Post AWSa3HbLQgOiakOUSW by adammiller@mstdn.ca
(DIR) More posts by adammiller@mstdn.ca
(DIR) Post #AWSZUhQDRBZIXMhKS0 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-06-07T20:59:28Z
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How do you feel about the "rule" that "only" should go right before the thing it modifies?For example, the rule would say this is wrong:The words are only capitalized if they are part of a name.The rule says it should be written like this:The words are capitalized only if they are part of a name.#AmWriting #AmEditing #grammar @edibuddies
(DIR) Post #AWSa0wDZxeENh39xmi by moira@mastodon.murkworks.net
2023-06-07T21:05:18Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies didn't know the rule but follow it anyway, I think? lol
(DIR) Post #AWSa3HbLQgOiakOUSW by adammiller@mstdn.ca
2023-06-07T21:01:42Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies Not sure if I knew the rule formally or not, but word order is a very good way to play with emphasis., If I HAD known the rule, I likely would have chosen the third option (actively disregard).
(DIR) Post #AWSaFmbpy6HcEhaKK8 by estheria@mas.to
2023-06-07T21:08:03Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies To me, the first one is not logically the same as the second - "the words are only capitalized [and not also, say, italicized]" - and I try to avoid that confusion
(DIR) Post #AWSaUZgqHg9UVlylw8 by kinsale42@mstdn.games
2023-06-07T21:10:43Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies now that I am aware of the rule, my response is this: I don't care. I do what sounds better to my ear.
(DIR) Post #AWSaiEYzd4972hoxnM by andrewplord@mas.to
2023-06-07T21:13:00Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies The problem is that the first sentence I'd ambiguous. It is meant, presumably, to be an answer to the question, "When are the words capitalised?", but could be an answer to "Are the words in italics when they are part of a name?"The second sentence is clearer.
(DIR) Post #AWSauZzhm93wz5Cb8i by VE2UWY@mastodon.radio
2023-06-07T21:15:19Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies [ X ] Did not know the rule but understand it and will try to follow it going forward.
(DIR) Post #AWSawPnaeX6nwWPX5E by starbreaker@libranet.de
2023-06-07T21:09:57Z
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@grammargirl Who came up with this rule, and when? I've never heard of it.
(DIR) Post #AWSawQuMWq7VNoaSHI by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-06-07T21:15:45Z
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@starbreaker I'm not sure who originally came up with it, but according to Garner's Modern English Usage, it goes back to at least the late 1700s.
(DIR) Post #AWSays0yiY8M23qN3Q by str_pe@strangeobject.space
2023-06-07T21:16:12Z
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@edibuddies @grammargirl did not consciously know but used to instinctively apply the rule; will now make a point of breaking it
(DIR) Post #AWSbCERAf94JL4Syps by aarondleong@mas.to
2023-06-07T21:18:34Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies but how do I feel about the rule? When clarity, succinctness and understanding matter, these rules are important.
(DIR) Post #AWSbs9o4GmfF8iASrA by NIH_LLAMAS@mastodon.social
2023-06-07T21:26:12Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies "Only capitalized" would technically mean you are saying capitalization is the only possible modification. In most contexts it's not going to confuse anyone, but if you mean to say the word is not capitalized for any reason besides being part of a name, the other way means that.
(DIR) Post #AWSd47VAlSTFQ8b86K by bleistifterin@fnordon.de
2023-06-07T21:39:32Z
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@grammargirl @edibuddies Well actually...Isn't it the "capitalizing" that is modified, with the if-part as condition?So the first(only capitalized) is totally correct unless you want to modify the condition (slightly different spin because it suggests that capitalizing is normal)Anyway, I am not a native speaker.Also grammar is descriptive not pescriptive
(DIR) Post #AWSeBi8h2tO31yGbdQ by livcomp@hachyderm.io
2023-06-07T21:52:08Z
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@grammargirl otherwise they are also italicized
(DIR) Post #AWSeLJLM5g3P1XlcTg by ccount@lor.sh
2023-06-07T21:53:50Z
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@grammargirl I didn't know it was a rule, but I think I tend to write in accordance with it, or "only in accordance with it."
(DIR) Post #AWSfTXE8SJLiLzsKi8 by dxzdb@mastodon.social
2023-06-07T22:06:34Z
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@grammargirl I voted “never knew the rule” - but I did read your book ... so I guess I did at one point.😵Nice title: “If I only had a brain: Misplaced Modifiers 😆
(DIR) Post #AWSfWnHJEZuf0Kuihc by JonnyT@mastodon.me.uk
2023-06-07T22:07:07Z
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@grammargirl @design_law As with many "rules" of English, it is bollocks*. It doesn't matter. Both sentences would be interpreted the same way by anyone without a stick shoved up their arse. It is only when there is the risk of ambiguity that any "rule" should be followed, because it provides clarity of meaning.* See also "to go boldly" and "to boldly go." The latter is better because of the emphasis it forces when spoken aloud but it breaks the split infinitive "rule".
(DIR) Post #AWSfZiOfq4LojakeoK by royal@theres.life
2023-06-07T22:07:41Z
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@grammargirl The second version means something slightly different
(DIR) Post #AWSgGGS5c4XKW6ddNg by Axomamma@mastodon.online
2023-06-07T22:15:20Z
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@grammargirl I didn't realize it was an actual rule but it makes sense. Like commas, word order is important.
