Simon: “a point in the day where” and “me sitting” and “the two of you/yourself”

"There's a point in the day where I think, 'There's no point in me sitting here with the two of you, so just do it yourself.'" – American Idol judge Simon Cowell, answering the question, "Do [Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson] ever gang up on you?" in OK! Weekly

There are three errors in this quote: a poor choice of subordinating conjunction, an incorrect pronoun, and an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement.

The subordinating conjunction "where" (which introduces the adverb clause that begins with "I think") modifies "a point in the day." Since "a point in the day" describes a moment in time, not a place, the correct word to use is "when."

"Sitting" is a gerund. When a pronoun is used before a gerund, it should be possessive (my), not objective (me.)

The pronoun "yourself" refers back to "the two of you." Since the antecedent is plural, the pronoun should be plural. Change "yourself" to "yourselves" to correct this error.

Simon should have said this:

"There's a point in the day when I think, 'There's no point in my sitting here with the two of you, so just do it yourselves.'"

Howie: “sitting there in tears, whether it be happiness or frustration”

"I can't tell you how many times I've walked off stage to see producers sitting there in tears, whether it be happiness or frustration." – Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel in OK! Weekly

This quote contains two errors: an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement and a faulty comparison.

Howie chose to use the subjunctive mood in the clause "whether it be." This is perfectly acceptable, but it can make an analysis of the sentence structure a bit challenging. Let's start by looking at the pronoun and its antecedent.

The pronoun "it" refers back to the antecedent "tears." The antecedent is plural, so the pronoun and its verb must be plural as well. Change the pronoun from "it" to "they." The subjunctive form of "to be" is "be" for both the singular and the plural, so the verb is fine as it is. The clause should therefore be "whether they be."

The use of "whether they be" establishes a comparison, usually of one thing (the antecedent) to two or more other things (the predicates) or between two or more modifiers of the antecedent (predicates as well).

Here is an example of this structure using nouns as the antecedent and the predicates:

I love all animals, whether they be dogs or cats.

The antecedent is "animals." The predicates are "dogs" and "cats." To test the logic of the sentence, compare the antecedent with the predicates.

animals are dogs

animals are cats

Both of these statements make sense. The sentence is correct.

Here is an example using a noun as the antecedent and two modifiers (adjectives) as the predicates:

I like all dogs, whether they be big or small.

The antecedent is "dogs" and the predicates are "big" and "small." Test the logic of the sentence:

dogs are big

dogs are small

Both statements are logical, so the sentence is correct.

Here is an example using prepositional phrases as the predicates:

I like all dogs, whether they be from the pound or from a breeder.

The antecedent is "dogs" and the predicates are "from the pound" and "from the breeder." Test the logic of the sentence:

dogs are from the pound

dogs are from a breeder

These statements both make sense. The sentence is correct.

Now consider the participial phrase in Howie's statement:

"sitting there in tears, whether they be happiness or devastation"

The antecedent is "tears" and the predicates are "happiness" and "devastation." Test the logic of the phrase by comparing the antecedent with the predicates:

tears are happiness

tears are devastation

These statements do not make sense. This phrase is incorrect. To correct this participial phrase, try using prepositional phrases as the predicates.

"sitting there in tears, whether they be of happiness or of devastation"

Test the logic of the participial phrase:

tears are of happiness

tears are of devastation

Both statements make sense. The participial phrase is correct.

Howie should have said:

"I can't tell you how many times I've walked off stage to see producers sitting there in tears, whether they be of happiness or of frustration."

Mandy: “like I’m some superstar who has stuff written about them”

“I don’t like to read about myself, but it’s not like I’m some superstar who has stuff written about them all the time.” – Mandy Moore, on her status as a celebrity

This quote contains two errors: the use of “like” as a subordinating conjunction and an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement.

“Like” is not a subordinating conjunction. In this sentence, the subordinate clause “like I’m some superstar who has stuff written about them all the time” requires a subordinating conjunction. “Like” can function as a preposition, but here it is not introducing a prepositional phrase. To correct the sentence, use a subordinating conjunction such as “as if.”

The antecedent in the second clause is “superstar,” which is singular. The referent pronoun is “their,” which is plural. To correct the sentence, use a singular referent pronoun.

Mandy should have said this:

“I don’t like to read about myself, but it’s not as if I’m some superstar who has stuff written about her all the time.”

Thom Yorke: “the band are now touring” and “about me being a traitor”

"Yes it’s a record! No it's not a Radiohead record. As you know the band are now touring and writing new stuff and getting to a good space so I want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah…this was all done with their blessing." – Thom Yorke, in a message he wrote on a Radiohead fan website

This written message contains several grammatical errors. There are errors in punctuation, an error in subject/verb agreement, a pronoun case error, and an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement.

The first two sentences begin with "yes" and "no," which are introductory words and should be followed by commas. "As you know" is an introductory clause and should be followed by a comma as well.

"Band" is a collective noun. Since the band is touring, writing, and getting to a good space as a collective unit, the subject of this sentence is singular. The verb, however, is plural. This is an example of an error in subject/verb agreement. The proper verb for this sentence is "is."

"Being" is a gerund. A pronoun that modifies a gerund must be in the possessive case. The pronoun in this sentence, "me," is in the objective case. The proper pronoun for this sentence is "my."

Since the third sentence is a compound sentence, there should be a comma between the two clauses.

This portion of the sentence is unclear: "or whatever splitting up blah blah…" It should be removed.

The antecedent of the referent pronoun "their," a plural pronoun, is "band." We have already seen that this word is singular in this sentence; therefore, this is an example of an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement.

This is what Thom should have written:

"Yes, it’s a record! No, it's not a Radiohead record. As you know, the band is now touring and writing new stuff and getting to a good space, so I want no crap about my being a traitor. This was all done with the band's blessing."

Paula: “everyone would die to have you on their label”

"As much as I’m crying (right now), I believe with conviction that he has no worries whatsoever. Earlier, I whispered in his ear, 'Now, you go get on with your life and do whatever you want to do, because everyone would die to have you on their label.'" – Paula Abdul, about Chris Daughtry after he was cut from American Idol

This quote contains an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement. The antecedent, "everyone," is an indefinite singular pronoun; the referent pronoun, "their," is plural.

This is a common colloquial occurance; nonetheless, this sentence is grammatically incorrect.

To correct this sentence, use a singular referent pronoun:

Everyone would die to have you on his label.

or

Everyone would die to have you on her label.

To avoid the gender issues presented by singular possessive pronouns, consider restructuring the sentence.

People would die to have you on their label.

or 

Any label would die to have you.