In my journalism class, in junior high school, in 1938, the rule was that there is no "and" in whole numbers. It is, for example, "one hundred twenty eight." When I hear a newscaster on TV say "one hundred and twenty-eight," what I hear is "100 + 28." Same total, but it sounds wrong.

The real problem is with the higher numbers. If somebody says, for example, "one hundred and twenty-eight thousand," what I hear is "100 + 28,000," which equals 28,100. That not only sounds wrong, but it doesn't even total up right. (I'm not going to name any particular newscaster, but you know who you are, Katie.)

There's another misuse of "and" that bugs me: "I'm going to try and find my glasses."

What does that mean? "I'm going to try to find my glasses, and I'm going to find them"? If the speaker is so sure he's going to find his glasses, he should just say, "I'm going to find my glasses."

We need to show some respect for and -- and use it correctly, and not throw it into disrepute by using it where we shouldn't.

-- PAUL A. ALTER, Wilkinsburg

I find it curious that there are instances in today's language in which nouns are commonly left off phrases, and others in which more words than necessary are used:

The Vanishing Noun:

• A drive-by

• A heart-to-heart

• A sit-down

• Takeout (food)

• Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

The Redundancy Tendency:

• Repeat that again

• Free gift

• Win $500 in free gas (commonly seen in the Post-Gazette)

• We're giving it away free

• All-new episode

• At this point in time (a holdover expression from the Watergate era)

• ATM machine

• PIN number

• VIN number

• Hot water heater

• Might possibly

• The reason why is ...

• 7 a.m. in the morning

• Eyewitness (what other kind of witness is there?)

• Negative attack (is there such a thing as a positive attack?)

-- OREN SPIEGLER, Upper St. Clair

The next time a server in a restaurant approaches me and my friends with the greeting, "So, how we doin' today?" I would like to say, "How we doin'? Well, I can't speak for you but my friends and I are doing fine, thank you."

Likewise, at the end of the meal, if the server asks, "Are we having any dessert today?" I would like to say, "I don't know -- are we? What are you having? Do I have to buy it for you? Will 'we' also be sharing the tip?"

I'm particularly annoyed when I politely say, "Thank you," after a server brings me something I have ordered, and that server responds with: "No problem," or "Not a problem." I always think, "Well, there'd better not be a problem! After all, you're being paid to wait on me; you're not doing me a favor!"

I wish the people who train restaurant staff would teach them that the proper response to, "Thank you," is, "You're welcome."

-- STEVE BURNS, Upper St. Clair

I'd like to suggest two new but related words:

Dogging and dogger.

When you take your dog for a walk, then you are dogging. People who do that all the time are doggers.

To whom should this idea be presented for approval?

-- HOWARD OSTFIELD, Squirrel Hill