3 ms·

I wrote about this kind of thing a while back (about some different "rules'): http://www.wordsinboxes.com/2008/07/splitting-grammatical-hairs.html http://www.wo

by jsulak 17y ago

I wrote about this kind of thing a while back (about some different "rules'): http://www.wordsinboxes.com/2008/07/splitting-grammatical-hairs.html http://www.wordsinboxes.com/2008/07/splitting-grammatical-ha...

jrockway 17y ago
Good post. I think too many people think that the simplified English they learn in first grade is the same English they should use once they are adults. (I know first grade is where I heard "never begin a sentence with 'and' or 'but'", anyway. The other rules were introduced at a similar time. I ignored them then and my grades suffered as a result. But of course, now I get paid to write, and nobody tells me which words I can start a sentence with. LOL.)
- eru 17y ago
  Indeed. Though you shouldn't end a paragraph with LOL. (Or start it with, or put it anywhere.)
  - jrockway 17y ago
    LOL. (I only say that because I did.)
joe_the_user 17y ago
I would say the "mistakes" you write about are also stylist errors. But at least here you can point to some pedants - as opposed to real writers - who would agree with you. Moreover, the pedants can point to some grammar-like rules to back this up. The new list of "grammar mistakes" being critiqued in the parent are both innovations in language control and don't have much syntax-like quality to them. The English teachers have most of these covered in other categories already. Still, one might see the list as effort by grammarians at a land grab in language-space similar to Apple's UI patenting land grab in information-space. Either way, it is wrong. The most atrocious pseudo-grammar rule I know is the absurd 'that' versus 'which' pseudo-distinction. This made-up piece of rule-fluff is common enough that I wasn't able to remove from my MS Word grammar checker. Losing that was perhaps the one good to come to me from switching to Open Office.

by jsulak 17y ago

jrockway 17y ago

Good post. I think too many people think that the simplified English they learn in first grade is the same English they should use once they are adults. (I know first grade is where I heard "never begin a sentence with 'and' or 'but'", anyway. The other rules were introduced at a similar time. I ignored them then and my grades suffered as a result. But of course, now I get paid to write, and nobody tells me which words I can start a sentence with. LOL.)

eru 17y ago
Indeed. Though you shouldn't end a paragraph with LOL. (Or start it with, or put it anywhere.)
- jrockway 17y ago
  LOL. (I only say that because I did.)

joe_the_user 17y ago

I would say the "mistakes" you write about are also stylist errors. But at least here you can point to some pedants - as opposed to real writers - who would agree with you. Moreover, the pedants can point to some grammar-like rules to back this up. The new list of "grammar mistakes" being critiqued in the parent are both innovations in language control and don't have much syntax-like quality to them. The English teachers have most of these covered in other categories already. Still, one might see the list as effort by grammarians at a land grab in language-space similar to Apple's UI patenting land grab in information-space. Either way, it is wrong. The most atrocious pseudo-grammar rule I know is the absurd 'that' versus 'which' pseudo-distinction. This made-up piece of rule-fluff is common enough that I wasn't able to remove from my MS Word grammar checker. Losing that was perhaps the one good to come to me from switching to Open Office.