Common English usage misconceptions#Grammar

• Misconception: "A sentence must not end in a preposition."Cutts 2009. p. 109.O'Conner and Kellerman 2009. p. 21.Fogarty 2010. "Top Ten Grammar Myths."

Mignon Fogarty writes that "nearly all grammarians agree that it's fine to end sentences with prepositions, at least in some cases."Fogarty 2011. pp. 45–46. Fowler's Modern English Usage says, "One of the most persistent myths about prepositions in English is that they properly belong before the word or words they govern and should not be placed at the end of a clause or sentence."Burchfield 1996. p. 617. Preposition stranding was in use long before any English speakers considered it incorrect. This idea probably began in the 17th century, owing to an essay by the poet John Dryden, and it is still taught in schools at the beginning of the 21st century. But "every major grammarian for more than a century has tried to debunk" this idea; "it's perfectly natural to put a preposition at the end of a sentence, and it has been since Anglo-Saxon times."O'Conner and Kellerman 2009. p. 22. Many examples of terminal prepositions occur in classic works of literature, including the plays of Shakespeare. The saying "This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put"{{cite web |url= http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001715.html |title= A misattribution no longer to be put up with |date= 12 December 2004 |work= Language Log |access-date=29 May 2013}}{{Ref label|B|b|none}} satirizes the awkwardness that can result from prohibiting sentence-ending prepositions. Associated Press style and Chicago Style both allow this usage.

• Misconception: "Infinitives must not be split."

"There is no such rule" against splitting an infinitive, according to The Oxford Guide to Plain English,Cutts 2009. p. 111. and it has "never been wrong to 'split' an infinitive".O'Conner and Kellerman 2009. p. 17. In some cases it may be preferable to split an infinitive.O'Conner and Kellerman 2009. pp. 18–20. In his grammar book A Plea for the Queen's English (1864), Henry Alford claimed that because "to" was part of the infinitive, the parts were inseparable.O'Conner and Kellerman 2009. p. 19. This was in line with a 19th-century movement among grammarians to transfer Latin rules to the English language. In Latin, infinitives are single words (e.g., "amare, cantare, audire"), making split infinitives impossible.

• Misconception: "Conjunctions such as "and" or "but" must not begin a sentence."

Those who impose this rule on themselves or their students are following a modern English "rule" that was neither used historically nor universally followed in professional writing. Jeremy Butterfield described this perceived prohibition as one of "the folk commandments of English usage".Butterfield 2008. p. 136. The Chicago Manual of Style says:

There is a widespread belief—one with no historical or grammatical foundation—that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as "and", "but", or "so". In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice.University of Chicago Press 2010. p. 257.{{Ref label|C|c|none}}

Regarding the word "and", Fowler's Modern English Usage states, "There is a persistent belief that it is improper to begin a sentence with And, but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from Anglo-Saxon times onwards."Burchfield 1996. p. 52. Garner's Modern American Usage adds, "It is rank superstition that this coordinating conjunction cannot properly begin a sentence."Garner 2003. p. 44. The word "but" suffers from similar misconceptions. Garner says, "It is a gross canard that beginning a sentence with but is stylistically slipshod. In fact, doing so is highly desirable in any number of contexts, as many style books have said (many correctly pointing out that but is more effective than however at the beginning of a sentence)".Garner 2003. p. 118. Fowler's echoes this sentiment: "The widespread public belief that But should not be used at the beginning of a sentence seems to be unshakeable. Yet it has no foundation."Burchfield 1996. p. 121.

• Misconception: "The passive voice is incorrect."

It is a misconception that the passive voice is always incorrect in English.Walsh 2004. pp. 61, 68–69. Some "writing tutors" believe that the passive voice is to be avoided in all cases,Pullum 2009. but "there are legitimate uses for the passive voice", says Paul Brians.Brians 2009. p. 169. Mignon Fogarty also points out that "passive sentences aren't incorrect"Fogarty 2010. "Active Voice Versus Passive Voice." and "If you don't know who is responsible for an action, passive voice can be the best choice".Fogarty 2010. "Active Voice Versus Passive Voice."{{Ref label|D|d|none}} When the active or passive voice can be used without much awkwardness, there are differing opinions about which is preferable. Bryan A. Garner notes, "Many writers talk about passive voice without knowing exactly what it is. In fact, many think that any BE-VERB signals passive voice."Garner 2003. p. 592.

