The phrase should be banned, say the Queen’s English Society

Its name suggests a genteel defence of good language, but the Queen’s English Society has launched a fierce attack on a Radio 4 comedy show that mocked its members

The group has lodged a strongly-worded – but impeccably well-written – complaint to the BBC over a skit in Gemma Arrowsmith’s programme Sketched Out that was broadcast last week.

Their main complaint concerns the phrase ‘grammar Nazi’ – which they now want to see banned – and demands a public apology over the link to the evil German regime.

Arrowsmith’s Radio 4 show featured a spoof Louis Theroux  documentary promising to lift the lid on ‘the shadowy world of grammar Nazis’ – and featured an interview of with a mother and her 13-year-old daughter indoctrinated into that world.

The girl was asked about a poster on her wall, replying: ‘That’s Dr Bernard Lamb, president of the Queen’s English Society. Isn’t he dreamy?’

Theroux replied: ‘Super dreamy!’

In a statement, the Queen's English Society said: ‘Whilst we have no objection to the description of our President, Dr Bernard Lamb, as a "super dreamy" pin-up, we firmly disassociate ourselves from any Nazi, fascist or other extremist organisation and consider this random, glib and inaccurate use of the term "Nazi" to be repugnant and offensive to Holocaust survivors and to WW2 veterans.’

Dr Lamb himself wrote to BBC director-general Tim Davie, as well as the Radio Times, which it used the phrase ‘grammar Nazi’ in its description of the programme.

He said that the show named him as ‘the poster-boy of, and therefore a member of, the Grammar Nazis’, adding: ‘That evil term… smears lovers of good grammar with association with the German Nazi party. It should be banned.‘The Queen's English Society is a registered charity which promotes the enjoyment and knowledge of our wonderful language. A public apology is needed.’

In the sketch, the fake Theroux met a pedant called Paul who explained: 'I would argue with people online, with colleagues, employers, even at parties. I thought that everyone would be impressed that I knew the difference between count and noncount nouns, or how to use effect and affect.’

The Theroux character then responded: 'You see, I know that one. "Affect" is a verb and "effect" is a noun.'

An angry Paul spat back: 'Not always. "Effect" can be a verb in some circumstances, for example, "to effect change" and affect can be a noun, for example, "he took the news with little affect’’.

He then interviewed ‘Sara’, the mother of the teenage girl, who said: 'It started with the little things. Just correcting apostrophes, and then you are sucked into this electrifying online world where they are discussing the possessive "your" and the contraction of "you are". And before you know it, you are writing out essays in comment sections, explaining the difference between "their", "there" and "they’re".’

Asked if her stance might upset people  she added: 'It is not my job to make people feel comfortable, I am a truth teller. And if you can't handle that with your BBC elite brainwashed ways then you can just get the hell out of my house right now!' 

The sketch concluded with Theroux heading to a supermarket with Paul who pointed out: ‘See, the sign says "five items or less", but it should be "fewer". So you're going to go ahead and correct that with spray paint.’

‘Righto. Here goes, am I being a grammar Nazi now?,’ Theroux replied.

‘That's perfect. And now you've done that you're also going to ask to speak to someone senior to get it corrected permanently.’

‘Right? Well, I don't think I really want to do that. Can I say no to that?’

What asked why not, the Theroux impersonator said: ‘Well, I guess the point of language is to communicate an idea. And while it should be "fewer", no one reading it is in any doubt about what it means. So in that sense, it's perfectly good communication, isn't it? So I don't really want to make some poor manager’s day a bit worse by complaining about something they don't really have control over.’

‘Over which they don't really have any control,’ Paul replied.

Theroux: ‘Right. You see, you're you're looking at me quite angry.

Paul: ‘Angrily. It's an adverb. You told me to just behave exactly as I would

Theroux:  ‘Sorry. You split an infinitive there.’

And as Paul got increasingly stressed by the situation, the sketch ended with Theroux asking: ‘Paul, Paul am I a grammar Nazi now? Am I doing it now?’

The Queen’s English Society describes itself as 'a global, progressive and multi-cultural charitable body that seeks to promote the maintenance, knowledge, understanding, development and appreciation of the English language'. Last month, members voted to keep its current name despite the death of the Queen. 

Published: 6 Oct 2022