ...forgive me, Colonel.
-->-- From [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4vf8N6GpdM this]] ''Website/CollegeHumor'' parody of ''Film/InglouriousBasterds.''

* Minor ''{{Franchise/Spider-Man}}'' villain Spellcheck is such a stickler for grammar, syntax, and usage that he, inspired by the letter and punctuation themed Typeface, puts on a costume and beats people up over it. He goes after Spider-Man because the hyphen (-) between his SuperHero name is ''unnecessary''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica'', the detective pursuing the eponymous pair chastises his underling for ending a sentence in a preposition. The underling later struggles to reform his sentences to avoid this (apocryphal) rule.

* Avril Incandenza of DavidFosterWallace's ''Literature/InfiniteJest'' made her ''career'' out of this, leading a wave of linguistic prescription including ''riots'' over the damned thing, incorporating rigorous education in English grammar in the [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Enfield Tennis Academy]] curriculum (which in fairness is based on the medieval ''trivium'' and ''quadrivium'', which ''did'' include [Latin] grammar), and leading a group called the Militant Grammarians of Massachusetts, whose primary activity seems to be hassling supermarkets over "10 items or less" signs on express lanes ("It should be 10 items or ''fewer''!").\\\

* The Brazilian play ''Notícias Populares'' (Popular News) has a sketch in which two gramatically challenged cops are trying to negotiate with a bank robber holding people hostage. The robber shoots a hostage every time the cops say something incorrectly before politely correcting them.

* Meanwhile, in absolute obscurity, the Fairy of Good Grammar from ''SpellingTheVacuum'', whose grammar powers tie the universe together.

* In ''TheSimpsons'' episode, "Trilogy of Error", Lisa creates a robot called Linguo that is designed for this very trope. Things get very amusing when it starts correcting Lisa's grammar.

* The aptly named KelseyGrammer (TV's ''{{Series/Frasier}}'') says when he talks to people, he often stops the conversation to correct them on the proper use of the English language.

Thaneteright:300:[[http://dinyctis.deviantart.com/art/Grammar-Natzee-24904825 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Grammar_Natzee_revised_by_doommech33_7836.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:300:[[http://dinyctis.deviantart.com/art/Grammar-Natzee-24904825 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Grammar_Natzee_revised_by_doommech33_7836.jpg]]]]

Also, you might want to use the term "Grammar Police" around [[YouKeepUsingThatWord those more easily offended]], but that street runs both ways. In many cases the person being criticised is fairly justified in attacking the Grammar Nazi right back; we all make mistakes and there are plenty of [[UsefulNotes/Dyslexia dyslexics and dyspraxics]] on the Internet - not to mention all the people who aren't quite as keen on your pedantic crusade, nor with your fixation on "Ten Items Or Less" signs. Furthermore, this can fall into an AdHominem dismissal of the person rather than the point they're making; a valid argument doesn't automatically cease to become invalid simply because of an apostrophe in the wrong place.

Also, you might want to use the term "Grammar Police" around [[YouKeepUsingThatWord those more easily offended]], but that street runs both ways. In many cases the person being criticised is fairly justified in attacking the Grammar Nazi right back; we all make mistakes and there are plenty of dyslexics and dyspraxics on the Internet - not to mention all the people who aren't quite as keen on your pedantic crusade, nor with your fixation on "Ten Items Or Less" signs. Furthermore, this can fall into an AdHominem dismissal of the person rather than the point they're making; a valid argument doesn't automatically cease to become invalid simply because of an apostrophe in the wrong place.

'''Col. Hans Landa:''' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone A dangling participle...]] ''([[DrivenToSuicide shoots himself under the chin]])''

--> Raoul: Is this the letter you wrote?
--> Firmin: And what is it that we meant to have wrote?

--> Firmin: ... '''Written.'''

** The irony here is that both Todd and Scott are wrong. It's not "I and he", it's "he and I". For this reason, "He and me" is incorrect as well. So if Scott is an example, he's not a very good one.