Some proscriptions of passive voice stem from its use to avoid accountability or as weasel words, rather than from its supposed ungrammaticality.

• Misconception: "Litotes or double negation (sometimes called "double negatives") are always incorrect."

Some style guides use the term double negative to refer exclusively to the nonstandard use of reinforcing negations (negative concord, which is considered standard in some other languages), e.g., using "I don't know nothing" to mean "I know nothing". But the term "double negative" can sometimes refer to the standard English constructions called litotes or nested negatives, e.g., using "He is not unhealthy" to mean "He is healthy". In some cases, nested negation is used to convey nuance, uncertainty, or the possibility of a third option other than a statement or its negation. For example, an author may write "I'm not unconvinced by his argument" to imply they find an argument persuasive, but not definitive.{{cite web|url = http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/double-negative|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130627233213/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/double-negative|url-status = dead|archive-date = June 27, 2013|website = Lexico|publisher = Oxford|title = double negative}}

Some writers suggest avoiding nested negatives as a rule of thumb for clear and concise writing.{{Cite web |date=2011-02-16 |title=Politics and the English Language {{!}} The Orwell Foundation |url=https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/ |access-date=2023-07-29 |website=www.orwellfoundation.com |language=en-GB}} Overuse of nested negatives can result in sentences that are difficult to parse, as in the sentence "I am not sure whether it is not true to say that the Milton who once seemed not unlike a seventeenth-century Shelley had not become[...]"

{{main|English usage controversies}}

• Misconception: "Paragraphs must be at least three sentences long."

Richard Nordquist writes, "no rule exists regarding the number of sentences that make up a paragraph", noting that professional writers use "paragraphs as short as a single word".Nordquist 2011. According to the Oxford Guide to Plain English:

If you can say what you want to say in a single sentence that lacks a direct connection with any other sentence, just stop there and go on to a new paragraph. There's no rule against it. A paragraph can be a single sentence, whether long, short, or middling.Cutts 2009. p. 112.

According to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Writing Center's website, "Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc." The website explains, "Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long."University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2011.

• Misconception: "Contractions are not appropriate in proper English."

Writers such as Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, and others since Anglo-Saxon days have been "shrinking English". Some opinion makers in the 17th and 18th century eschewed contractions, but beginning in the 1920s, usage guides have mostly allowed them.Walsh 2004. p. 61, 67–68. Most writing handbooks now recommend using contractions to create more readable writing,O'Conner and Kellerman 2009. pp. 32–34. but many schools continue to teach that contractions are prohibited in academic and formal writing,{{cite web|url=http://www.sjprep.org/academics/english/style.html |title=SJP: English MLA Style Sheet |access-date=2012-04-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830135545/http://www.sjprep.org/academics/english/style.html |archive-date=2011-08-30 }}. Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School[http://www.basiccomposition.com/resources/AVOIDINGCONTRACTIONS.pdf] [http://www.basiccomposition.com/ABOUT.html Basic Composition.com] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120129134401/http://www.basiccomposition.com/ABOUT.html|date=2012-01-29}}[http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/tip_formal_writing_voice.htm] [http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001/style.htm Illinois Valley Community College]. contributing to this misconception.

• Misconception: "Some commonly used words are not "real words.""

