Grammar Quote by Paul Schmidtberger
““Oh, fine,' Ken said. He took the piece of yellow paper and flipped it over and wrote: 'Dear Mr. Reed, I'm sorry the client wasn't entirely satisfied with your draft prospectus. However, even sticklers for grammar are divided over the question as to whether it is necessarily incorrect to begin a sentence with the word 'and.' I hope that allays your concerns.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The Letter” by Paul Schmidtberger, 2005
The speaker apologizes while subtly defending a grammatical choice, highlighting how even experts can disagree on language rules.
In simple terms: Apology hides a debate about starting sentences with “and”.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge mistakes but explain your reasoning.
Themes
communication
grammar
conflict resolution
Mood
conciliatory
thoughtful
Type
apologetic
explanatory
When to use this quote
- business email
- editorial feedback
- client correspondence
Key Concepts
linguistic prescriptivism
professional etiquette
Questions to Reflect On
- Is it better to apologize outright or explain?
- When does a grammatical debate become irrelevant?
A Different Perspective
Some may view the defense as deflecting responsibility.
![“Leo Crowley, Harry [Truman]'s Foreign Economic Administrator, tells Congressmen the theory...: 'If you create good governments in foreign countries, automatically you will have better markets for ourselves.' With that honeycunt staring you in the face, you'd forget your grammar too.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/df0/anonymous-1_administrators_leo-crowley-harry-truman-s-foreign-econo_46095.jpg)