Grammatical errors are a term used in prescriptive grammar to describe examples of incorrect, unconventional, or controversial usage, such as misplaced modifiers or incorrect verb tenses. Grammatical errors are also referred to as usage errors. Compare grammatical errors with correctness.
This is also known as: errors, usage errors, grammatical errors or mistakes, poor grammar.
Grammatical errors are usually distinguished from (though sometimes confused with) factual errors, logical errors, misspellings, typos, and incorrect punctuation.
Interestingly, many people tend to view errors in English usage primarily as mistakes or potential sources of embarrassment, rather than as barriers to effective communication. According to an advertisement for a ‘wonderful book’ on English usage, ‘Mistakes in English can embarrass you, hinder you in social situations and at work. They can make you look awkward and hide your true intelligence.’ (Note that in the second sentence of the advertisement, the singular pronoun ‘it’ has no clear referent. Many English teachers consider this to be a grammatical error—specifically, a case of incorrect pronoun reference.)
Examples and Observations
In ‘Correct English’, JT Baker says, “The expression “grammatical error” sounds, and in a sense is, paradoxical, because a form cannot be both grammatical and incorrect at the same time. We would not call it a musical inconsistency… Because of the apparent contradiction in terms, grammatical error should be avoided and “error in construction”, or “error in English”, etc., should be used instead. Of course, we should not say “good grammar” or “bad grammar”.”
“We believe, like most linguists, that native speakers do not make mistakes,” according to Peter Trudgill and Lars-Gunnar Andersson, quoted in “Errors in Language Learning and Use.”
Garner on Grammatical Errors
“If descriptivists believe that any linguistic evidence validates usage, then we should not be descriptivists. Hardly anyone wants to be a non-judgmental evidence collector. It is far more interesting and valuable to collect evidence and then draw conclusions from it. Judgement. Decisions. To the extent that “society” wants such reasoning—as it may well want—it is because they want to use language effectively,‘ says Bryan A. Garner in his New York Times article, ’Which Language Rules Should Be Broken. Or Emphasised?”
In Garner’s Modern American Usage, Garner notes, “Since grammatical can mean (1) “relating to grammar” [the subject of grammar] or (2) “consistent with grammar” [grammatical sentences], there is nothing wrong with the old phrase grammatical error (meaning 1). This phrase is just as acceptable as the phrases “criminal lawyer” and “logical fallacy”.”
Grammar and Usage
‘Usage is a concept that encompasses many aspects and attitudes towards language. Grammar is, of course, only a small part of what constitutes usage, although some people use one term for the other, for example when they refer to something that is actually a controversial point of usage as a grammatical error,’ according to ‘Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.’
Error Analysis
Error analysis, as a descriptive rather than prescriptive approach, provides a methodology for determining why a student makes certain grammatical errors and has become a valuable potential borrowing from this field [research in second language acquisition], which could transform prescriptive training in standard forms that is still an important part of basic writing texts. Unfortunately, error analysis in composition classes generally focuses only on errors,‘ says Eleanor Kutz in ’Between Students’ Language and Academic Discourse.”
The Light Side of Grammatical Errors
Here are some dialogues from episode 18 of season 12 of The Simpsons, ‘The Trilogy of Errors.’
First gangster: Hey. They’re throwing robots.
Linguo: They’re throwing robots.
Second gangster: That’s disrespectful. Shut up.
Linguo: Shut up. Second gangster: What’s wrong with you? First gangster: You’re not that great. Second gangster: Me and him are going to beat you up in the labonza. Linguo: Mmmm… Aah! The grammar is a mess. Error. Error.
Leave a Reply