9 Spelling and Grammar Rules People Cannot Agree On
Ah, good old fashioned spelling and grammar. Who doesn’t know a grammar queen (or king)? With easy-to-use tools like Grammarly at our fingertips (literally), we no longer need to argue about these errors, right?
Wrong! There are still plenty of spelling and grammar rules that people simply cannot agree on. Call it the politics of the English language, if you will.
While your English professor may be strict about some of these, in the real world there’s a gray area and those of us who insist on using the Oxford comma (raises hand) have had to adjust.
So, for your reading (or perhaps not) pleasure, here are nine spelling and grammar rules people cannot agree on.
9. The Oxford Comma
Since we brought up the Oxford comma, let’s talk about it. What is it and why so much debate? Otherwise known as the serial comma, this rule goes way back to our elementary school days.
Remember listing items in a series? Perhaps you were in first or second grade when you wrote something like this: The dog, the cat, and the mouse all had lunch together.
See that extra comma just before the word “and?” That’s the Oxford comma. This writer absolutely, one hundred percent prefers to use it.
But you probably won’t see it implemented here, and that’s because in this day and age, the use of the Oxford comma is more stylistic preference than grammar law.
AP Style is standard in journalistic circles and the style dictates we leave out the extra clutter. Is it clutter, though? Where do you stand regarding the Oxford comma?
8. Is it Toward or Towards?
Here’s a fun one. With the “s'” or without the “s”? That is the question! If you look up the word on Merriam-Webster, you’ll see the added “s” is the preference — if you live in the U.K.
American English leaves it off. Again with that pesky clutter. Are we Marie Kondo-ing our language, or what?
Still, according to Merriam-Webster, that’s about as far as the debate goes. Seems you could spell it either way and you’d survive. Are you an “s” user?
7. The All-Too Possessive “S”.
Since we’re already on the subject of the letter “s,” shall we discuss possessives? Adding an extra “s” at the end of a noun that already ends in “s” can, again, look a bit cluttered.
If a word is already plural, such as parents, the choice is easy. You’d just add the apostrophe at the end and voila, the word is plural — parents’.
But what happens when the singular form of a noun ends in ‘s’ already? Is that dish Jess’ or is it Jess’s? You’ll get different answers, depending on where you go.
According to The Chicago Manual of Style, either is correct but the extra “s” is preferred based on section 7.15-18 in the style book. Which spelling do you like better?
6. Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function?
Anyone here remember “School House Rock“? While others my age were watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” I watched cartoons that helped me in school. Nerd alert, sure, but I wear my label proudly (it landed me this writing job, after all).
There is plenty of debate regarding conjunction usage and placement. Again, we’re dealing with style issues.
Can you begin your sentence with a conjunction? You may have heard this is a big no-no, and your 100-year-old college professor may mark you off for such an atrocity.
But (and here is the perfect example) people use conjunctions to begin a sentence in common dialogue every day.
According to Grammarist, most people, literary authors and scholars included, have used a conjunction at the opening of a sentence. So go right ahead. Conjunction your little heart out!
5. Where Does the Preposition Go?
In fiction writing, you’ll find plenty of examples in which the author ends a sentence with a preposition. Have you seen anything like this before?
If not, you just did. Oxford Dictionaries says it’s perfectly acceptable, and usually keeps awkward placement out of the picture. You wouldn’t say, “Before, have you seen anything like this?” would you? That’s just silly.
4. Are You Good or Are You Well?
According to Shaw English, there is a correct and incorrect way to use both of these words. When good is used as an adjective, such as in the sentence “She’s a good actress,” you’re right on target.
But when you try to turn it around and say, “She acts good,” that’s where you get into a bit of trouble — at least in proper speaking circles.
Since good is an adjective, it cannot suddenly become an adverb and be used to describe the verb “act.” This is when the use of the word “well” would come in to play.
3. Active Voice Versus Passive Voice
Most editors will tell their writers to always and forever choose active voice over passive voice. “The woman baked a pie” rather than “The pie was baked by the woman.”
The former is active and truthfully feels more natural from this writer’s point of view. But if passivity is your thing, Mariel Wolfson, PhD with American Journal Experts says there is an appropriate time and place to use a passive voice. Who knew?
2. and 1. Spelling Words That Could Go Either Way
Do you write advisor or adviser? Will you invite your friends to a barbecue or a barbeque? How about ketchup versus catsup? And hey, do you eat doughnuts or donuts?
Any of these look familiar? Maybe some of them are splitting a nerve. In the end, the correct — or rather, acceptable — spelling depends on where and when you live.
For example, according to Daily Writing Tips, there’s an entire history behind the different spellings of your favorite sauce and marinade. Whichever way you choose to go, you’re probably safe.
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Some spellings of certain words have become so commonplace, they’re more than acceptable. While my elementary school spelling word was “catsup” that bottle of red deliciousness in my fridge says “ketchup.”
Either way it’s spelled, you best believe it’s the perfect condiment for my burger and fries. Where do you stand on these grammar and spelling issues?
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