As the self-appointed director of this department – and, yes, I have been confirmed by the Oregon Senate, but only by a razor-thin 16-14 vote – it is solely up to me to dictate when the department is open.

So, it now is and it will open and close at my whim.

Four more pet peeves, but first this cautionary note to myself: There is a risk in writing about problems with writing, which I do below, because it is easy to make your own mistakes while you take on others for theirs. Oh well, as director, I will run that risk

SINGULAR VS. PLURAL PRONOUNS: One of the most common mistakes in writing it to use a plural pronoun when the correct usage is singular.

Here’s a made-up example: The committee did their work with clarity and dispatch. It should be did “its” work. If you want to use a plural pronoun – if it sounds better to your ear to use “their” — then write the sentence like this: The committee members did their work. Add the plural noun; it works and it is accurate.

Here’s a second example, this time from a Wall Street Journal editorial quoting President Barack Obama on his reaction to a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on his signature health care reform proposal: “And so this should be an easy case. Frankly, it probably shouldn’t even have been taken up. And since we’re going to get a ruling pretty quick, I think it’s important for us to go ahead and assume that the Supreme Court is going to do what legal scholars who’ve looked at this would expect them to do.”

The point here is not to criticize President Obama, though that would be possible, too. It is to emphasize that, often in spoken language, a plural pronoun – “them” – is used when it should be “it,” as in “would expect it to do.” Easy for all of us in normal speech.

But watch for this mistake in what you read. You’ll see it all the time – in newspapers, magazines and even books.

CENTER ON VS. CENTER AROUND: Ever notice how often the two words “center around” are used when it should be “center on.” Think about it. It is not possible to “center around” something. But you can “center on” something.

USING THE PHRASE “AS YOU KNOW:” For this, I am indebted to one of my former lobbying colleagues – and I use the word “former” to indicate that both of us have retired, which might be good for the lawmaking process in Salem.

He provides this example from a recent communication from a University in Oregon letter – one that, for purposes of this blog, will not include the name of the writer:

“As you know, Mr. ____ was the Head of Special Collections and University Archives….”

My friend makes a good point — if someone already knows the information, why use the phrase – or, perhaps better put, why provide the information at all. If nothing else, it is redundant.

USING HYPENS: This is my own pet peeve and I have to confess that my standard approach is to violate the proper rules of grammar. My friends, sometimes sticklers for the rules, would consider this to be an inappropriate exemption.

Consider the word bipartisan. I believe it would be better to use a hyphen, at least for readability sake. Like this: Bi-partisan.

I don’t even know what a bip-artisan is.

So, for me, in this example and many others, using a hyphen trumps grammatical convention.

Well, that’s it for the Department of Pet Peeves. The department is now closed until the spirit moves this director to open the doors again at his whim.