(DIR) Post #AWSgolIpPx5K2nkwPg by clickhere@mastodon.ie
2023-06-07T22:21:33Z
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@grammargirl Did not know the rule, but sometimes write that way.
(DIR) Post #AWSi6QOG0Z5wLtHW52 by Seth@writing.exchange
2023-06-07T22:35:56Z
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@grammargirl “Only you.”
(DIR) Post #AWSiFjpr550vGZdChk by gordonwhite1@mas.to
2023-06-07T22:37:41Z
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@grammargirl My one and only.
(DIR) Post #AWSjKAEixpkaGCwDBo by FinchHaven@mastodon.sdf.org
2023-06-07T22:49:37Z
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@grammargirl So what does the "rule" say about this sentence?"The words are sometimes capitalized if they are part of a name"de Sade?Or De Sade?@edibuddies
(DIR) Post #AWSkqKMMxehesVPkci by ShekinahCanCook@universeodon.com
2023-06-07T23:06:43Z
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@grammargirl If you diagram the sentence, it is clearer that "only if" is the opening of the conditional clause. Separating them is rather like split infinitives. Some are ok with that.
(DIR) Post #AWSmiOc7Sd2TfC7wEC by mikewoods@mastodon.me.uk
2023-06-07T23:27:40Z
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@grammargirl You missed "tend to follow it, but did not know it was a rule". BTW, I do know the number of poll options is limited, so this is not a criticism, just an observation.Also, "rule" is a bit of a misnomer. All grammar is really just a description of how we think the language works, ie descriptive, not proscriptive.
(DIR) Post #AWSnHQ2Q9p32DS868O by kerrybenton@ioc.exchange
2023-06-07T23:34:01Z
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@grammargirl more complex answer than the poll permits, I prefer the latter form, and use it in technical writing when clarity is crucial, but often say it the first way, as do many people of course, so it crops up in my vernacular writing as well. Usually the intended meaning is inferred correctly.
(DIR) Post #AWSnL1VBK9YZHEIiQK by AccordionBruce@mastodon.social
2023-06-07T23:34:40Z
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@grammargirl It is too hard for me to even understand this rule Both of these sound fine
(DIR) Post #AWSpcyicbuhvlXHDl2 by RonaldTooTall@universeodon.com
2023-06-08T00:00:17Z
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@grammargirl Did not know the rule. I have been putting it where I wanted to shift the emphasis of "only".
(DIR) Post #AWSpvRaO1PSWVZEJO4 by EdSanders@mstdn.social
2023-06-08T00:03:39Z
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@grammargirl I follow it, but when I’m editing someone else, I’ll let them know, but I won’t insist. I understand and endorse the logic of it but I also understand that people are comfortable and not confused by the other way.
(DIR) Post #AWStDp2VrNqOK6qBu4 by jinglepostman@mastodon.social
2023-06-08T00:40:33Z
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@grammargirl Know the rule and follow it only if it improves the sentence. Otherwise, if there's no possibility of confusion, I leave it. (Did not carefully consider my use of "only" in this reply... I just typed away!)
(DIR) Post #AWSwBRgA2hjT9gwbCK by jimfl@hachyderm.io
2023-06-08T01:13:47Z
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@grammargirl in Indian English, you would have “The words are capitalized if they are part of a name only.”
(DIR) Post #AWSywowVZAzupDJBIW by vlk@mastodon.social
2023-06-08T01:44:46Z
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@grammargirl As an Indian I consider it a fundamental right to put it anywhere before the sentence ends only.
(DIR) Post #AWT6OR9AKccqoLLPTk by atatassault@universeodon.com
2023-06-08T03:08:11Z
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@grammargirl This feels similar to the English Adjective Order.https://www.grammarly.com/blog/adjective-order/
(DIR) Post #AWTusWsCbJg4xzx79U by the_Cornflower@mstdn.ca
2023-06-08T12:33:53Z
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@grammargirl I usually follow the rule, but oftimes it appears some around are not aware of it. I think in English we are used to putting modifiers first, like adjectives before nouns.
(DIR) Post #AWTxioXuL5rIkCWEz2 by jm3@trunk.lol
2023-06-08T13:05:42Z
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@grammargirl @vnaylon love this post (for my own nefarious reasons)
(DIR) Post #AWU8N1SYkEFjv7pS4W by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-06-08T15:05:01Z
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@atatassault I love the "order of adjectives." It's fascinating how most native speakers seem to follow it intuitively without actually realizing it. I've covered it before in my podcast and books, and it's actually in the book I'm proofing right now that will come out in November! ("The Grammar Daily")
(DIR) Post #AWUBOQiwb8AKQbr6ES by cwwilkie@zirk.us
2023-06-08T15:38:53Z
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@grammargirl Now that I examine it, the rule makes a lot of sense, though it's probably not how I talk/write.
(DIR) Post #AWUXBiDsQLvNvXfHO4 by acm_redfox@jawns.club
2023-06-08T19:43:07Z
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@grammargirl I'd say two things:1) only in written language2) there are times when it would confuse nobody, and other times when it can really create confusion (or at least a painful malaprop)
(DIR) Post #AWV2ni2YeFvaway7wu by pjohanneson@mstdn.ca
2023-06-09T01:37:15Z
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@grammargirl I didn't know the "rule", but the first example—the transgression—feels American to me, and the second feels British. As a Canadian, I've felt comfortable using either.