An Informal Diatribe on Style vs. Grammar

Alright, I’m stepping on to my English major soapbox…hold on…ok, I’m up.

Note: I’m only standing here to lend myself credibility because what I have to say is pretty un-Englishy.

I must start my mini rant by confessing that I am not a grammarian by any means. Yes, I know and appreciate the necessity of grammar rules, they’re important for communication purposes and standards, after all. Do I love and follow them? No and not always.

On my shelf sits one of the most significant grammar books ever written: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. I have to say that I haven’t made it through the whole book, and it’s a really little book. I bought it almost four years ago because it was on my class reading list but I just couldn’t get through it. I’ve started it numerous times and continually find reasons to put it down. I’ve never been very good at learning English rules, I have very little patience for them because I like to get to the damn literature.

Now, before you lose all faith in me, I’m really good at what I do! I promise. How do I do it if I start doodling when things get technical? I seem to have an inherent grasp of the English language; I read a lot, and I grew up with readers. The cadences and structure of English have always just clicked in my brain. When I was in middle school (grades 7-9 where I did my schooling), I was educated in the Late French Immersion program. For anyone who doesn’t quite know what that kind of program is, it means that all of my classes were in French aside from English Language Arts and gym. I didn’t do very well during these years, I struggled in my studies and stopped paying attention to school because it was an extremely difficult time in my life.

Regardless, these years translated into one big thing for me: there were HUGE gaps in my English language education. Hitting high school –and returning to an English school– made that very apparent. I was eons behind my classmates. For instance, I couldn’t have told you in grade 10 what a subordinate-clause is. Actually, I couldn’t have told you that three years ago. Even now the rules are fuzzy and I have to look things up when I need to know something I’m doing is wrong. But for the most part, I just go with my gut, basically.

Of course I make errors, but so do the people that know the rules inside and out! My biggest fault is comma splices, I’m famous for them, especially if I’ve edited while I’m tired. But this leads me into the style portion of my rant: as far as I’m concerned, grammar has a time and a place.

No, I’m not saying any community of writers should toss the rules of language out the window. Just the thought is frightening. What I am saying is that I like flexibility. Formal writing settings, like essays, call for formal writing and strict adherence to the rules of grammar. Informal writing settings, like a novel, should open the opportunity to play with the rules. How you play with the rules informs your style. I LOVE altering the structure of my sentences and playing with my vocabulary to reflect my characters. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t understand the rules though. So yeah, it’s one of those catch 22 things, you have to know the damn rules before you can toss them out the window.

I will always tell writers to embrace and develop a style rather than follow the rules, my inner rebel makes me. Without question, always do what feels right for you as a writer. If you like the rules, follow them. If you don’t like the confines, know ‘em and throw ‘em.