Common examples of words described as "not real" include "funnest", "impactful", and "mentee",{{cite web|url=http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/is-funnest-a-word.aspx|title=Is "Funnest" a Word?|first=Mignon|last=Fogarty|date=2008-09-12|access-date=2012-09-25|archive-date=2014-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427083003/http://bridgingtheunbridgeable.com/2012/03/21/thusly-is-not-a-word-2/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.volokh.com/posts/1187887242.shtml|title=Is Not A Word|first=Eugene|last=Vokloh|date=2007-08-23|access-date=2012-09-25}} all of which are in common use, appear in numerous dictionaries as English words,Dictionary.com. "Conversate"; AllWords.com. "Conversate"; Lexicus. "Conversate".Dictionary.com. "Funnest"; Oxford English Dictionary. "Fun" Scrabble Word Finder. "Funnest"; AllWords.com. "Funnest"; Lexicus. "Funnest".Dictionary.com. "Impactful"; Oxford English Dictionary. "Impactful"; Scrabble Word Finder. "Impactful"; Collins Dictionaries. "Impactful"; Lexicus. "Impactful".Free Dictionary. "Mentee"; Dictionary.com. "Mentee"; Oxford English Dictionary. "Mentee"; YourDictionary.com. "Mentee"; Scrabble Word Finder. "Mentee"; AllWords.com. "Mentee"; Vocabulary.com. "Mentee"; Collins Dictionaries. "Mentee"; Lexicus. "Mentee". and follow standard rules for constructing English words from morphemes. Many linguists follow a descriptive approach to language, where some usages are labeled merely nonstandard, not improper or incorrect.

• Misconception: ""Inflammable" can only mean "flammable."" / ""Inflammable" can only mean "not flammable.""

The word "inflammable" can be derived by two different constructions, both following standard rules of English grammar: appending the suffix -able to the word inflame creates a word meaning "able to be inflamed", while adding the prefix in- to the word flammable creates a word meaning "not flammable". Thus "inflammable" is an auto-antonym, a word that can be its own antonym, depending on context. Because of the risk of confusion, style guides sometimes recommend using the unambiguous terms "flammable" and "not flammable".Brians 2009. p. 124.

• Misconception: "It is incorrect to use "nauseous" to refer to a person's state."

It is sometimes claimed that "nauseous" means "causing nausea" (nauseating), not suffering from it (nauseated). This prescription is contradicted by vast evidence from English usage, and Merriam-Webster finds no source for the rule before a published letter by a physician, Deborah Leary, in 1949.Merriam-Webster 1995. p. 652.

• Misconception: "It is incorrect to use "healthy" to refer to things that are good for a person's health."

It is true that the adjective "healthful" has been pushed out in favor of "healthy" in recent times.{{cite web |date=20 April 2011 |title=Healthful vs healthy |url=http://grammarist.com/usage/healthful-healthy/ |access-date=2013-06-11 |work=Grammarist}} But the distinction between the words dates only to the 19th century. Before that, the words were used interchangeably; some examples date to the 16th century.{{cite web |last1=O'Coner |first1=Patricia |last2=Kellerman |first2=Stewart |date=2012-02-24 |title=Healthy choices |url=http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/02/healthy-healthful.html |access-date=2013-06-11 |work=Grammarphobia Blog}} The use of "healthful" in place of "healthy" is now regarded as unusual enough that it may be considered hypercorrected.Brians 2009. p. 108.

{{refbegin}}

:a.{{Note label|A|a|none}}For example, among the top ten usage "errors" submitted to the BBC was the supposed prohibition against using double negatives.

:b.{{Note label|B|b|none}}The Churchill Centre describes a similar version as "An invented phrase put in Churchill's mouth".The Churchill Centre and Museum at the Churchill War Rooms, London 2011. (The original text is italicized.)

:c.{{Note label|C|c|none}}Chicago elaborates by noting Charles Allen Lloyd's observations on this phenomenon: "Next to the groundless notion that it is incorrect to end an English sentence with a preposition, perhaps the most wide-spread of the many false beliefs about the use of our language is the equally groundless notion that it is incorrect to begin one with "but" or "and." As in the case of the superstition about the prepositional ending, no textbook supports it, but apparently about half of our teachers of English go out of their way to handicap their pupils by inculcating it. One cannot help wondering whether those who teach such a monstrous doctrine ever read any English themselves."Lloyd 1938. p. 19. cited in University of Chicago Press 2010. p. 257.

:d.{{Note label|D|d|none}}These authors are quick to point out, however, that the passive voice is not necessarily better—it's simply a myth that the passive voice is wrong. For example, Brians states that, "it's true that you can make your prose more lively and readable by using the active voice much more often," and Fogarty points out that "passive sentences aren't incorrect; it's just that they often aren't the best way to phrase your thoughts".Fogarty 2010. "Active Voice Versus Passive Voice."

