Breaking the Rules

My proofreader and I have a running dialogue that we enjoy. It goes something like this:

Proofreader: “You started this sentence with and.”
Me: “I know.”
Proofreader: “You’re not supposed to start sentences with and.”
Me: “I know."
Proofreader: “But you’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?”
Me: “Yup.”

OK, it’s possible that I enjoy it more than she does. My proofreader used to be a high school English teacher, so she gets the willies every time I bend or break the rules of grammar and style. And I do it quite a bit. (See there? I did it again.)

But, (You’re not supposed to start a sentence with but, either. But sometimes I do.) I know the rules, so that makes it OK for me to bend them. I know I’m not supposed to start my sentences with conjunctions, or end them in prepositions, but if I think it will improve the flow of my writing, I just might do it. That doesn’t mean I’m relieved of the responsibilities of following the basic rules of the English language -- I still need to spell my words correctly and capitalize proper nouns -- but if I choose to sacrifice some of the rules of style or grammar in certain situations, I give myself permission to do so.

(That also doesn't mean that I don't make mistakes. After many years of studying and writing, I still make errors and get stumped from time to time. Hard to believe, I know, but it happens.)

Our language is a dynamic beast. Its rules are constantly being revised and modified to adapt to modern usage; even many of the more “conventional” rules of English have become open to interpretation. We have all fallen victim to really bad writing that is grammatically correct and had the pleasure of reading really good writing that is technically incorrect. The bottom line is, which would you rather read?

In my presentations, I teach people to, “Write the way you speak.” This is known as “conversational” style and it is more acceptable today than it was even ten or fifteen years ago. However, we do need to consider what we are writing. If you are composing a term paper or a grant proposal, it’s usually best to avoid the casual vernacular and keep your writing a little more conservative. However, if you are writing – say, a blog – your readers will probably thank you for your casual tone.

Please remember, however, there is a big difference between bending the rules to make your writing more appealing to the reader and breaking the rules because you’re lazy or you don’t know any better. Because you can be sure that if you don't know the difference, your reader will.

So feel free to begin your sentences with and or but. But don’t forget to start them with a capital. And end them with a period.

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Here is this week’s lesson:

(No, you may not break this rule.)

A reader wrote in and brought up one of the most common grammatical confusions:

“When do I use that and when do I use which?”

This one trips up most of us sooner or later, so here’s the rule:
If a clause (a group of words with its own subject and verb) is essential to the point of the sentence, use that.

I ate the cookie that looked the least fattening.

If you can drop the clause and not lose the meaning of the sentence, use which.

The cookie, which looked innocent enough, was fattening.

Here’s another easy way to remember. Which begins non-essential clauses and goes inside commas.

The cookie, which I’m not supposed to eat because I’m on a diet, is chocolate.

Clauses that are essential to the meaning of the sentence have no commas and use that.

The diet that I’m on prohibits eating chocolate cookies.

Got it? Great!

Thanks for all of your comments and e-mails -- keep them coming!

Write on!

Elizabeth