Grammar Myths Debunked
Here are several grammar myths and don'ts, debunked.
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Myth: Quotation Marks & Punctuation
It all depends on using American or British English. In American English, punctuation remains inside closing quotation marks, but not always. In British English, punctuation is outside the marks.
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Myth: “i.e.” and “e.g.” Mean the Same Thing
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/ie-versus-eg
i.e.= in other words. e.g.= for example. I.e. is used to offer a finite list of things whereas e.g. is more open-ended and offers a possibility.
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Myth: Use 'A' Before Consonant, "An" Before Vowel
Not necessarily. You use a before consonant sounds. You use "an" before vowel sounds. For instance, you use "an" before "hour" or "MBA" because their first syllables sound like vowels.
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Myth: Never Split Infinitives
An infinitive is a two-word form of a verb. Something like "to do" or "to tell." You may split the infinitives by adding another word to separate the duo, like "to happily do" or "to boldly tell."
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Myth: But and And Cannot Begin a Sentence
But of course they can! There is actually no historically foundation for this rule; it has been used as a stylistic modern rule.
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Myth: Sentences Cannot End with Prepositions
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/ending-a-sentence-with-a-preposition
Sometimes, prepositions need to end a sentence. "What did you step on?" Or "Cheer up" or "I want to know where it's from." All are perfectly acceptable.
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Myth: Always Use 2 Spaces After a Period
False. This only worked for monospaced type in which every character takes up the same space. In the age of proportionally typed fonts, using two spaces after a period hurts readability.
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Myth: Keyboards Are Holdovers from the Modern Era
The QWERTY keyboard was not used to slow typists down because of mechanical errors. The earliest typewriters and telegraph operators found alphabetical layouts confusing to translate Morse Code.
