Manor vs. manner

A story in Business about when sexy becomes too sexy gave rise to an entirely different sort of debate among some readers whose focus is grammar, not underwear: Is it "to the manner born" or "to the manor born"?

The criticisms come in no matter which way The Times spells it (for the record, the phrase "to the manor born" has been used three times in the past three years; the spelling has been "manner" eight times).

The most recent article, which spelled it correctly, was about the CEO of Victoria's Secret revisiting the chain's reputation in light of its disappointing financial performance. A few readers got past the references to sex appeal to question the Shakespearean reference in a comment from Chief Executive Sharen J. Turney. Turney said that the brand's original story line was about a "to-the-manner-born Londoner named Victoria whose lacy underthings, we assume, were her little secret."

No "holiday closings" box, and lessons on "lay" vs. "lie"

What they lacked in size (a small box; a three-letter word) they made up for in meaning. Editors in the California section neglected to tell readers what offices were closed on Monday, the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.; and a headline used "lay" instead of "lie."

Who?

Or is it "whom"? When editors don't know, readers do. Other gaffes, too, bring notes of frustration from grammarians. This journal will give those readers a chance to try to save the language, and editors a chance to explain how sometimes The Times is actually right. (Or at least the editors are not always wrong: For instance, according to the L.A. Times stylebook, and unlike what some readers believe, splitting infinitives isn't a cause for hanging.)

Following are two answers to often-asked questions that come with the grammar corrections, and responses as well for two recent goofs.

Honors awarded

"Despite intense pain and unchecked loss of blood," his Medal of Honor citation reads, "he pinned down the enemy with accurate rifle fire while a friendly squad captured the enemy gun by skirting the
minefield and rushing in from the flank."

That was part of Monday's obituary for Silvestre Herrera who was, as the story continued, "a Mexican-born World War II Medal of Honor recipient who captured eight German soldiers after single-handedly  assaulting a machine-gun nest and continued fighting after losing both of his feet in a minefield during a second solo assault on another enemy position."

The headline said that he had "won" that medal, though, and several readers spoke up.

Aggravated by acronyms

Sid Turkish of Beverly Hills writes: "For more than 30 years, I have been writing to ask The Times to change its editorial stance on the use of acronyms. Acronyms should either immediately follow, or immediately precede, the word group that it stands for. The Times continues to use acronyms which are often many paragraphs after the [full name] the acronym refers to, requiring the reader to search diligently through all the preceding sentences."