Quote:
Originally Posted by teh603
And I'm referring to the fact that "correct" English grammar is actually quite burdensome and doesn't usually help with understanding.
For example, correct grammar means you aren't supposed to overuse the word "said." But as writers, we're told that "said" is transparent. We're ultimately using incorrect grammar, because it works better than correct grammar. And then how many times do we begin a sentence with a conjunction? Dangle participles or prepositions? Use a double negative in dialog or contraction anywhere? Begin a quote as a fresh sentence instead of forcing a comma at the end of the previous one?
Most of the things I listed up there are nitpicky details of correct grammar, which don't actually help with understanding.
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I don't know where you got these baffling ideas.
Grammar and
style are different things.
The use of
said or a synonym is a stylistic decision; it is not an issue of grammar. Secondly, in what alternate universe did anyone tell you "correct grammar means you aren't supposed to overuse the word 'said'"? I'd like to see even one citation for such a directive.
Dialog and narrative are different. In dialog (or in first-person narrative), a character who's a high school dropout is not supposed to speak like an English professor, and vice versa.
Dangling modifiers are a pet peeve, because they are confusing. The reader has to stop and figure out just what/whom they refer to.
I don't even know what to make of some of your other examples; who told you you shouldn't use contractions? And I have no idea what you mean by "Begin a quote as a fresh sentence instead of forcing a comma at the end of the previous one."
Frankly, I think your understanding of grammar needs a lot of work.