{{refend}}

• English usage controversies
• Linguistic prescription
• List of English words with disputed usage
• Split infinitive
• Folk linguistics
• Scientific writing

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite book|title= Language Myths|editor1-first= Laurie|editor1-last= Bauer|editor2-first= Peter|editor2-last= Trudgill|year= 1998|publisher= Penguin Books|location= London|isbn= 978-0-14-026023-6|ref= Bau98|url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140260236}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.crivoice.org/symbols/xmasorigin.html |title=The Origin of "Xmas" |access-date=10 June 2011 |publisher=CRI / Voice, Institute |author=Bratcher, Dennis |date=3 December 2007 |ref=Bra07 }}
• {{cite book |title= Common Errors in English Usage|edition= 2nd|last= Brians|first= Paul|year= 2009|publisher= William, James & Company|location= Wilsonville |ref=Bri09}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Burchfield |editor-first= R. W. |title=Fowler's Modern English Usage |year= 1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location= Oxford |isbn=0-19-869126-2|ref=Bur96|title-link= Fowler's Modern English Usage }}
• {{cite book|title= Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare|last= Butterfield|first= Jeremy|year= 2008|publisher= Oxford University Press|location= Oxford|isbn= 978-0-19-923906-1|ref= But08|url= https://archive.org/details/dampsquidenglish0000butt}}
• {{cite book |title= The New English Grammar: Lessons in English as a Foreign Language |last= Close|first= R.A.|year= 1964|publisher= Harvard University Press|location= Massachusetts|ref=Clo64}}
• {{cite book |title=Oxford Guide to Plain English|edition= Third|last= Cutts|first= Martin|year= 2009|publisher= Oxford University Press|location= Oxford|isbn= 978-0-19-955850-6|ref=Cut09}}
• {{cite book |title= The Elements of Typographic Style|last= Bringhurst|first=Robert|year= 2005|publisher= Hartley and Marks|location= Vancouver|isbn= 0-88179-206-3|ref=Bri05}}
• {{cite web |url= http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/quotations/famous-quotations-and-stories |title= Famous Quotations and Stories |author= The Churchill Centre and Museum at the Churchill War Rooms, London |date= March 2009 |access-date= 30 August 2011 |ref= Chu11 }}
• {{cite web|url= http://www.creativepro.com/article/double-space-or-not-double-space|title= To Double-Space or Not to Double-Space|author= Felici, James|date= 24 August 2009|work= CreativePro.com|publisher= Printingforless.com and CreativePro.com31 March 2010|ref= Fel09}}
• {{cite book|title= Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|author-link= Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|year= 2008|publisher= Holt Paperbacks|location= New York|isbn= 978-0-8050-8831-1|ref= Fog08|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/grammargirlsquic0000foga}}
• {{cite web|url= http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/active-voice-versus-passive-voice.aspx|title= Active Voice Versus Passive Voice|author-link= Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|date= 22 July 2010|work= Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|access-date= 28 May 2011|ref= Fog10a}}
• {{cite web|url= http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/top-ten-grammar-myths.aspx|title= Top Ten Grammar Myths|author-link= Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|date= 4 March 2010|work= Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|access-date= 28 May 2011|ref= Fog10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313005122/https://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/top-ten-grammar-myths.aspx|archive-date=13 March 2011}}
• {{cite book |title= Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students |author-link=Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|year= 2011|publisher= Henry Holt & Company|location= New York|isbn= 978-0-8050-8943-1|pages= 45–46|ref=Fog11}}
• {{cite book |author-link=Bryan A. Garner |last=Garner |first= Bryan A. |title=Garner's Modern American Usage |year= 2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location= New York |isbn=0-19-516191-2|ref=Gar03|title-link=Garner's Modern American Usage }}
• {{cite book |title= The State of the Language: English Observed |last= Howard|first= Phillip|year= 1984|publisher= Hamish Hamilton|location= London|isbn= 0-241-11346-6|ref= How84}}
• {{cite book |title= About Face: Reviving the Rules of Typography|last= Jury|first= David|year= 2004|publisher= Rotovision SA|location= Switzerland|isbn= 2-88046-798-5 |ref=Jur04}}
