Our philosophy of grammar
Jan 27th, 2009 | By John Roach | Category: GrammarWe often discuss grammar rules here on Pro Writing Tips; often, this leads to conversations with highly intelligent readers about the validity of said rules.
That being said, it’s time we explained what grammar rules are and how we approach them.
The rules put forth here are a consensus of what is considered good and proper. When we explain a rule, we are saying, “If you follow these guidelines, you will not be criticized for poor grammar.”
However, blind adherence to proper grammar can be as detrimental as ignorance thereof. While no one will call you out for never ending a sentence with a preposition, you are missing a lot of opportunities for a more pleasing style. In some cases, strict fidelity to the rules will produce stilted or awkward writing.
While there are some rules that are nigh on necessary (it would be hard to use an indirect object without a direct one), other rules are more malleable. If you feel that breaking a rule would result in a more aesthetically pleasing sentence, by all means, break that mother. Language is a tool to be used, not a master to be obeyed.
Grammar changes. We no longer capitalize all nouns or litter pages with commas. Even formal writing is growing more lenient with each passing day. (Not too lenient, mind you: It is still unacceptable to use “LOL” in a research paper.) The most important rule of all is to know your audience.
We will continue passing on the rules as accepted by writing authorities; however, we won’t explicitly say, “Follow this rule, except when it would be beneficial not to.” That we leave to the discretion of the writer.
Pedants we may be, but not inflexible.
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This article was written by John Roach http://prowritingtips.com John is a writer and copy editor. You can follow him on twitter at . To see more posts click here |
This is one of the reasons I started my “Mangled Monday” category … a chance to spell out some of the grammatical rules that really matter, as opposed to the ones that are just “nice.” It’s like using your turn signal when you drive–it’s not strictly necessary, but it’s a help! The brakes and steering wheel, though? Very, very important!
Deb, it’s funny — I also think of grammar as driving.
My analogy has always this: Yes, it’s an arbritary decision that we drive on the right side of the road in the States, but that doesn’t mean you should hop on over to the left.
But yes, there are two categories of rules: Those that matter and the rest.
Also, there are two kinds of people: The first need closure.
Hmm. We certainly see eye-to-eye on this one. One as in one post, that is. You have (at least) two ideas in there: the rules are breakable, and the basis of deciding what rules to break is whatever best communicates with your reader. And they’re both true.
I did an essay on how to hire a tech writer. One of the questions I said you should ask is “what’s the most important thing about tech writing?” and I said the answer should be something equivalent to “know your reader.” Great minds and all that, huh?