Old Grammar Rules That Don’t Really Apply Anymore

In a rhetorical TED-Ed lesson by linguist Arika Okrent and animated by Sharon Colman, narrator Alexandra Panzer explained why three specific grammar rules that were so popular in the past are not all that relevant anymore.

Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take grammar seriously, what’s less clear is, why? Where do these seemingly random rules come from, and which, if any, actually matter?

These rules include never ending a sentence with a preposition, the terms “less” versus “fewer,” and using “they” only as a plural. She further points out that grammar is more fluid than it ever was.

Grammar isn’t a hard science— it’s something we all build together to reflect the people using it. So however strange a rule’s origins may be, the usage we choose to respect today is far from arbitrary.