Syntax Humor

rogersgeorge on May 10th, 2023

Yes, Beetle made a grammar error, using “I” where he should have used “me.” But the other guy made a syntax error, causing the ambiguity that gave us the punchline.

Beetle Bailey from Comics Kingdom for April 3, 2023

What should he have said to remove the ambiguity?

By the way, even Beetle’s correct grammar is tricky. “Me” isn’t a direct object, but the subject of an infinitive (to dig), which takes the objective case!

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Rogers George has been a technical writer for more than 20 years. He has written on subjects as diverse as outhouse assembly, restaurant reviews, software, information security, and scientific equipment. He has his own writing consultancy and is always happy to discuss writing and grammar. Drop him a line at curmudgeon@writing-rag.com.

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