posted
Just thought I'd include a link with the homepage for the Chicago Manual of Style. I really would love to get it on CD-rom, AFTER I get the OED.
Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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posted
Serious, yet mildly silly, question, shouldn't grammar be decided on a state or community level rather than from one source (a federal, if you will) level?
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Storm, The Chicago Manual of Style isn't a grammar book. It's just a style guide. What most people call "grammar" is really a combination of grammar, usage, style, punctuation, and spelling. Grammar isn't decided by any one source. Grammar is actually a descriptive science, unless you're one of those old-school grammarians who think everything should be based on Latin.
Posts: 100 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Yeah, I know that's how it works in reality. But if that's so, how come I can't make up my own grammar rules without being put up against the brick by the grammar nazis? If grammar ruls are in flux and decided upon by communities, then why be upset when people speak in the vernacular-use double negatives and the like-- or don't put a space between their '...', for instance?
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Why do the comma go in with the ellipses in quotations? Why it not go outside the quotations?
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Yeah, I know that's how it works in reality. But if that's so, how come I can't make up my own grammar rules without being put up against the brick by the grammar nazis? If grammar ruls are in flux and decided upon by communities, then why be upset when people speak in the vernacular-use double negatives and the like-- or don't put a space between their '...', for instance?
In a lot of ways, language is like clothing. You can pretty much wear whatever you want, but people will always judge you on the way you look. There's a huge spectrum of style faux pas, ranging from a brown belt with black shoes to plaid pants and polka dot shirts. You can wear that if you want, and you can say, "But I'm just creating my own rules of style," but people will still judge you and criticize you. It's just like language. It's just the way people are, I think. People still like to have guidelines and rules to follow when it comes to something as open and variable as language or dress.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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