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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw
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| 'Be Best': does Melania Trump's oddly named initiative break the laws of grammar? | 'Be Best': does Melania Trump's oddly named initiative break the laws of grammar? |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| At the White House on Monday, Melania Trump unveiled a campaign to keep children happy and healthy in today’s hyperconnected, often unsettling world. The name of this lofty and laudable effort? “Be Best.” | At the White House on Monday, Melania Trump unveiled a campaign to keep children happy and healthy in today’s hyperconnected, often unsettling world. The name of this lofty and laudable effort? “Be Best.” |
| That’s right: “Be Best!” Not “Be the Best”, or “Be Your Best”, or “Be the Best You Can Be”. Not “Be Better” or “Be Safe”, or even “Don’t Be a Jerk” (which is an actual campaign launched in New York to promote safe cycling). | That’s right: “Be Best!” Not “Be the Best”, or “Be Your Best”, or “Be the Best You Can Be”. Not “Be Better” or “Be Safe”, or even “Don’t Be a Jerk” (which is an actual campaign launched in New York to promote safe cycling). |
| Melania Trump in new plagiarism row over online safety pamphlet | Melania Trump in new plagiarism row over online safety pamphlet |
| Donald Trump, who was there by his wife’s side in the Rose Garden, signed a proclamation that designates 7 May as “Be Best Day”. Roll it around on your tongue for a moment. Say it out loud. “Hey, friend, any plans for Be Best Day?” “Nah, I’ll probably just spend Be Best Day at home”. | Donald Trump, who was there by his wife’s side in the Rose Garden, signed a proclamation that designates 7 May as “Be Best Day”. Roll it around on your tongue for a moment. Say it out loud. “Hey, friend, any plans for Be Best Day?” “Nah, I’ll probably just spend Be Best Day at home”. |
| “Be Best” just so plainly doesn’t hold up to the laws of English grammar, which require that a superlative adjective following an imperative verb be preceded by the definite article “the”. Be good – be better – be the best: that’s the rule. In the 1990s, the British military ran a TV ad campaign that ended with the slogan: “Army soldier: be the best.” Try it without the the. “Army soldier: be best.” It sounds like you’re translating from the Sanskrit. | “Be Best” just so plainly doesn’t hold up to the laws of English grammar, which require that a superlative adjective following an imperative verb be preceded by the definite article “the”. Be good – be better – be the best: that’s the rule. In the 1990s, the British military ran a TV ad campaign that ended with the slogan: “Army soldier: be the best.” Try it without the the. “Army soldier: be best.” It sounds like you’re translating from the Sanskrit. |
| How was the unfortunate name conceived? Could it have been Trump, surrounded by administration flunkies, in a brainstorming session in Washington, floating “Be Best” as a potential campaign name – and the assembled coterie being too polite – afraid, even – to correct her? | How was the unfortunate name conceived? Could it have been Trump, surrounded by administration flunkies, in a brainstorming session in Washington, floating “Be Best” as a potential campaign name – and the assembled coterie being too polite – afraid, even – to correct her? |
| Or was it some inside joke about Trump’s English? (The first lady’s native Slovenian, like most Slavic tongues, Bulgarian and Macedonian excepting, has no definite articles.) | Or was it some inside joke about Trump’s English? (The first lady’s native Slovenian, like most Slavic tongues, Bulgarian and Macedonian excepting, has no definite articles.) |
| Or was it Donald’s influence? | Or was it Donald’s influence? |
| Melania: I want to say "Be Better."Donald: Better? No, better doesn't mean "best." Be best!Melania: That is not gramm--Donald: Yeah, be best! Put it on a hat. Done. https://t.co/T3LMq0nHux | Melania: I want to say "Be Better."Donald: Better? No, better doesn't mean "best." Be best!Melania: That is not gramm--Donald: Yeah, be best! Put it on a hat. Done. https://t.co/T3LMq0nHux |
| But then it emerged that Trump’s inspiration – not for the first time – might have come from her predecessor, Michelle Obama. In 2016, the then-first lady exhorted men to “be better” … and suddenly it all starts to make sense. In an administration that has shown a penchant for petty oneupmanship, it seems the likeliest explanation. “She said ‘be better’? That’s nothing! We’ll outdo that. Be best!” | But then it emerged that Trump’s inspiration – not for the first time – might have come from her predecessor, Michelle Obama. In 2016, the then-first lady exhorted men to “be better” … and suddenly it all starts to make sense. In an administration that has shown a penchant for petty oneupmanship, it seems the likeliest explanation. “She said ‘be better’? That’s nothing! We’ll outdo that. Be best!” |
| As we say, the silly name of a commendable public health program isn’t the most vital thing in the world right now. But come on now – there are standards to uphold. “Be Best?” Is that … best they could do? | As we say, the silly name of a commendable public health program isn’t the most vital thing in the world right now. But come on now – there are standards to uphold. “Be Best?” Is that … best they could do? |
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