What do you do when you see grammar errors in an official communique from the president of the U.S.?
One retired English teacher decided to send it back, with comments and corrections.
The comments, written by 61-year-old Yvonne Mason of Atlanta, include “OMG this is WRONG!” and “Have y’all tried grammar & style check?”
Mason said she was mailing it back to the White House with the corrections added.
“I have never, ever, received a letter with this many silly mistakes,” Mason told the Greenville News.
Her major correction appeared to be the incorrect capitalization of the words state, nation and federal.
“Federal is capitalized only when used as part of a proper noun,” the paper reads.
The New York Times notes that letters from previous presidents also capitalize these words.
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Mason called the letter “poorly worded” and “stylistically appalling.”
“Poor writing is not something I abide. If someone is capable of doing better, then they should do better,” she told the Times.
The letter, which bore President Donald Trump’s signature, was dated May 9, and was about his efforts in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting.
Mason said it didn’t address her concerns, and asked Trump to visit each family of the victims of the school shooting.
“I had written to them in anger, to tell you the truth,” she told the Times. “I thought he owed it to these grieving families.”
Instead, the letter mentioned that a group of students, teachers and families were invited to the White House for listening sessions. It also mentioned the STOP School Violence Act of 2018, and mentioned a Trump directive for the Justice Department to “issue a rule banning devices, such as bump stocks.”
“Define ‘rule,’” was Mason’s comment on the vague statement.
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