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Language Myths

Over a century ago, teachers were telling students they can’t use over to mean more than. A prohibition against splitting infinitives by inserting an adverb after the particle to was also making the rounds. The belief that it’s wrong to end a sentence with a preposition was already widespread. And children got bad marks for starting sentences with and and even but and so.

These “rules” have shown impressive staying power. From cocktail parties to kitchen tables, these seemingly fascinating bits of grammar trivia have been repeated over and over, in some cases for centuries.

Too bad they’re not true.

These are just a few of the many grammar myths that have been handed down from generation to generation, often making their way into classrooms. Most trace back to some overzealous language prescriptivist stating opinion as fact, often in the pages of misguided textbooks.

Here’s a good guideline: If someone tells you that it’s wrong to X, where X is something native English speakers do regularly, you can be pretty sure the rule is bogus. If it pertains to word usage, check a dictionary. The answer’s in there. If it pertains to syntactical structure, check your own newfound knowledge of syntax, along with your knowledge that there’s no such thing as the Grammar Penal Code. If it’s something people use regularly both in casual conversation and in published writing, it’s probably idiomatic.

Dictionary definition, syntax, and idiom are the only rules that apply. If your usage meets any one of those criteria, it’s fine.