It's sort of like making sure you dress up and speak like an educated person for a job interview–you wouldn't use slang there. It's a matter being taken seriously in certain situations. So if I hear a family member at a get-together use lay/lie incorrectly, I don't get all twitchy.

In another generation or two, many rules (especially lie/lay) will be gone altogether, but it's worth knowing what's considered standard in the meantime.

For now, I'll often rewrite a sentence to avoid the "correct" rule because it sounds so clunky but I don't want to look "wrong." Example: whom. Almost no one uses it anymore, but you won't see me using WHO in that sense. I'll just rephrase the whole thing.

That said, my two personal peeves, which I know are both dying out but I can't quite give it up, are 1) imply/infer and b) nauseous/nauseated.

(This book is TOTALLY up my alley, as you know!)

And I'm glad you don't hate French.

I will have to see if OUR little library happens to have any books by this author. It sounds fascinating.

Thanks for being a part of the tour.

also- your and you're, especially online in news articles or blogs. Did people really never learn the difference?

“I could care less”

I'd love to read that book!