{"id":110,"date":"2017-04-08T19:43:29","date_gmt":"2017-04-08T19:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/?p=110"},"modified":"2017-04-08T21:48:07","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T21:48:07","slug":"i-have-a-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/2017\/04\/08\/i-have-a-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"I Have a Theory…"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>

Source: Public Domain Pictures<\/p><\/div>\n

I have come to realize that in that in writing we make a lot rules but those rules have many exceptions. So, my working theory is that in writing there are no concrete rules. No rules without exceptions.<\/p>\n

Grammar<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, it might spring to mind that grammar rules should always be followed. However, take for example if the author is writing dialogue that shows an accent or dialogue they might intentionally spell something wrong.<\/p>\n

<\/a>

Source: Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n

Correct by grammar rules:<\/p>\n

“Whom<\/strong> do you think\u00a0ate\u00a0the last snickerdoodle?”<\/p>\n

Exception<\/em>:<\/p>\n

“Who<\/strong> do you think\u00a0ate the last snickerdoodle?”<\/p>\n

When quoting a character in a book you would probably use the\u00a0latter phrase because this is how most people would say the sentence. The grammatically correct version would stick out as an unrealistic unless the character you are quoting\u00a0has an affinity for correct grammar.<\/p>\n

Spelling<\/strong><\/p>\n

You might immediately reply “what about spelling?” \"\"\"\"Well, in\u00a0the English language it seems that\u00a0there are sometimes more exceptions than rules. Take for example \u00a0the rule i before e except after c<\/em>. Well, not only is there an exception within<\/em> the rule but there also exceptions to that rule. Take for example the incomplete list below.\u00a0All of those words break that rule\u00a0(here<\/a> is the complete list\u00a0if you are interested)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Additionally, there is disagreement\u00a0between English-speaking countries on spelling.Take for example the British spelling of colour versus the American spelling of color.<\/p>\n

\"Labeled

Source: Wikimedia Commons<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Or\u00a0cancelation versus cancelation. In different parts of the English speaking world things are spelled differently so clearly spellings have exceptions depending on your location. Here is a very long list<\/a>\u00a0of words we spell differently from the Brits if you want to see just how many differences there are.<\/p>\n

Format<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Well, format then perhaps? Different genres have different punctuation expectations, different spacing expectations, and different vocabulary expectations. Poetry often lacks punctuation and uses as much of or as little of the space as it desires. In contrast\u00a0prose uses extensive punctuation and has many rules about the spacing. Take for example an academic essay in comparison with a\u00a0shape poem (see image to right). I can’t distinguish any clear rules that those have in common.<\/p>\n

Look to Poetry for an Example<\/strong><\/p>\n

Often to\u00a0find the exception to a rule just look to poetry. You can CAPITALIZE words,\u00a0italicize<\/em> words , and\u00a0bold<\/strong> words. And it is all within your artistic liberty to do so. You can use no punctuation or a ton of it. E.E. Cummings is the classic example of a poet that experimented with capitalization and punctuation (here are some of his poems<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether the exception is used well or not depends on the context of the writing. If I use all capitals in an email to my professor, she will regard it as rude. So, yeah the rules in writing are there for a reason, but it does not mean that they are to be worshipped as the one and only way to write.<\/p>\n

While\u00a0much of the time these writing rules serve to make our communication more standard, efficient, functional, and appropriate to context, that doesn’t mean they should be followed without regard for the context of the situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have come to realize that in that in writing we make a lot rules but those rules have many exceptions. So, my working theory is that in writing there are no concrete rules. No rules without exceptions. Grammar So, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1780,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"qubely_global_settings":"","qubely_interactions":"","kk_blocks_editor_width":"","_kiokenblocks_attr":"","_kiokenblocks_dimensions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"gutentor_comment":5,"qubely_featured_image_url":null,"qubely_author":{"display_name":"abensching","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/author\/abensching\/"},"qubely_comment":5,"qubely_category":"Uncategorized<\/a>","qubely_excerpt":"I have come to realize that in that in writing we make a lot rules but those rules have many exceptions. So, my working theory is that in writing there are no concrete rules. No rules without exceptions. Grammar So, … Continue reading →","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1780"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/abensching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}