In our Feb. 25, 2024, segment, we fixed the bad grammar of great song lines. And then wished we hadn’t. This week, we do the same with movie and theater lines. And, again, we, well, wish we hadn’t. At least we’ll always have grammar.
•“We'll always have Paris." (Casablanca)
“We always will have Paris.”
“All that glisters (glitters) is not gold.” (Merchant of Venice)
“Not all that glitters is gold.”
•“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” (Princess Bride)
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Now I will kill you.”
•"Soylent Green is people!" (Soylent Green)
“Soylent Green is made from people!”
•"Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships.” (Black Panther)
“Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships.”
•“…the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.” (Dr. Strangelove)
“…our precious body fluids.”
•"Old age. It's the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don't look forward to being cured of." (Citizen Kane)
“Old age, Mr. Thompson, is the only disease of which you don’t look forward to being cured.”
•“I could have made love with you more often... or once, even.” (Love and Death)
“….I could have made love with you more often, or even once.”
•“Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges! (Treasure of the Sierra Madre)
“We have no badges, and do not need them.”
•“How do you like them apples? (Good Will Hunting)
“How do you like those apples?”
•“I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." (On the Waterfront)
“…which I am.”
•“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”
“Honey, I shrank the kids.”
•“Tell Mike it was only business." (The Godfather)
“Tell Mike it only was business.”
There must be more. Grammar Police: Send ‘em in!
“Life of Brian.” https://youtu.be/DdqXT9k-050?si=-quVx8YAhoGJOobL
Watch this on video! https://youtu.be/8sJ00lvf_es?si=Fwaqxd-rMnCz5YQQ
Next time: Newspeak.
Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong" features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police.” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, menus, TV news graphics, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we can credit you properly. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com
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