I thought we'd have some fun with Friday Funnies this week! Do you know which U.S. President this humorous quote from H.L. Mencken is speaking of? Do you know which president was considered rather a Foot in Mouth Man? Here's the quote:
"He writes the worst English that I have ever encountered. It reminds me of a string of wet sponges; it reminds me of tattered washing on the line; it reminds me of stale bean soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights. It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it. It drags itself out of the dark abysm of pish, and crawls insanely up the topmost pinnacle of posh. It is rumble and bumble. It is flap and doodle. It is balder and dash." -Critic H.L. Mencken
In doing research for our history program, my son and I came across a section of Wikipedia that had to do with this president's speaking style. As a communication teacher, it sparked my interest and I found the above quote funny. Can you guess which president Mr. Mencken was speaking of?
Let me give you a hint or two. Although he was considered a powerful speaker, he insisted upon writing his own speeches and was apparently notorious for his verbal gaffes. His most famous mistake was his use of the word "normalcy" which wasn't a word at that time. The word he should have used was normality. First thought to be a mispronunciation, he decided he liked the sound of the new word and made "Return to Normalcy" a recurring theme of his campaign.
Can you guess yet? Need some more hints?
Some have suggested that this president actually had a form of aphasia. Upon his death, poet E. E. Cummings said "The only man, woman or child who wrote a simple declarative sentence with seven grammatical errors is dead."
He died of an apparent heart attack while still in his first term on a trip to the U.S. Territory of Alaska.
He was elected just after World War 1 and many scholars consider him our worst president.
Ok can you guess who this FIMMlike U.S. President was?
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From JoJo's Purple Crayon
 Learning Speech Communication Skills
can ALSO be fun with Art of Eloquence!
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Joseph Weathers 
Jan. 30, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Bethany L.