To Prescribe or Describe? Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

When it comes to mastering spoken English, ESL students often want to learn to speak the language as native speakers normally do rather than abiding primarily by textbook grammar rules. Because so much interpersonal communication is verbal, the formality which applies to written English can seem like a hindrance when it is emphasized too greatly in spoken English.

Answer: False

Grammarians have found it necessary to give attention not only to how language is used (descriptive) but also how it ought to be used (prescriptive). Thus, an understanding of what people mean when they write and an attempt to promote consistency in English language usage have traditionally been desired by grammarians.

Answer: A friendly chat between 3-year-old chums

According to T. Odlin, "The standard is a prestige dialect characterized by minimum linguistic variation and maximum social utility." Employing standard dialect requires self-discipline, and a person proficient at standard usage may choose to use non-standard English in a casual setting.

Answer: prescriptive

Knowing the rules of grammar is important for the person who wishes to have a command of standard English. Knowing how people actually use language is necessary too because English, like many other tongues, relies heavily upon the use of idioms. A prescriptive grammar is not likely to contain an exhaustive list of common idioms such as "Cat got your tongue?" and "She really raked him over the coals," but such expressions are commonly used in standard English communication.

Answer: "I want something just like this."

Songwriting is often an emotional exercise. Lyricists are often less concerned with saying things properly than with saying them powerfully.

Answer: focused on propriety

The descriptive grammarian endeavors to be non-judgmental, yet may judge the prescriptive grammarian quite harshly. Some terms for prescriptivists that descriptivists have been known to use include "Grammar Nazi," "SNOOT," "Usage Nerd," and "Syntax Snob."

Answer: True

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "The use of ain't was widespread in the 18th century, typically as a contraction for am not." Today, it's considered taboo with regard to standard English. The English language is continually evolving. Sometimes, people misuse a word or phrase so often that the rules change to accommodate the error.

For example, the expression "to curry favor" was originally written as "to curry Favel" in reference to a 14th century fictional horse whose name people forgot.

Answer: shoe-in

The original spelling of "shoe-in" was "shoo-in," but a recent analysis found that people use "shoe-in" 35% of the time now. In addition, they use "baited breath" 40% of the time, "free reign" 46% of the time, and "slight of hand" 15% of the time.

Answer: False

Rules are provided in a descriptive grammar, but those rules are based on how people use English rather than on strict principles of "right and wrong." A descriptive grammarian would claim that a prescriptive grammarian is on a power trip, attempting to control what people say and how they say it.

Answer: It is acceptable to use either "much" or "many" before a non-count noun.

Descriptive grammarians may claim that they don't prescribe, but it is difficult to imagine an English teacher approving of sentences in which the subject and verb don't agree. Ultimately, judgment calls are necessary when it comes to usage, if only to better facilitate understanding of a sentence's meaning.