Friday, January 29, 2010

It's All in the Style

This week I feel like I have learned something very important about grammar. Just a few weeks ago, I thought that there was only one way to do things when it came to grammar and punctuation, and there was no way around that either. My teachers taught me that it is one way and anybody else who tells you otherwise is just wrong. Now, I’m beginning to think that maybe they were a little wrong. Yes, there are rules that must be followed and certain ways to do things, but what I’ve learned in this last week is house style.
When I first heard of house style I was really confused. I did not think that it was possible for different publications to have different publication styles when it came to grammar. After all, there is only one way to do things, I thought. But what I found out is that each publication has sort of adopted their own style and made it their own. They still follow the rules, but they also make their own rules. Their style is unique, just as their publication is unique.
I honestly didnt expect to see a big difference in grammar and punctuation from publication to publication, but I did see a big difference, and I was amazed by it! I guess what this all boils down to is that I have learned that there is more than one way to do something when it comes to grammar and punctuation, and it is okay to break the rules sometimes. I have also learned that it is okay for different publications to have different styles, although I did not think it was okay. I thought it all had to be the same and they all had to follow the same rules, but they really do not.

Question:
I couldn't think of a question for this post, so I decided to put a purposeful error in part of this blog. Find it and identify it in a comment. (Hint: It is towards the end).

2 comments:

  1. I found some!!!!!
    Firstly, the apostrophe in "didnt" is missing. Also, the commas before "and" is unnecessary.
    But I am kinda debating if there is supposed to be a comma before "although." I am guessing that it is a thing that can go either way, but when I read it, I don't pause there.

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  2. yes, "although" almost always has a comma before it when the "although" clause falls at the ending.

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