From Grammar to Metagrammar
摘要
There is no postponing it. I have to get technical about grammar. Why do people hate it so? I would venture two main reasons based on the way it has traditionally been taught. First, students and critical thinkers alike rebel against the rigid imposition of rules, known as normative or prescriptive grammar, the idea that the right way is this, and what you are doing is wrong. This has long been superseded by descriptive grammar, which simply describes how people speak in different communities, without passing judgement.