Relevant and irrelevant grammar rules

(Note: this article has been superceded by one titled "Distinguish between essential, nonessential, and fake rules"; it is included here as an example of an early draft. This draft was workshopped by two groups of students and edited by Geoff Hart, then revised.)

When editors focus on irrelevant grammar and punctuation rules, their reputation for being unhelpful nitpickers increases. When editors focus instead on relevant grammar issues, they increase their value to writers -- and the writers are far more likely to appreciate the contribution of editors.

What are relevant grammar and irrelevant grammar rules?

Relevant grammar and punctuation rules are those that are essential for clear, unambiguous communication.

Irrelevant grammar and punctuation rules are those that are not essential for clarity and unambiguity. Many such rules are a matter of style, not prescriptive grammatical rules. As style issues, they may be written into a style guide as "the way we do things here," to improve consistency in a company's publications, but editors and writers need to recognize them as style choices, not rules of English grammar.

Here are some examples.

Irrelevant grammar and punctuation rules

• The rules against using split infinitives or ending a sentence in a preposition.
   
• The rule against using "they/them/their" as a singular indefinite pronoun.
   
• The distinction between "different from," "different than," and "different to."
   
• Many (but not all) rules about the use of commas, given that many punctuation "rules" are different in American English and British or Australian English.
   
• The distinction between "which" and "that" in some clauses. Although technically there is a significant difference, in most (but not all) cases readers will not misinterpret the meaning of the sentence.
   
• Some apostrophe use: for example, does the use of "user's guide," "users' guide," or even "users guide" or "user guide" lead to any confusion or ambiguity? I think not. (But do pick one variation and use it consistently.)
   
• Many rules about the use of hyphens. Over-use of hyphens looks silly, and in some cases the use or misuse of a hyphen can lead to ambiguity, but in many cases hyphen use is a matter of style, not grammar.
   
• Many punctuation and capitalization rules for vertical lists; Several styles are in common use; pick one style and use it consistently.
   
• Whether "data" is a singular or plural noun.

Relevant grammar and punctuation

• Comma errors that cause ambiguity.
   
• Misuse of apostrophes.
   
• Misuse of any pair or group of words, such as affect/effect, their/they're/there, your/you're, principal/principle, its/it's, and many others. Although in context, most people will understand the meaning, word misuse makes a writer look sloppy or semi-literate. Most writers will appreciate having an editor fix these errors.
   
• Subject-verb agreement (but see note on "data" above).
   
• Dangling participles, unclear antecedents, and other constructions that can create ambiguity, even when most readers will understand what's meant.

Should we have grammar rules in our style guide?

To improve consistency, particularly when more than one writer is working on a project, you could put some grammatical style choices into a company style guide as "rules" for writers to follow; but you and they need to recognize that many of these are style choices, not rules of English grammar.

In Tech Writers, Grammar, and the Prescriptive Attitude, an article on the Techwhirl website, Bruce Byfield says, "Apparently, many tech writers do not see grammar as a set of conventions to help them write clearly. Instead..., they see grammar as a set of unchanging rules that can provide definitive answers in every situation." I would say that many editors are even worse in this regard.

After discussing the historical background of prescriptive grammar, and arguing the advantages of descriptive grammar, Bruce says, "under the prescriptive attitude, irrelevant purposes [conformance with a set of rules] are often inflated until they become more important than a writer's practical concerns [clear communication appropriate for the audience]." Additions in brackets are mine.

Bruce continues, "That is not to say that taking a descriptive approach to grammar means writing in the latest slang... Nor does it mean abandoning technical vocabularies that are known to the audience or that make explanations easier. If anything, a descriptive approach demands a much greater awareness of the language than a prescriptive one."

Summary

Distinguish between grammar and punctuation rules that are essential for clear, unambiguous communication, and those that are not essential.

Recognize that many "rules" are style choices, not rules of English grammar, and deviations aren't "wrong" but rather "not the way we do it here."

To improve consistency in a company's publications, put some grammar and punctuation style choices into the style guide.

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