Also, you might want to use the term "Grammar Police" around [[YouKeepUsingThatWord those more easily offended]], but that street runs both ways. In many cases the person being criticised is fairly justified in attacking the Grammar Nazi right back; we all make mistakes and there are plenty of dyslexics and dyspraxics on the internet - not to mention all the people who aren't quite as keen on your pedantic crusade, nor with your fixation on "Ten Items Or Less" signs. Furthermore, this can fall into an AdHominem dismissal of the person rather than the point they're making; a valid argument doesn't automatically cease to become invalid simply because of an apostrophe in the wrong place.

* OrsonWelles became one when he did a voiceover commercial for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_Peas frozen peas]].
* "Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should," was attacked by Grammar Nazis for using "like" instead of "as." A subsequent campaign asked, "What do you want, good grammar or good taste?"
** This is also what helped the company become a best-seller - people were talking about their horrible grammar, and thus their brand name stood out more. Kind of an accidental ViralMarketing on their part.

* Herr Starr, from ''{{Preacher}}'', who destroys a subordinate's report with a handgun for [[http://www.freewebs.com/dobermansatplay/Preacher3.jpg "Improper use of inverted commas!]]" (The subordinate had used quotation marks, instead of bold or italic face, for emphasis.)

* {{Lobo}} had once been captured by Grammar Nazis who forced him into a competition to see if he would be allowed to join them in their crusade to cleanse language from error (and exterminate malapropers). It ended when Lobo tried to get his grade school teacher out of the competition, only for her to reveal he had cut her legs and them preparing to kill him by shooting... And removing him from the gas trap that was keeping him at bay. No Grammar Nazi survived the encounter.
* The Comicbook/GreenLantern miniseries ''Emerald Dawn 2'' shows Sinestro correcting the syntax of people he's beating down back when he's Hal Jordan's Corps-appointed mentor.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead Do America'', the detective pursuing the eponymous pair chastises his underling for ending a sentence in a preposition. The underling later struggles to reform his sentences to avoid this (apocryphal) rule.

* In ''LoadedWeapon1'' we have this exchange:

* Lionel from ''MurderByDeath'', who continuously corrects Sidney Wang's AsianSpeekeeEngrish throughout the film.

** The irony here is that both Todd and Scott are wrong. It's not "I and he", it's "he and I". For this reason, "He and me" is incorrect as well. So if Scott is a GrammarNazi, he's not a very good one.

* Lassic Wert in ''FelsicCurrent'' is a GrammarNazi mainly through the constant presence of his partner Geal Tromautein, who could be described as a verbal dyslexic. Were Lassic not constantly busy correcting his friend's mifpronouciations (like that one), he might not have developed such a reflex for linguistic accuracy.
* Avril Incandenza of DavidFosterWallace's ''InfiniteJest'' made her ''career'' out of this, leading a wave of linguistic prescription including ''riots'' over the damned thing, incorporating rigorous education in English grammar in the [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Enfield Tennis Academy]] curriculum (which in fairness is based on the medieval ''trivium'' and ''quadrivium'', which ''did'' include [Latin] grammar), and leading a group called the Militant Grammarians of Massachusetts, whose primary activity seems to be hassling supermarkets over "10 items or less" signs on express lanes ("It should be 10 items or ''fewer''!").\\\

* Josephine Anwhistle from ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' is a perfect example of a typical Grammar Nazi, going so far as to point out that Sunny Baudelaire's utterances are nonsense even if she's too young to be expected to speak coherently. Played with somewhat in that she uses bad grammar to relay a secret message to the Baudelaires. Unfortunately she corrects the AxeCrazy villain's grammar as well...
** Count Olaf in his disguise as Captain Sham pretends to be one of these too, in order to gain Josephine's trust. HypocriticalHumour abounds when he says "There ain't nothin' better than good grammar!"

* "The Eyes Have It" is a short comedy by Creator/PhilipKDick where TheNarrator believes Earth is infiltrated by aliens after reading a line in a novel in which a character's eyes "moved about the room". References to characters having "no brains" or "no spine" only [[BizarreAlienBiology reinforce his apprehension]]. In the end however the protagonist decides not to do anything about the AlienInvasion. He doesn't have the stomach for it.

