Q: As a former English teacher (Is one really ever a former English teacher?), I am bothered by the increasing use of the phrase "the both," as in "The both of us went to the book signing." Intuitively I know that "the both" is wrong, although "the two of us went" makes sense because it emphasizes the number who attended. Can you please help? — Pat Saylor, South Windsor, Connecticut

A: You're right about there being no "former" English teachers. We always have our red pens out!

As you suggest, saying "the two of us went" is fine because "two" is a number and putting "the" in front of it emphasizes that two of you, not one, went.

But saying "the both of us went" is incorrect because both is a pronoun that already means "the one as well as the other," thus emphasizing that two people went. So saying "the both of us went" is redundant.

Likewise, we rarely put "the" in front of other indefinite pronouns, e.g., "the each of them," "the several of them," "the all of them."

"The both" does occur occasionally in spoken English. I've always associated it with the character Archie Bunker on the TV series "All in the Family," e.g., "Get outta heah, the both of youse!"

And "the both" does sometimes appear in print. For instance, the program for a 1972 concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra noted, "He found it impossible to earn a living, and Alice's private income could not support the both of them."

Nevertheless, I'd avoid this nonstandard idiom in both speech and writing.

Q: Which of the following is correct?: A. She was graduated from college. B. She graduated from college. C. She graduated college. — Dottie Batho, East Windsor, New Jersey

A: Originally the verb "graduate" meant "to divide into grades or intervals and, by extension, to mark an academic interval by awarding a diploma." So a student "was graduated from college."

But during the 1800s people shortened the phrase to "graduated from college." Later, during the 1970s, people streamlined the phrase even further to "graduated college."

These days, "was graduated from college" is correct but clunky and old-fashioned. "Graduated college" is increasingly common but illogical because it completely reverses the process of graduation by suggesting that the student is graduating the college rather than the other way around.

So be "diploma"tic and take the middle ground; you're always safe using "graduated from college."

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.