My Views on Grammar and Usage

This post is an edited and updated version of a post I initially shared in January 2010. 

When it comes to modern language usage—especially concerning the ever increasing technology-related terms we use today—I get slightly frustrated with those who make claims like "'Text' is not a verb," implying a speaker cannot say "I'll text you the information."

From those people's standpoint, a speaker would instead have to say, for example, "I'll send you a text message with the information." (Don't even consider using any forbidden slang terms like "info.")

I admit. I am a descriptivist as far as grammarians go—if you can bring yourself to even slightly consider me a grammarian. In the world of grammarians, with many stereotypically described with a better-than-thou motivation to find every—any—mistake, I often feel as though I am the minority fighting for my voice to be heard, struggling for my beliefs to be understood, accepted, maybe respected. But the bombardment of those screaming "Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E means 'you are.' Y-O-U-R means 'your" (Oh wait, that was Ross in "Friends") tends to overshadow my stubborn statements of "Yes, 'texted' can be used as a past tense verb of 'text'" or my response "I'm good" to questions of how I'm doing.



Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying you don't need to use an apostrophe and the extra "e" in "you're" or to not bother distinguishing between "there," "their," and "they're." While I'm not sure how to exactly determine what will eternally be right and wrong in overall usage of a language, there are accepted styles of language for various settings that you are simply expected to conform to.

To be taken seriously academically and in job interviews, there is one form of "correct" language and to be taken seriously in another setting, there is different form. I, for one, embrace the fact that I can speak differently than I write in a professional setting. That my academic writing differs from my writing on my blog. That I can speak one way with my friends and another with subject experts. That every day I can make up words and opt to include usage I wouldn't dream of in another setting.

I have control of my language.

Do you remember your teachers telling you to never start a sentence with "and"? Or the dramatics of the apostasy that follows if you split an infinitive? No doubt these teachers also emphasized that a preposition should never end a sentence.

These "hard-and-fast rules" reflect years of trying to control a language and fit it in a mold. (I love that I listed these three examples and then found all three mentioned in an article entitled "Three Grammar Rules You Can (And Should) Break.")

There may be some individuals somewhere who still insist on these rules.

Maybe.

Some nit-picky teachers are probably still teaching them. But really what is the point? Sooner or later, students and language users realize that the contorted, un-split sentence is awkward and, hey, look around, people are splitting the heck out of infinitives left and right.

Nevermind that not ending a sentence with a preposition is a rule that really has nothing to do with the preposition but instead wants to get rid of unnecessary words. ("I have no idea where this rule came from" is fine. "Where are you at?" might be better as "Where are you?")

Forrester: Paragraph three starts...with a conjunction, "and." You should never start a sentence with a conjunction. Jamal: Sure you can. Forrester: No, it's a firm rule. Jamal: No, it was a firm rule. Sometimes using a conjunction at the start of a sentence makes it stand out. And that may be what the writer's trying to do. Forrester: And what is the risk? Jamal: Well the risk is doing it too much. It's a distraction. And it could give your piece a run-on feeling. But for the most part, the rule on using "and" or "but" at the start of a sentence is pretty shaky. Even though it's still taught by too many professors. Some of the best writers have ignored that rule for years, including you.

Maybe this is all a result of the English language completely and definitely going down the drain. The teenagers are ruining our language! Text messaging and e-mail will be the end of all that was good and all that we cherished!

...

Calm down people. Yes, here is where my passion for descriptive grammar  and usage steps in. I think I pretty regularly make conscious decisions about what I say and how I use the English language.

I do my research, choose my side of any usage issues and them may proceed to respond "I'm good" to the question "How are you?"

How many times have you heard the phrase "Ain't ain't a word, and you ain't supposed to say it." But is it not widely used informally? I don't personally use "ain't" on a regular basis, but I love belting "Ain't it a shame that every time you hear my name you can't think straight" with Kellie Pickler like any country music-loving gal.