* One skit from ''ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' involves Mitchell's character shooting employees who spell or pronounce words wrong (he mentions shooting his own wife for, ironically, getting "mispronunciation" wrong). He Goes even further: he shot someone for pronouncing "H" "Haitch" instead of "Aitch". When ''he'' makes a mistake, he has a [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "What have I done?"]] moment and shoots himself. [[spoiler:He manages a LastBreathBullet when someone says "whoever" instead of "whomever"]].

* The title character of ''{{Castle}}'' falls into this occasionally, at one point critiquing the grammar of a murderer who wrote on the victim's face, and used "your" instead of "you're".

* Sheldon Cooper of Series/TheBigBangTheory does this as part of being an InsufferableGenius.

* Ross from ''{{Series/Friends}}'' was often this kind of Nazi or at least his irriated friends had the opinion that he was. He had a habit of correcting people when they misused 'who' for 'whom' and occasionally could become quite irrate when confronted with bad grammar (or he would get angry about something else but still feel compelled to nitpick).

* You'll find these people across the internet at times. We'll leave it at that. The start of such an argument on 4chan is announced with "STOP. GRAMMAR TIME."

* In [[{{Risen}} Risen 2: Dark Waters]] gnome leader is this of all peo.. err, individuals. When learning human language he put so much effort in this that he got the rules better than pretty much all the humans (including the main hero) and is condtanlty correcting the conversation partner on proper use of gramar (again, including the main character which drives him nuts). It stands out especially hard since gnomes in general do not speak human language at all and are not known for theit intelligence or regard to any rules.

* The [[http://www.angryflower.com/aposter.html mascot]] of Grammar Nazis everywhere is BobTheAngryFlower.

* The [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20090714.html North American Grammar Squirrel,]] who corrects the cast of ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' at the expense of their fourth wall.

* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' parodied this with Grammer[sic] Gorilla, who attempts to be a GrammarNazi, but his [[YouNoTakeCandle own grammar is atrocious.]]

* Grammar is just one of the many things that makes Butch of ''ChoppingBlock'' completely flip out. [[http://choppingblock.keenspot.com/d/20090505.html Case in point.]]
* In ''OurLittleAdventure'', [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0324.html the use of contractions calls for abuse.]]
* In ''{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2642 literal ones beat up Slick for not using the subjunctive.]]

* ''CyanideandHappiness,'' dealt with one, a character was being dragged away by the Nazi:

** Incidentally, he has a [[HoistByHisOwnPetard similar fate]] as the ''ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' above.

* From a 1997 issue of ''TheOnion'': [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/nations-educators-alarmed-by-poorly-written-teen-s,1007/ Nation's Educators Alarmed By Poorly Written Teen Suicide Notes]]
* "Psychic Powers", a video by [[ShinyObjectsVideos ShinyObjects]], sees Curly enforcing grammar rules via the titular powers.

* Leela from ''{{Futurama}}'' in the episode "Mobious Dick". When the crew ventures to another planet to pick up a monument of the first Planet Express crew, Leela points out a grammatical error in the plaque and orders the carver to make an entire new statue.
--> Plaque: IN MEMORY OF THE 1ST PLANET EXPRESS SHIP AND IT'S CREW.
--> Leela: "It's" shouldn't have an apostrophe, That means "and ''it is'' crew."

* The aptly named Kelsey Grammer (TV's ''{{Series/Frasier}}'') says when he talks to people, he often stops the conversation to correct them on the proper use of the English language.
* Similarly, the late [[TheOddCouple Tony Randall]] corrected the host's grammar in at least one appearance on ''TheHollywoodSquares''.

'''ChristopherHitchens:''' And then you took up all the time for my answer with your long, rather unlettered questioning.

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** Ironically, a German high school in the city of Dachau has adopted a very [[http://effner.de/schulverfassung.php interesting logo]], most likely unaware of the Grammar Nazi's unofficial sign.

* Josephine Anwhistle from ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' is a perfect example of a typical Grammar Nazi, going so far as to pointing out Sunny Baudelaire's utterances as nonsense even if she's yet to speak coherently. Played with somewhat in that she uses bad grammar to relay a secret message to the Baudelaires. Unfortunately she corrects the AxeCrazy villain's grammar as well...

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', Jack O'Neill does a surprising amount of this.