Writer’s Corner: Ungrammatical

The Evolution of the Book mural at the Library of Congress (John White Alexander, c. 1896)

The last few years have been a boon for grammar sticklers. Surprise bestsellerslike Eats, Shoots & Leaves tried valiantly to stem the ever-growing tide of language informality in Western culture.

But writers are a rebellious lot. And while they appreciate the keeping up of standards—if you live by the word, one can get a mite protective about their being abused—they also don’t like being told what they ca...