Sherman Alexie's assertion that 'grammar cops are rarely good writers' has provoked an internet debate. Where do you stand?
Free speech … Sherman Alexie tweeted: 'Imagination always disobeys.' Photograph: Rex Rystedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
Sherman Alexie, author of the fantastic The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, tapped into the internet's obsession with grammar on Tuesday when he tweeted: "Grammar cops are rarely good writers. Imagination always disobeys."
Alexie received hundreds of retweets and responses. GalleyCat rounds up the best of them here, from SF author John Scalzi's comment that "Grammar cops are annoying, but grammar private investigators? Kind of cool," to Hal Duncan's, "I see myself as a maverick grammar cop who doesn't go by the book. Need a partner who's too old for this shit." I particularly like Gene Weingarten's point that it's "'Police' not 'cops'".
Most readers – and authors – appear to be largely in agreement with Alexie, although some point out, rightly, that you have to know the rules to break them. For a quick refresher on some of the sticking points, take a look at Thomas Jones's recent Guardian list. God save us from sloppy writing and editing, and unintentional grammatical errors, no matter the power of the imagination they spring from. Only the authors who know what they are doing can afford to break the rules – otherwise, you're just getting it wrong.
Alexie received hundreds of retweets and responses. GalleyCat rounds up the best of them here, from SF author John Scalzi's comment that "Grammar cops are annoying, but grammar private investigators? Kind of cool," to Hal Duncan's, "I see myself as a maverick grammar cop who doesn't go by the book. Need a partner who's too old for this shit." I particularly like Gene Weingarten's point that it's "'Police' not 'cops'".
Most readers – and authors – appear to be largely in agreement with Alexie, although some point out, rightly, that you have to know the rules to break them. For a quick refresher on some of the sticking points, take a look at Thomas Jones's recent Guardian list. God save us from sloppy writing and editing, and unintentional grammatical errors, no matter the power of the imagination they spring from. Only the authors who know what they are doing can afford to break the rules – otherwise, you're just getting it wrong.
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