If Grammar Were a Bear

I hear it all the time: "Grammar is such a bear!"

Now, if grammar actually were a bear, he wouldn't be an intimidating beast to be feared, or alas--hated. He'd be a Smokey-the-Bear type with a brown hat, fuzzy fur and retracted claws. He'd bear frequent slips in informal communication with patience and tip his hat to the most refined speakers and the slang users alike. He'd offer to bear the grammatical burden of his friend if the load got too heavy.

And occasionally, he'd step in to correct commonly confused words, thereby preventing language fires. So if Mike Boyd and Tex Stuart (of the above article) did "bear all in the name of entrepreneurial inspiration," he'd applaud their endurance. But if they did in fact, bare all, he'd gently request that they refrain.

Thank you, Jill, for the contribution.