I’m no grammatical expert as I’m sure the pedants will be quick to point out. (not having a go at pedants, I am one too…it’s just I’m not that clever to spot too many errors). In fact, one of the purposes of starting this blog was that I had noticed my vocabulary had become somewhat reduced and maybe starting to do a bit of writing (typing) may help broaden it back out to where it once was.
But I’m not a professional journalist or writer whose job requires the ability to be coherent. And here lies my gripe. Why can’t people who are paid handsomely to commentate on sporting events around the world get a grasp of the English language? And it is mainly sports commentators that I notice this trait (possibly because I watch a lot of sport).
How often do we see with our own eyes a skilled, multi-millionaire, footballing wizard beat every opponent on the pitch, the ball seemingly glued to his foot, riding even the most ridiculous of challenges, gets one on one with the goalkeeper, hits a beauty of a shot, but keeper gets finger tips to it to knock it on to the bar and away to safety? And how often will the commentator squeal “the keeper just about kept that ball out of the net”?
Well did the keeper keep it out of the net or not? If the ball did not go in the net, but nearly did due to the outstretched little finger on the left hand of the goalkeeper, then surely the keeper only just kept the ball out of the net?
However, if the keeper’s efforts were in vein and the ball hit the inside of the post and dropped just millimetres over the line, then I accept that he just about kept the ball out of the net.
But I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. He saved it, yet the commentator thinks it’s ok to say just about.
This is not a rare occurrence. Watch any televised (or listen to any radio commentary) football match in the UK or take a chance on pretty much any other sport and you will hear this being used incorrectly over and over again.
It’s unacceptable and should be punishable with the commentator just about keeping their job.
Come & Have A Moan If You Think You're Hard Enough 