{"id":27026,"date":"2012-03-10T11:13:46","date_gmt":"2012-03-10T18:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/03\/10\/is-a-grammar-mistake-that-everyone-makes-actually-a-mistake.html"},"modified":"2012-03-10T11:13:46","modified_gmt":"2012-03-10T18:13:46","slug":"is-a-grammar-mistake-that-everyone-makes-actually-a-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/03\/10\/is-a-grammar-mistake-that-everyone-makes-actually-a-mistake.html","title":{"rendered":"Is a grammar mistake that everyone makes actually a mistake?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, don't get me wrong — I'm as rules-based and anal as any Lawful Good snot could be about things like grammar. I offer up grammar suggestions to a variety of people, often unsolicited, and it's only a sign that otherwise I'm generally a nice guy (and that my suggestions are both helpful and correct) that has kept me from getting poked in the snoot more often. Indeed, the irony is that people now send<\/i> me stuff for a grammar check before sending it out to a large or important group.<\/p>\n

Be that as it may, while all of the attached are accurate, and show English's complex but useful utility to express a wide variety of ideas and concepts and actions and relations with a tweak of a word here or there … I also remember that Grammar Is Not a Universal Law of Physics. Grammar, and word meanings, change over time. The "rules" are both prescriptive (telling you want you should do) but also more and more descriptive (telling you what others do). <\/p>\n

Such tension keeps our communication comprehensible, but it also leads to folks getting lambasted for poor grammar when they are communicating perfectly clearly. <\/p>\n

In some ways, the slow shift from prescriptive to descriptive grammar is, within bounds, a good<\/i> thing, because it signals a moving away from Grammar Authority as more and more people communicate and set the rules on a consensus basis, based on what works, not on what some school in England dictates is The Truth.<\/p>\n

So it would not surprise me to see a lot of these "mistakes" stop being treated as such in 20-30 years, except as humorous counter-examples of stuffy grammar types. On the other hand, I'm sure others will arise by then.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, be aware that it's often okay to break some of these rules — but, like breaking the "rules" of what to wear to the office, or what subjects are appropriate at a dinner party, breaking them too often or in the wrong way or at an inopportune time may damage not just how you communicate, but how you're perceived. <\/p>\n

The "mistakes" are worth reading because while it may be okay in some places to break them, it's better to know the rules so you can break them intelligently … and so that you understand what subtleties of meaning are conveyed when you use them correctly. #ddtb<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes | LitReactor<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tI've edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it's a job that's come with more frustration than reward. If there's one thing I am grateful for \u2014 and it sure isn't the…\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Okay, don't get me wrong — I'm as rules-based and anal as any Lawful Good snot could be about things like grammar. I offer up grammar suggestions to a variety of people, often unsolicited, and it's only a sign that otherwise I'm generally a nice guy (and that my suggestions are both helpful and correct) … Continue reading “Is a grammar mistake that everyone makes actually a mistake?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106],"tags":[107],"class_list":["post-27026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts","tag-ddtb"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30863,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/10\/25\/20-common-grammar-mistakes-some-of-which-arent.html","url_meta":{"origin":27026,"position":0},"title":"20 Common Grammar Mistakes (some of which aren't)","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 25-Oct-12 9:06am","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of these are grammar mistakes (or clarifications). Some are arguable misuse of words (though word use is always changing). \u00a0Some are personal preferences and affections.So here are three meta-rules about grammar and grammar mistakes:1. The purpose of grammar (and spelling, etc.) is to communicate clearly. If the communication is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49143,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/01\/04\/grammar-police.html","url_meta":{"origin":27026,"position":1},"title":"Grammar police","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 4-Jan-15 12:11pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Your grammatical humor for today Originally shared by +Michael Anderson: Grammar police #punday #pundaysunday #jailhouserock \u00a0 View on Google+","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/grammar%2Bpolice.gifimgmax%3D660.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/grammar%2Bpolice.gifimgmax%3D660.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/grammar%2Bpolice.gifimgmax%3D660.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":132972,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/03\/03\/grammatical-perspective.html","url_meta":{"origin":27026,"position":2},"title":"Grammatical Perspective","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 3-Mar-17 3:33pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So I tend to be a rules-based person, but I'm also getting old enough to have a perspective that shows how \"absolute rules\" on grammar are nearly as transitory as \"absolute rules\" on fashion. I won't go so far as to suggest that grammar is a purely artificial construct to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27557,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/25\/beware-the-grammar-police.html","url_meta":{"origin":27026,"position":3},"title":"Beware the Grammar Police!","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 25-Apr-12 7:18am","format":false,"excerpt":"Okay, I'll admit to being a pedant over a lot of these sort of things -- though it's usually in conjunction with business writing (where grammar errors actually convey unwanted impressions, rightly or wrongly). The essay is worth reading through to the end, as it actually gets into prescriptive vs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40481,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/08\/grammar-police-and-hiring-decisions.html","url_meta":{"origin":27026,"position":4},"title":"Grammar Police and Hiring Decisions","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 8-Jan-14 7:03am","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't go so far as to give people grammar tests, but I will say that proper grammar and spelling on resumes and cover letters plays something of a gatekeeper role in the hiring process for me. \u00a0After all, if you can't avoid or check-spot-correct such problems on such documents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49742,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/03\/04\/a-grammar-day-quiz.html","url_meta":{"origin":27026,"position":5},"title":"A Grammar Day Quiz","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 4-Mar-15 8:11am","format":false,"excerpt":"Not surprisingly, I got a pretty high intense score on this one.http:\/\/www.grammarly.com\/blog\/2015\/celebrate-grammar-day-with-this-fun-quiz\/\"You may drive your friends and family nuts, but you would make Strunk and White proud. You love enforcing rules just about as much as you love the rules themselves. For you, grammar truly is one of life's greatest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Pedants%2BGrammarian.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Pedants%2BGrammarian.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Pedants%2BGrammarian.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27026\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}