Time to Break Those Grammar School 'Rules'!
Posted by [email protected] on Oct. 12, 2015 / Subscribe 0
Time to Break Those Grammar School 'Rules'!
By Jennifer Stutts, RS&H
That’s right. Be a rebel! All those rules you learned in grammar school – they’re wrong! (Well, at least some of them are wrong.)
If we want to engage readers and make our writing easier to understand, then we should write more like the way we talk. We should adopt a more conversational style in our marketing materials, advertising, and yes - even proposals!
So what rules were really never meant to be rules at all? And if we break them, what will that do for our writing?
Here’s a quick “re-lesson” of three so-called taboos:
- You may not begin a sentence with and or but.
Wrong! I already broke this rule at least once in this post. And I’m sure I’ll do it again. See. Conjunctions, also called connectives, like and, but, so, and even because connect one main idea to the next and help guide readers through the information. Starting your sentence with a conjunction is a great way to grab attention or add emphasis. But, like with everything, use them in moderation.
- You may not end a sentence with a preposition.
Wrong! Prepositions are words that describe the relationship between two nouns, like of, through, with, and above. And occasionally, a preposition is a fine word to end a sentence with. This is especially true if doing so is a lot more conversational and simply stated than trying to get around not ending with a preposition. If done occasionally and sparingly, most people won’t even realize it.
- You may not repeat words.
Wrong! The best word to use is always the word that you mean, even if you have to say it again. In the English language, we have very few synonyms. For instance, if I’m talking about a cow, there’s really only one way to say it. I’m not going to use “milk producing mammal” just to avoid repeating the word I really mean. Keep it simple and say what you mean.
Yes - it's okay to break these 'rules'! Don't be afraid. There are others too, like writing in first person and using contractions. And if you're interested in more on the same topic, check out these other articles:
- Copyblogger - "Three Grammar Rules You Can (And Should) Break
- TheWritePractice.com - "Why You Should Break Grammar Rules on Purpose"
- The Guardian - "Steven Pinker: 10 "grammar rules" it's OK to break (sometimes)"
- Harvard Business Review - "Why Good Writing is Essential to the Success of Your Business"
Reprinted with permission from RS&H.
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