Language is no different. It's forever changing, and for every person who embraces the latest version of cray, gucci, fam, or finna, there are three or more who insist that groovy and hep cat will never go out of style. But let's face it: daddy-O from the 1950s does NOT mean the same thing as Daddy in 2018. Confusing the two just might get you a lot of strange looks.
One of the non-rules that is vehemently pushed by some is "never end your sentence with a preposition." This has led to writers making themselves insane, trying to restructure sentences to avoid the things, often causing more confusion by making the sentence "proper." Where on earth did this crazy idea come from, anyway?
You can blame 17th-centry poet John Dryden, England's first official poet laureate. His personal preference of believing sentence-ending prepositions to be "not elegant"—most likely based on his love of classics and all things Latin—somehow became an Unbreakable Rule for grammar teachers everywhere. (To learn more about this literary genius who was not a very well-liked individual, this article from Atlas Obscura is an enjoyable diversion.)
Or you can blame Joshua Poole, who, according to Merriam-Webster, was an "obscure grammarian" who was "concerned with prepositions being placed 'in their naturall [sic] order,'" though he doesn't specifically mention the end of a sentence as bad placement. Poole was spouting his nonsense decades before Dryden, but Dryden had the celebrity to popularize it. Webster's short article about terminal prepositions is actually kind of snarky and fun. I like it. You can read it here if you'd like.
Here's the most important part of this whole deal, and it's truly what causes the most mystery: for about a century now—100 years!—grammar and usage guides have been telling writers that IT IS OKAY to end sentences with prepositions, and writers are still telling other writers that it's not okay. And people are believing the wrong thing.
I have found that some of the most persistent rule-pushers are those who have never actually looked up the putative rules to see whether they're valid or not, why they are or aren't, and whether the language has changed (and therefore changed their valid-or-not status). They believe and enforce things they've heard but never checked into.
I'll be honest: before I became a copyeditor, I was unaware of a good number of rules that needed to be in place, even though my grasp of grammar, spelling, and general usage was excellent. After copyediting dozens of novels over the past five-plus years and getting to know groups of editors from every walk of life, I've come to realize a few things:
- I must always keep learning so I can deliver my best work to those who trust me with theirs.
- The language is constantly changing, and it pays to keep up with the times.
- When in doubt, "best practices" is a good default—some rules are more liquid than others because clarity and comprehension are the ultimate goal.
- It's not about what we know, or think we know. It's about knowing how to use what we know. The difference between knowledge and wisdom, you might say.
I hope you're enjoying this series and perhaps learning something new. Maybe I'm simply confirming things you've already known, and it makes you feel better to have something to point to when you say I told you so!
Let me know if you have any bad writing advice peeves, or have been the recipient of some of these. I'd love to hear your stories!
That is one we often. Funny how it was never a rule but a style of writing made popular by one person.
ReplyDeleteThat just kills me. To think that people choose to die on that hill when there's not actually a rule in place . . .
DeleteAnd I sent you and email last week - let me know if you didn't get it.
DeleteI didn't! It's lyndadietz4@gmail.com if you want to try again. Thanks! I've been having so much trouble even replying to blogger comments, it's ridiculous.
DeleteThis just a ridiculous notion up with which I am not going to put!
ReplyDeleteWell put, sir. Well put.
Delete"... But let's face it: daddy-O from the 1950s does NOT mean the same thing as Daddy in 2018..."
ReplyDeleteA very clever example.
As for me. Since so many things change, some for the better and others not, I decided to believe that the Oxford Comma is the only rule that won't. We must stay on our toes.
They'll have to pry the Oxford comma out of my cold, dead hands. We can't have anarchy.
DeleteI have tried to not end sentences with prepositions when I can avoid it, but I've decided there are other fish that need to be fried more than it does. My goal has been for the narrator to not do it, but if the characters break the rules - that's not my fault (as long as they don't get out of hand.)
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the thing, though. There is no rule. Some sentences are extremely awkward when forced to adhere to one man's opinion from centuries ago. If your writing style supports the formality, then by all means, full steam ahead, but if not, don't stress it.
DeleteWho is this Joshua Poole guy anyway. To be so obscure, he really gets around. I have heard his name thrown out many times usually by people trying to make a non-point. My favorite line from one of the no end prep guys is when they use the phrase "That's not in the proper dictionary." Dang I always thought Merrian-Webster was a proper dictionary. Well that was until they decided to make Literally and virtually mean the same thing (no I am not letting it go) All hail the Oxford comma
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on "literally" and the common usage. I'm not over it, either.
DeleteAnd yeah, who is this guy? And the other guy? I would love to declare myself the ultimate source for . . . well, for anything, really—but it just doesn't work that way. They only got away with it because they were big fish in a small, disconnected world.
