Suzannah Windsor Freeman is a writer and blogger at her site, Write It Sideways.
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: Snow can just be snow–-not ‘cold snow’ or ‘white snow.’ All snow is cold and white.
* 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, “I’m going to pick Johnny up from school,” instead of the proper “I’m going to pick up Johnny from school.”
* 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?
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all of your great comments so far. I realize now I could have gone on forever about rules we keep and rules we break. There are so many I didn't even think to include.
@C.S. Gomez: Yes, everyday should be 'every day.'
@GK: I'm all for serial commas. I think the lack of them here was a cut and paste error. My italics didn't show up in a few spots either. But yes, serial commas all the way!
@Kristi: I love em dashes too. They're just so darn useful.
@Mira: Know my stuff? Sometimes. But I make tons of stupid mistakes,as several people have pointed out today!
@Shawn: You are so right. Grammar IS a series of cults. Certain rules are very near and dear to people's hearts.
RE: White snow.
I guess snow is white until it isn't anymore. Hmmm. Thought provoking. I stand corrected.
RE: Split infinitives.
I stand by the subtitle, but my example was wrong. I seem to feel a need to always come up with my own examples, but I think from now on I'll just steal someone else's.
RE: Write It Sideways
Thanks to everyone who's mentioned checking out my site. I appreciate it!
Grammar Rebel . . . and proud of it! Oops, must be a punctuation rebel as well.
I'm guessing your exclusion of a comma in your rule about commas was deliberate? Publishing houses have their individual styles, so the use of commas is always in contention as those styles violate their own rules (use commas to separate some but not all prepositional phrases, etc.).
I stick to this rule: Use commas to delineate a list (including the serial comma), to separate prepositional phrases that begin a sentence, and to separate independent clauses joined by a conjunction.
Rebel with a cause: good writing. Hey, whatever works.
…ain't be got no weapons!
Can be a rebellious nerd? Or, a nerdy rebel? I venture into rebellion but not too far. Still don't like sentences that end with prepositions (blame my mother).
I'm afraid I'm a word nerd, but perhaps that's because I'm a scientist and (so far) write nonfiction. But I'm also all for breaking the breakable rules when useful and appropriate. Some things make me crazy, like "they" or "their" for a singluar, but split infinitives just seem to roll off my back. Does that make me a partial rebel? (I hope so!)
Grammar Rebel ALL THE WAY!
Except I don't agree with the double negative thing. That's a dialect issue in some cases, not just bad grammar.
With the whole "they" issue, well, English is a living, growing language, and I suspect that the push for a neutral (vs. neuter) singular third person pronoun that came out of the feminist revolution has a lot to do with the search for that previously unnecessary pronoun. Every attempt to make up a pronoun, like hir or other *cough*ridiculous*cough* suggestions have been pretty much summarily ignored by the language speakers at large. Instead, they've substituted "they" instinctively, shifting the language. I'm good with that. No, it's not right according to the rules of grammar. But it is right according to the rules of language shift. I think the grammarians are going to have to pucker up and take this one.
I suppose "Grammar Rebel" is an acceptable term for it, but I've always preferred to see myself as an Ungrammar Connoisseur: Someone who can recognize the moments when words that aren't meant to go together like that might be surprisingly pleasant. Like Remy discovering flavor combinations in Ratatouille, except that I don't (most of the time) pull my words out of the garbage.
Word Verification: rogype – Sarah Palin's new internet telephony service
I think I'm a combo of both. I've been trying to fix all my split infinitives, and now I don't need to. So thanks for that!!
But my spelling is usually right, and I'm a comma girl through and through. But Rules? Yeah, I break 'em if I can for stylistic and voice purposes.
Grammar Rebel.
Not all snow is white.
I am a grammar rebel in doses and in appropriate context. I am a member of a writing group on FaceBook and this debae happens often. A lot of young writers think it is 'cool' or 'clever' or 'real' to be 100% rebel and that the rules of grammar are stupid, pointless, or out-dated. I disagree. As Ammie said on this blog at January 20, 2010 8:36 AM, prove you can follow the rules, play with them, and break them – but follow them too!
I lived in Chicago, and snow is not always white, especially after it's been on the ground for a while. Other than that, nicely done!
I agree with your two lists: there are some rules that one must adhere to without exception, but there are also rules that should be left to the writer's discretion.
