For writer Ellen Jovin, grammar is not just a profession; it’s a passion. Since 2018, Jovin has been traveling the country with her “Grammar Table,” educating people and moderating grammar debates. Jovin joined “LA Times Today” host Lisa McRee for a chat about her travels and her new book “Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian.”
Jovin teaches grammar to adults and has studied more than 25 languages. She explained the origin of her Grammar Table.
“It just crossed my mind that it would be a fun thing to have a table with a sign on it that said ‘Grammar Table’ where people could come up to me and ask me questions. I was online a lot, chatting about grammar with people all over the world. That’s one of the wonderful things about the internet. It connects you, but it also divides you because it takes you away from seeing live people with live faces,” she shared.
From the Oxford comma to grammar in text messages, Jovin shared her perspective on how battles over proper writing can bring people together.
“I love grammar fights. I love being the referee. I think facilitated grammar fights on Thanksgiving are an ideal way to steer clear of the most contentious types of discussions. One of the first discussions that I refereed was between a husband and wife that may have been on the first or second day (at the Grammar Table). She said that he had used an apostrophe in his texts where he didn’t need one. So, they showed me the text, and I was the referee, and the wife was right. As usual,” Jovin recalled.
Grammar practices can change over time and by region, Jovin said. She explained her relationship to social media grammar critics and less formal styles of writing.
“Social media improved my writing because it gives you immediate audience input on what you put up. So, for audience awareness, which is one of the most important things in writing, you get all this input. Sometimes it’s input you really wish you hadn’t received… I also think it’s absolutely possible to be bilingual in text-speak versus what you do in more formal settings,” she said.
Jovin wrote a book based on her travels with the Grammar Table.
“Fortunately, I have a husband, Brandt Johnson, who likes road trips, too. This was a road trip with a grammar table. We went to 47 states with it before the pandemic hit. He filmed the whole thing, and I wrote my book. It’s about the adventures, what people asked, and what I told them. Some of the things people do at the Grammar Tables are hilarious and unexpected at times,” she shared.
“Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian” is available now wherever books are sold.
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