Are you a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel?
I recently came across this amusing post on Humorous Reminders of Common Writing Mistakes, which made me ask myself this very question.
Reading through the list of writing faux pas, I kept vacillating between, “Oh, I would never do that!” and, “Uh oh, I do that all the time.” Once, I would have referred to myself as a definite Word Nerd (because I must admit to the guilty pleasure of reading the dictionary).
Today, I’m not so sure.
So I stopped to consider what separates Word Nerds from Grammar Rebels, and what unites them in their love of language. This is what I came up with:
Word Nerds are well-educated in the technical aspects of language and believe we should obey its rules.
Grammar Rebels are also well-educated in the technical aspects of language, but they believe it’s okay (and sometimes necessary) to break certain rules.
So, what’s the one thing Nerds and Rebels can still agree on?
There are certain language rules that must never be broken. Ever. (Well, except if you’re writing dialogue and your characters can’t speak English properly.)
Here’s a list of rules that both groups of writers agree shouldn’t be broken:
- Spelling: Unless you’re talking about the difference between American and British English, spelling is not a matter of preference.
- Double Negatives: Say, “I don’t have any cash,” not “I don’t have no cash.” If you ‘don’t have no cash,’ you actually do have cash.
- Semicolons: Semicolons separate two clauses that are related to one another, but which could be used on their own. Alternatively, they can separate items in a list. Don’t use them for any other reason.
- Apostrophes: There’s no juggling these little guys. Use them only to show possession or in a contraction.
- Commas: Commas should only be used when necessary, and they must be put in the right spot.
- Redundancy: The common sayings, “I, personally,” or “I, myself,” are redundant. Just say “I,” and go from there.
- Quotation marks: There are hard and fast rules about how to use quotation marks. Learn them and use them correctly.
- Punctuation: Periods, question marks and exclamations should only be used where they’re meant to be used. No swapping allowed.
- Formal writing: If you’re writing a business letter, an formal essay or a work document, adhere to the commonly accepted rules of grammar.
Can you think of any others?
Now, for the rules Grammar Rebels routinely break:
- Split infinitives: It’s okay to say, “To boldly go,” instead of “To go boldly.” I’ve heard this rule is bendable these days.
- Run-on sentences: I’ve seen this done in fiction to produce a stream-of-consciousness type feel.
- Sentence fragments: Your sentences don’t always have to be complete with subject and predicate. Like this.
- Beginning sentences with conjunctions: You can start sentences with and, but, and or, for emphasis. But don’t do it all the time or it gets annoying.
- Contractions: You can freely use contractions in any kind of informal writing. We use them everyday in speech, so they’re somewhat necessary.
- Ending sentences with prepositions: Usually you can end with a preposition and it sounds fine. In cases where it sounds better to use the more formal structure, use that instead.
- Paragraphs: Paragraphs length is up for experimentation, but variety is the key.
- “They” as a singular pronoun: You can use they or them to mean one person, informally. In fact, you probably do it all the time when you’re talking. “What did the person on the phone say?” “They said to call back in an hour.”
Which camp do you fall into? (Or should I say, “Into which camp do you fall?”)
I highly suspect there’s a little Rebel in all of us. In fact, I’m almost willing to guarantee you’re less of a Word Nerd than you might think.
When is it okay to break the rules? When is it not?
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Great post. I would fight tooth and nail for the proper use of semicolons, but in informal writing would break (nearly) all of the second list. I guess that makes me a Grammar Rebel. The question it raises is what is formal and what is informal writing on the web? That can be a bit less clear.
I may come round to it but the one rule I can’t break from the second list is ‘they’ as a singular pronoun. The other rules we break for stylistic reasons, or because they’re based on the now defunct rules of an ancient language. But ‘they’ is plural in the logic of our own, contemporary English. Is it only the lack of an alternative – a gender inclusive singular pronoun – that makes this mistake so popular?
Anyway, I think this is a lucid summary. I’ll be linking to it in the future as a guide to grammar on the web. Thanks.
Gabriel,
Thanks for your thoughts! It's difficult to say what's informal/formal on the web, but blogging is generally informal.
We can agree to disagree on 'they' as a singular pronoun, but don't you slip up and use it all the time when you're speaking? I personally can't help it, even though I know it's wrong. I'm more likely to use he/she if I'm writing though, but not always.
Thanks!
I break grammar rules almost all the time, not simply because I'm being a rebel. English isn't my first language, so… (oh my God, this is merely an excuse 😀 ).
Diar,
Hey, if English isn't your first language, no one can blame you for breaking the rules! I have the utmost respect for people who can speak more than one language (I can't) 🙂
Excellent posting!! Truth is, I fall into both camps, depending on the kind of writing I'm doing. When writing a magazine article, I do break a lot of rules, such as beginning a sentence with a conjunction or using a sentence fragment or two. At the same time, when I teach writing, I'm teaching the basics, not the finer nuances in language.
Beth,
I like your idea of being both, depending on the kind of writing. I think I'd be the same. When I was in uni and writing essays every day, I would never have broken a grammar rule knowingly.
I've just stumbled across your article from twitter, and found it interesting. I like the idea of two grammatical camps, neither of which being considered under-educated; and I like the fact that you've managed not to use the wore pedantic anywhere.
I'm not sure whether I'm a 'word nerd' for having studied linguistics, but I certainly find them interesting. I've also done less 'creative writing' and more work with what I'd probably call exposition. Some of your list make me wonder, though. You make a distinction between writing formal and non-formal compositions and suggest some rules work for one or the other. You suggest never to use a double-negative, however because: 'If you ‘don’t have no cash,’ you actually do have cash.'
