| Theater vs. Theatre: A Lesson in Grammar |
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| Written by Laura Salvaggio | ||||
| Saturday, 13 January 2007 | ||||
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I may be fighting a losing battle here, as even dictionary.com seems to miss the point. This could mean the death of theatre!
I am known among my friends as a bit of a grammar nazi. I don't care much about syntax, but I do care about using the right word for the job. For example, "Less fat, fewer calories." If it is countable in a number unit, use the word fewer. If it isn't countable, use the word less. There are some points of grammar that are becoming obsolete over time. Technically, the word nauseated should be used to describe when you feel sick. The word nauseous means that you are disgusting and will cause those around you to become nauseated. This is a rule of grammar that will probably not exist on the books in a few years as most people don't know it exists now. The word "gentleman" once referred only to a male landowner, but has evolved to mean a well-mannered male. I see the scary evolution trend happening with the beloved word theatre, but in the meantime, here are the technical rules. The word theater can refer to a theater building, the art of theater, or even a home theater system. The word theatre should always refer to the art form and only the art form. (I had wanted the domain for this site to be theatrehelper, but it was already owned, so I took the next best option.) A "home theatre system" is a travesty to the art of theatre. Unfortunately, evolution caused largely by capitalism is slowly causing the word theatre to be drained of all its meaning. Once completely drained of its meaning, why have the word theatre at all? This evolution could cause the death of the word theatre altogether. Add as favorites (43) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 15669
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 13 January 2007 ) | ||||
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