Some people just don’t get the English language. I am not talking about 2ndlanguage learners and non-native speakers; I am talking about native English speakers. You know who you are. Some of us just have no clue when it comes to grammar and its many rules.
I know that grammar can be complicated. I was a High School English and ESL teacher for years. It can be confusing and frustrating, but the truth is that English grammar and all of its crazy rules are actually fairly flexible. Many of the common grammar rules that we learned when we were children just aren’t true. They are myths. I am here to help you out and separate the myth from reality. As a former English grammar teacher, college English professor and a guy who has a master’s in English, I feel that I am more than qualified.
Despite conventional wisdom and teachings, here are some grammar rules that you can ignore (yes, an English teacher is telling you to ignore certain grammar rules):
1. Never end a sentence with a preposition. I know many “Old-School” English teachers preached this rule. I remember hearing it numerous times when I was a youngster. But if you follow this rule, you are going to have a bunch of “unnatural” sounding sentences. I always tell my students “If the meaning of your sentence is clear and it sounds natural, go ahead and end it with a preposition.”
Here is an example: Compare “What are you waiting for?” versus “For what are you waiting?” Both of these sentences are correct, but the second sounds like something Shakespeare would have written.
2. Don’t start a sentence with “and,” “but” or other conjunctions. Now hear me out on this one. Starting too many sentences with “and” or “but” will make your writing sound like a toddler’s verse. But I have no problem if you use it sparingly. Your writing will sound like the voice of the common man. Sure, if you are writing a scientific essay or a master’s thesis, you probably want to avoid those words to begin a sentence, but if you are writing a novel, short story, etc. go ahead and throw some conjunctions in at the start of sentences. After all, that is the way we talk in our daily lives. Shouldn’t writing be a reflection of our oral language?
3. Don’t use double negatives. There are still some instances when using the double negative sounds ignorant and childish. You probably do not want to write sentences such as “I ain’t got none” or “I don’t got nobody.” With that said, there is a place for double negatives in English. You can do wonders with the double negative and even sound a little critical or irritated when using then. For example, you could say, “I’m not unfamiliar with your blog.” (Which would be a lie since you are reading it now!)
The key to using the double negative is to be clever with it and do not overuse it.
4. Never split infinitives. You can split infinitives if doing so will make your meaning more clear or allow you to be more concise. Sometimes, the split infinitive sounds way better than anything else. Take this example that Trekkie Fans will love: “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
I will say that most of the time, keeping infinitives intact is the best way to write. Usually, it will sound better and smarter that way, but keep the option of splitting them in mind.
5. A paragraph must be between three and five sentences long. I have no idea who came up with this, but I have seen many one-sentence paragraphs and many 15+ sentence paragraphs. Single word paragraphs are OK sometimes as well.
6. Never use the passive voice. OK, in general this is a good rule and one you should follow most of the time. Think of a sentence like “Books were read by Johnny.” This sounds a little strange and incomplete. The emphasis is on the Books rather than Johnny. But there are times when you want just that. You want to emphasize the books rather than Johnny. On those rare occasions, the passive voice would come in handy.
7. Never use slang or colloquialisms such as “y’all” or “ain’t.”
This just “ain’t right!” Look at Mark Twain and many of the other great American writers. They wrote like people talked. Using slang and colloquialisms can add color, flair and legitimacy to your writing.
8. You can’t use a plural to refer to a singular. I know this is another one that will always get you in trouble with the “Old School” English teachers. I think it is fine to use “they/their/them” to refer to a singular. “A driver should always check their rear view mirror” actually sounds better and more natural than “A driver should always check his or her rear view mirror.”
9. Never use sentence fragments. Ridiculous! As long as the majority of your sentences are complete and have a subject, verb, etc., then an occasional fragment can fit right in. Nonsense! As long as most of your sentences have a subject and a predicate, feel free to use the occasional fragment for effect. No Problem.
10. Avoid run on sentences. Run on sentences can be used to give a sense of anxiety, confusion, excitement, or rambling thoughts. If used correctly, it can greatly enhance your writing. If used incorrectly it can make your writing look like a sixth grader wrote it.
So there you have it; ten common grammar rules that do not always hold true. By breaking some of these “Grammar Rules” you can make you writing much easier for the reader to understand and add some flair to your writing. After all, you want to make your writing appealing to everyone, right?
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