Well, in many cases, the rules have evolved for the sake of clarity. It's fine to break them but do it for a good reason. Churchill broke rules, but he wrote beautifully. When we break grammatical rules, aspire to write as beautifully as he did.
Okay, I admit to being guilty as charged, but the wonderful irony of this essay is that you appear to assume that one knows what 'pedant' means (and it's not 'pendant') That being said, and certainly in the context of science writing, I agree that we grammar pedants (or another word starting with 'n' that isn't 'nerd') need to lighten up. My mother in law is rolling in her grave, but sorry Mom, it's not that big of a deal. Thanks!
Well, in many cases, the rules have evolved for the sake of clarity. It's fine to break them but do it for a good reason. Churchill broke rules, but he wrote beautifully. When we break grammatical rules, aspire to write as beautifully as he did.
Okay, I admit to being guilty as charged, but the wonderful irony of this essay is that you appear to assume that one knows what 'pedant' means (and it's not 'pendant') That being said, and certainly in the context of science writing, I agree that we grammar pedants (or another word starting with 'n' that isn't 'nerd') need to lighten up. My mother in law is rolling in her grave, but sorry Mom, it's not that big of a deal. Thanks!