PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Here’s another respite from political commentary.

I’ll admit it — when it comes to the English language, I am a purist.  

At least I believe I am, which, I suppose, could be open to question.

I believe there are right and proper grammatical propositions.  And I believe there are errors of the same.

Given that this is true, a risk is that I will make errors in what I write.  But, as embarrassing as that may be, that doesn’t mean I should disregard purity.

So, with this in mind, I have compiled a list of errors made by credible journalistic organizations.  Which proves that all of us can be human.

Error #1:  Failure to sync pronoun with verb

As in this example from the Oregonian newspaper:  “None of the patients were admitted because of the virus, and none tested positive upon admission.”

The modifier of the word “none” should have been the word “was,” not “is.”  I know – this “is” awkward to the ear, so, if a change was made is this area of grammar, I would favor it.

Or, as in this example from the Wall Street Journal:  “None of the challenges are expected to succeed, but they could slow the process and give Trump’s allies a high-profile chance to demonstrate their loyalty to him.”

Again, the modifier of the word “none” should have been the word “is.”

One more from the Wall Street Journal:  “A number of other Democrats have called for the move, and one Republican joined them on Thursday.”

The verb should have been “has called,” not “have called.”

Error #2:  Failure to sync a singular noun with a possessive pronoun

An example, though this is from my memory, not a specific publication:  “The committee did their work.”

The pronoun should be “its,” not “their.” 

If you want to use “their” so it sounds better, then design the sentence this way – committee members did their work.

Error #3:  Failure to avoid splitting infinitives

In an example from the Oregonian newspaper:  “He attempted to unseat Commissioner Chloe Eudaly in last May’s primary, but finished third behind her and political newcomer Mingus Mapps. Mapps,with Adams’ hearty endorsement, went on to soundly defeat Eudaly in the general election.”

Note the phrase “to soundly defeat…”  It would have been better – and sounded better – to write, “to defeat soundly.”

Not sure if avoiding splitting an infinitive is a grammar rule, but it could be – or, I think, should be.

Error #4:  Using an impossible phrase – “center around.”

As in this example from the Oregonian newspaper:  “Early discussions among officials with the city, Multnomah County and health care providers have centered around Unity Center for Behavioral Health …”

Think about that for just a moment – centering around something is impossible.  The phrase should have been “centered on.”

Error #4:  Using nouns as verbs.

As in this sentence about Trump’s departure for Florida:  “But already pending for the soon-to-be South Florida retiree is a trio of lawsuits that allege defamation, fraud and more fraud — all of which are helmed by one attorney.”

I contend that “helm” is a noun, not a very.  You cannot “helm” something. 

Now, finally, this is not a grammar error, but, in a time of genuine concern about racial inequality, there has been a lot of talk about whether the word “Black” should appear with a capital B.

I wrote about this a few months ago and argued that the capital letter should be used. 

This is not a grammar rule yet, but I will continue to capitalize Black as one small, personal step, at least in my mind, to illustrate my concern over racism, even subtle racism.