Crystal,

From just one point of view, and there are many others to consider, the use of "snotty" seems to exude a tone of derision and petulance that calls attention to itself, and sets up a tone for the rest of the sentence which the writer may or may not intend. I would have to see the rest of the paper to make a clearer judgment, though.

Marshall

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Crystal Benedicks
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 10:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: teaching question

Dear All--
Is anyone willing to share an effective way of teaching students the  
problem with a sentence like this:

"At the risk of sounding snotty, a senior should never split an  
infinitive or dangle a participle."

This was written by a senior at my college. I assume that he is  
burying his subject ("I") out of a sense that this is a formal  
occasion (he's complaining to a professor about other students). I  
see students make this kind of mistake often in such situations. I'm  
just not sure how to name this problem, or address it.

Thank you,
Crystal Benedicks
Wabash College

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