Grammar Gripe

I don't want to sound like my third grade teacher, but many people who should know better continually make the same grammatical error and it makes me crazy. Do you remember the "subject and verb agreement" rules? A singular subject demands a singular verb, while a plural subject demands a plural verb. Yet, here is an example of what I hear or read every day. "There's twenty-six letters in the English alphabet." No, no, no! "There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet." I frequently hear this error made on radio and television news programs. I read this in the newspaper, in magazines, in instruction manuals and, of course, in web sites. This particular error is so common that I'm afraid it will soon become the accepted form in speech and in written documents. Daniel Schorr of National Public Radio commented recently that the one thing we are losing with the advent of "citizen journalism," is editing. He is so right.

Coffee Maker Farewell

Bow your heads and whisper farewell to my favorite coffee maker, a classic Chemex® 6-cup model with wooden collar that I bought 37 years ago. Today I was about to clean it when I discovered a horrendous crack near the bottom that I could swear began to spread as I held it. I've bought and used many different coffee makers over the years, but I always went back to the Chemex® when I wanted a cup of rich but clean-tasting brew. I admit it was the beautiful design that first attracted me to the pot and the 6-cup seemed to me to have the perfect proportions. It soon became more than just another unique, cool-looking kitchen tool. I came to appreciate the simple pour-over coffee-making technique, which at that time included folding the filters yourself. The Chemex® looked more like a lab beaker that a kitchen utensil, so the coffee-making process became more of a scientific experiment than a morning chore. I will probably just buy another 6-cup beauty to replace my old carafe, but it just won't be the same.