While technically "ain't" may not be a word in standard usage, it IS everywhere and can't be denied. It might drive some people crazy, but who can say that "ain't" can't be a "proper" word? Why were "haven't," "who's," "doesn't" and "you're" chosen, but "ain't" left behind? This is not me advocating for a wider use of "ain't." I'm just saying that our usage is based on tradition and expectation. Someone, somewhere, sometime made a decision and we've all followed along.

Let's take a look at the book titled "The Lexicographer's Dilemma: The Evolution of English from Shakespeare to South Park." The author, Jack Lynch, is a professor of English at Rutgers University and was the editor of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary. In the book Lynch describes how we got "proper English" and that grammar isn't made up of rules or laws like the law of gravity or moral rules like those against thefts.

Instead usage rules are fallible by people and subject to change.

"Most of these [rules of English] probably describe the speech habits of of some class of people, once upon a time. It will tend to be the upper class of people a generation or two ago. And that's what many people decided proper English is," says Lynch.

Stated simply, I advocate for grammar usage based on the needs and desires of the people who use the language. I embrace language change and get excited when those changes evolve, are identified, and then accepted. Disregarding various opinions and arguments of whether those changes are for the better or worse, I appreciate the notion of a group of people taking control of their own lives—or in this case, their own language. Language as a whole should embrace change, especially those reflective of a current culture and lifestyle.

Happy Punctuation Day: A Quick Review

Today is National Punctuation Day. Even though I have known the date for weeks, somehow this day has, once again, snuck up on me. I simply can not let such a day pass by without honoring it with some discussion of punctuation here on writedreamsweat.com. I'm going to keep things simple and share some quick rules and tricks for just a couple punctuation marks. (Come on, we all know when to use a period, right? Right???)

Question Marks
Question marks are pretty simple when we are writing a straightforward question. "How are you?" Simple. What about an indirect question?

"I wonder if she went to the gym." This is a statement. I see people use question marks in that usage all the time. Although a question is tied in, the sentence is not actually asking a question. It's actually stating the act of wonder.

Semicolons
Just remember that semicolons join two COMPLETE clauses that could stand alone. In my experience editing, the semicolon is probably the most commonly misused punctuation mark. My advice—don't use it unless you are 100 percent sure you know how to properly use. An improperly placed semicolon screams incompetence as a writer. I'll tell you now that most CEOs and business professionals do not know how to use this punctuation mark. I guess that's why they need editors by their side.

Three things to remember:
A semicolon must be used with two complete clauses.
Use a semicolon to indicate that information is related.
Use a semicolon as a style choice to add variety to your writing.

Colons
I'll say it right away: when you use a colon in a sentence, it is only used after statements that are complete sentences.

Please make note of the previous sentence. A colon is too often used incorrectly to introduce a series of items. The following example is incorrect.

"The items on the table are: plates, napkins, fruit, and yogurt."

"The items on the table are" is NOT a complete sentence. That example does not need a colon (or any punctuation mark) at all. If you really want to use a colon, try adding "the following." That phrase makes the introductory phrase a complete sentence and makes the usage correct.

Space
One thing I love about Chapter 4 in Grammar Girl's "Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" is that she officially recommends to use—wait for it—one space after a period. If you don't already do this, make the change now. Using two spaces is outdated. (Its usage started to accommodate typewriter spacing. Find more info in my post "Double Spaces—Wrong?" back in 2009.)

Some other articles to check out:
"What's Your Punctuation Mark?"

"Celebrate National Punctuation Day by checking out the big punctuation fails"

"6 Common Punctuation Mistakes That Drive Us Crazy"

"16 Unfortunate Misuses of Punctuation"

Wordy Wednesday: Who or Whom? Which should I use?

A friend emailed me a link to this lovely comic (or creative infographic) from theoatmeal.com called "How and Why to Use Whom in a Sentence."

 It's funny. It's educational. What more can anyone (any grammar fanatic) ask for? And everyone has questions about "who" and "whom." As the illustrations show, an easy why to check if you use "who" or "whom" is to see if "he" or "him" fit better in the sentence.

"Who" goes with "he," and "whom" goes with "him." How to remember that? "Whom" and "him" both have "m's" at the end.

