Radiohead and Grammar
When I was in 10th grade, I was taking a Level 1 Spanish class. I was also (and still am) a big Radiohead fan. Radiohead's first big hit was the single, "Creep". It contained the well-known lines, "You're so very special/I wish I was special/But I'm a creep/I'm a weirdo/etc..."
I owned (and still own) a Radiohead T-shirt on the back of which was written, "I wish I was special."
By sheer coincidence, I ended up wearing that shirt to school on the day we were learning the subjunctive tense in Spanish class. I had no idea at the time what the subjunctive tense was and probably still wouldn't know it by name if it weren't for my Spanish class.
One of the uses of the subjunctive tense is to express a wish or desire which is currently contrary to present fact. For example, "If only there were intelligent people running the world," or "I wish I had a million dollars to spend on candy."
Anyhow, as we were learning the subjunctive tense in class that day, my Spanish teacher noticed the shirt I was wearing and wound up teaching me something about the English language. The phrase on the back of my shirt, the lyric, "I wish I was special," is written in the subjunctive tense. Thom Yorke, in writing those words, is expressing a desire to be special, apparently contrary to the current state of things. Incidentally, the sentence is also grammatically incorrect and should read, "I wish I WERE special."
Stephen King in On Writing says of grammar, "One either absorbs the grammatical principles of one's native language through conversation and in reading or one does not. What Sophomore English does (or tries to do) is little more than the naming of parts."
I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment and furthermore, I believe that one may learn something about one's native tongue by studying another. I guess that's the moral of this post.
As for the subjunctive tense, I believe the fact that the Radiohead lyric is expressed incorrectly is the reason why that memory has stuck with me for all these years. And to this day, the subjunctive remains one of the only parts of English grammar that I can identify by name.
I guess what I'm saying is, go learn a foreign language. Or listen to Radiohead. Or both.
I owned (and still own) a Radiohead T-shirt on the back of which was written, "I wish I was special."
By sheer coincidence, I ended up wearing that shirt to school on the day we were learning the subjunctive tense in Spanish class. I had no idea at the time what the subjunctive tense was and probably still wouldn't know it by name if it weren't for my Spanish class.
One of the uses of the subjunctive tense is to express a wish or desire which is currently contrary to present fact. For example, "If only there were intelligent people running the world," or "I wish I had a million dollars to spend on candy."
Anyhow, as we were learning the subjunctive tense in class that day, my Spanish teacher noticed the shirt I was wearing and wound up teaching me something about the English language. The phrase on the back of my shirt, the lyric, "I wish I was special," is written in the subjunctive tense. Thom Yorke, in writing those words, is expressing a desire to be special, apparently contrary to the current state of things. Incidentally, the sentence is also grammatically incorrect and should read, "I wish I WERE special."
Stephen King in On Writing says of grammar, "One either absorbs the grammatical principles of one's native language through conversation and in reading or one does not. What Sophomore English does (or tries to do) is little more than the naming of parts."
I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment and furthermore, I believe that one may learn something about one's native tongue by studying another. I guess that's the moral of this post.
As for the subjunctive tense, I believe the fact that the Radiohead lyric is expressed incorrectly is the reason why that memory has stuck with me for all these years. And to this day, the subjunctive remains one of the only parts of English grammar that I can identify by name.
I guess what I'm saying is, go learn a foreign language. Or listen to Radiohead. Or both.