What the hell is a Grammar Anarchist?
You can be one! Since we don’t have a U.S. language, feel FREE to set your own rules -- interpret grammar YOUR WAY. You’re not in England anymore. Join the anarchy of U.S. grammar! Make your choices and preserve them in YOUR STYLE MANUAL. —The Grammar Anarchist
Thursday, July 14, 2011
So I challenged my friend, “Name a ‘rule’!”
“Of course we have rules,” my friend told me.
“Uh-uh,” I shook my head. “A real rule does not have exceptions.”
“What about: ‘I before E except after... ’ oh yeah! Now I get it!”
Language in this country is a game. And since we can't agree on which rules are to be followed and which to be ignored, we writers have to decide for ourselves, won't we! Drag out that Style Book, Betts, and get back to writing.
A whole bunch of words don’t fit into either this “rule” or the noted exception. Memorize this sentence and you’ll remember these peculiar words: seize the weird counterfeit heights with a sleight of hand. (I read this somewhere.)
"Exceptions prove the rule" is what I learned in school. If that's so, the i-before-e is a RULE!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you say so, BJ, and you make my point! Would you dare exceptions to the rules of mah-jong? Guess they aren't rules then.
ReplyDeleteGame rules are different.
ReplyDeleteLanguage in this country is a game. And since we can't agree on which rules are to be followed and which to be ignored, we writers have to decide for ourselves, won't we! Drag out that Style Book, Betts, and get back to writing.
ReplyDeleteA whole bunch of words don’t fit into either this “rule” or the noted exception. Memorize this sentence and you’ll remember these peculiar words: seize the weird counterfeit heights with a sleight of hand. (I read this somewhere.)
ReplyDeleteI think I’ll stick to my rule!
ReplyDeleteThought of two more words that challenge the “E before I”. How about “either” and “neither”?
ReplyDelete