Gateway to Grammar: Useless English Grammar “rules”

Most of the grammar rules you know will be very important and helpful. There are some “rules” though, that were never there for a good reason, or are just not needed anymore. If using a rule makes you sound like someone from 1652 it’s probably not a good rule anymore. Those rules belong in the bin (rubbish)!

What rules am I talking about?:

·         Never end a sentence on a preposition – According to this rule this sentence is wrong “Who are you talking to?”, and should be “To whom are you talking?”. This makes you sound like someone from a few hundred years ago in a fancy palace. No one uses this grammar anymore. Get in the bin!

·         When you use a preposition with who it becomes “whom” – “With whom are you going to the cinema?” You may have noticed that this also makes you sound like a Shakespearean actor. No one uses this anymore. Get in the bin!

·         Never use a semi-colon! “;” – I heard this at school a lot. It is nonsense. The semi-colon is a valid piece of punctuation used to connect two sentences that have related ideas. It can be difficult to use, but there is nothing wrong with it. Get in the bin!

·         Never say “Me and Sandra” – This rule says that you should put Sandra before yourself in the sentence to show more respect. This would be “Sandra and I”. This is OK to do. People understand it. It is a bit posh (fancy), but it absolutely should not be a rule. There is nothing wrong with “Me and Sandra”. In the bin with you!

You can safely stuff those awkward and old-fashioned grammar rules in the bin, and speak perfectly good English. If you have a bin that has some space in it, you know what to do!

What grammar rules do you know that are ready for the bin? Let me know in the comments.