RESOURCES
Grammar Rules to Know and Grammar ‘Rules’ to Ignore
The English language is a melting pot, a mishmash, a beautiful yet frustrating gyre of inconsistency. For those who have learned it as a second (or more) language, I salute you.
Unlike the French, we Anglophones don’t have a singular authority for what’s OK (okay?) in English and what’s not. That, among other actually valid reasons, is why writers should focus primarily on using language to achieve what they want to achieve with their writing, not to please some nonexistent language authority.
Is your goal to publish a hard-hitting piece of nonfiction? Understandability and impact are probably two of your top goals, so adherence to mainstream grammar is likely your best bet.
Are you an experimental poet who plays with linguistic texture, rhythm, and meaning? Your goals might be to exhilarate your readers, to challenge the status quo, or to have some fun. In that case, go wild with your grammar and don’t let the curmudgeons tell you otherwise.
