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A “Gumshoes” Edition of Grammatically Correct: “The Case of Uninterested vs. Disinterested!”

Okay gumshoes, here’s the skinny.  We’ve got ourselves a case to solve, and have narrowed the search pool down to two suspects…  Jimmy “uninterested” Jones and Tommy “disinterested” Smith.  

In order to solve this mystery, you will need to figure out which of the suspects lives in the sentence “A clergyman cannot be _______________ about theology, nor a soldier about war.”  Our private eyes have determined that the murderer lives in this sentence, but neither suspect will step forward.  The sooner you decide which word fits grammatically into this sentence, the quicker we can slap the cuffs on our perp. 

Clues:

Disinterested is defined by the Concise American Heritage Dictionary as being “[…]synonymous with impartial [and] unbiased.”

Uninterested is defined as meaning “not interested” or “indifferent.”

So let’s work these definitions into an example. 

Observations and Surveillance:

Assume for a moment that you were applying for a position on the grammar police squad.  The person interviewing you might ask if you had any biases that might prevent you from making grammatically correct decisions fairly.  You could answer that you were disinterested in the outcome of the cases that you worked on to indicate that you had no bias towards the case or the people involved. 

Now let’s look at uninterested.  Assume that the same interviewer has told you that you are perfect for the position, but then offers a salary that you find less than desirable.  You could say that you were uninterested in the job because you would not want to work for such low pay.

Breaking the Case:

Based on what we know, the sentence “A clergyman cannot be _______________ about theology, nor a soldier about war” implies that the people involved cannot be impartial about what they do.  Since we know that only one of these two suspects implies impartiality, the culprit has to be…

Tommy “DISINTERESTED” Smith!!! (who now has the right to remain silent.  Anything he says can and will be used against him in a grammar court of law.  He has the right to a grammarian.  If he cannot afford one, one will be provided for him...)

Good job, gumshoes.  I think that this case is officially CLOSED.  (Pink Panther music plays, credits roll.)

Test Your Knowledge

1. It is important that vote-counters in elections be uninterested/disinterested in the outcome of the election.
    
2. I hate shopping. When my mom asked me if I wanted to go with her, I told her that I was uninterested/disinterested.
    
3. My sister says that she wants to be a teacher, but as long as the pay remains so low, she is completely uninterested/disinterested in taking the position.
    
4. Commitment is important in any job. An employee must not be uninterested/disinterested in the outcome of a project for work.
   

1. It is important that vote-counters in elections be disinterested in the outcome of the election.
2. I hate shopping. When my mom asked me if I wanted to go with her, I told her that I was uninterested.
3. My sister says that she wants to be a teacher, but as long as the pay remains so low, she is completely uninterested in taking the position
4. Commitment is important in any job. An employee must not be uninterested in the outcome of a project for work.
    

Suggested Resources

Recommended Grammar Website of the Week

This week writers may be interested in reading eHow's article on How to Use Disinterested and Uninterested Correctly

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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