I still tend not to use split infinitives, even though I know their use is becoming more acceptable, but that's just because I had that "rule" drilled into my head for so many years. I think many readers (and writers) will find this blog post very valuable.
Ohhhh, I'm a rebel with a cause.
I agree with everything except “White Snow” being a given. Half of the time in Michigan the snow is slushy and dirty brown.
I agree with everything except that “White Snow” is a given. Half of the time in Michigan the snow is slushy and dirty brown.
I don't mind breaking the rules, except I always use full sentences — unless it's dialogue — and I try not to end sentences in prepositions. That just annoys me.
just a random drive by comment: I can't stand when writers write dialogue without contractions. I've seen in print, and I just think, "Really?"
Please don't do it. It makes you sound stilted and inexperienced.
Loved the post. I think I'm a word nerd when I'm teaching and a grammar rebel when I'm writing fiction.
All snow is not cold and white. Just check your yard after you've let the dog out in the morning. 😛
RE: White snow
I mentioned before that I stand corrected about 'white snow.'
Snow is white…until it isn't anymore!
I meant it only as an example to show redundancy.
Some better examples might include, "I, myself," and "I, personally."
I'm with Suzannah – snow is white until it's not. White snow is redundant. Yellow snow is descriptive. Also gross.
Thank you for that clarification, Nathan 😉 You make more sense than I do.
Good post. @Kay Theodoratus – I agree with your thought on voice.
For a long time I worried that if I made grammatical errors, no agent or editor would be interested.
I spent a great deal of time making a great deal of effort to write 'properly' using 100% correct grammar, even if it felt awkward to me.
Then I realised, not only did it feel awkward, it read awkwardly. It was terrible. And it was very slow to write. I abandoned that approach, and I could write again. The story flowed, characters came alive again.
Grammar is important to me – but now it's the vine on which the grapes grow and come to fruit – it's the critical supporting structure, but worthless on its own. So I try not to get caught up on it.
Not to belabor the snow (Although of course thats exactly what I'm going to do), but the Inuit have something like 200 words for snow. Now there's a culture who really, really, really likes to be specific about their cold, white stuff.
I have another rule we should all agree upon. Rebel though I am, my teeth clench everytime I see "that" used to refer to a person where "who" or "whom" should be used.
I recently picked up a book that had been praised by squillions of reviewers. I couldn't finish the first ten pages. The voice was a little too right for the story and the characters. It truly reflected their lack of education and was loaded with appalling grammar. The book even lacked chapter breaks. And I had to wonder, was the writer really a talented rule-breaker, or were the critics who praised the work blinkered, seeing only what they wanted to see?
I refuse to be pigeon-holed!
I'm a rebel. Except for one thing. Fewer is for numbers, less is for volume. 'More movies, less commercials'? Wrong wrong wrong.
I'm a proud rebel, except for using they to replace a single person. I'm with Anon 8:16 on that one.
NB,
The color you picture snow depends on where you live. People who live in climates with never melting snow may see snow as dirty. Newly fallen snow is white. Ten day old snow isn't. In California it may always be white IDK.
I'm definitely a grammar rebel. Some rules are just meant to be broken!
I didn't think I was a rebel, but by your definition I seem to be one.
What really, really bugs me is the current trend of making anything and everything into a verb. How do you feel about that?
I would consider myself a rebel. But I also appreciate an important clarification you point out at the beginning. Both groups KNOW and UNDERSTAND the rules. Rebels just also know how and when to break them.
I taught high school English and frequently told my students that they needed the grammar rules so they would know how to effectively break them. That's what it's all about. Effect.
I'm definitely a rebel. Writing should be an art, and there's nothing wrong with a little creative rule-breaking. But to break the rules creatively, you have to know what they are first.
@Paula: Yes, I agree it's annoying when people randomly make verbs out of nouns. One thing I hear in Australia is "costings," where "costs" should be used. As in, "The costings for the required texts will be $100." There may be a correct use for "costing," but I don't think that's it.
@Kate: Just curious–if you don't use "they" for a single person when you don't know his or her gender, do you use "he/she," or "(s)he," or what? It's not too bad if you only have to use it once or twice, but when you use it too often in any given piece, I think it starts to look clunky.
@Dreamstate: I wholeheartedly agree. Fewer/less should be used in their proper contexts.