I'd like to create some of my own visual illustrations of common grammar or writing questions. I'm definitely not as creative as theoatmeal.com, but give me some ideas. LET ME KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS YOU HAVE AND I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN COME UP WITH. SERIOUSLY.

What language do the Despicable Me minions speak?

Who loves the Despicable Me minions? For most people I know the highlight of Despicable Me 2 was the increased presence of the minions throughout the movie.

I loved Despicable Me when I first saw it and definitely enjoyed the second movie. And we all know I love language, so I'd be just the kind of person to find interest in this post by Grammar Girl: "Do the Minions Speak a Real Language?"

I actually don't think I would have thought about this on my own. But turns out, it's quite common to form an actual language for movies (Avatar, Star Trek, Land of the Lost).

Apparently the firm's directors call the "language" Minionese and while most of what the minions say is gibberish, the directors did include real words from a variety of languages to give it a real-sounding edge.

Have you heard these English words in the movies? OK, potato, idiot, or what? Grammar Girl also shares that "ba-boy" means "toy," "bi-do" means "I'm sorry," and "la boda" means "marriage."

Perhaps the best part of Grammar Girl's article is the link to this translation of the Minion's dialogue in the closing credits. Here are some highlights:

"Plunger power!" 

"I'm gonna reach the back row with this baby." 

"I can hear Twilight in the next theater. Team Jacob rules!"  

"I am Gru. I have male pattern baldness."

Wordy Wednesday: Do You Correct a Coworkers' Grammar?

Last night I had a moment before my evening Zumba class to flip through the March 2013 issue of the Ladies Home Journal that was in the Provo Recreation Center's community area.

The "You Are the Answer Lady" section caught my eye, and I found a question about grammar and writing in the workplace. Whup! That's right up my alley.

Here's the question: "Some of my coworkers' emails are full of poor grammar, misspellings and cheesy emoticons. I'm worried it will affect our client's perception of my company, but I'm not their boss so I feel like I can't say anything. Should I?"

I think this is a great question, and it brings up a touchy subject. As much as I personally value formal and proper workplace writing, I don't want to be (and am not) one of those red-pen editors that we all somewhat despise. (I'm right, right?)

If I were to respond to this person, I think I'd advise her to not correct the coworkers directly (that could seem like a personal attack), but instead mention the general concern (try not to target anyone) to a supervisor and suggest a training. My answer is similar to the first one printed in the article.

In my own workplace experience, I've had several coworkers recognize that I have the writing and editing experience that they lack. They actually reach out to me and ask me to proofread and edit emails and other materials—big, small, and insignificant—before they finish. I'm happy to help and will always explain why I made certain changes. This is a great situation because I get to help and train others without creating potentially uncomfortable situations.

Question: What are your thoughts? What would you do?

Wordy Wednesday: Expletive Sentences

What? Karianne is going to talk about expletives?? This seems so out of character. 

No folks, I am not referring to the kind of expletives you are most likely thinking of. I'm talking about the type of sentences that begin with "there is" or "there are."

For example, let's look at the following sentence: "There is a water bottle on my desk." This sentences portrays an example of expletive construction.

Believe me, you will see people using this type of sentence construction all. the. time. And while these sentences are not technically "wrong," they do reflect poor, lazy, and ambiguous writing.

You see, "there" is acting as a subject but doesn't have a clear antecedent and is essential just a filler work. A more clear way of writing the previous example sentence is to write "I keep a water bottle on my desk."

This diagrammed example is from mrclements.com (another great post).

Where did "there is" go?

Away.

Do we miss it?

No. 

Is the sentence more clear?

Yes, although the above example is not a great example. 

Do we have to figure out whether "there is" or "there are" is the correct usage? (Based on subject-verb agreement)

No. We've eliminated the poor usage, made the sentence stronger, and avoided the issue. 


So why do we keep using those darn expletives?!?! :)

Go ahead and take a look at Grammar Girl's well-researched explanation of the usage. She has some great examples and dives in a bit deeper than I do here.

P.S. The topic of expletive sentence construction was one that I first learned about in my business communications class in college. Sigh, that was one of my favorite classes. Good times, good times.