I prefer not to end a sentence in a preposition, but I don't fixate on it. It does drive me crazy when people say "Where's it at?" The "official" writing at work is filled with errors. Ending a sentence with a preposition is the least of the problems.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I've always thought of "Where's it at?" as a Pittsburgh thing, but I've run across it everywhere. I even find myself saying it on occasion before catching myself (don't tell anyone). I can't imagine how much your head spins with official writing. People who write official things tend to not want to listen to editors.
DeleteHi Lynda - I'm grammatically an ignoramus ... thankfully something obviously was absorbed as I learnt the language; however I try and make my words sit comfortably ... probably not in comments!! Interesting links you've included - thanks for an informative post - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI like that turn of phrase, Hilary: "I try and make my words sit comfortably." I think that should be the goal of writers and editors. In fact, The Subversive Copy Editor by Carol Fisher Saller reminds editors that the reader is the ultimate client, and a happy reader makes for happy authors.
DeleteOh my goodness, all I really got from that is we can just try to come up with some insane rule we'd like to "punk" people with, like our bro Joshua did, and see how far it goes. We just have to make sure enough people pass it around. Maybe bring something back from the past like fashion styles LOL (not the two spaces after a period, though, my OCD can't handle it).
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, my jaw dropped when I read it's been a 100 years since it's been okay to do so . . . some rules are like crazy glue, you can't shake them! But it's like you said, "It's about knowing how to use what we know." I 100% agree with this.
Loving the series, keep 'em coming! :D
I would LOVE to punk someone with a made-up rule. Maybe Josh was on to something with his "you must do this and obey me" stuff. And no, no, no, and more no to the double spaces after a period. I work with a couple people who can not get that through their heads, and it just makes more work for me.
DeleteGlad you're enjoying this!
I trust my instincts a lot - but then go verify. I'm wrong just often enough to not get cocky.
ReplyDeleteFor every item I am 100% sure of, there's another that I'll look up just to be certain. I'd hate to make a judgment call on someone else's work.
DeleteThe Oxford Comma is a funny one. I think it's more a US thing than a British/Aussie thing. I know I was taught it was wrong (I'm Aussie). Interesting to see what you have to say about it ;)
ReplyDeleteReally? I've never heard of it being taught as wrong—only as optional. I think it clarifies a good many things when there's a list of things. And there are some pretty funny memes out there that make fun of the lack of it in certain situations.
DeleteI do plan on an Oxford comma post in the future, so maybe I'll pick your brain about the Australian POV.
Happy to chat =)
DeleteI will always put a comma before too when it means also! Gah! But I support the use of alright. LOL
ReplyDeleteI used to post a series called Grammar Police Monday. I wonder how many rules I mentioned aren't really rules.
I used to always use the comma before "too" but have since found that it's not a hard & fast rule, either. Sometimes it just depends, which is a guideline a lot of people don't like to hear. I'm a firm believer in the two-word "all right," but I try not to shun people who favor the other, haha. I think it looks a lot less formal, but the way some writers use it makes them look like they don't know what they're doing. Even so, I just finished the first round of edits for an excellent writer who explained why she uses "alright" and what it sounds like to her when reading it.
DeleteGrammar Police Monday sounds like fun! I've only done three posts in this series so far, so hopefully you don't see any of your topics in future posts. I'm sure you're fine . . .
I tend to shy away from prepositional endings when possible, but if I have to totally rearrange a sentence, and then wind up with one that's awkwardly worded... Forget it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing that drives me crazy. New writers are struggling so hard to keep the prepositions from the end of sentences that they're writing things that almost make no sense.
DeleteI tend to write conversationally, so I'm probably more liberal in my preposition usage, but for every sentence where I leave one at the end, I change another. I like them both ways and am glad the rule isn't really a rule.
I love these prescriptive grammar rules. They are things up with which I'll put.
ReplyDeleteHa! No wonder so many people feel like they're trying to choke down medicine when reading the so-called rules.
DeleteIt's an evolving language, always has been. Novels need to reflect how people actually speak or they'll be unreadable!
ReplyDeleteThat's so tough to get into some people's heads! They think we're just changing things for change's sake, but evolving language is very different from the slang that rotates in and out of fashion every year or so. Keeping up with change helps the reading to be smooth.
DeleteThis is such a relief! I was definitely taught that rule, and it always bugged me. Many times I have just said "screw it" and done it anyway, because that's the only thing that felt right. And here, all along, there wasn't even a rule to "screw!"
ReplyDeleteDarrell, I think you can still have the satisfaction of knowing you screwed the system. And you know why? Because you trusted your gut. And you were willing to stand by it because you knew common sense had to rule. And you've got moxie. That's gotta count for something.
DeleteIf you could read some of the convoluted sentences people have come up with while trying to follow that awful piece of advice, you'd cry.