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English is spoken worldwide, and the Standard Written English grammar generally taught in schools around the world will vary only slightly. Nonetheless, disputes can sometimes arise: for example, it is a matter of some debate in India whether British, American, or Indian English is the best form to use. [29] [30] [failed verification]
Many usage forms are commonly perceived as nonstandard or errors despite being widely accepted or endorsed by authoritative descriptions. [2] Perceived violations of correct English usage elicit visceral reactions in many people. For example, respondents to a 1986 BBC poll were asked to submit "the three points of grammatical usage they most ...
Its use often conveys lighthearted informality in which many speakers intentionally use a dialect or colloquial construction they would probably not use in formal written English. The colloquial usage is widely understood by British speakers. Similarly, stood may be used instead of standing. To Americans and still to many Britons, those usages ...
For example, Curme's Grammar of the English Language (1931) says that not only is the split infinitive correct, but it "should be furthered rather than censured, for it makes for clearer expression." The Columbia Guide to Standard American English notes that the split infinitive "eliminates all possibility of ambiguity ," in contrast to the ...
The first published English grammar was a Pamphlet for Grammar of 1586, written by William Bullokar with the stated goal of demonstrating that English was just as rule-based as Latin. Bullokar's grammar was faithfully modeled on William Lily's Latin grammar, Rudimenta Grammatices (1534), used in English schools at that time, having been ...
When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People: How to Avoid Common Errors in English by Ann Batko; Plain Style by Christopher Lasch; Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage by Merriam-Webster; Usage and Abusage by Eric Partridge; The New Fowler's Modern English Usage by R. W. Burchfield; The King's English by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler
Linguistic prescription is a part of a language standardization process. [20] The chief aim of linguistic prescription is to specify socially preferred language forms (either generally, as in Standard English, or in style and register) in a way that is easily taught and learned. [21]
The plain form use (sometimes spelt used ) of the lexical verb is seen in Did you use to play tennis?). Although rare, its preterite perfect had used is attested. The first of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language ' s five criteria for modal auxiliary verbs is irrelevant to auxiliary verb used, which fails the last three. The auxiliary ...