Writing Lessons & Advice: Standard English
In the double-negatives lesson, I alluded to the idea of Standard English. I felt the topic warranted a closer look.
In simplest terms, Standard English is basically an “official” version of English. Think of standard like a rule and then consider Standard English as the dictate of what is correct when it comes to language use. You might also think of Standard English as proper grammar, which is the accepted system and structure for clauses, phrases, and words.
This “kind” of English is what you learn and utilize in school for that reason: the majority of English speakers/users tend to accept and follow these set conventions. Albeit, no one person or entity necessarily declared a certain way in grammar/language/usage as the way. Instead, Standard English has found its place through a combination of historical usage, linguistic research, academic institutions, and language authorities such as dictionaries, style guides, and language academies. So because authorities and traditions have deemed particular language customs as acceptable, many other areas adopt and expect it too, especially in academic and professional realms. For instance, Standard English is utilized in official print publications, like newspapers and public service announcements, journalism, and academic writing. To bring it closer to home, you ideally look for errors that don’t follow Standard English when proofreading or editing rough drafts for certain projects.
In exploring more of what constitutes Standard English, I decided to round up some of its rules and norms in the list below. This is by no means comprehensive, so I highly encourage reading/using the source material for more details. Also, if these sound like other Writing Lessons & Advice topics, I’ll try to include links or related posts to the connected ideas.
A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a period/full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark.
Spell proper nouns and proper adjectives with an initial capital letter.
Every sentence must have a subject and a verb. An object is optional. Note that an imperative sentence may have a verb only, but the subject is understood.
Write in complete sentences.
Link ideas with a conjunction or semicolon.
Use the indefinite article a with words beginning with a consonant sound. Examples: A banana, A car, a dog. Use the indefinite article an with words beginning with a vowel sound. Examples: An apple, an iPhone, an octopus.
Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice means the subject is performing the verb. Passive voice means the subject receives the action.
Only use apostrophes for possessive nouns and contractions.
The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, and whose never need apostrophes.The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has. The only time who's has an apostrophe is when it means who is or who has.
The adverb very and adverbs ending in ly are not hyphenated.
Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine and spelled-out fractions.
Adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs.
Avoid double-negatives and pay attention to your homophones.
(Most of these are also discussed in the following posts: recipe for good writing, punctuation, confusing words, parts of speech, commas, double negatives)
Just from this sample alone, you can see that following Standard English helps promote order, structure, and clarity to communication, important qualities needed especially with messages to a general audience. Most ideas are better conveyed and understood when expressed in complete sentences that have both a subject and verb, appropriate punctuation, and a conjunction if necessary. Spelled-out numbers (and phrases) are easier to read when hyphens are used accordingly. Apostrophes with possessive pronouns and certain adverbs are just unnecessary. A stronger mental image is captured when descriptors follow the right words. Not to mention, your work will be more favorably graded or received by adhering to Standard English. I’m sure I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Standard English is important to use. So, read up, study, proofread, and practice to make sure you use Standard English in your writing!
Hope this helps you understand where we get Standard English, why it's such an integral part of education and writing, and ways to use it more!
Standard English Rules sources/recommended reading:
Other sources/further reading:
If there's a topic you want me to cover in the future, you're welcome to reach out to me on the web chat feature or socials!
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