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Recovering Grammar Stickler

April 21, 2016 By Julie

Hello. My name is Julie, and I’m a recovering grammar stickler. I used to be more than happy to inform someone that their choice of the word nauseous would be better if replaced with nauseated. Read “What words ‘should’ mean and what they actually mean” to see the example of how decimate has changed meaning over time.

Lately I have been looking up more words in the dictionary and reviewing more grammar and usage websites and blogs so that I can learn if I am only trying to enforce “rules” that aren’t truly rules at all but only someone’s interpretation that has been passed down through the ages. Some “new” rules (such as singular they) have actually been in use since the days of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen.

Don’t get me wrong. I still appreciate using the right words to communicate. But as long as both parties understand what is being said, that is what matters.

Filed Under: Grammar, Usage Tagged With: usage, words

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