I confess that I can be judgmental about how others use language. I remember learning rules of grammar in school. Often I had no idea why the rules existed. They were simply presented as things that one had to learn in order to be considered educated. There was a correct way to spell a word. Other ways of spelling were wrong. And don’t you ever end a sentence with a preposition. I often self-correct my writing when I notice errors in grammar or spelling.

However, the so called rules are not so much hard and fast rules as observations about convention. And the rule about not ending a sentence with a preposition was called to question last week when no less an authority than Merriam-Webster posted on Instagram the following: "It is permissible in English for a preposition to be what you end a sentence with. The idea that it should be avoided came from writers who were trying to align the language with Latin, but there is no reason to suggest ending a sentence with a preposition is wrong."

It isn’t the first debate over the use of language that has caught my attention in recent years. Not long ago I read several articles debating the use of the Oxford comma. I became convinced that it was time for me to change my practice. I was taught that when writing a list of three or more items, no comma was used immediately before the conjunction. My elementary grammar school teachers would have me write a sentence like this: “Would you like steak, chicken or pork for dinner.” However, I learned that not only is the use of a comma before the conjunction acceptable, it is preferred in certain academic circles. So now, I’ve begun to write, “Would you like steak, chicken, or pork for dinner.” I have convinced myself that the Oxford comma helps to make it easier to read lists and so have revised my practice.

It isn’t easy to adjust to new ways of expressing oneself. I learned to operate an alphabetic keyboard in the days of manual typewriters. We were taught to make a double space following each period. It was so automatic for me to add that extra space that it took me years to change when I switched to using a computer for my writing. Because modern computers use proportional spacing the extra space is unnecessary and occasionally can leave too much space when certain fonts are employed. I just got used to that practice when I discovered that when writing text messages on a smart phone, where punctuation marks require shifting to a different screen, you can insert a period without switching by simply adding a double space after a word. I know that it works in my brain, but I still haven’t trained my fingers to that new way of writing.

Of course spaces after periods are a pretty minor issue when it comes to clear communication. And whether or not one uses the Oxford comma is probably not only unimportant, it is most likely not noticed by the majority of readers. Still, I find myself eager to teach our grandchildren some basics of educated language use. We’ve had fun with a series of sentences in the category of punctuation saves lives. Here are some examples:
There is a difference between “Let’s eat kids,” and “Let’s eat, kids.”
“Jacob likes cooking his family and his dog” means something entirely different from “Jacob likes, cooking, his family, and his dog.”

The examples get giggles from our grandchildren and make a point. One of our grandsons has taken to being intentional about saying, “Let’s eat grandpa!” when he is ready for a meal just to get a response from me. I have no intention of becoming part of the menu for a meal.

But when it comes to Merriam Webster taking a stand against long-established grammar rules about ending a sentence with a preposition, I confess that I squirm. I can defend your right to choose a preposition to end a sentence with. However, I doubt that I will make the same choice when it comes to writing.

And don’t get me started on dangling participles. It seems that the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s “Dictionary of English Usage” is calling into question many rules declaring particular phrases or usages to be in error. According to the dictionary, many grammar rules were introduced in the 19th century and are based on the structure of Latin, and that those rules do not necessarily apply to proper usage of English. Many writers employ dangling participles including Jane Austen, Alexander Pope, Arthur Miller, and even Shakespear: “Sleeping in mine orchard, a serpent stung me.” (Hamlet). Can sleeping serpents can sting? Just because Shakespear wrote it doesn’t mean it is well communicated. “After being whipped fiercely, the cook fried the egg.” I don’t think it is ever wise to whip a cook and I certainly don’t want one to be whipped before cooking an egg for me. “Approaching the station and admiring the scenery, my hat blew off.” I’ve never had a hat that cared anything about scenery.

While I think that it is entirely possible to over apply the so-called rules of grammar and that there is no reason to rigidly enforce grammar rules, I do think that some common practices do aid in clear communication. Thus I will continue to teach my grandchildren that commas save lives. While it may not be literally true, observation of some common practices can definitely aid in clear communication.

I also think that different principles apply when writing as opposed to speaking. I’ve worked hard over the span of my career to learn the distinction between effective verbal communication and effective writing. People don’t want me to read an academic paper when I preach and to do so would not make for effective communication. On the other hand, I find it challenging to read transcriptions of my sermons without a bit of practical editing. Writing and speaking are two different forms of language.

If there remains any doubt that I am a bit of a language nerd, I’ll close with another topic. To quickly go to the topic of split infinitives might be interesting, but I’ll leave that for another day.