# Ed messes up the Perfect Master's perfect grammar yet again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 21, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050 "2010-06-21T21:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050/1 "2010-06-21T21:37:42Z")
From the old column currently on the front page [“The amazing history of chewing gum”](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/309/the-amazing-history-of-chewing-gum): > [@Cecil Adams](#): > > The practice was quickly adopted by the first white settlers, but strangely enough it a hundred years or so before a wily capitalist came along to size up the commercial possibilities. There’s a verb or something missing in the phrase “it a hundred years”. I blame the internet for ruining Mr Zotti’s editorial skills. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050/2 "2010-06-21T21:41:28Z")
The missing word is “was”. Unless your browser is in Pirate Mode, in which case the missing word is “be”. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050/3 "2010-06-22T00:17:07Z")
Not Ed. The internets. Keep in mind these columns have been through whatever happened to them at the Reader to begin with . . . then through the book process . . . then in the AOL database . . . then moved through several servers and different systems to where they are now. Frankly I’m surprised they only drop a word or two from time to time and not whole chunks, nay, whole years of material. There’s probably stuff that’s dropped down a crevasse and material lost in an avalanche as we trekked over the Alps. I’ll fix. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050/4 "2010-06-22T06:31:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Unless your browser is in Pirate Mode I believe the correct term is Privateer-American. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050/5 "2010-06-22T07:17:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I believe the correct term is Privateer-American. IF they swear allegiance to America, are they really pirates? ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-messes-up-the-perfect-masters-perfect-grammar-yet-again/544050/6 "2010-06-22T11:00:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > IF they swear allegiance to America, are they really pirates? Only if they don’t mean it.