Comments on: Alien plots are copyeditors' downfall

By: James Van Hise

James Van Hise — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:51:20 +0000

Is this going to be like CIVIL WAR in that a major change in the Marvel universe will be introduced (like the unmasking of Spider-Man) only to have it magically disappear a year later?

By: rich

rich — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:48:43 +0000

I read Calvin Trillin’s remark in an issue of WRITER’S DIGEST long ago:

“As far as I’m concerned, ‘whom’ is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler.”

So does this mean this Jarvis is a skrull?

By: Donnie

Donnie — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:36:24 +0000

It was probably The Goldwaters that corrected the classic Bo Diddley song to its proper uptight whitey usage of "Whom Do You Love?" Lighten up, ya word nerds!

By: Dreamer

Dreamer — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:16:35 +0000

learning about and the continual usage of the delicacies of a language also enriches and preserves a greater part of the cultural processes that human civilization as a whole have developed until this point, besides the proposed cognitive advantage above ..

that pseudo-intellectual argument aside, who do you trust sounds about right and don’t think it should be considered a big issue anyway.. :p

By: Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:52:07 +0000

The copy-editor is right. “Whom” is basically dead outside formal written English. Even the OED lists it as obsolete in colloquial speech. And there are plenty of situations where, whatever the traditional rules may say, “Whom” is so unnatural as to be plainly wrong in a modern context. (“Whom do you think you’re looking at?”)

“Who do you trust?” is entirely right as colloquial English, and more or less acceptable even as formal English. “Whom do you trust?” is too formal in tone.

By: David C

David C — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:11:34 +0000

Hmmm… Alright Daniel, y’gots a point.

I still think learning the rules and using them (to a point) betters cognitive process (as does having a larger vocabulary), but that article has partially won me over.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:52:13 +0000

**Sigh**

Here’s a good article for all you grammar na…sorry, “mavens” to enjoy,

http://camba.ucsd.edu/~bakovic/ll/grammar_puss.html#care_less

By: David C

David C — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:09:20 +0000

I like ‘whom’. It makes me feel important.

But seriously, if we start deleting all the difficult parts of language that are irregular or difficult and calling it “evolution”, one day we’ll be left with “I finded mooses in my garden. Its bad and your 2 blame.”

By: rich

rich — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:44:49 +0000

Has PAD written any THOR material? That would answer your question.

By: Adan Jimenez

Adan Jimenez — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:58:24 +0000

It’s almost as if language doesn’t evolve or something. As if it’s frozen in time, never to change.

I’d like to ask PAD when the last time he used “thee” or “thou” was.

By: Scott Koblish

Scott Koblish — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:55:55 +0000

Maybe the copy-editor’s a skrull? Does anyone REALLY know if that’s Flo? ;-)

By: Scott Bieser

Scott Bieser — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:15:26 +0000

Actually, it will shake out that the way to tell a human from a Skrull is that humans know how to use who/whom properly. Skrulls always get it wrong. So, the ending to PAD’s scene is:

“No. Objective case whom.”

“BLAM! BLAM!”

By: Brian Jacoby from Secret Headquarters Tallahassee, Florida

Brian Jacoby from Secret Headquarters Tallahassee, Florida — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:06:22 +0000

I think when it all washes out, it will be revealed that every single person, super- or not, in the Marvel Universe is a skrull, except for the people that are clones, from alternate futures, robots, from Earth-2, and ironically, the Super Skrull, who is just wearing a rubber mask.

By: John Platt

John Platt — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:41:19 +0000

Amended: Peter David wins by a knock-knock!

By: John Platt

John Platt — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:40:23 +0000

Peter David wins!