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Proper English in dialogue sounds stilted.
Im at that stage where Ive sent my novel to be professionally edited. Hes picked out a few errors but there is one that Im not convinced about.
My husband and I.
I *know* above is grammatically correct, and normally thats what Id write. But in dialogue it sounds so odd and stilted. He agrees that it depends on the person talking, but believes my character is educated and would speak this way. But educated or not who talks like that? And dont say the Queen lol
He also suggested that it could be regionally that I dont hear it much, so Im putting it out to you guys.
Help!
My husband and I.
I *know* above is grammatically correct, and normally thats what Id write. But in dialogue it sounds so odd and stilted. He agrees that it depends on the person talking, but believes my character is educated and would speak this way. But educated or not who talks like that? And dont say the Queen lol
He also suggested that it could be regionally that I dont hear it much, so Im putting it out to you guys.
Help!
Comments
I would say 'My husband and I' and I'm not that posh!
Otherwise I wouldn't use it in ordinary everyday speech.
I suppose if your character is a sort of Hyacinth Bucket- Keeping Up Appearances comedy- character, then that would be normal speech...:)
of the sentence. So:
My husband and I went home
John took my husband and me home
But, of course, in some dialogue the best phrase, whatever the situation, will be:
Me and me 'usband.
Of course the context matters greatly. If that's how the person would normally speak then that's how you write the dialogue. Sometimes even if it isn't how they speak it can be used as a stress or accent such as-
Wife on phone to husband happy he's booked a holiday for their anniversary- "Me and you are going to party like we're eighteen all over again."
Wife annoyed at husband on phone for forgetting their anniversary- "You and I need to have a serious talk later."
Well that's how I remember relationships anyway ;)
1. That was part of the reason, she admitted. The other was because Ive done what Eddie and me set out to do.
2. Im a trained teacher, she said. And we, my husband and me, taught English in Ghana and Tanzania.
3. Ive done what me and Eddie set out to do. Now I want to have an ordinary job.'
Could be the problem.
BTW I was born near Birmingham, so am more usually compared with Benny from Crossroads than Hyacinth Bucket, so thanks for the upgrade, Carol. :)
these cases you really wouldn't get away with using "me."
A good rule of thumb if you are unsure of the grammar, is to take out the other person and try I or me to see which is right.
So, "I've done what (Eddie and) me set out to do," (I've done what me set out to do.)
or, "I've done what (Eddie and) I set out to do." (I've done what I set out to do.)
I think if you try that in each of these cases it will be fairly clear which you have to choose.
Hope this helps.
Cheers medears!
dunt like posh speak, me. >wipes nose on sleeve<
to teach little oiks to talk proper.
One of her pet hates was when kids would say, "Please, Miss, my pencil's broke."
She would always supply the missing ending with a severely snapped, "en!" and make folk try
again - "Please, Miss, my pencil's broken."
Some of us loved to score points against her. One of my chances came when I needed to use the
pencil sharpener on her desk. "Please, Miss, my pencil's blunt," I said.
"en!" she snapped back.
"No, it's just blunt," I replied.
"Well sharpen it then!" she snapped angrily.
Good luck with the editing.
I remember coming in late and switching on the telly - just to watch/listen to anything to wind down.
There was a conversation going on which was not very riveting, a bit dull, certainly not dramatic. I might have changed channel, but being an erstwhile writer I thought this must be going somewhere - not least because the actors were well known and had a big presence.
I realised after a while that the three participants were actually in the Oval Office at The Whitehouse.
It was about The Watergate Scandal. The actors were role playing and saying the lines of the actual [recorded] conversations that took place between President Nixon, Halderman, and his other aide whose name escapes me at the moment.
This was a very high profile scandal at the highest level and a very dramatic event.
The phrases were short, elliptical, with long pauses and knowing looks. Phrases which were shorthand for things only they would understand because of their knowledge of each other/the situation/their knowledge of how much each other knew and their attitude to risk etc etc etc.
Their conversation was not intended to be in code, but we all know from our own experience with family, close friends, colleagues, that conversations are often truncated and brief.
This was a very high profile scandal at the highest level and a very dramatic event, but in subsequent tv/films the conversations have to make sense AND SOUND NATURAL. Sometimes a difficult trick.
I was just having this conversation after picking up a book in my local library. I didn't bother checking it out when I saw Cleopatra and Mark Anthony speaking in RP Emglish. In Classical Rome/Egypt??!!
Exactly. I agree entirely, except to say that I think you meant to say grammatically not RP, which merely concerns pronunciation.
Signed,
Lady C