VOA慢速英语2018--您可以打破的旧语法规则

Old Grammar Rules You Can Break

Like many languages, English is constantly changing. And today it is changing faster than ever. Mobile phones, social media, increased travel and other things have connected the world more closely and changed how we speak…and write.

The changes are happening so quickly that English dictionaries now add hundreds of words and phrases every year.

And, just as these things change, so too do grammar rules.

In an earlier Everyday Grammar program, we told you about a few grammar rules that are dying.

Today, we will tell you about three rules that some experts say are outdated¹ and never had strong reasoning behind them. Breaking these rules is acceptable in all but the most formal writing, such as business letters and some kinds of academic writing.

We will begin with one of the most common rules:

Number 1. "Never split an infinitive²."

Generations of English speakers have been taught that it is wrong to split an infinitive. But, today, even respected dictionaries such as the Oxford³ English Dictionary say there is no worthy⁴ defense⁵ for the rule.

Infinitives⁶ are the unchanged forms of verbs. You can identify one by the word “to” in front of a verb. For example, “to have,” “to go” and “to make” are all infinitives. Split infinitives happen when we put an adverb in the middle. Here’s an example:

He began to flatly deny the abuse charges.

In this sentence, the infinitive “to deny” is separated by the adverb “flatly” and it sounds very natural.

But, when you use the “no split infinitives” rule, the adverb can go in two places – either before the infinitive:

He began flatly to deny the abuse charges.

…or at the end of the sentence:

He began to deny the abuse charges flatly.

While the first example sounds fine, the second is mechanical and feels unnatural⁷.

Patricia O’Connor is a former New York Times Book Review editor and writes about English. In her book, “Woe is I,” she writes that the rule on split infinitives comes from a famous 1864 British grammar book that tried to apply rules of Latin to English.

Today, even the writing style guidebooks of large media agencies reject this old-fashioned grammar rule.

So, unless you have a teacher or employer who has banned split infinitives, this is a rule you can dismiss.

Number 2: "Never begin a sentence with a conjunction."

The words “and,” “but” and “or” come from a group of words called coordinating⁸ conjunctions. These words connect two or more structures, such as sentences or clauses. For example, “I washed the car and I took the dog for a walk” connects two complete sentences. So, technically⁹, you can break these into separate sentences: “I washed the car. And I took the dog for a walk.”

Many grammar books (and teachers) teach that you should not begin a sentence with “and” “but” or “or.” But surely you’ve noticed that, here at VOA Learning English, we break this old rule... a lot.

And we are not alone. Many other news agencies, books, websites and other media break the rule.

In his book “The Story of English in 100 Words,” linguist¹⁰ David Crystal says that writers have begun sentences with “and” and “but” since the 16th century, including William Shakespeare. He explains the rule’s unusual history:

During the 19th century, some schoolteachers took against the practice of beginning a sentence with a word like “but” or “and,” [probably] because they noticed the way young children overused them in their writing.

Yet, instead of limiting usage, Crystal says, teachers banned conjunctions for opening sentences. This has had a lasting¹¹ effect, creating the idea that sentences beginning with these conjunctions are incomplete. That is untrue.

However, if you are going to break the rule, find out if your school or job permits it. In addition, you must do it correctly, which means: Know what a complete sentence is. For instance, “And it’s good” is a complete sentence; it has a subject and predicate but “And is good” is not; it’s missing a subject.

Lastly, don’t start sentences with these conjunctions too often. It can become tiresome¹² for your reader.

Now, onto our third old rule.

Number 3: "Use 'each other' for two and 'one another' for more than two."

Traditionally, we have been taught that “each other” refers to two people or things and “one another” refers to more than two people or things. We call these phrases reciprocal pronouns.

Here's an example with “each other”:

The two animals looked at each other.

And here’s an example with “one another”:

Family members usually like one another.

Today, this rule is disappearing, and for good reason. Respected dictionaries, such as the American dictionary Merriam-Webster, seem to think it has always been nonsense. Merriam-Webster writes that good writers have used "each other" and "one another" interchangeably since at least the 16th century.

Others agree. In their book “Longman Guide to English Usage,” British grammar experts Janet Whitcut and Sidney Greenbaum write that “there is no basis” for the rule.

So, unless told otherwise, you can use “each other” and “one another” interchangeably in any writing situation.

Know what is permitted

While these three grammar rules have strange beginnings and are disappearing from modern English, it is important to know the writing style of your workplace, school or university. If you are ever unsure about current opinion on a grammar rule, the safest thing to do is to use it.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

dictionary – n. a book that contains words listed in alphabetical¹³ order and that gives information about the words' meanings, forms and pronunciations

phrase – n. a brief expression that is commonly used

academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education

clause – n. a part of a sentence that has a subject and verb

linguist – n. a person who studies language and the way languages work

predicate – n. the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject

interchangeably – adj. capable of being used in place of each other

1 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

2 infinitive   

n.不定词；adj.不定词的

参考例句：

• The use of the split infinitive is now generally acceptable.分裂不定式的用法现在已被广泛接受。
• Modal verbs generally take the bare infinitive.情态动词通常用不带to的不定式。

3 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

4 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 infinitives   

n.（动词）不定式( infinitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her litmus test for good breeding is whether you split infinitives. 她测试别人是否具有良好教养的标准是看对方是否在不定式的动词前加修饰副词。 来自互联网
• Nouns, adjectives and infinitives can be used as objective complements. 名词，形容词及不定式可用作补语。 来自互联网

7 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

8 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

9 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

10 linguist   

n.语言学家；精通数种外国语言者

参考例句：

• I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家，后来成了作家。
• Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

12 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

13 alphabetical   

adj.字母（表）的，依字母顺序的

参考例句：

• Please arrange these books in alphabetical order.请把这些书按字母顺序整理一下。
• There is no need to maintain a strict alphabetical sequence.不必保持严格的字顺。