I wasn't going to send this to Word Watch after reading Larry Walker's hilarious comments in Wednesday edition ("Dear Word Nerds: Enough, Already!"), but decided to anyway. It deals with what I believe to be the most commonly accepted grammatical error of all: the infamous "I seen it!"

Years ago, while working as the branch manager for a local bank, one of our more intelligent tellers continued to use the incorrect "I seen it."

We had staff meetings once a month after the bank was closed. In an effort to curtail this grammatical blunder, the assistant manager and I took the teller aside and explained the conjugation of the verb "see" (I see, you saw, he/she or it has or had seen, I have seen). We explained the need to use has, had or have with "seen." We further explained that, whether we liked it or not, our customers judged us on our appearance as well as our use of language.

The particular teller asked many questions and was genuinely sincere in learning the appropriate usage of "seen."

The next day almost near closing time, one of our regular customers, who particularly liked this teller, came in and began a conversation with her. The assistant manager and I could not help but overhear. We were struck by how proud the teller was as she spoke with one of her "regulars."

As the conversation continued, it was obvious the point in the conversation had arrived. The teller beamed. In a reply to a question from the customer and in a particularly loud voice (obviously so the assistant manager and I could hear), she replied:

"I have saw that!"

-- PAT BOLSTER, Marshall