Is it OK to split infinitives? Can I use 'but' to start a sentence? Is it 'who' or 'whom'? Is 'impactful' a word? Will the world implode if you use an Oxford comma?
These are just some of the questions we're asked as freelance copywriters. Sometimes it's because people want to know what we think. Other times it's because people want to trip us up ('Ah, but I remember my English teacher at school saying...').
Well, here's the thing about grammar
Many of the ‘rules’ of grammar we learned at school aren’t rules at all. They are conventions (often from the Victorian era) that have little relevance to how we communicate today.
And here's another thing: we have a whole bunch of style guides on our shelves, and you know what? Even they disagree on fundamental grammar issues.
So, we say loosen up.
Sure, some grammar rules should be adhered to, but let's not get hung up on this rule or that convention.
Writing isn't about rules anyway. It's about communication. It's about enjoying language, not fearing it.
And with this in mind we've put together a series of slightly ranty web pages for your information.
Read them. Disagree with them. Share them. Shun them. They're just our opinions, and there are more on the way.