![\"2872099576_6d354bb62d_b\"](\"https:\/\/world-words.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/2872099576_6d354bb62d_b1.jpg\")
<\/a>Classroom grammar rules are sometimes best ignored<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
1. Dangling prepositions<\/strong> Take this sentence from the Smithsonian article by Joan Acocella<\/a> on why New Yorkers seem rude:\u00a0\u201cI sometimes get into conversations with taxi drivers, and since most of them are new to the city, I often ask them what they miss about the place they came from.”<\/p>\n If we were to rearrange this sentence to avoid a dangling preposition, it would read: \u201cI often ask them what they miss about the place from where they came.\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody in his or her right mind talks this way.\u00a0At best, it sounds awkward; at worst, it can be downright unclear.<\/p>\n We say: Dangle away.<\/p>\n 2. Modifying absolutes<\/strong> Here are just a few travel articles that gleefully feature modified absolutes:<\/p>\n This Guardian travel article<\/a> uses one in the headline: “Almost perfect<\/em> …but not quite”.<\/p>\n This New Zealand Herald article\u00a0<\/a>also falls foul of this rule:\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s no more perfect<\/em>\u00a0 place to head during an old-fashioned winter holiday than two of the birthplaces of winter sports: Davos Klosters and St Mortiz.\u201d<\/p>\n Travel + Leisure also disregard the rule<\/a>: “See how your favorite spirits are made at these craft distilleries – tastings most definitely<\/em> included.”<\/p>\n It appears that things aren\u2019t quite<\/em> cut and dried.\u00a0While unique may have originally had an absolute meaning, in recent years it has gained a new, less precise meaning. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, unique also means \u2018very remarkable, special, or unusual\u2019. This new meaning makes it gradeable – and therefore modifiable.<\/p>\n As for the others, while linguists may scoff at the attempt to intensify absolutes, most readers won\u2019t even notice.<\/p>\n 3. Using slang<\/b> A prime example is the \u2018selfie\u2019. Once an internet slang term, it\u2019s now widely accepted in mainstream travel content. New York Times T Magazine use it here<\/a>\u00a0and Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler also adopt the term here<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. Beginning a sentence with a conjunction<\/b> Conjunctions are perfectly acceptable sentence starters and you\u2019ll find yourself in very good company if you use them. Don\u2019t buy into the myth. And in case you don\u2019t believe us, here are a few examples:<\/p>\n This New York Times piece<\/a>\u00a0not only discusses the use of the word ‘so’, but also includes several examples of its own conjunction-starting sentences: \u201cAnd yet Galina Bolden…\u201d and \u201cBut in the algorithmic times that have come\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Travel magazine Wanderlust<\/a> follows suit beginning several sentences with the word ‘but’: \u201cBut because San Pedro\u2026\u201d and \u201cBut, then there\u2019s budget Belize\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n 5. The passive voice<\/b> 6. Words can change their meaning<\/b> All we can (or should) do is accept the word for what it is now, and not get fixated on what it once was. It\u2019s fine to use words to mean what they have been widely accepted to mean for the past few decades.<\/p>\n For instance, the word \u2018since\u2019 no longer just refers to how much time has passed, but can also be used as a synonym of because. This piece by National Geographic Traveler<\/a>\u00a0makes use of the more modern meaning: \u201cTheir name is derived from the Greek word for \u2018mutilated\u2019 since the monkeys typically have no thumbs.\u201d<\/p>\n Another example is the word \u2018decimate\u2019, which no longer means to \u2018destroy one in every ten\u2019. These days, it is much more commonly used to mean to destroy a great number or proportion of, as evidenced in this\u00a0New York Times<\/a>\u00a0article: \u201c\u2026as part of a national effort to salvage some of the harvest that was being decimated by the war”.<\/p>\n Language evolves. Don’t get stuck in the past.<\/p><\/div>\n 7. Singular\/plural verbs:<\/b> 8. Sentence fragments<\/b> To see some of World Words<\/a>‘ own occasionally rule-breaking written travel content, delve into our\u00a0projects<\/a>. Alternatively, discover some more of our travel writing advice<\/a>, or follow us on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0for all our latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Classroom image courtesy of\u00a0Cliff\u00a0<\/a>via Flickr; English Dictionary image courtesy of John Keogh<\/a> via Flickr; Middle English sign image courtesy of Michael Coghlan<\/a>\u00a0via Flickr<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scroll to the comments section of any online travel article and chances are you will find the grammar police up in arms. Yet not all grammar rules are inviolable laws. The truth is, language is malleable and constantly evolving. Perfect … Continue reading
\nThis is one of several grammar myths hammered into young brains by well-meaning teachers. Never end a sentence with a preposition. Why? Because they\u2019re weak.<\/p>\n
\nOn the surface, it seems logical to avoid modifying absolutes. You cannot be a little bit dead, and a ball can\u2019t be extremely spherical. But can something be \u2018very unique\u2019 or ‘more perfect’?\u00a0Grammar nitpickers argue that \u2018unique\u2019 and ‘perfect’, along with many other words, are absolute and therefore can\u2019t be qualified or compared. The problem is that qualifying absolutes is an age-old tradition, and particularly when it comes to travel content.<\/p>\n
\nJust because a word hasn\u2019t found its way into the print edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, it doesn\u2019t mean it can\u2019t be used. Self-proclaimed Grammar Nazis often denounce the younger generation for their slang, labelling these words as inappropriate or inferior . But often young people are ahead of the linguistic curve, especially when it comes to technology.<\/p>\n
\nThis is another hangover from the classroom, where most of us received misguided grammar advice. Many of us were taught to never, ever \u2014 under any circumstances whatsoever \u2014 begin a sentence with a conjunction, such as \u2018and\u2019, \u2018but\u2019 or \u2018because\u2019. But the truth is, this isn\u2019t a rule at all. It\u2019s merely a stylistic preference.<\/p>\n
\nEveryone hates the passive voice. Almost all travel writing advice warns writers away from it. It\u2019s shifty and elusive, and generally the active voice is more pleasant to read. But there are occasions when the passivity is preferable; in particular, when the subject of a clause is unknown or unimportant. Kate Winslet uses the passive voice in her article on Necker Island for Departures<\/a>: \u201cOn my first visit to Necker Island in 2009, my breath was taken away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWords, just like people, can change.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nSticklers will suggest that the phrase, \u2018a group of us\u2019 requires a singular verb because the word group is singular. Yet, \u2018a group of us is coming\u2019 makes most readers squirm. This is one of those times when grammar is flexible, depending on whether you want to emphasise the collection or the individual people. In this article from Travel + Leisure<\/a>, this rule is (rightly) ignored:\u00a0\u201c…and a group of us were privileged to see a rare changing of the guard\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWhen doling out content writing advice, most style guides suggest sticking to full sentences. But travel writing needs to be evocative. In the right context, short snippets can be far more compelling and easier to digest. Take this article from AFAR<\/a>, for example, which opens with a lovely attention-catching fragment: “No cars, no crowds.”<\/p>\n