--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a crock. I could easily…" description: "\"What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance of good grammar. For example, I could say: Bad grammar is the leading cause of slow, painful ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/dave-barry-222_america_what-a-crock-i-could-easily-overemphasiz_119311.png" --- # What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance… ![“What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance of good grammar. For example, I could say: Bad grammar is the leading cause of slow, painful death in North America, or Without good grammar, the United States would have lost World War II.” quote by Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/dave-barry-222_america_what-a-crock-i-could-easily-overemphasiz_119311.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/dave-barry-222_america_what-a-crock-i-could-easily-overemphasiz_119311.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/dave-barry-222_america_what-a-crock-i-could-easily-overemphasiz_119311.png) > “What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance of good grammar. For example, I could say: Bad grammar is the leading cause of slow, painful death in North America, or Without good grammar, the United States would have lost World War II.” [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker satirically exaggerates grammar's importance, highlighting absurd hyperbole. **In simple terms:** Grammar is humorously over‑stated as life‑or‑death. Key Takeaway Exaggeration reveals the absurdity of over‑emphasis. Themes humor language satire exaggeration Mood witty playful Type satirical quote humorous observation When to use this quote - writing a comedy sketch - teaching grammar with humor - social media memes Key Concepts rhetorical hyperbole cultural attitudes toward correctness Practical Applications - use satire to ease language anxiety Questions to Reflect On - Why does exaggeration make a point memorable? - When does humor undermine seriousness? A Different Perspective The claim is intentionally false for comedic effect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Bad grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-grammar/) [Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Leading causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leading-causes/) [Lost World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-world/) [North america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-america/) [Painful death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful-death/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War of the worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-of-the-worlds/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) ## Related quotes > [Without good grammar, the United States would have lost World War II.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/without-good-grammar-the-united-states-would-have-lost-world-war-ii/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Bad grammar is the leading cause of slow, painful death in North America,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/bad-grammar-is-the-leading-cause-of-slow-painful-death-in-north/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [We are talking about mutated women, the result of cruel genetic experiments performed by fashion designers so lacking in any sense of human decency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/we-are-talking-about-mutated-women-the-result-of-cruel-genetic/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [This nation is so friendly that the leading cause of injury is getting passionately embraced by strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-nation-is-so-friendly-that-the-leading-cause-of-injury-is/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“~I am neither an author nor a writer. I am a storyteller with good grammar.~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darke-conteur/i-am-neither-an-author-nor-a-writer-i-am-a-storyteller-with-good/) Darke Conteur > [I would rather cuddle then have sex. If you are good with grammar you will get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-rather-cuddle-then-have-sex-if-you-are-good-with-grammar-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A philosopher once said, 'Half of good philosophy is good grammar.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-philosopher-once-said-half-of-good-philosophy-is-good-grammar/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ladies, if you want to know the way to my heart... good spelling and good grammar, good punctuation, capitalize only where you are supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/ladies-if-you-want-to-know-the-way-to-my-heart-good-spelling-and-good/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [You may say a cat uses good grammar. Well, a cat does -- but you let a cat get excited once; you let a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-may-say-a-cat-uses-good-grammar-well-a-cat-does-but-you-let-a-cat/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I have to admit that I'm not very good with grammar. They taught grammar in elementary and high school, but I went to public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-have-to-admit-that-i-m-not-very-good-with-grammar-they-taught/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [“Di lorong sebuah rumah sakit yang telah sepi, ketika malam telah merangkul bumi, seorang anak perempuan kecil yang buta memanjatkan sepenggal doa yang mengharukan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/di-lorong-sebuah-rumah-sakit-yang-telah-sepi-ketika-malam-telah/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Magic is like bad grammar; hang around it long enough, and it rubs off on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/magic-is-like-bad-grammar-hang-around-it-long-enough-and-it-rubs-off/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the illiteracy of the well-to-do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a-matter-of-bad-grammar-does/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [“I RED A STUDY THA PPL WHO TYP N ALL CAPS R LESS INTELLGINT HAHA WHATEVA!!!1!!! ♥ ♥ ♥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lindensmith/i-red-a-study-tha-ppl-who-typ-n-all-caps-r-less-intellgint-haha/) John R. Lindensmith > [“Relevance, Clarity, and Accuracy “Relevance” and “accuracy” refer to how well your ad copy matches what’s on your landing page. “Clarity” covers a wider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-marshall/relevance-clarity-and-accuracy-relevance-and-accuracy-refer-to-how/) [Perry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-marshall/) ## More by Dave Barry > [This is true; virtually all edible substances, and many automotive products, are now marketed as being low-fat or fat-free. Americans are obsessed with fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-is-true-virtually-all-edible-substances-and-many-automotive/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The hardest thing about being a guy is that women don't accept that you really are just a simple, pathetic, labrador retriever-like creature. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-hardest-thing-about-being-a-guy-is-that-women-don-t-accept-that/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The ultimate camping trip was the Lewis and Clark expedition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-ultimate-camping-trip-was-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/although-golf-was-originally-restricted-to-wealthy-overweight/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Entire new continent can emerge from the ocean in the time it takes for a Web page to show up on your screen. Contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/entire-new-continent-can-emerge-from-the-ocean-in-the-time-it-takes/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [He was distracted by a giggle, and turned to see a rare sight: a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/he-was-distracted-by-a-giggle-and-turned-to-see-a-rare-sight-a-girl/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The major parties could conduct live human sacrifices on their podiums during prime time, and I doubt that anybody would notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-major-parties-could-conduct-live-human-sacrifices-on-their/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [If you look at any list of great modern writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, you'll notice two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-look-at-any-list-of-great-modern-writers-such-as-ernest/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Don't you wish you had a job like mine? All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/don-t-you-wish-you-had-a-job-like-mine-all-you-have-to-do-is-think-up/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“Despite the gulf, physical and cultural, between the United States and Japan, both societies are, in the end, made up of people, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/despite-the-gulf-physical-and-cultural-between-the-united-states-and/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Before going on a diet you should consult your doctor, or at least send him some money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/before-going-on-a-diet-you-should-consult-your-doctor-or-at-least/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Never trust anything you read in a travel article.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/never-trust-anything-you-read-in-a-travel-article/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/in-the-old-days-it-was-not-called-the-holiday-season-the-christians/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Always remember that if editors were so damned smart, they would know how to dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/always-remember-that-if-editors-were-so-damned-smart-they-would-know/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) [Explore all 867 Dave Barry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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