The "He-Likes-to-Eat-Burger" Affair

I'm so bloody angry.

Tell me, is this sentence correct? "He likes to eat burger".

Or not, that'd be my answer.

How can that be right?!

Why??

Simple, an article is needed before singular countable objects.

It's either "he likes to eat a* burger" or "he likes to eat burgers*".

The first one sounds stupid but it's acceptable.

So my boss just came to me and provided me the answer for an exam question "He likes to eat burger", she told me that it is correct.

I was not convinced, of course, if not I wouldn't have confirmed with my ex, who happened to be a British guy, who happened to be extremely good in English, who happened to have a diploma in English Literature of a British University, who almost happened to be a lecturer of the British Council in Malaysia.

How can I mark wrong answers as correct? Especially when I know they're wrong, that is against my belief and principle!

I then reconfirmed with her, told her it's wrong.

She then phoned up a lot of "senior teachers" in Malaysia and also phoned up the "Star Paper" to get an answer.

Then she asked me to accept that answer because all them said it's correct.

I SO FUCKING CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!

Also she gave me a look, like saying "stay where you are, listen to the senior teachers, you are young and fresh, we're experienced and our English is better!"

Number one, I heard many seniors teachers speaking English wrongly here, the pronunciation or grammar, or both.

Number two, Star Paper is the most popular English newspaper in Malaysia, yes; but it is also the paper that makes the most grammar mistakes.

Number three, my ex has been speaking English all his life, not other languages, but English. He should bloody know English, he is English, not to mention he has a diploma in English Literature.

Number four, it's such a fucking simple grammatical rule, an article must be placed before a singular countable noun!

I know that, everyone knows that, but not my boss, nor the people she asked.

I then had no choice but to ask an Internet friend who happened to be a lecturer of English for a University in Japan, he told me it's wrong as it's a singular countable noun.

Again, somebody smart speaks justice for me!

Seriously, are those people she asked fucking stupid or what?!

It doesn't take somebody with a diploma or master in English or a rocket scientist to know an article is needed before all singular countable objects.

For example, you can't say "He enjoys reading book", "I like singing song", "I am watching movie", "She went to see doctor", so bloody easy, so bloody wrong! Such simple rule!

I have more doubts now, are we English teachers that useless?

Am I too young to correct mistakes made by senior teachers?

Am I too lack of experience to point out what is wrong and fight for what is right?

Are they so arrogant to accept the mistake pointed out by a young teacher who might happen to know English better than they do?

I respect them, I respect their point, but it doesn't mean I will say something I know is wrong, is right.

We cannot say whose English is better, I know things they don't know, they know things I don't know.

But that?!

I am not saying my English is oh-so-damn-perfect but I know it's so bloody wrong.

It's like saying "He sing a song", "I is a girl", "They catches fish" are correct!!

If she told me once again it is acceptable, I really don't know whether to mark correct or wrong.

If I mark as correct, I am doing something against my belief and principle.

If I mark as wrong, I am doing something that is unfair to my children.

Then today before I went home, my boss asked me to stay for a little while for a quick discussion.

Fine, I am all prepared for an argument.

I hold on strongly to my point, it is NOT CORRECT!

I was relieved and happy to know at last, another senior teacher confirmed my point.

They did not accept it because I said so, but because another teacher who is good at English said so.

Unbelievable once again, not because of the grammatical rule, but another teacher said so.

Who the hell cares? I got what I want at last.

If I did not say anything, nobody would.

All of us would mark that question wrongly, we'll bring more shame to ourselves.

Here's to victory!