Well, is this the bee’s
knees, or what? Because internet access is available to much of
the public through libraries, schools, and home, I had assumed that
call-in hotlines
were pretty much a thing of the past.
Not so.
While the New
York Times reports that 98 percent of American homes have
access to a high-speed internet connection, 20 percent of the
population, for whatever reason, does not feel comfortable navigating
the web.
And while I’m grateful for the
remarkable surfeit of information readily available online, I have to
admit that there are times that I would much rather ask questions of
a real person—assuming, of course, that they know what they’re
talking about.
So for all you grammar geeks,
here is some good news:
There are knowledgeable professionals out there
ready and willing to deal with your
messy grammatical minutia issues.
Sleep well tonight knowing that if
you’ve got a grammar question, you can phone it in. And apparently
you’ve been able to do so for the last thirty years. Where have I
been?
Go ahead, google “grammar
hotline,” and see what comes up. Or cut
to the chase and visit the website of the Official
Grammar Hotline Directory, created and maintained by Tidewater
Community College in Virginia.