Debunking the rules of grammar

There are several examples of accepted grammar rules that writers usually ignore. This week, Smithsonian magazine highlights a couple examples, and explains how to determine what’s a rule and what’s not.

Also, the value of a writing buddy, reviews of tweets, and more.

Rules that aren’t rules: There’s a new wave of language descriptivist lessons, or anti-lessons, popping up on the Internet with greater frequency. This week, Smithsonian magazine published one such lesson, reminding readers that it’s OK to end a sentence with a preposition or to split an infinitive. The bloggers’ lesson for testing the validity of a grammar rule: “If it makes your English stilted and unnatural, it’s probably a fraud.”