5 grammar and writing rules you learned that are actually wrong

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You don't want to be wrong. It's not a great feeling. Sometimes, however, it's not your fault. If you're taught something is correct, but it's really incorrect, that's not on you. So it goes with some common English grammar and writing "rules."

From our very first days in elementary school, we learned things about writing that simply aren't true.

Here are five things many of us are taught that just aren't correct.

I before E except after C

This "rule" might be the most ridiculous one we've ever been told to follow. To help us learn how to spell certain words, every teacher invariably utters the utterly false rule "I before E except after C."

Sure, it might have helped us spell "receive" and "conceited," but what about "glacier" or "science" or "fancier" or "ancient." Those words have "I" before "E" after "C."

And let's talk about "neighbor," "sleigh," or "weird." They have "E" before "I" with no "C" to be found anywhere.

My advice. Just forget you ever heard "I before E except after C." The rule has too many exceptions to be reliable.

Can I help you?

Picture it. You're in third grade. You just finished the best part of your day, the lunch-recess combo. It's only an hour, so you don't want to waste any of that time doing something as mundane as going to the bathroom. So, you raise your hand 12 seconds into the after-recess lesson.

"Yes, Brian, what do you need?"

"Can I go to the bathroom."

"Brian, don't you mean, 'May I go to the bathroom?' "

If your teacher was really snarky, they'd say: "I don't know. Can you? Are your legs broken?"

We had it drilled into our heads as kids that "can" should only relate to the capability to do something while "may" relates to permission to do something.

That's bunk, as we know. "Can" refers to ability as well as permission. Similarly, "may" has several meanings.

The only advice I'd offer here is, use "may" in more formal settings if you're concerned about appearances. Otherwise, use "can" like a normal person.

Use 'a' before consonants and 'an' before vowels

This one is simple enough, right? Use "a" before words that begin with consonants and "an" before words that begin with a vowel.

That gives us "a good time," "a scary movie," "a rainy day" and so on and so forth. We use "an" for "an ugly situation," "an otherwordly experience," "an interesting dilemma," etc.

So far, the rule stands up. But what about with consonants that are pronounced like vowels and vice versa?

"An usual procedure" or "a honor above all others" just doesn't work. That's because the "u" in "usual" is pronounced like the consonant "y", so you must use "a." In "honor," the "h" is silent, so you must use "an."

Forget the letter when deciding whether to use "a" or "an." Decide which article to use based on pronunciation.

Don't start a sentence with hopefully

Frankly, this "rule" stinks. The logic goes that "hopefully" means "in a hopeful manner," according to Merriam-Webster, so its application at the beginning of a sentence is problematic.

"Hopefully, my food will get here soon." Sticklers would say, my food can not get here in a hopeful manner.

But, in this instance, "hopefully" at the beginning of a sentence is an adverb that applies to the entire sentence, like "frankly" or "certainly" or "apparently."

Use "certainly" in the sentence above—Certainly, my food will get here soon—and no one would argue food can't be certain. It is understood "certainly" applies to the entire sentence to convey the sense of certainty about the situation.

In the same way, "hopefully" expresses an attitude of hopefulness that applies to the entire thought.

Don't use double negatives

This is a classic, with a classic song as a prime example. The Rolling Stones famously told us, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Using the double negative rule, we get "I Can Get Satisfaction." Doesn't make the same impact, does it?

Feel free to use double negatives to draw attention to something, to emphasize something or for ironic effect. Like any unorthodox use of language, however, keep it to a minimum and out of professional writing.

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