Top 10 Obsolete Grammar Rules - by Guest Blogger Steven Sawyer

Top 10 Obsolete Grammar Rules - by Guest Blogger Steven Sawyer Article by Steven Sawyer. Edited by Brenda Bernstein, The Essay Expert Following The Essay Expert’s post about using the â€Å"singular they,† some writers in one of my LinkedIn groups were talking about breaking English grammar rules. Several of us spent a few hours discussing the merits, or de-merits, of using â€Å"they† as a singular pronoun. We were essentially divided into two camps:   purists, who would never break a time-honored English grammar rule, and progressives, who know all the rules – and delight in breaking them.   By the end of the heated discussion, purists were still purists and progressives remained progressive. Purists love the predictability of our language and the grammar rules that govern it. They still remember how to diagram a sentence.   They can spot a dangling modifier at 50 yards and pick out a subject-verb agreement error faster than you can say â€Å"comma splice.† If you went to their houses you might find that they iron their underwear and alphabetize the canned foods in their pantry. (I know a couple of purists who do that.) Progressives, on the other hand, believe that breaking rules connects writers with the masses, who stopped thinking about grammar rules decades ago. (If you dont believe me just ask any passerby to locate the verb in a sentence.) Just last year, a group of Ivy League English language purists lobbied to have â€Å"Thou shalt not break English grammar rules† added as the 11th commandment. But language mavens, dictionary writers and even influential linguists are relaxing many writing standards. Some experts are equating this usage shift to the Great Vowel Shift that took place in England in the 15th century. So, my Purist grammar friends, what will you do? Will you suck it up and go with the changes in the language as they evolve?   Or are you determined to maintain pristine prose? Its really okay if purists remain purists. I believe theyll dwindle over time until they become an extinct species, but they do have their place in our culture today. Purists, heres what youre going to have to swallow if you want to keep pace with our ever changing language. Top 10 Obsolete Or Seldom Enforced Grammar Rules Don’t split infinitives. Who would want to shamelessly do that anyway? Active voice verbs are preferable to passive voice verbs. I will never part with this one. I have  encrypted  this rule in my memory’s hard drive. Passive voice will forever be stricken from my writing. That makes me a purist for this rule only. Never start a sentence with â€Å"And† or â€Å"But.† And why not? It gets easier every time you do it. See 5th paragraph, second sentence. Never start a sentence with â€Å"There is† or â€Å"There are.† There are many occasions when starting a sentence with â€Å"There is† or â€Å"There are† is perfectly acceptable. Boring, perhaps, but acceptable. E.g., There is more Canadian bacon in the United States than in Canada. It would be difficult to change the wording in that sentence without starting with â€Å"There is†. Never end a sentence with a preposition. Now that’s a rule we can all live without. Always use â€Å"more than† instead of â€Å"over† with numbers. Okay. Whatever. Math’s not my gig. But truly, either one is acceptable use today. So, purists, get over it. Data is plural, so the verb must always be plural. So data is what data does? Or data are what data do? If they say so. Anyone with a good ear for English knows the answer to this one. Don’t start a sentence with â€Å"This.† The grammar gurus now say that you can start a sentence with â€Å"This.†Ã‚   But (Ooops, there I go, breaking rule 3. See how easy that was?)   I believe that [practice] is okay and this [guideline] is perfectly acceptable. Don’t use â€Å"free† as an adjective.   E.g., â€Å"Can I get that laptop free?†Ã‚   Nay, nay, writing comrades. That’s purist speak. Feel free to use â€Å"for free.† E.g., â€Å"Can I get that laptop for free?† Don’t use â€Å"fun† as an adjective.   You purists make me giddy.   You’ve always used â€Å"fun† as a noun.   E.g., â€Å"We had fun at the game today.† But we progressives like to use it as an adjective. â€Å"It was a fun weekend reunion with my family.† English is an evolving language. A new word gets added to the language every 98 minutes, according to the Global Language Monitor. That’s 14.7 words per day.   As words get added, usage rules undergo changes as well. Will you adopt the new â€Å"rules† of grammar? Your answer determines which camp you’re in. Steven Sawyer is a blogger, author, editor and online English teacher and writing consultant.   