"I've got a class shortly" / "Don't call him that!" <- Are these wrong?

Hello,

I recently came across an article called 'The Grammar Wall Of Shame' which talks about how those teaching English in Japan starting to adopt the same incorrect grammar that they are trying to dissuade their students from using.

The article ends with:

It all started off as a way to poke fun at each other and keep the office environment lighthearted, but recently the list has taken on more serious proportions as it gets longer and longer everyday. And the funny thing is we are all experienced English teachers who have taught in Japan for many years.
Recent quotes have even begun to include our students.“I’ve got a class shortly.”
“Don`t call him that!”

Are the last two sentences wrong?

Thank you

No. They are fine.

Rover

:up: People who live in glass houses should not throw stones - Idiom Definition - UsingEnglish.com

There's a hint of Pot calling the kettle black - Idiom Definition - UsingEnglish.com here. To quote from the article

Quote:

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A really funny ones is, “Read in the English,” by my female co-worker, (whom shall remain anonymous) referring to grammar.

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Oh dear :oops:

b

I don't understand this one, either: “If I were I cow, I’d have horns.”
There are many breeds of cattle where the female has horns. But "whom" knows, maybe the person who wrote that "ones" didn't know that. Even so, it would be a mistake of biology, not English. (Even though it's not a mistake.)

I've just read the article and much of it makes no sense. A couple of them might have been amusing to those concerned or if you knew what the topic under discussion was, but otherwise, it's nonsense. As Rover said at the beginning, the two quotes from the end of the article are absolutely fine. If these "experienced" English teachers are poking fun at their students for using perfectly good English, I dread to think what their classes are like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Olympian

...“I’ve got a class shortly.”

“Don`t call him that!”

Are the last two sentences wrong?

Thank you

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I've been trying to think what can be thought to be wrong with those two. The first may be a victim of lazy teachers' dislike for 'got'. At primary school, teachers often find pupils over-using it: 'On Monday morning I got up and got dressed while mummy got breakfast because you've got to have a good meal at the start of a long day. Then I got ready to go out, and got on the bus....'. I have had teachers who told me 'Whenever you start to write "got", think of another word you could use instead, and use that'. This ignores the fact that 'got' is a useful and expressive word; but there are teachers who adopt the policy 'Just say NO to "got"'.

There is nothing wrong with the second, as Rover said. But context might make it wrong - if the user, for example, means 'Don't tell him that,' or 'Don't phone him to talk about that.' (There are infinite possibilities for mis-applying a perfectly grammatical sentence.)

b

Thank you all for the responses. Sorry for my late response.

No thanks are necessary. A click on the Like button is all we ask.

Rover