This argument is worked out using a linear, literal logic which for much of English's history has not been the case. So, 'no cash' equals 0 or nothing. If I do not have 'nothing', than I must have something; so if I don't have no cash, I must therefore indeed have some. (I'll leave out the logical problem that this precludes debt from your statement.) In many dialects and forms of spoken English, multiple negatives are used as emphatics. It has been seen in historical and highly-esteemed English too. Chaucer, for example, uses multiple negatives throughout Canterbury Tales (He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde—He never yet no villainy no said). There is also a current form of double negation which is both formal and standard and results—logically—in a positive. It is illustrated by a phrase like 'not unpleasant', meaning: 'pleasant' or 'somewhat less than the best, but not actively gruelling.'
I guess the idea is that it is probably wise—and advisable—to write for your audience in the manner most appropriate to your purpose. Using a double-negative in a CV, for example, would not be advisable!
Thanks for the post. I's certainly got my grammatical-geekiness going.
Zach,
Whoa. I took a course on Chaucer during uni but I haven't seen anyone quote him since! Impressive 😉
That's really interesting about the double-negatives. I hadn't thought of things like 'not unpleasant,' but you're correct.
It's good to hear the perspective of one who has studied linguistics in detail. Thank you!
I do consider myself a Word Nerd (or ‘Grammar Nazi’, as I put it) but I do love the Fragment. Using them in the right way can allow your writing to be incredibly punchy and fast-paced.
Great article Suzannah, thanks!
Christopher,
Oh, The Fragment. It's dear to my heart, as well. Any true writer's heart, I imagine 😉
Everything has gotten less formal in the last half century. Business casual has replaced suits and ties as standard work attire almost everywhere. Our language has followed suit.
When we write to communicate with others, our goal should be to use language that is clear and understandable, and does not have any awkward mannerisms that get in the way of the ideas we are trying to communicate. Overly formal structure and non-colloquial or archaic expressions makes our writing boring and dated, and makes our readers begin to question whether we know what we are talking about after all!
Margaret,
I totally agree with you. No sense it making the informal formal in today's much more laid back society. But I still think essays, business letters and the like require the writer to show their adherence to the rules. Thanks for your thoughts!
I may agree with what you say, but not necessarily your examples. For instance, "Redundancy Snow should just be snow…" How boring would that be? How many fine examples of literature would be edited to just the simple nouns and verbs if everyone chose this style.
They walked out into the snow. They fought the battle. They gathered their wounded. They went home.
Also, it may be that my rural upbringing has left me hearing impaired when it comes to some grammar errors. For instance, I don't find anything wrong with your sentence, "They said to call back in an hour." Yes, in your example you are using the word "They" to represent the gender neutral caller, but your subject and verb seem to be in agreement. It's not as though you said, "they does." I suspect that, more often than not, your usage of "they" in this manner occurs when "the caller" represents a company or group. If it were an individual, you would more readily use a singular pronoun.
Jonathan,
Thanks for weighing in.
In terms of the snow thing, I'm not suggesting we should pare down our writing to be devoid of adjectives. My example of cold/white snow is only to illustrate my point. There are probably plenty of better examples I could have used, but making them up on the spot is difficult 😉
"They" technically should never be used to refer to an individual, but we do it all the time. I don't think there's anything wrong with it outside of formal writing.
It continues to blow me away how often we are on the same wavelength. A reader commented on one my blogs recently, then added a footnote asking if I knew of any grammar articles that were for writers instead of English students. And how, here you are with the solution. I've sent him the link and recommended he subscribe here. Least I can do for all the good karma you've sent my way.
Thanks for being brilliant, Suzannah — is it self-serving of me to say that, given my opening sentence here? :-).
Hey Larry,
Thank you so much for recommending this article and my blog to one of your readers. I still can't believe how well-received my articles on grammar seem to be. I guess there are a lot of us word-lovers out there. You can self-serve here anytime–it's great to have you as part of the discussion 🙂
Well, you didn't gain a new subscriber from the recommendation, but only because i subscribed a few weeks ago after coming here from one of your posts on Larry's blog. 🙂 I don't comment on many blogs, but i'll make an effort to be a little more vocal here.
Thanks to both of you for giving so much quality information for those of us who decided long after our composition classes that we wanted to write. Blogs like yours have been one of the few affirmative resources i've found, and i appreciate all you do to help those like me.
i don't have many writer friends, but the few i do have will be sent here as well.
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your kind comments and subscribing here. It's always nice to hear that my articles are helpful to readers. And by all means, please do refer your writer friends! I love getting comments too, so do share your thoughts when you feel compelled. Thank you!
I'm definitely a Grammar Geek (or Word Nerd as you call it), but was surprised to find that I do break most of the rules listed in the Grammar Rebel section, particularly when I'm trying to write with any kind of voice (my own for my journals or blogs or a characters). Rules that were based on trying to follow structures from romance languages like not splitting infinitives or ending with a preposition are silly. This is English, not Latin!
I do not break the last one, though, about using 'they' as a singular pronoun. In fact, it drives me a little nuts when people do it! However, since English is lacking any kind of singular gender neutral pronoun, I try to be forgiving of others. 😉
Thanks for this great summary. As I tell my fourth graders:
1) You have to know the rules before you break them.
2) It only works if it works.
They always find the second one to be funny, and we read their writing aloud and determine together whether the rule-breaking works or not!
Jessica,
I really like your philosophy of "You have to know the rules before you break them." I completely agree. Breaking rules because you don't know any better is totally different to breaking rules where and when it serves your purpose.
Thanks for contributing!