@Anon 2.11: Yes, "that" shouldn't be substituted for "who," although I think it's easy to slip up when you're talking. In written form, it wouldn't be acceptable.
@AP Mullaly: How very interesting. My son was looking up Ojibwa words one day and he found they have a ridiculous number of words in their native language for many of ours.
@Thomas: "Ungrammar Connoisseur." I like it 🙂
I had a very strict grammar teacher who instilled the rules into me until they hurt, and I'm glad, because now I can break the heck out of them when needed and to good effect.I am a strong advocate of learning rules well, then doing whatever is needed to make one's writing easily read, understood and felt.
That he/she/they thing, though, drives me nuts!
I've got little, if any, word nerd in me. I know basic grammatical rules but once you start throwing "split infinitives" and "predicate" at me, I have to go and look it up to see what that means. Even if I know it by seeing it, I never can tell you what the correct definition of it is 😛
So I'm definitely a rebel.
Speaking as one who grew up with two Grammar nerds for parents (one PhD in English lit, one PhD in Classical Latin,)I heartily agree with statement that grammar is a cult. Or series thereof. It's also about geography. And most of all, about the class system.
Commas. Those pesky commas. I defy anyone to find two people who will put all the commas in the same spots. The rules have changed over time. Beyond that, not everyone agrees on the new rules. I've seen published books in which various different comma rules were used. So I do my best with them and try not to sweat it.
Rebel here, and it's okay to be a rebel, unless you're a rebel without a clue.
As a Canadian, I have to disagree with the snow rule- white snow brings to mind the freshly fallen, pure variety, which might need describing, as it differs greatly from the days-old slushy type.
My grammar pet peeve is the inability of some to use "it's" and "its" correctly. I see it in newspapers and it drives me bonkers.
xx
AM
Huh. Woulda said Word Nerd until I heard the definition of Grammar Rebel– definitely a Rebel here 🙂
I think someone already beat me to this comment, but we city-dwellers know that not ALL snow is white! Falling snow, yes. Snow on the ground, not so much.
I prefer "grammar wonk." I don't think I break any rules, because whenever I stray from traditional grammar, it is in fact merely a permissible BENDING of the rules. Sentence frags are allowed. Using the "word" its' is unforgivable.
I have to say that I find the vast majority of "grammar rebels" to be unreadable. I imagine that this blog will tend to attract people who have a better-than-average sense of what they are doing with the language, but usually if someone says they are breaking the rules to express their creativity, it's because they have no idea how to use the rules to their best advantage, and they don't know which ones are dealbreakers. I could claim to be a fashion rebel, but the fact is that I have no fashion sense. You know?
Strunk and White said that you can deviate from the rules if you are "certain of doing well." And you have to KNOW the rules in order to know whether you are doing well… or very very badly.
@CKHB: Yes, someone already beat you to the snow comment. There's been quite a lively discussion going on about it, actually!
As Nathan has said, far more eloquently than I have, "Snow is white until it's not. White snow is redundant. Yellow snow is descriptive."
Yes, snow can be dirty, slushy, gray, yellow–you name it. But, when it falls from the sky, it's white. Which means, at least in my mind, you don't need to describe the colour of it unless it deviates from the norm.
Of course, whatever works for you, do it.
Some better examples might include, "I, myself," and "I, personally."
These are good examples. They actually freak me out.
I really like this post. And your blog is mighty fine.
I can get quite pissy in an editorial role. I clench my jaw at comma splices, and I grind my teeth at every use of the singular "they." I also read books like Eats, Shoots & Leaves and Ella Minnow Pea for pleasure. But I love – love! – to flout the rules. In a knowledgeable way, of course.
Totes srs.
Grammar Rebel,
I am currently working on a story in which one of the characters speaks in a very formalized, old fashion way (for numerous reasons) and it is a pain to write dialogue for them. Spoken and informal language changes so fast that to not break some of the rules of proper English when speaking makes one sound odd.
Rebel. Me. Yep.
But, it depends on the voice of the character/narrator.
No.
Rebellious grammar helps create the voice of the character.
Yeah.
This is a great post! I love the part about spelling not being a matter of preference. So true …
I'm definitely a rebel. My girlfriend and I argue over split infinitives all the time (she's an English teacher and a word nerd). I like using them in my writing and she goes through with her red pen and marks all the "errors."
Rebels unite!