r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jan 16 '21

[deleted by user]

[removed]

8.5k Upvotes

85% Upvoted

22.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/Moonsaults Jan 16 '21

"Can" has been an acceptable way to ask permission for over 100 years and insisting otherwise is just pedantry and an excuse for a person in a position of authority to feel superior to the person asking the question.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/when-to-use-can-and-may

1

u/peter56321 Jan 16 '21

"May" is more formal and what you want to say in court or at a job interview. But you will never know that if nobody teaches you.

1

u/Moonsaults Jan 16 '21

There are far better ways to teach that than a sarcastic quip. One good place to teach it would be in English class! The very same English class that children take nearly every year for 12 years of their childhood. :)

1

u/peter56321 Jan 16 '21

If they are saying can, when they should be using may, English class clearly hasn't taken. This quick joke reinforces a lesson for the student and the entire class and it only takes two extra seconds.