False Grammatical Idol Melt-Down

If you're going to learn anything from my continuing adventures in grammatical standards, learn these two things! Take it away, Chicago Manual of Style:

(Chapter 5, verse 169) The traditional caveat of yesteryear against ending sentences with prepositions is, for most writers, an unnecessary and pedantic restriction. . . . A sentence that ends in a preposition may sound more natural than a sentence carefully constructed to avoid a final preposition. . . . The 'rule' prohibiting terminal prepositions was an ill-founded superstition.

(Chapter 5, verse 191) There is a widespread belief — one with no historical or grammatical foundation — that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice.

Hear that? Everyone's high school English teacher owes us an apology.

Bonus Fun Fact #1: Actually, the Chicago Manual of Style's grammar section is a relatively new addition to that long-authoritative volume, and its presentation is apparently regarded somewhat less highly than similar material in other grammar handbooks. I just like quoting it because it's written in chapters and verses. Amen. (Okay, they don't really call them verses. I like to call them verses, though.)

Bonus Fun Fact #2: All grammar-related "Fun Facts" are, in fact, excruciatingly dull.