Read his blog at https://stevensawyer.wordpress.com/. Category:Grammar Writing TipsBy Brenda BernsteinMay 15, 2011 14 Comments Penelope J. says: May 18, 2011 at 4:28 pm The above post on progressives vs. purists was both fun and enlightening. I agree that in some cases, we have to be open to change rather than stick to the more correct language usage. I agree with the above comment. Using Where you at? and got instead of have (or in many cases, buy) have become widely acceptable, but I cringe every time I hear them uttered. Things like/such as What you got? really get (to) me. Anyway, what does get to me actually mean? Also, using a word to express the opposite feeling, You kill me or Thats a killer has become the norm rather than the exception and is taken to excruciating heights on programs that my grandchildren watch such as American Idol. But the English language is evolving and devolving to such an extent that, at 14.7 new words a day, purists must be having a hard time making or expecting others to stick to the rules. However, is it too much to ask that some rules not be broken such as misuse of verb tense and pronouns? Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: May 31, 2011 at 11:45 am Penelope, Im so glad you mentioned Where you at! When living in Brooklyn, if I were asking for directions on the street I would always say Do you know where such-and-such street is at? Im also guilty of using got instead of have. Its funny the things that still bug me, vs. the things Ive adopted. Im sure these things differ for each of us. Fun as an adjective still grates on my nerves. And I dont think its too much to ask to keep some rules in place but whos to decide which ones? I certainly have my opinions! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: May 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm Thanks Lynn. We all have our own pet peeves dont we? Mine are different from yours! (And lets not even start on different from/different than.) I have articles on its/its and lose/loose which I invite you to read and share! https://theessayexpert.com/blog/2011/05/31/the-day-my-dad-didnt-make-it-home-from-work-by-marianne-worley-business-writing-consultant-at-the-essay-expert/ and https://theessayexpert.com/blog/2009/09/13/common-spelling-mistakes-lose-vs-loose/ respectively. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: June 13, 2011 at 3:57 pm Thanks for your comment Rick. I agree! Log in to Reply Marion Suarez says: June 3, 2012 at 1:29 pm I feel as though proper usage of fewer/ less is almost entirely obsolete. I cant find anyone who still understands the distinction or honors it. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: June 3, 2012 at 3:34 pm Thanks for your comment Marion. Its funny, I see 10 Items or Fewer now in many grocery stores, and I almost want them to change it back to the wrong way! Log in to Reply Mary Kent says: August 30, 2016 at 12:25 am Should we follow the rules regarding using the possessive form of nouns and pronouns with gerunds or is it a truly lost cause? Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: September 2, 2016 at 10:20 pm Great question Mary! Ive been fighting for this one since I learned the rule at the age of eight. Im terrified by the number of times people correct me on this point when I am using correct grammar! Log in to Reply John T Mon says: August 7, 2017 at 11:02 pm Im mid-60s and I always wonder what happened to the use of A and An? Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: August 8, 2017 at 6:55 am Do mean in spoken speech, John? It does seem like a lot of people say a when an would be grammatically correct. Log in to Reply Rebecca says: June 4, 2018 at 11:43 am I’m not a pure purist! Quirky, and especially regional, â€Å"impurities† make such entertaining conversation and writing. Still, why has the subjective compound pronoun become so accepted when used in the objective case? In speaking, I realize we all get tripped up, but I’ve seen it in writing and heard it from journalists. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: June 4, 2018 at 1:15 pm I’m right there with you, Becky. Drives me up a wall and the correct grammar seems so logical. Thanks for your comment! Log in to Reply Susan says: June 29, 2019 at 6:50 am The increased misuse of I and me when referring to another person and oneself is my beef. I am now hearing even professional speakers such as news announcers, pastors, etc. making statements such as, The taxi picked up my friend and I. In fact, I came across this article when again doing a search to see if this rule has changed. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: June 29, 2019 at 10:05 am Im with you, Susan. What did you find? Anyone saying the rule has changed? I think its more that very few people understand correct usage. Log in to Reply