• {{cite book |title= We Who Speak English: and Our Ignorance of Our Mother Tongue|last= Lloyd|first= Charles Allen|year= 1938|publisher= Thomas Y. Crowell|location= New York |ref=Llo38}}
• {{cite web|url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless|title= Irregardless|author= Merriam-Webster|year= 2011|publisher= Merriam-Webster|access-date= 27 October 2011|ref= MW11}}
• {{cite book |title= Merriam Webster Dictionary of English Usage|author= Merriam-Webster|year= 1995|publisher= Merriam-Webster |ref=MW1995}}
• {{cite web|url= http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/tp/phonyrules.htm|title= Top Five Phony Rules of Writing|author= Nordquist, Richard|year= 2011|work= About.com|publisher= New York Times Company|access-date= 8 June 2011|ref= Nor11|archive-date= 4 September 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110904033758/http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/tp/phonyrules.htm|url-status= dead}}
• {{cite book |title= Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language|last1= O'Conner|first1= Patricia T.|last2= Kellerman|first2= Stewart|year= 2009|publisher= Random House|location= New York|isbn= 978-1-4000-6660-5|ref=CK09}}
• {{cite book |title= Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English|edition= Third|last= O'Conner|first= Patricia T. |year= 2009|publisher= Riverhead Books|location= New York|isbn= 978-1-59448-890-0|ref=O'C09}}
• {{cite magazine|url= http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497|title= 50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice|author-link= Geoffrey K. Pullum|last= Pullum|first= Geoffrey K.|date= 17 April 2009|magazine= The Chronicle Review|publisher= The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date= 28 May 2011|ref= Pul09}}
• {{cite web|url= http://typedesk.com/2011/05/24/the-curious-misconception-surrounding-sentence-spacing/|title= The Curious Misconception Surrounding Sentence Spacing|author= Spencer, David|date= 24 May 2011|work= Type Desk|publisher= Matador|access-date= 27 May 2011|ref= Spe11|archive-date= 10 June 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110610152438/http://typedesk.com/2011/05/24/the-curious-misconception-surrounding-sentence-spacing/|url-status= dead}}
• {{cite book |title= Type Rules!: The Designer's Guide to Professional Typography|edition= 3rd|last= Strizver|first= Ilene|year= 2010|publisher= John Wiley & Sons|location= New Jersey|isbn= 978-0-470-54251-4|ref=Str10}}
• {{cite book |author=University of Chicago Press |title=The Chicago Manual of Style |edition=16th |year= 2010 |publisher=Univ. of Chicago Press |location= Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-10420-1|ref=Chi10}}
• {{cite web |url= http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/grammar.htm |title= Grammar Resources |author= University of Chicago Writing Program |work= University of Chicago Writing Program |publisher= University of Chicago |access-date= 25 October 2011 |ref= Uni00 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111026033926/http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/grammar.htm |archive-date= 26 October 2011 }}
• {{cite book|title= The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English|last= Walsh|first= Bill|year= 2004|publisher= McGraw Hill|location= New York|isbn= 978-0-07-142268-0|ref= Wal04|url= https://archive.org/details/elephantsofstyle00wals}}
• {{cite web|url= http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/paragraphs.html|title= Paragraph Development|author= The Writing Center|publisher= University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|access-date= 27 May 2011|ref= UNC11}}

{{Refend}}

• {{cite web |url= http://www.grammarphobia.com/grammar.html|title= Grammar Myths|author= Patricia T. O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman|year= 2003|work= Grammarphobia.com|access-date= 4 June 2011}}
• {{cite web|url= http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/terminalprepositionmyth.htm|title= Is It Wrong to End a Sentence in a Preposition?|author= Richard Nordquist|year= 2011|work= About.com|publisher= New York Times Company|access-date= 8 June 2011|archive-date= 24 August 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110824015431/http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/terminalprepositionmyth.htm|url-status= dead}} Lists additional published sources that comment on ending a sentence with a preposition.

Category:English language

English usage

Category:English usage controversies