In His New Column for GRID, Gene Cox Ponders Pigs, People & Prepositions

Most anybody can write a book. Selling the book is another matter. Although Six Pigs in a Tub has so far avoided the best-seller list, there are some readers who find it useful.

One dear soul purchased 30 copies. I think she sends them anonymously to friends whose speech grates on her nerves.

People who understand correct grammar demand it. Those who don’t, assume it’s unnecessary. So I turned to humor to convey the message.

The most often asked question is about the title, Six Pigs in a Tub. I usually respond by saying, you have to buy the book to find out. But my little quip has not worked well so I will explain.

Pigs are individual things and are therefore numbered. There ARE six pigs in a tub. But there IS six gallons of water in the tub. Six gallons is a singular measurement of something-in this case, the water.

If you look in the tub, you will see that there ARE six pigs in it, but there IS six gallons of water-a singular measurement.

Correcting someone’s grammar is dangerous. It’s almost as bad as challenging someone’s politics or religion.

But with a little help from my pigs, I have taken on a matter that most people don’t care about.
Someone who knows how to properly use the verbs lie and lay may feel tempted to go about using them correctly just to mess with people.

For example, come up with a sentence that requires the use of lain and then use it in conversation. Listeners may jump to the conclusion that the speaker is really smart, or at least someone to pay attention to.

There, I’ve ended a sentence with a preposition.

You can do that if you know what you’re doing.